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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
dark
medium-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
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
this book was a bit too violent for my taste. I loved the other themes in this book but this was incredibly gory and made me a little uncomfortable, rather than scared.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Death, Gore, Violence, Blood
dark
tense
medium-paced
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Durham gets a little pretentious using big words that stop the flow of the story. It wasn't Runny or Flackwell that used the words, that would make more sense, it was in the story and it just broke the rhythm of reading.
Mark and Caroline were characters I couldnt care less for. Durham wanted us to like them, but I found myself hoping they would die. I can't stand when people use the word "babe" affectionately. And Eamon as a third wheel literally just watching their physical interactions just made all of it worse. Mark was also not funny although Durham tried to make him so.
Saying all this, the storybook characters were amazing. Each one was very well developed. This is why I gave the book 3 stars. The reason behind they're murderous rampage made all of it so sad, but fulfilling in a way.
Mark and Caroline were characters I couldnt care less for. Durham wanted us to like them, but I found myself hoping they would die. I can't stand when people use the word "babe" affectionately. And Eamon as a third wheel literally just watching their physical interactions just made all of it worse. Mark was also not funny although Durham tried to make him so.
Saying all this, the storybook characters were amazing. Each one was very well developed. This is why I gave the book 3 stars. The reason behind they're murderous rampage made all of it so sad, but fulfilling in a way.
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
A truly unsettling twist on a classic sub-genre of horror. Written by one of my favorite online personalities, I loved the wit and humor woven throughout. While sometimes it felt like the main trio might speak a little too similarly, it was a language I enjoyed and would happily continue reading.
I would argue that all the primary characters were lovable, if not always complex— even the ones that were truly horrifying. They demonstrated the range of reactions that grief can produce, growing deep roots that sprout very different personalities. Since no one gets to pick how the grieve, I appreciated this range because I could relate to each of them to some degree. I was truly sorry to say goodbye to them by finishing the book.
While not as tightly-formed in some respects as it could have been, this is easily one of my new favorite books. It is because I loved this book, that I feel like addressing the parts I found challenging. These did not undermine my overall enjoyment of the book, but represent the ways this is evidently a first work for the author. Not having finished a single story in my entire life, I'd say he's still miles ahead of whatever criticisms I can level. Mild spoilers ahead.
- Eamon's Fickle Survival Instincts: Being an unwilling survivalist, I would've liked to have seen his "training" kick into place more thoroughly. Caught in several near-death instances, he was always a bit too willing to leave his mortal coil behind. One of the best parts of "final girls" is the transformation from vulnerable to powerful, and while Eamon does have some growth in this direction, it wasn't as fully-fledged as I would prefer.
- Deus Ex Machina (Kind Of): Speaking of near-death instances, Eamon was often saved just in time by one entity or another. And when I say "often", I mean about half a dozen times. This feels like an issue that could've been better resolved if his development arc had been more complete.
- Crying War: There was one specific description that was used over and over. When one character bellows a war cry, it invariably described as "cries war". It's a great description— once. After that it's just repetitive.
- Failed Bechtel: Not unusual, but still a little frustrating that the characters were overwhelmingly male. Of the female characters, only two had real roles in the story vs. the six primary male characters.
As a sub-note, there was an allusion to "children" and the world outside of the island that was not fully resolved. While it might be a little tricky, I could see a sequel possibility and I'm wondering if that is why this small thread was left. If so, I'm all in. Happy Barley Day to all.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Violence, Grief, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Confinement, Genocide, Gun violence, Slavery, Torture, Death of parent, Abandonment, Colonisation, Injury/Injury detail
challenging
dark
emotional
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
2 stars for the concept and absolutely nothing else. I wish I could like this book, this could have been great if it wasn’t written like a fifth grader found a thesaurus. The first half is especially bad at this and the last half is littered with grammatical errors that editing should have caught.
The three main characters are not really likable. The main character Eamon wanted to have depth but I just didn’t jive with the writing so it was hard for me to accept.
Mark is the typical “jock who doesn’t know any better but to antagonize” and is obnoxious for it. His best pages are at the end.
Caroline is a token POC woman who yells the most out of everyone and is the only one who uses slang. I’ll note that none of the other characters had very distinct voices. Whenever you read a line of dialogue without context you have little idea on who’s speaking. Notably, though, none of the other characters use terms like “gotta”, “outta”, and “gonna” but Caroline. And even when shit starts going down and people start yelling at each other periodically, she is the only one who is constantly yelling. Nearly ervery sentence of hers is ended with either “!” Or “?!” in the last half of the book. It read like a caricature to me.
The three main characters are not really likable. The main character Eamon wanted to have depth but I just didn’t jive with the writing so it was hard for me to accept.
Mark is the typical “jock who doesn’t know any better but to antagonize” and is obnoxious for it. His best pages are at the end.
Caroline is a token POC woman who yells the most out of everyone and is the only one who uses slang. I’ll note that none of the other characters had very distinct voices. Whenever you read a line of dialogue without context you have little idea on who’s speaking. Notably, though, none of the other characters use terms like “gotta”, “outta”, and “gonna” but Caroline. And even when shit starts going down and people start yelling at each other periodically, she is the only one who is constantly yelling. Nearly ervery sentence of hers is ended with either “!” Or “?!” in the last half of the book. It read like a caricature to me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Violence
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Torture, Abandonment
An absolutely beautiful, poetic, and mesmerizing book with layering themes and a terrifying and suspenseful story. I really, truly loved this book and did not want to put it down. The prose was captivating and enlivening. The story was fantastical and sad; so many underlying messages and brilliantly composed characters. I wish I could forget this book just to experience it again for the first time!
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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