Reviews with content warning for Animal death - The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home

I'm giving this a flat 3 stars, and the only reason I'm doing that is that it doesn't really fit into the Night Vale series. If it was just a story on its own and not connected to Night Vale, that I would give it a solid 4.5 stars. Yes, it is a story about The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your House, but more than 50% of the book is outside of Night Vale, and just going through her life. I want to say closer to 80 to 85% of the book is outside of Night Vale. And you wouldn't even need to know about Night Vale to pick up this book. You could have made it any town and it would have fit into the book just fine.

What I did not like was

how nothing was really solved by the end of the book. I was really hoping that she would kill Edmond herself too.</spoler> I also did not like how she pretty much <spoilers> forces each male of Edmond's line to have a family just so she can kill them off once they have a son to start the process all over again.

Like I understand that's your revenge, but it felt more like a mother who is

despret for grandchildren and will do anything to make it happen</spoilers> than anything. And it just made me squeamish and kind of makes me not want to read the book ever again.

What I did like was most of the side characters that she was friends with. I really like the characters that

can look like anyone

and to find out that she is in a

lesbian relationship

was just perfect. Breaking the law for love. Just great. But not just her, I really liked

Vlad.

I thought his character was built well and you really got a sense of who he was, and why he was doing what he was doing.

So overall, if this book wasn't part of the Night Vale series, I would have liked it. I wouldn't have gone in with a hope of more randomness that you get from Night Vale and would have just read a book about this random Old Woman and her crazy and creepy life.

Content Warnings

avatarjini's review

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adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious reflective sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Of all the Welcome to Night Vale novels that have been put out to date, this one is my personal favourite. The story about the Faceless Old Woman's past is full of thrilling adventure and betrayal, and there are some parts of the story that are positively exciting in the turns that occur. The Faceless Old Woman herself is an enigma given shape and meaning, and while I was skeptical of any Night Vale character being given more depth than necessary - essentially stripping them of their mystery - this story solidifies an already wonderful character and answers questions that you perhaps never had, casually side-stepping any information that would make her character lose the charm and mystery that drew you to it in the first place, and instead adds new dimensions to her character.

Anybody that hasn't engaged in the world of Night Vale before this will find it an easy book to get into, and no prior information of Night Vale is required to sink your teeth into the story. Those who are familiar with Night Vale will only find themselves more enthralled with the Faceless Old Woman and the journey that brought her to Night Vale.

I listened to the audiobook , narrated by the bold and calculating voice of Mara Wilson, the original voice for the Faceless Old Woman, who does the story justice, as we all knew she would. I would even recommend the audiobook, as having the Faceless Old Woman narrate her own story is a delight to listen to.

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