Scan barcode
icameheretoread's review
4.0
Loved this. A mix of folk and cosmic horror with a strong female protagonist. I really need to read more of Amor's stuff. I did read, and liked, Dear Laura.
This was just shy of perfect for me, I didn't understand the Matthew character (and could not get over how creepy it was that he just showed up like that) and I didn't fully understand the mainlander's mentality (which we really only get from Fiona and the other guy who does not speak). I would have also loved more history of the "keys". But, this was awesome, and I highly recommend.
This was just shy of perfect for me, I didn't understand the Matthew character (and could not get over how creepy it was that he just showed up like that) and I didn't fully understand the mainlander's mentality (which we really only get from Fiona and the other guy who does not speak). I would have also loved more history of the "keys". But, this was awesome, and I highly recommend.
erinxmegan's review
3.0
I think if you like weird cosmic type horror, this is definitely going to be for you. I have yet to find a cosmic horror story that I absolutely fall head over heels in love with, so this just didn’t mesh with me. Amor’s writing is absolutely beautiful and captivating, which made the reading experience better for me as a whole. If you like horror stories that feel more fantasy than horror and more on the weird side, this will probably be for you!
enchantressreads's review
4.0
After her husband decides their marriage is over, Megan flees her home with her now ex-husband Tim to live in the cottage her grandmother left her in Scotland. When she arrives, she's pulled in by the island near. First, small inklings in her mind make her want to visit; then, headaches and dizziness the further she moves from the island itself. She finally visits the island on a whim with her lover Matthew, and visits White Pines for the first time. Shortly after, White Pines, along with Matthew, disappear completely off the face of the island.
She feels like she's been here before. Not just the house, but the island. She knows she's seen the things these townsfolk do before. It comes crashing back, and she remembers. She remembers the town has a sinister past. And her family is in charge of it all.
The grief Megan feels over her marriage is really a driving force behind this novel. It may be a novel about a missing town, but in the background, you always feel Megan's emotions. Her emotions about her husband leaving her, and replacing her very quickly; her emotions about realizing her marriage wasn't worth it; her emotions realizing she's tied to this place more than she knows.
Besides getting a little confused on the dreams Megan had, I did really enjoy this book. Gemma has a way with words that really flows naturally. Her books aren't hard to read, and I flew through this 400 something page book in just a few days. They're very easy to picture in your head, and I loved what my mind came up with while reading this book.
I read this with Queens of Horror book club as part of August's #AugustForAmor!
She feels like she's been here before. Not just the house, but the island. She knows she's seen the things these townsfolk do before. It comes crashing back, and she remembers. She remembers the town has a sinister past. And her family is in charge of it all.
The grief Megan feels over her marriage is really a driving force behind this novel. It may be a novel about a missing town, but in the background, you always feel Megan's emotions. Her emotions about her husband leaving her, and replacing her very quickly; her emotions about realizing her marriage wasn't worth it; her emotions realizing she's tied to this place more than she knows.
Besides getting a little confused on the dreams Megan had, I did really enjoy this book. Gemma has a way with words that really flows naturally. Her books aren't hard to read, and I flew through this 400 something page book in just a few days. They're very easy to picture in your head, and I loved what my mind came up with while reading this book.
I read this with Queens of Horror book club as part of August's #AugustForAmor!
katie_judy's review
4.0
What an adventure
This book was gifted to me by a fellow instagram writer with a love of horror stories. I was excited to jump into it when I read about the bio of the author and how her stories have come to life in the no sleep podcast. I'm an avid listener so I knew this book would be great.
It took me some time to fully emerge myself into this book. When I started it, I was a put off a little by how obsessed the main character was with finding her typewriter and how many pages were dedicated to that, but that really did give me everything I needed to know to understand her. That is her personality. She sinks into whatever it is that consumes her thoughts and she does not let go. It's a passion I came to admire the most about her.
The story itself was unique and entertaining. The thing I love about horror stories like this, is how plausible they are. The author did a great job of letting you believe that in some remote part of the world, this could happen. The details she spun into the horrific events were sometimes enough to get me to skim through them.
Although I was hoping for a happier ending, I know that books like this rarely do. The author did make it the very best that it could be given all that happened. The rest is in my interpretation and it's enough.
If you like a good horror story with a supernatural twist, you won't want to let this book pass you by.
This book was gifted to me by a fellow instagram writer with a love of horror stories. I was excited to jump into it when I read about the bio of the author and how her stories have come to life in the no sleep podcast. I'm an avid listener so I knew this book would be great.
It took me some time to fully emerge myself into this book. When I started it, I was a put off a little by how obsessed the main character was with finding her typewriter and how many pages were dedicated to that, but that really did give me everything I needed to know to understand her. That is her personality. She sinks into whatever it is that consumes her thoughts and she does not let go. It's a passion I came to admire the most about her.
The story itself was unique and entertaining. The thing I love about horror stories like this, is how plausible they are. The author did a great job of letting you believe that in some remote part of the world, this could happen. The details she spun into the horrific events were sometimes enough to get me to skim through them.
Although I was hoping for a happier ending, I know that books like this rarely do. The author did make it the very best that it could be given all that happened. The rest is in my interpretation and it's enough.
If you like a good horror story with a supernatural twist, you won't want to let this book pass you by.
blueowl2ivy's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty and Body horror
michellesmelancholia's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
bloodinthesigil's review
5.0
This book is full of cold mystery and beautiful beautiful words. It is everything that I love in a story and more, characters that matter and feelings that are just so real. I couldn’t recommend it more!
tracyreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death and Child death
thomaswjoyce's review
4.0
Told from the point of view of author Megan (“Megs” to her friends), White Pines covers a great amount of story and many miles. We are introduced to Megs, living city life in England with her husband, Tim, when she receives an official letter. Her estranged Grandmother has passed away and left her cottage on the Scottish coast to Megs. It is a timely piece of news as Tim arrives home from work and drops the bombshell that he no longer loves his wife. Running the full gamut of emotions, Megs finally flees their family home and, wishing to put many miles between them, she drives through the night until she reaches her Granny’s cottage, Taigh Faire, the “watch house”. She hasn’t been here since her childhood, memories only coming fleetingly at first.
Megs isn’t a meek woman trying to escape an abusive relationship or a harrowing incident. She is much more complex than that. Sure, it is Tim who is the catalyst for her leaving, but it is clear through her inner dialogue that their marriage has been on rocky ground for some time, and she is not entirely blameless in this, thanks to a too-close friendship with colleague Matthew, and a one night stand. Being alone on the road and when she first arrives in the small Scottish village, Megs has plenty of time to ponder on all of this, and she does a fair amount of beating herself up. As she gets closer to the cottage, her thoughts wander to her family, the details she had forgotten from her youth, details that are slowly coming back to her. Her enigmatic grandmother who, just like Megs, had lost the small finger on her right hand, although, as Megs was told, this was simply a strange coincidence. The boiled sweets her grandmother favoured, but Megs had a passionate hatred for. And so on. Spending so much time in the head of a character, Amor had to take great care to make her relatable and compelling. Megs is not perfectly good; she is a perfectly developed human being, with flaws and idiosyncrasies like anyone in real life.
It is clear that Amor took a great deal of time developing her protagonist. She also took a great deal of care to develop her main setting; Taigh Faire, and the island it overlooks. The attention to detail, both with the local community and the old-fashioned interior of the cottage, is commendable. The way Amor describes everything, from the rough sandstone of the cottage to the foliage of the surrounding environment, is brilliant. And she intersperses it with dialogue and action to deliver a well-balanced and entertaining story. It is densely packed with descriptions and action, but this only encourages the reader to join Megs on her adventure of self-discovery, drawing us in until we cannot get out until the horrific truths have been uncovered.
As Megs begins to unravel the mystery of Taigh Faire and the island, and what it all has to do with her family, we are taken through many gripping emotions and themes. While the story begins with the drama of her crumbling marriage, it further develops into a supernatural mystery, a folk horror story with its rural setting and hints of rituals and a cult, and finally to cosmic horror, thanks to the incredible finale. If not done well, this may seem like a juxtaposition of ideas, like too many incompatible things forced together. But the thread that runs throughout all of these themes is the endearing and enchanting Megs, and the expert composition by Amor. Hers is an incredible journey that spans many miles and, in the end, many years. As the pace quickens with every revelation, the horror becomes evermore visceral. From the actions of the sinister mainlanders, to the description of the otherworldly apparitions witnessed in the island community of White Pines, and the horrors haunting Megs’ dreams. Such is the power of Amor’s descriptions and action that it is quite reminiscent of Adam Nevill’s The Ritual.
A common pitfall of speculative fiction authors is the tendency to rely upon simply telling the reader what is happening, rather than showing us through good descriptive language, action and dialogue. While this is made more straightforward with a first-person narrative, it is by no means easy. We are seeing this strange story unfold in a strange place, as is Megs. But it is through her interaction with the places and people around her that we learn about the mystery of the island. Amor’s use of incredibly evocative descriptions paint a picture in the mind of the reader, often verging on the poetic, especially during the vivid dream on the beach. These images are further reinforced by the realistic dialogue, whether with the strange locals, love interest Matthew, or within herself, when the reader’s sympathy for our protagonist is only strengthened. With great skill, Gemma Amor has delivered a wonderful story, as full of tremendous emotion as it is terrifying action. Hers may be a relatively new voice in the genre, but it is one to which we must surely be listening.
Megs isn’t a meek woman trying to escape an abusive relationship or a harrowing incident. She is much more complex than that. Sure, it is Tim who is the catalyst for her leaving, but it is clear through her inner dialogue that their marriage has been on rocky ground for some time, and she is not entirely blameless in this, thanks to a too-close friendship with colleague Matthew, and a one night stand. Being alone on the road and when she first arrives in the small Scottish village, Megs has plenty of time to ponder on all of this, and she does a fair amount of beating herself up. As she gets closer to the cottage, her thoughts wander to her family, the details she had forgotten from her youth, details that are slowly coming back to her. Her enigmatic grandmother who, just like Megs, had lost the small finger on her right hand, although, as Megs was told, this was simply a strange coincidence. The boiled sweets her grandmother favoured, but Megs had a passionate hatred for. And so on. Spending so much time in the head of a character, Amor had to take great care to make her relatable and compelling. Megs is not perfectly good; she is a perfectly developed human being, with flaws and idiosyncrasies like anyone in real life.
It is clear that Amor took a great deal of time developing her protagonist. She also took a great deal of care to develop her main setting; Taigh Faire, and the island it overlooks. The attention to detail, both with the local community and the old-fashioned interior of the cottage, is commendable. The way Amor describes everything, from the rough sandstone of the cottage to the foliage of the surrounding environment, is brilliant. And she intersperses it with dialogue and action to deliver a well-balanced and entertaining story. It is densely packed with descriptions and action, but this only encourages the reader to join Megs on her adventure of self-discovery, drawing us in until we cannot get out until the horrific truths have been uncovered.
As Megs begins to unravel the mystery of Taigh Faire and the island, and what it all has to do with her family, we are taken through many gripping emotions and themes. While the story begins with the drama of her crumbling marriage, it further develops into a supernatural mystery, a folk horror story with its rural setting and hints of rituals and a cult, and finally to cosmic horror, thanks to the incredible finale. If not done well, this may seem like a juxtaposition of ideas, like too many incompatible things forced together. But the thread that runs throughout all of these themes is the endearing and enchanting Megs, and the expert composition by Amor. Hers is an incredible journey that spans many miles and, in the end, many years. As the pace quickens with every revelation, the horror becomes evermore visceral. From the actions of the sinister mainlanders, to the description of the otherworldly apparitions witnessed in the island community of White Pines, and the horrors haunting Megs’ dreams. Such is the power of Amor’s descriptions and action that it is quite reminiscent of Adam Nevill’s The Ritual.
A common pitfall of speculative fiction authors is the tendency to rely upon simply telling the reader what is happening, rather than showing us through good descriptive language, action and dialogue. While this is made more straightforward with a first-person narrative, it is by no means easy. We are seeing this strange story unfold in a strange place, as is Megs. But it is through her interaction with the places and people around her that we learn about the mystery of the island. Amor’s use of incredibly evocative descriptions paint a picture in the mind of the reader, often verging on the poetic, especially during the vivid dream on the beach. These images are further reinforced by the realistic dialogue, whether with the strange locals, love interest Matthew, or within herself, when the reader’s sympathy for our protagonist is only strengthened. With great skill, Gemma Amor has delivered a wonderful story, as full of tremendous emotion as it is terrifying action. Hers may be a relatively new voice in the genre, but it is one to which we must surely be listening.
motherhorror's review
5.0
Review originally published at Cemetery Dance:
https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/review-white-pines-gemma-amor/
I like that the synopsis of White Pines is short and ambiguous. I’d like to leave it that way. I’m going to do my best to share my reading experience without disclosing important plot details in order to protect “reader discovery.”
What you know:
A woman, returning to her roots. A town, built on sacred land. A secret, cloaked in tradition and lore.
Welcome to White Pines. Don’t get too comfortable.
The new cosmic-folk-Celtic-cult-fantasy-horror novel from Gemma Amor, the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Dear Laura and Cruel Works of Nature, is available NOW.
What I’ll tell you:
The protagonist, Megan, is so relatable. I enjoyed going on a journey of self-discovery and change with her at the beginning of the story; walking in her shoes and processing everything thrown her way.
I love that Gemma Amor writes flawed, realistic women that don’t come across as having it all figured out. Megan doesn’t always react the way I would in a situation, but that’s the beauty of investing in her story—to see where her choices will take her.
What makes this book full-on horror is the brilliant way Amor sucks the reader into the story without telegraphing where she is taking you. As Megan begins to unravel the mysterious situations that befall her, the pace quickens, hurtling towards the escalating drama without being able to stop. The suspense is exhilarating and addicting.
Perhaps most noteworthy is Gemma’s ability to seamlessly stitch together mythology with epic proportions while simultaneously laying down solid groundwork for the reader to stand on so that suspending disbelief comes effortlessly/naturally. It’s clear that world building and character development are Gemma’s wheelhouse, and her greatest assets that assist her in dynamic storytelling.
To say that she holds her readers captive in the palm of her hand doesn’t do the magic of White Pines justice, but it’s as close as I can get to describing the relationship I have with her gift of words.
A consistent feature of Gemma’s books is their ability to translate powerful emotion. I went through a plethora of feelings as this book wound down to its conclusion. A strong testament to Gemma’s work as a writer—her readers can confidently show up for her unique brand of horror and expect to be crushed under the weight of serious emotional investment. It hurts so good.
https://www.cemeterydance.com/extras/review-white-pines-gemma-amor/
I like that the synopsis of White Pines is short and ambiguous. I’d like to leave it that way. I’m going to do my best to share my reading experience without disclosing important plot details in order to protect “reader discovery.”
What you know:
A woman, returning to her roots. A town, built on sacred land. A secret, cloaked in tradition and lore.
Welcome to White Pines. Don’t get too comfortable.
The new cosmic-folk-Celtic-cult-fantasy-horror novel from Gemma Amor, the Bram Stoker Award-nominated author of Dear Laura and Cruel Works of Nature, is available NOW.
What I’ll tell you:
The protagonist, Megan, is so relatable. I enjoyed going on a journey of self-discovery and change with her at the beginning of the story; walking in her shoes and processing everything thrown her way.
I love that Gemma Amor writes flawed, realistic women that don’t come across as having it all figured out. Megan doesn’t always react the way I would in a situation, but that’s the beauty of investing in her story—to see where her choices will take her.
What makes this book full-on horror is the brilliant way Amor sucks the reader into the story without telegraphing where she is taking you. As Megan begins to unravel the mysterious situations that befall her, the pace quickens, hurtling towards the escalating drama without being able to stop. The suspense is exhilarating and addicting.
Perhaps most noteworthy is Gemma’s ability to seamlessly stitch together mythology with epic proportions while simultaneously laying down solid groundwork for the reader to stand on so that suspending disbelief comes effortlessly/naturally. It’s clear that world building and character development are Gemma’s wheelhouse, and her greatest assets that assist her in dynamic storytelling.
To say that she holds her readers captive in the palm of her hand doesn’t do the magic of White Pines justice, but it’s as close as I can get to describing the relationship I have with her gift of words.
A consistent feature of Gemma’s books is their ability to translate powerful emotion. I went through a plethora of feelings as this book wound down to its conclusion. A strong testament to Gemma’s work as a writer—her readers can confidently show up for her unique brand of horror and expect to be crushed under the weight of serious emotional investment. It hurts so good.