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jamishka's review against another edition
1.0
I can see why this book has great reviews- it's complicated, well researched and has a great twist. However, this was almost a DNF for me, I just wasn't sure I would be able to get past reading from a religious cat's perspective. I think if I had been forced to read this in school or had chosen it for a book report I would have enjoyed it a lot more.
It's not a bad book, it just wasn't for me.
It's not a bad book, it just wasn't for me.
cottage_goblin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This wasnt a terrible or poorly written story, but it was not at all an enjoyable read. Within the first third of the book the "twists" became painfully obvious and because of this the reveals were ineffective.
witchy_book_babe's review against another edition
2.0
*My entire review will contain spoilers, please be aware*
I am so sorry first of all if I happen to come off rude. But, this is the most disappointing book I have read of 2023 and I fully regret purchasing this book.
The fact that this book is labeled and mentioned as a "Horror" book is heartbreaking. I read all 333 pages waiting to discover the thrill and horror that was promised/raved about. I didn't find it! The execution in this story was probably one of the weakest I have come across in some time. And I am really starting to develop trust issues with these New Age Horror/Thrillers being released.
The book revolves around Ted, whom at first I assumed had some sort of mental issues or was mentally underdeveloped due to the nature of his dialogue and actions. But, his character was extremely conflicting. Once I finished the book, I do see what the Author attempted to create, but overall I do not feel she was successful in pulling this one off.
Other important Character's are: Olivia, Lauren, Night Time, Ted's mother (whom he calls Mommy), Lulu, and Dee. Olivia and Night Time are cats (I don't even understand why there were so many cats involved in this story. There was a random Tabby cat as well that apparently Oliva was lusting after...amongst other mentions of cats through the story. It seemed that there was just a fixation on cats and the idea was poorly executed). Lauren is a disfigured girl (due to severe abuse). Ted's mother was perhaps a strong point in this story. She is basically the cause of everything, yet I found the way that it all was revealed was just quite boring and the book as a whole had too much "hand holding". I would have loved to have been punched in the gut and shown through scenes, rather than the walk through 101 of the cycle of abuse and mental illness, as it's perceived in this story.
Lulu was a little girl that went missing from the beginning and Dee is her older sister that was supposed to be keeping an eye on her during a family vacation. Lulu goes missing under Dee's watch and therefore feels guilty with the loss of her sister. I had assumed the entire time that Lulu was Lauren and I can't even tell you the level of disappointment I felt when that wasn't the case! After discovering that that connection didn't exist, I had zero interest in Dee and found her involvement in this story to be unnecessary.
After everything is said and done...you discover that Lulu has been dead all these years. Ted has multiple personality disorders due to his "Mommy's" years of physical and mental abuse towards him. I didn't feel this was interesting the way that it was executed. It just fell flat for me. And I also wondered the entire time, how the heck did Ted pay for anything? He lived in his parent's house for at least 11 years alone....he was not employed. Yet, he seemed to always have booze, running water, food, and random cash to purchase items sporadically.
I gave this book 2 stars for the underwhelming feeling I had. I honestly had hoped that Ted had a dead corpse in his house this entire time. I thought that would have been a gruesome and horrifying detail to get me all spooked. But, unfortunately this book was quite boring I am sorry to say.
I am so sorry first of all if I happen to come off rude. But, this is the most disappointing book I have read of 2023 and I fully regret purchasing this book.
The fact that this book is labeled and mentioned as a "Horror" book is heartbreaking. I read all 333 pages waiting to discover the thrill and horror that was promised/raved about. I didn't find it! The execution in this story was probably one of the weakest I have come across in some time. And I am really starting to develop trust issues with these New Age Horror/Thrillers being released.
The book revolves around Ted, whom at first I assumed had some sort of mental issues or was mentally underdeveloped due to the nature of his dialogue and actions. But, his character was extremely conflicting. Once I finished the book, I do see what the Author attempted to create, but overall I do not feel she was successful in pulling this one off.
Other important Character's are: Olivia, Lauren, Night Time, Ted's mother (whom he calls Mommy), Lulu, and Dee. Olivia and Night Time are cats (I don't even understand why there were so many cats involved in this story. There was a random Tabby cat as well that apparently Oliva was lusting after...amongst other mentions of cats through the story. It seemed that there was just a fixation on cats and the idea was poorly executed). Lauren is a disfigured girl (due to severe abuse). Ted's mother was perhaps a strong point in this story. She is basically the cause of everything, yet I found the way that it all was revealed was just quite boring and the book as a whole had too much "hand holding". I would have loved to have been punched in the gut and shown through scenes, rather than the walk through 101 of the cycle of abuse and mental illness, as it's perceived in this story.
Lulu was a little girl that went missing from the beginning and Dee is her older sister that was supposed to be keeping an eye on her during a family vacation. Lulu goes missing under Dee's watch and therefore feels guilty with the loss of her sister. I had assumed the entire time that Lulu was Lauren and I can't even tell you the level of disappointment I felt when that wasn't the case! After discovering that that connection didn't exist, I had zero interest in Dee and found her involvement in this story to be unnecessary.
After everything is said and done...you discover that Lulu has been dead all these years. Ted has multiple personality disorders due to his "Mommy's" years of physical and mental abuse towards him. I didn't feel this was interesting the way that it was executed. It just fell flat for me. And I also wondered the entire time, how the heck did Ted pay for anything? He lived in his parent's house for at least 11 years alone....he was not employed. Yet, he seemed to always have booze, running water, food, and random cash to purchase items sporadically.
I gave this book 2 stars for the underwhelming feeling I had. I honestly had hoped that Ted had a dead corpse in his house this entire time. I thought that would have been a gruesome and horrifying detail to get me all spooked. But, unfortunately this book was quite boring I am sorry to say.
hollietoftx's review against another edition
4.0
Erm, I still have no idea what really went on in this book but it was so cleverly written. I felt myself slipping into the shoes of each perspective so effortlessly and really enjoyed reading this mind-boggling book.
laurenhl's review against another edition
5.0
I made the mistake of reading the last few chapters of this after having applied self tanner and am now doomed to walk around with tear streaks on my face for the next week.
iridessence's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
haf666ia's review against another edition
fast-paced
3.75
I had a good time with this. I’ve heard some reviews about how this is so problematic and how the twists were obvious but for me I disagree. This book didn’t give me a negative perspective about people with DID I don’t inherently think people with mental illnesses are crazy murderers and this book didn’t make me think that as some reviews say. I don’t know any people with DID though so I do think it’s valid if people with DID think this is an offensive book. For me I will just say as a person who doesn’t know much about DID, I do not walk away from this book thinking that people with DID are dangerous or monsters. I don’t read many thrillers/horror so for me this was spooky and I didn’t guess any of the twists at all. This is my second Catriona Ward book and I have a great time with her books so far! The audiobook is AMAZING. The religious talking cat was….a choice….was it all that necessary? I don’t know, I guess so? Maybe? It was certainly cringy though 🤣 Ted is so based on Ted Bundy and that was kind of weird since Ted isn’t a murderer, definitely feel like the whole book we’re just being lied to/deceived…BUT I still had a great time reading it I don’t have much to say regarding the message of the book, I feel like it was more of a fun read vs. horror with a message, which is how I felt about Sundial which I really loved.
arievw's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.5