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2.73 AVERAGE
2.73 AVERAGE
I'm going to look for the physical edition of this, I'm just having a hard time listening to the audiobook.
I wanted to like this, but the ending was equivalent to, "...and then she woke up." The author tried too hard on the twist ending and took too many pages to get there.
Ironically diaphanous, considering the subject matter; like a 456 page introduction. I can appreciate the twist at the end, it’s been a long time since I’ve been truly caught off guard by a book. Yet, the twist is also part of the book’s flaws because it was a painful cop out. After the initial shock wore off I was totally turned off by it. “Like really?” I found myself saying. Although not surprising that a book with barely any plot would struggle to find a plausible end; the “it all wasn’t real” trope was laughable. This book tried so hard to be something it wasn’t, and I can’t help but laugh looking back at the author’s overuse of uppity language only to end the story so childishly and base.
I REALLY wanted to love this book. This was my most anticipated read for 2019 and I was SO disappointed.
First off, this book dragged. I almost DNF’ed it so many times but I HATE not finishing books so I pushed along. The first twist didn’t come til after page 300 (yes 300). The first 200 or so pages dragged on. The writing is beautiful but the author could have shortened it. It dragged and dragged.
Second, this book was confusing. I’m still not sure if I fully grasp what happened. It was also very unrealistic and that pushed me away.
The writing was beautiful, I will give the author that. Other than that? There wasn’t anything else that I truly enjoyed about this book.
I guess I will say that the characters were well developed.
I was so, so disappointed in this one.
First off, this book dragged. I almost DNF’ed it so many times but I HATE not finishing books so I pushed along. The first twist didn’t come til after page 300 (yes 300). The first 200 or so pages dragged on. The writing is beautiful but the author could have shortened it. It dragged and dragged.
Second, this book was confusing. I’m still not sure if I fully grasp what happened. It was also very unrealistic and that pushed me away.
The writing was beautiful, I will give the author that. Other than that? There wasn’t anything else that I truly enjoyed about this book.
I guess I will say that the characters were well developed.
I was so, so disappointed in this one.
TW: suicide, self-harm, statutory rape, miscarriage
In 1978 Argentina Mavi Quercia makes the trek to the cold region of Patagonia where a teaching post has been made available at Vaccaro School, a finishing institution for young girls. Mavi hopes here she can escape her past, to outrun the people who hunted down her mother. As Mavi begins to find her place amongst the staff and students, she begins to suspect that Vaccaro School is not the charming, antiquated establishment it looks to be on the outside, but may house spirits who roam the abandoned halls at night, feeding off the inhabitants. As children begin to fall ill and unexplained disappearances befall the school, Mavi races to find answers, but the truth threatens to unravel her world.
With her debut The Tenth Girl, Sara Faring builds a memorable setting and a twisted story that is sure to get readers talking. The setting for this one is unsettling and yet still draws you in. Vaccaro School has a very Gothic feel. Its history is woven into its very fabric. It’s dark, dilapidated, and has secrets it would rather not be discovered. While the backdrop for The Tenth Girl is beautiful and awe-inspiring, Vaccaro School is very isolated. Once Mavi arrives, her only source of human contact is with the other inhabitants. For better or for worse, they become her whole world and when things begin to take a turn, her list of allies is limited. There is a growing sense of imprisonment as Mavi begins to learn that not only is the school haunted by unseen forces, but the odds of escaping dwindle with each passing day.
Though the synopsis focuses on Mavi, there is a second point of view weaved throughout the story. Angel is one of these spirits who haunts the school. Like Mavi, he is also trying to outrun his past and when he possesses the body of the owner’s son, he soon finds a kindred spirit in the young English teacher. But the more invested he becomes in her life and the lives of those at Vaccaro School, the more difficult it is to detangle himself from what is happening. He isn’t quite ready to accept that he is like the others who skulk about, looking to feed off innocent victims, but in order to help Mavi, he will have to confess the truth, even if the truth means no one gets a happy ending. The novel does have issues with its Indigenous representation. The story hinders on the Zapuche tribe casting a curse on the land Vaccaro school was built on. It’s a problematic depiction that includes references to human sacrifice and with no Zapuche characters among the cast, it feels like they are almost mythical rather than a people who were forced from their land because of colonization.
The Tenth Girl is a slow-paced horror that does not give up its secrets easily. Surprising and at times unnerving, this debut will make the insightful reader think twice about what they are reading.
In 1978 Argentina Mavi Quercia makes the trek to the cold region of Patagonia where a teaching post has been made available at Vaccaro School, a finishing institution for young girls. Mavi hopes here she can escape her past, to outrun the people who hunted down her mother. As Mavi begins to find her place amongst the staff and students, she begins to suspect that Vaccaro School is not the charming, antiquated establishment it looks to be on the outside, but may house spirits who roam the abandoned halls at night, feeding off the inhabitants. As children begin to fall ill and unexplained disappearances befall the school, Mavi races to find answers, but the truth threatens to unravel her world.
With her debut The Tenth Girl, Sara Faring builds a memorable setting and a twisted story that is sure to get readers talking. The setting for this one is unsettling and yet still draws you in. Vaccaro School has a very Gothic feel. Its history is woven into its very fabric. It’s dark, dilapidated, and has secrets it would rather not be discovered. While the backdrop for The Tenth Girl is beautiful and awe-inspiring, Vaccaro School is very isolated. Once Mavi arrives, her only source of human contact is with the other inhabitants. For better or for worse, they become her whole world and when things begin to take a turn, her list of allies is limited. There is a growing sense of imprisonment as Mavi begins to learn that not only is the school haunted by unseen forces, but the odds of escaping dwindle with each passing day.
Though the synopsis focuses on Mavi, there is a second point of view weaved throughout the story. Angel is one of these spirits who haunts the school. Like Mavi, he is also trying to outrun his past and when he possesses the body of the owner’s son, he soon finds a kindred spirit in the young English teacher. But the more invested he becomes in her life and the lives of those at Vaccaro School, the more difficult it is to detangle himself from what is happening. He isn’t quite ready to accept that he is like the others who skulk about, looking to feed off innocent victims, but in order to help Mavi, he will have to confess the truth, even if the truth means no one gets a happy ending. The novel does have issues with its Indigenous representation. The story hinders on the Zapuche tribe casting a curse on the land Vaccaro school was built on. It’s a problematic depiction that includes references to human sacrifice and with no Zapuche characters among the cast, it feels like they are almost mythical rather than a people who were forced from their land because of colonization.
The Tenth Girl is a slow-paced horror that does not give up its secrets easily. Surprising and at times unnerving, this debut will make the insightful reader think twice about what they are reading.
CAWPILE-
Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 8
Writing: 7
Plot: 4
Intrigue: 6
Logic: 1
Enjoyment: 2
Total: 5.00
twist spoiler
Characters: 7
Atmosphere: 8
Writing: 7
Plot: 4
Intrigue: 6
Logic: 1
Enjoyment: 2
Total: 5.00
twist spoiler
Spoiler
are you fucking kidding me with this video game shit
DNF.
I feel like this book could be better appreciated by someone with more patience than me. This is a very dense book with a lot of details and filler, and a significant portion of it is just not interesting to me.
The problem is that the tension is taken almost completely out of the book by the introduction of Angel (who, btw, I had no idea was a boy until I saw someone mention it here). By introducing him as a ghost (or whatever) and showing ghost-POV here, the mystery and tension of Mavi's perspective is impacted; I know exactly what those crashes and sounds and strange occurrences are. The mystery is gone.
Had Angel's perspective been cut- or maybe severely reduced- not only would the tension be greater, but the book would have been a much more manageable length.
I feel like this book could be better appreciated by someone with more patience than me. This is a very dense book with a lot of details and filler, and a significant portion of it is just not interesting to me.
The problem is that the tension is taken almost completely out of the book by the introduction of Angel (who, btw, I had no idea was a boy until I saw someone mention it here). By introducing him as a ghost (or whatever) and showing ghost-POV here, the mystery and tension of Mavi's perspective is impacted; I know exactly what those crashes and sounds and strange occurrences are. The mystery is gone.
Had Angel's perspective been cut- or maybe severely reduced- not only would the tension be greater, but the book would have been a much more manageable length.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I was rocketing towards giving this a 1 star review - the story plodded along and I found myself glazing over and it transformed into a hate read.
And then, the twist.
Before I go into the spoiler, I'll say I looked at the reviews of people gagging over the twist, and I was STILL twisted. Well played, Sara Faring - I've added a star just because I was well and truly gooped.
In saying that, the twist came almost 85% of the way through the book and couldn't save all that happened prior to it. It held my interest to the end, which is something, but not enough for me to say "I enjoyed the book". Rather, I appreciated the twist. The characters - not bothered. Overall arc of the story - not bothered. Setting - a little bit cool, but not enough on its own.
I can't remember how this book ended up on my TBR and who recommended it to me, though I hope I can remember quickly so that I can take pause if they recommend something to me again.
And then, the twist.
Before I go into the spoiler, I'll say I looked at the reviews of people gagging over the twist, and I was STILL twisted. Well played, Sara Faring - I've added a star just because I was well and truly gooped.
Spoiler
Suddenly, a story that started out all about boarding schools and ghost did an insane pivot to a science fiction alternate reality setting. Think of the setting shifting dramatically from say, The Turn Of The Screw (gothic thriller/suspense, ghosts) to Ready Player One or Otherland. (science fiction, artificial intelligence, virtual reality).In saying that, the twist came almost 85% of the way through the book and couldn't save all that happened prior to it. It held my interest to the end
Spoiler
though it was an ending that I felt was a copoutI can't remember how this book ended up on my TBR and who recommended it to me, though I hope I can remember quickly so that I can take pause if they recommend something to me again.
Not for me. Overwritten. Instead of an ominous atmosphere, this has a narrator who beats us over the heat about this crazy feeling she can’t explain, whispers on the wind, etc.