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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I listened to the audio book of this one. It's kind of like Supernatural meets Frankenstein in a Western. (Ish.) The characters are great, the setting evocative, and story extremely engaging. I was hooked from the beginning, which was also the ... "scariest" is a strong word but maybe the most unnerving part? The tension shifts about midway through the story and builds again as you realize who the real villains are--I also don't remember the last time I was so worried for a child character. (Protect Sam at all costs!) All in all, a great read!
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Historical fiction and horror? Yes please. Vampires in the Old West, Belle Guinness, or Donner Party vibes, I’m your reader. But this book was a hot mess.
Ostensibly it’s the story of a woman homesteading in Montana during the early part of the 20th century who arrives just weeks before the first Autumn snow with nothing practical for survival, only cold hard cash, six books, and a secret in a trunk. Bingo, bring on the terror. But no.
After an engaging opening chapter it becomes mundane. There are many characters introduced who ultimately have little to do except fill the pages and have unresolved side plots. I would have preferred a little more character development at the expense of losing some extraneous subplots but I recognize that is my personal view.
Whilst the prose is eminently readable, I found so much to take me out of the story. The first part of the book is full of signposting for the eventual, predictable ‘plot twists’. The first comes fairly early in the novel and does not really affect the story until the third part. I found that distracting. Also there are some dialogue choices that felt anachronistic to me. Combined with the above-mentioned plot issues I was disappointed with the story.
This is not historical fiction or horror. It is magical realism set in the past. The most magical part being how this woman who doesn’t even have a coat or food manages to have everything she needs fall into her lap.
Ostensibly it’s the story of a woman homesteading in Montana during the early part of the 20th century who arrives just weeks before the first Autumn snow with nothing practical for survival, only cold hard cash, six books, and a secret in a trunk. Bingo, bring on the terror. But no.
After an engaging opening chapter it becomes mundane. There are many characters introduced who ultimately have little to do except fill the pages and have unresolved side plots. I would have preferred a little more character development at the expense of losing some extraneous subplots but I recognize that is my personal view.
Whilst the prose is eminently readable, I found so much to take me out of the story. The first part of the book is full of signposting for the eventual, predictable ‘plot twists’. The first comes fairly early in the novel and does not really affect the story until the third part. I found that distracting. Also there are some dialogue choices that felt anachronistic to me. Combined with the above-mentioned plot issues I was disappointed with the story.
This is not historical fiction or horror. It is magical realism set in the past. The most magical part being how this woman who doesn’t even have a coat or food manages to have everything she needs fall into her lap.
The first 20% was engaging, focused and interesting. After that, it’s becomes unfocused, meandering, and lacking in plot.
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wasn't a huge fan of this book, but I wanted to know what the end of the story was going to be so I kept going.
There are a lot of characters, but I didn't really care about them. What kept we going was the contents of the trunk, but that was about it. I didn't care for the author's writing style either - everything (dialogue, setting, inner thoughts) were a little fluffier than it needed to be.
There are a lot of characters, but I didn't really care about them. What kept we going was the contents of the trunk, but that was about it. I didn't care for the author's writing style either - everything (dialogue, setting, inner thoughts) were a little fluffier than it needed to be.