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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
(2.3)
This book is tough to review as at the end of the day it just wasn't my cup of tea. I'm still trying to find what kind of horror novels I enjoy, and after reading this, I know slasher horror is not it. Although the writing style was very good and the book-within-a book idea was decent, there was an over reliance on classical tropes, and the characters were one dimensional. The only thing that kept me turning the pages most of the time was that I needed an answer to the big mystery in the plot.
This book is tough to review as at the end of the day it just wasn't my cup of tea. I'm still trying to find what kind of horror novels I enjoy, and after reading this, I know slasher horror is not it. Although the writing style was very good and the book-within-a book idea was decent, there was an over reliance on classical tropes, and the characters were one dimensional. The only thing that kept me turning the pages most of the time was that I needed an answer to the big mystery in the plot.
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
What a delightfully dark, complex little book. I picked this up on a whim without knowing what to expect, and I wound up pleasantly surprised, enjoying everything about it!
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Horror meets fantasy. Yes please. I was recommended this by a Facebook ad, and I rarely fall for that but the cover and premise pulled me in. It was a wild ride. Yes, some was predictable, but that did not detract from the enjoyment I got from reading this (in 2 days, and I'm in grad school so you know I was absorbed). When I wasn't reading it I was thinking about it. I was emotionally attached to the characters. I was in the world.
You will need to suspend disbelief a bit, but don't read fantasy if you can't do that. It has Alice in wonderland vibes, but in the way the very dark book Alice does. Watership Down was present too but in a wholly original way. I will definitely read this author again. It was his first work, and it showed just a bit, but in a very charming and engaging way.
One downside. You've probably seen the Amazon reviews that the book pages fall out. This is true. I bought it brand new and I baby my books as I read them and pages were literally falling out in my hands. That's the publisher's fault, though, the author probably had to go with whoever would take a new author and he's such a great artist it's fine.
You will need to suspend disbelief a bit, but don't read fantasy if you can't do that. It has Alice in wonderland vibes, but in the way the very dark book Alice does. Watership Down was present too but in a wholly original way. I will definitely read this author again. It was his first work, and it showed just a bit, but in a very charming and engaging way.
One downside. You've probably seen the Amazon reviews that the book pages fall out. This is true. I bought it brand new and I baby my books as I read them and pages were literally falling out in my hands. That's the publisher's fault, though, the author probably had to go with whoever would take a new author and he's such a great artist it's fine.
This genre is not normally my cup of tea. But something about it kept saying 'read me!' I tried to get it from the library, but there were only 2 copies in the system in the entire state of Ohio. So.... my librarians are so awesome, they actually bought the book and I got the pleasure of being the first to check it out!
With all that said, this book was absolutely wonderful from start to finish. The way that Jonathan writes is captivating and so descriptive that you can almost 'feel' the book's emotion with every turn of the page. And even though there were 'good' characters and 'bad' characters, Durham brought them all to life so beautifully, that I couldn't help but cheer for all of them to get their happy ending. Definitely a 5 star for me. And I will definitely be purchasing this novel for my own collection to read time and time again. Jonathan, thank you so much for the adventure!
With all that said, this book was absolutely wonderful from start to finish. The way that Jonathan writes is captivating and so descriptive that you can almost 'feel' the book's emotion with every turn of the page. And even though there were 'good' characters and 'bad' characters, Durham brought them all to life so beautifully, that I couldn't help but cheer for all of them to get their happy ending. Definitely a 5 star for me. And I will definitely be purchasing this novel for my own collection to read time and time again. Jonathan, thank you so much for the adventure!
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Great read! If Winnie the Pooh and the rest of the Hundred Acre Wood hunted Christopher Robin. Violent, gnarly, fun, and very well-written. Looking forward to reading the authors next book.
the narrator isn’t awful, but I think I’d get more out of this book by reading it on the page
I never, and I mean never, read horror.
But a friend kept recommending this little gem and boy am I glad they did.
It was absolutely riveting; every page of it. And the poetry was so pretty.
It was like FNAF and T.S. Elliot had a kid in a The Shining version of The Hundred Acre Woods.
But a friend kept recommending this little gem and boy am I glad they did.
It was absolutely riveting; every page of it. And the poetry was so pretty.
It was like FNAF and T.S. Elliot had a kid in a The Shining version of The Hundred Acre Woods.
adventurous
challenging
dark
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes