Reviews

The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon

goodnewsblues's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

looking4alexis's review against another edition

3.0

hmmm i enjoyed this until about half way and it dragged. i called the plot. i did listen to this which made it more enjoyable but i didn't really care about the story or the characters involved ? maybe just me. gonna read winter people and night sister by her and see how else i feel! i do enjoy her writing

carlabear's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

gracingyouwithbooks's review

adventurous challenging dark mysterious tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

kalypsowolf's review against another edition

dark tense

3.75

I haven't read Frankenstein but I do know the general story and I think this is a really interesting interpretation. I can see the inspirations taken. Not to mention both the book and numerous Frankenstein movies are mentioned multiple times. 

It's well known that psychiatric treatments in history have often been horrific and cruel. This book uses very real "treatments" that have been used at one point or another to really drive the horror of this book. The descriptions of the equipment and specimen jars can sometimes get a little uncomfortable, but it never really veers into the gruesome territory. I honestly kinda wish it did though, but that's just me.

There are certainly quite a few twists in this. I think how it handles information is one of the best things about this book. It lulls you into a false sense of security by feeding you just enough information for you to feel like it's obvious what the twist is going to be, only to subvert those expectations. But when things are revealed it doesn't feel entirely unbelievable either like a lot of thrillers do, though it does dip into getting a bit weird for a few pages there (which I'm not sure I love for this story in particular, kinda wish it either fully committed or didn't do it at all)

The writing is fine, but with a setting like this I really think it could have leant more into the atmosphere of it all. I imagine it didn't do that just to save on time and pages, but if done right I think it could have really elevated the story.

There are a few scenes where I'm just...unsure if they served a purpose? They kinda felt like maybe they were leading to something, but it never pays off and what the book actually ends up doing would have had the exact same impact even without those scenes.

In terms of the ending, I'm kinda loving where it went. It was what I can only describe as darkly wholesome.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma

manderzreadz's review against another edition

5.0

Wow. While it took me a bit to read it due to a hectic schedule, the last 100 pages blew me away. Not as scary as “The Drowning Kind”, McMahon delivers an eerie, complex monster hunt that leaves you to decide who the monster truly is.

sparkle_13's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

sparkystar90's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

It was interesting and I loved the twist but it ended abruptly and I didn’t have time to get emotionally invested in the character’s endings. 

mailander13's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-paced

4.5

jenhurst's review against another edition

3.0

3.5
I really enjoyed this. It was very fast paced and I loved the allusions to Frankenstein and the creepy mental hospital. The whole time your wondering is it supernatural or not? I was expecting one of the twists to go the other way, so I’ll give the book props for that.
I think the ending was a little disappointing but I’m not sure how it could’ve been ended better. I’m looking forward to reading more by this author.