You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
I had high hopes for this because the premise and setting were just so unique. Alas, it didn’t live up to concept.
I enjoyed quite a bit of it, though. The main three pro tags were all decently realized and felt like mostly real people (awkward conversations about ketchup and fries aside), and I felt for them through their ordeal which helps in horror books. Likewise, the animals were surprisingly deep and had a real humanity about them, although I’m sure they’d hate me using that word to describe them!
However, I gotta agree with a lot of the other reviews I’ve read that this book is really over written. Just such frilly turns of phrase used so often and not always in situations that make any sense. I thought maybe the author was British, but nah, just trying a bit too hard it seems. The overwrought phrases and sentences took me out of the story so often.
Overall it was fine, it had some good mystery and some nice tense scenes to keep it going despite the writing problems.
****************
*SPOILRY GRIPE: Really? The captain just abandons them over night after foreshadowing the possibility of bears on the islands? Reallllllly?
I enjoyed quite a bit of it, though. The main three pro tags were all decently realized and felt like mostly real people (awkward conversations about ketchup and fries aside), and I felt for them through their ordeal which helps in horror books. Likewise, the animals were surprisingly deep and had a real humanity about them, although I’m sure they’d hate me using that word to describe them!
However, I gotta agree with a lot of the other reviews I’ve read that this book is really over written. Just such frilly turns of phrase used so often and not always in situations that make any sense. I thought maybe the author was British, but nah, just trying a bit too hard it seems. The overwrought phrases and sentences took me out of the story so often.
Overall it was fine, it had some good mystery and some nice tense scenes to keep it going despite the writing problems.
****************
*SPOILRY GRIPE: Really? The captain just abandons them over night after foreshadowing the possibility of bears on the islands? Reallllllly?
adventurous
dark
emotional
slow-paced
Wow.
I may have to rewrite or add on to this once I've had time to fully digest the tale I just took in, the undertones and overtones, and the branches and roots of it. There's a lot in it to chew on, and it fully swept me up into its story. So many times I found myself wondering along with the human characters why it had to be like this, and thinking of what the polar opposite of this story could have been, and how lovely, so that alone created it's own depth and sorrow to everything.
My actual rating is probably 4.75, which I've rounded up to 5 here because I do feel this book deserves it. There were, however, a few things I had issues with in it. One being that I can tell you a few key phrases and words (clear over to/clear into/clear off, fetid, and a handful of others) that I felt were overused and perhaps got missed as repetitive in editing. I was also a bit disappointed to see the phrase "off the reservation" used in a new novel in this day and age. I think some further substance could have been brought to a few parts, and some of the extra humans could have been a bit more fleshed out, but really none of these things are major detractors and seem to be relatively acceptable within a first novel that was incredibly ambitious and executed surprisingly well. Maybe even commenting on those is petty, given how much I absolutely enjoyed this and wish I could learn more about these characters and their worlds.
There's so much to like here, and so much to be horrified and saddened by. There's bits to make you question your own humanity, and what that really means. There's bits to empathize with. There's lessons and things to think deeply on.
I would actually love it if the author wrote like, a prequel book or something of the sort, to go further into the backstory that defines the characters on the island and tells their story from their perspective. He's created such a lush and unique lore with them, and the inclusion of a book within a book is a difficult thing to pull off, but I would absolutely read that book as well, were it real. I enjoyed it so much. Regardless, I'm excited to see what the future holds and what the next release might be.
I may have to rewrite or add on to this once I've had time to fully digest the tale I just took in, the undertones and overtones, and the branches and roots of it. There's a lot in it to chew on, and it fully swept me up into its story. So many times I found myself wondering along with the human characters why it had to be like this, and thinking of what the polar opposite of this story could have been, and how lovely, so that alone created it's own depth and sorrow to everything.
My actual rating is probably 4.75, which I've rounded up to 5 here because I do feel this book deserves it. There were, however, a few things I had issues with in it. One being that I can tell you a few key phrases and words (clear over to/clear into/clear off, fetid, and a handful of others) that I felt were overused and perhaps got missed as repetitive in editing. I was also a bit disappointed to see the phrase "off the reservation" used in a new novel in this day and age. I think some further substance could have been brought to a few parts, and some of the extra humans could have been a bit more fleshed out, but really none of these things are major detractors and seem to be relatively acceptable within a first novel that was incredibly ambitious and executed surprisingly well. Maybe even commenting on those is petty, given how much I absolutely enjoyed this and wish I could learn more about these characters and their worlds.
There's so much to like here, and so much to be horrified and saddened by. There's bits to make you question your own humanity, and what that really means. There's bits to empathize with. There's lessons and things to think deeply on.
I would actually love it if the author wrote like, a prequel book or something of the sort, to go further into the backstory that defines the characters on the island and tells their story from their perspective. He's created such a lush and unique lore with them, and the inclusion of a book within a book is a difficult thing to pull off, but I would absolutely read that book as well, were it real. I enjoyed it so much. Regardless, I'm excited to see what the future holds and what the next release might be.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Sometimes, not knowing even the genre of the book you're reading is A MISTAKE. This one started out delightfully - three friends, with a childhood story that is meaningful to them (think the Velveteen Rabbit or Winnie the Pooh), decide to visit the island where the book was written as a homage. When they unexpectedly find their way to the author's abandoned mansion, and see a light on inside, they are stunned to realize the characters on their beloved childhood tale are real. I was enchanted to meet Runny, and then the fussy frog chef. I did not expect this to become a horror story. Unfortunately, things quickly took a turn and the story got very dark, and extremely tragic. The whole tale was devestatingly sad, and the ending absolutely wrenching. My heart broke for those characters and their real-life story. This was a brilliant tale, beautifully imagined and written, and despite the deep tragic storyline I think it's a great book. I will remember this one for a long time.
challenging
dark
tense
slow-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:
No
I lost Interest. Not what I was Expecting.. maybe I’ll eventually come back to it
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
adventurous
dark
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated