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davemusson85's review
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
First of all, I’m in awe of the unflinching honest of the author about her own mental health struggles in this book’s introduction, and then of the wild ambition shown in this work. To go half a book following the tale of young Teddy - that goes from domestic discomfort into a haunted house and other spooky supernatural stuff - before then jumping to a police procedural for another chunk of this and *then* bringing it all together in a satisfying and effective way is hugely impressive.
My favourite parts of this were those with Teddy and his new friend. Haley has a real talent for writing passages that get under your skin and leave you deeply unsettled, as well creating super compelling characters. Oh, and she’s also great at writing stomach-turning descriptions of gore and bodily remains!
For me, the police part wasn’t quite as effective - at least not until it started to tie back to the first part, but I still enjoyed myself the whole time. I also found the barrage of Beatles songs somewhat overwhelming, but that’s mainly because I can’t stand the Beatles 😂
Overall, this is a fab story and an impressive piece of work and I’m definitely keen to read more by this author. If you’re after something spooky and something to get really lost in over a few days, this is a great option.
My favourite parts of this were those with Teddy and his new friend. Haley has a real talent for writing passages that get under your skin and leave you deeply unsettled, as well creating super compelling characters. Oh, and she’s also great at writing stomach-turning descriptions of gore and bodily remains!
For me, the police part wasn’t quite as effective - at least not until it started to tie back to the first part, but I still enjoyed myself the whole time. I also found the barrage of Beatles songs somewhat overwhelming, but that’s mainly because I can’t stand the Beatles 😂
Overall, this is a fab story and an impressive piece of work and I’m definitely keen to read more by this author. If you’re after something spooky and something to get really lost in over a few days, this is a great option.
djohan's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
moonlit_shelves's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
ina_s's review
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kyra_ann_writes's review
5.0
In reading Taking Your Turn, Teddy, I realize how much I've wrongfully misjudged and dismissed the horror genre at-large. I always assumed that I wouldn't be able to handle horror, and yet I'm also the person who binge-watches serial killer documentaries.
otters27's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
spooky_librarian's review
5.0
Don’t you just love when a book wrecks you emotionally and you finish the final page and feel like you need a good cry? Maybe you’re the type of reader who benefits from a tragic tale opening a black hole in your heart and devouring you from the inside out. If this sounds like you, allow me to introduce you to this gem of a book right here.
When young Teddy catches his father in an act of infidelity and fails to keep this secret from his mother, a chain reaction of terrible, heartbreaking events unravel Teddy’s world. Finding himself in a dark place after he and his mother move into an old house, Teddy discovers Shadow, a dark entity living in the basement. Shadow claims he wants to help Teddy, but we soon learn this is far from the truth as our story takes a brutal deep dive into childhood trauma and manipulation.
This story is part psychological horror, part crime procedural with the narrative bouncing back and forth between Teddy’s perspective and the perspective of a tortured police officer by the name of Leonard Strode. I honestly didn’t expect to be so enraptured by this raw portrayal of vulnerability, loneliness, and grief.
Author Haley Newlin’s sharp writing stabs its way into your gut and twists the knife. This book affirmed one of many reasons why I love horror as a genre—its versatility. Horror doesn’t have to scare you. Sometimes it pushes you, thrills you, and other times it simply destroys you in the best, most vulnerable ways. Basically, I loved this book. I loved this book in spite of how much it hurt me to the core and it has definitely moved its way up to being one of my favorite reads this year. (Also shoutout to the author for writing a strong, smart, empathetic, black, female officer whom I freaking loved!)
When young Teddy catches his father in an act of infidelity and fails to keep this secret from his mother, a chain reaction of terrible, heartbreaking events unravel Teddy’s world. Finding himself in a dark place after he and his mother move into an old house, Teddy discovers Shadow, a dark entity living in the basement. Shadow claims he wants to help Teddy, but we soon learn this is far from the truth as our story takes a brutal deep dive into childhood trauma and manipulation.
This story is part psychological horror, part crime procedural with the narrative bouncing back and forth between Teddy’s perspective and the perspective of a tortured police officer by the name of Leonard Strode. I honestly didn’t expect to be so enraptured by this raw portrayal of vulnerability, loneliness, and grief.
Author Haley Newlin’s sharp writing stabs its way into your gut and twists the knife. This book affirmed one of many reasons why I love horror as a genre—its versatility. Horror doesn’t have to scare you. Sometimes it pushes you, thrills you, and other times it simply destroys you in the best, most vulnerable ways. Basically, I loved this book. I loved this book in spite of how much it hurt me to the core and it has definitely moved its way up to being one of my favorite reads this year. (Also shoutout to the author for writing a strong, smart, empathetic, black, female officer whom I freaking loved!)
pbanditp's review
3.0
Have you ever become the character of a book while reading it? I became Teddy during the first part of this book, I was scared, nervous, curious, I was mad at my dad, I had fun singing and listening to records with mom, and I was wondering about the glowing eyes i saw in the basement.
I was fully engaged and pulled right into Teddy’s world. Then I got to part two. I am not a big fan of police work stories. They just aren’t my thing. The three officers were just an odd combination and took me right out of the story. The book slowed way down for me and really dragged with the choices made. Weird things happened that seemed to have nothing to do with the plot.
I was never able to get back into the book. A lot of people like the police/detective angle and I am sure that it why this book has such a high rating.
After starting off so well I am bummed that I lost connection. Teddy even became an unsympathetic character to me so I didn’t care what happened to him.
I was fully engaged and pulled right into Teddy’s world. Then I got to part two. I am not a big fan of police work stories. They just aren’t my thing. The three officers were just an odd combination and took me right out of the story. The book slowed way down for me and really dragged with the choices made. Weird things happened that seemed to have nothing to do with the plot.
I was never able to get back into the book. A lot of people like the police/detective angle and I am sure that it why this book has such a high rating.
After starting off so well I am bummed that I lost connection. Teddy even became an unsympathetic character to me so I didn’t care what happened to him.