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ofmiceandmenudo's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
ericarobyn's review against another edition
4.0
White Pines by Gemma Amor is a tragical tale about a woman that inherits an old home from her grandmother only to discover that she has much more history there than she could remember. Unfortunately, before her memories begin to return, the area sinks hooks into her and it won’t her go.
This is a book that I highly recommend you go into as dark as possible! If you check out the synopsis, you’ll see that it’s very light, and I definitely think that was intentional!
As such, I will keep my notes light as well without any spoilers.
The tale was very character driven as we focused on the journey of the main character, Megan, from her abrupt move to the house she inherited to adjusting to the new town, and so much more.
In addition to Megs, there was also a man named Matthew that was incredibly pushy but also protective and sweet, a curious young boy named Luke, and various towns people from both the mainland and the island. I couldn’t help but keep anxiously reading, hoping for a happy ending for all…
I know I say that many reads are like rollercoaster rides… this one was more like going on the Tower of Terror, but getting in at the top and dropping right away before slowly climbing back up just to drop again and again and again.
Phew! I mean, the number of scenes that brought me to a complete halt as I just couldn’t believe what was happening…
I can’t wait for you to discover what awaits you in the pages of White Pines!
My Favorite Passages
But the memories linger like smoke in the air.
And at that point I realized, with a lucid type of panic, that I was dreaming. Dreaming, but unable to jerk myself awake. This was a nightmare, and, as with all nightmares, the rules of reality did not apply. But, unlike most nightmares, I found I could not escape from it.
I could not find a footing at all, emotionally. It was like someone else was sitting inside my brain, idly flipping through different feelings and memories without being able to settle on any one moment, or state.
One moment there were trees all around, the next, a bright moon shone down upon us, as if curtains had been thrown open to let the night back in. It illuminated the white tree trunks, and I could see they made a large, bright, surreal circle that stretched out before us, within which we now stood, tiny, insignificant, off to one side.
My Final Thoughts
This story is just screaming for an adaptation! Gemma’s use of description and overall character development and intense plot are just too good to pass up.
While reading this, I certainly went through a range of emotions! If you enjoy horror reads with a strong sense of mystery centered around a cult and a terrifying beast, then this will be a hit for you!
I cannot wait to pick up more of Gemma’s work soon!
This is a book that I highly recommend you go into as dark as possible! If you check out the synopsis, you’ll see that it’s very light, and I definitely think that was intentional!
As such, I will keep my notes light as well without any spoilers.
The tale was very character driven as we focused on the journey of the main character, Megan, from her abrupt move to the house she inherited to adjusting to the new town, and so much more.
In addition to Megs, there was also a man named Matthew that was incredibly pushy but also protective and sweet, a curious young boy named Luke, and various towns people from both the mainland and the island. I couldn’t help but keep anxiously reading, hoping for a happy ending for all…
I know I say that many reads are like rollercoaster rides… this one was more like going on the Tower of Terror, but getting in at the top and dropping right away before slowly climbing back up just to drop again and again and again.
Phew! I mean, the number of scenes that brought me to a complete halt as I just couldn’t believe what was happening…
I can’t wait for you to discover what awaits you in the pages of White Pines!
My Favorite Passages
But the memories linger like smoke in the air.
And at that point I realized, with a lucid type of panic, that I was dreaming. Dreaming, but unable to jerk myself awake. This was a nightmare, and, as with all nightmares, the rules of reality did not apply. But, unlike most nightmares, I found I could not escape from it.
I could not find a footing at all, emotionally. It was like someone else was sitting inside my brain, idly flipping through different feelings and memories without being able to settle on any one moment, or state.
One moment there were trees all around, the next, a bright moon shone down upon us, as if curtains had been thrown open to let the night back in. It illuminated the white tree trunks, and I could see they made a large, bright, surreal circle that stretched out before us, within which we now stood, tiny, insignificant, off to one side.
My Final Thoughts
This story is just screaming for an adaptation! Gemma’s use of description and overall character development and intense plot are just too good to pass up.
While reading this, I certainly went through a range of emotions! If you enjoy horror reads with a strong sense of mystery centered around a cult and a terrifying beast, then this will be a hit for you!
I cannot wait to pick up more of Gemma’s work soon!
errantdreams's review
5.0
I absolutely love Gemma Amor’s horror novel White Pines. Megs (Megan) has just been informed by her husband that their marriage is over. Since she just inherited a tiny cottage from her grandmother, she packs up the van and heads off to live by herself in the Scottish woods for a while. When she gets there, the locals seem almost to have been waiting for her. She spots an island off the coast that she can barely tear her eyes away from, and when she moves away from it her head starts to hurt. A colleague, Matthew, with whom she once had a one-night stand, shows up–he’s been in love with her for a while, and doesn’t want to waste any time now that she’s “available.” Megs, however, has more important things to think about. Like that island, her piercing headaches, and the mysterious tunnel under her house. Before she knows it, she’s caught up in events beyond her reckoning–and she’ll never be the same again.
One thing that amazed me about this book is that Amor managed to make a dream sequence that was interesting and meaningful, and that furthered the plot. I so rarely find visions or dreams in fiction to be worth the space they take up.
Megs hit a chord with me. Her confusion and anger and frustrated questioning of “why?” rang so true as she tried to deal with the reality of her marriage having fallen apart without her even having recognized it was happening. Of course she ends up having much more important things to think about, which keeps the divorce thread from becoming overly depressing.
The cosmic horror/rural horror aspects of this are fantastic. There’s a very bizarre thing going on in this rural town, and the residents will go to great lengths to keep it secret. Fortunately (unfortunately?) for Megs, she is not an outsider, even if she hasn’t been there since she was a child. Soon she’s going to be forced to realize that her missing finger wasn’t lost in an accident like her mother said it was. She’s connected to the island. And no one but her can save her.
Content note for mild sexual material as well as some body horror. Most of all I love the way this book ends; one problem with cosmic horror is that it’s hard to end in a satisfying manner, but Amor pulls it off!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/03/review-white-pines-gemma-amor/
One thing that amazed me about this book is that Amor managed to make a dream sequence that was interesting and meaningful, and that furthered the plot. I so rarely find visions or dreams in fiction to be worth the space they take up.
Megs hit a chord with me. Her confusion and anger and frustrated questioning of “why?” rang so true as she tried to deal with the reality of her marriage having fallen apart without her even having recognized it was happening. Of course she ends up having much more important things to think about, which keeps the divorce thread from becoming overly depressing.
The cosmic horror/rural horror aspects of this are fantastic. There’s a very bizarre thing going on in this rural town, and the residents will go to great lengths to keep it secret. Fortunately (unfortunately?) for Megs, she is not an outsider, even if she hasn’t been there since she was a child. Soon she’s going to be forced to realize that her missing finger wasn’t lost in an accident like her mother said it was. She’s connected to the island. And no one but her can save her.
Content note for mild sexual material as well as some body horror. Most of all I love the way this book ends; one problem with cosmic horror is that it’s hard to end in a satisfying manner, but Amor pulls it off!
Original review posted on my blog: http://www.errantdreams.com/2020/03/review-white-pines-gemma-amor/
brennanlafaro's review
4.0
I started my Gemma journey with Dear Laura, and it immediately showed me what this author was capable of. Not only that, but it’s one of the finest examples of what you can pull off in the novella form. Then it was onto These Wounds We Make, Gemma’s second collection of shorts. While I haven’t gotten to Cruel Works of Nature yet, I have no doubt that it’s going to be Amor showing that she doesn’t need more than 5,000 words to break your heart and twist your guts. When she announced a full-length novel, coming in over 400 pages, I couldn’t wait to see what she could do with it.
The answer is a lot. White Pines is touted as cosmic-folk-celtic-fantasy-cult-horror, and it ticks all of those boxes. More importantly, it does so without leaving the reader lost, confused, or overwhelmed. Considering the amount packed in, the story is surprisingly linear, following Megan as she moves to her grandmother’s cottage of Taigh Faire. What starts quietly escalates so gradually that the reader doesn’t necessarily know it’s happening until Amor flips the switch and the ride goes properly off the rails.
Amor excels writing female leads, which I realize is an odd thing to say. Her protagonists are strong, yet flawed. Like any good lead, they learn about themselves as the reader does, and even if you can’t put your finger on precisely why, you root for them. Megan is no exception, and even though the main events are spurred on by outside forces, it’s still very clearly Megan’s journey that remains at the forefront.
My one complaint seems a bit trifling, but White Pines does lack a little bit of the urgency that made me fall in love with the author’s shorter work. Trifling, because it’s a novel. Of course it’s not going to be paced the same as a work one quarter the size. It’s a wonderful story, but I’m not sure it will stick with me in the same way Dear Laura has.
The avalanche of potential sub-genre labels might overwhelm some readers so let me say that even though it does tick all those boxes, folk and fantasy horror are the best descriptors. As always, Amor packs emotion and brutal horror into the story, and doesn’t consistently warn you before dropping one or the other in your lap and refusing to let you look away.
The answer is a lot. White Pines is touted as cosmic-folk-celtic-fantasy-cult-horror, and it ticks all of those boxes. More importantly, it does so without leaving the reader lost, confused, or overwhelmed. Considering the amount packed in, the story is surprisingly linear, following Megan as she moves to her grandmother’s cottage of Taigh Faire. What starts quietly escalates so gradually that the reader doesn’t necessarily know it’s happening until Amor flips the switch and the ride goes properly off the rails.
Amor excels writing female leads, which I realize is an odd thing to say. Her protagonists are strong, yet flawed. Like any good lead, they learn about themselves as the reader does, and even if you can’t put your finger on precisely why, you root for them. Megan is no exception, and even though the main events are spurred on by outside forces, it’s still very clearly Megan’s journey that remains at the forefront.
My one complaint seems a bit trifling, but White Pines does lack a little bit of the urgency that made me fall in love with the author’s shorter work. Trifling, because it’s a novel. Of course it’s not going to be paced the same as a work one quarter the size. It’s a wonderful story, but I’m not sure it will stick with me in the same way Dear Laura has.
The avalanche of potential sub-genre labels might overwhelm some readers so let me say that even though it does tick all those boxes, folk and fantasy horror are the best descriptors. As always, Amor packs emotion and brutal horror into the story, and doesn’t consistently warn you before dropping one or the other in your lap and refusing to let you look away.
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