Scan barcode
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.
johnlynchbooks's review
5.0
So, I read this book as soon as I finished a book that may end up being the biggest disappoint of the year (to me) and man, did this wash that bad taste out of my mouth.
The book starts off with an emotional gut punch right from the beginning, and thats the level of intensity that the book maintains throughout. The amount of trauma that Teddy goes through in the first 100 pages of this book will leave you reeling, and if it doesnt make you feel SOMETHING, you're not capable of feelings. There are alot of adult themes throughout, and Newlin does and excellent job of putting it all out their on the page. This was my first book from the author, I will absolutely be coming back for more.
The book starts off with an emotional gut punch right from the beginning, and thats the level of intensity that the book maintains throughout. The amount of trauma that Teddy goes through in the first 100 pages of this book will leave you reeling, and if it doesnt make you feel SOMETHING, you're not capable of feelings. There are alot of adult themes throughout, and Newlin does and excellent job of putting it all out their on the page. This was my first book from the author, I will absolutely be coming back for more.
acissejlinnet99's review
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Author set up the book for it to have a really good, nice ending and then gave us what she gave us. Super disappointed in how the ending just happened. Almost seemed like she was tired of writing the book and just wrapped it up for the sake of finishing a book and hitting the word count needed.
cherrymunson's review
3.0
✨SPOILERS AHEAD✨
I really enjoyed part 1 of this book. It drew me in and had me invested in everything that was going on.
I won't say I didn't like the rest of the book, because I mostly did, I just felt like some parts didn't live up to the first.
Let's talk about Jackie Warren. The whole book, I figured there was no way she could be alive and we, as the readers, were never given hope that she was. In the end, she was killed in exactly the way the police suspected she was, by her father, so there was really no suprise there.
Speaking of which, the story left me a bit confused as to how much influence the Shadow had. In Mr. Warren's journal, he says he doesn't remember killing his daughter, which makes it seem like the Shadow fully took over. However, we never see this happen with Teddy. Teddy seems to be just as into murdering people as the Shadow is and is completely irredeemable in the end, which unfortunately made me not really care that he was killed at the end.
I don't want to only talk about negative things, though. I did enjoy the characters in this book and the explorations of trauma felt meaningful. Teddy was a sympathetic character in Part 1 and I really connected with Lila. Her death made me so sad. I enjoyed the relationship between Strode, Finch, and Burklow. Their differing personalities made them feel like a well-balanced group. I also enjoyed all the refrences to horror media like Halloween and Stranger Things, as well as this basically serving as a prequel to Not Another Sarah Halls.
I am excited to see what this author writes next! :)
I really enjoyed part 1 of this book. It drew me in and had me invested in everything that was going on.
I won't say I didn't like the rest of the book, because I mostly did, I just felt like some parts didn't live up to the first.
Let's talk about Jackie Warren. The whole book, I figured there was no way she could be alive and we, as the readers, were never given hope that she was. In the end, she was killed in exactly the way the police suspected she was, by her father, so there was really no suprise there.
Speaking of which, the story left me a bit confused as to how much influence the Shadow had. In Mr. Warren's journal, he says he doesn't remember killing his daughter, which makes it seem like the Shadow fully took over. However, we never see this happen with Teddy. Teddy seems to be just as into murdering people as the Shadow is and is completely irredeemable in the end, which unfortunately made me not really care that he was killed at the end.
I don't want to only talk about negative things, though. I did enjoy the characters in this book and the explorations of trauma felt meaningful. Teddy was a sympathetic character in Part 1 and I really connected with Lila. Her death made me so sad. I enjoyed the relationship between Strode, Finch, and Burklow. Their differing personalities made them feel like a well-balanced group. I also enjoyed all the refrences to horror media like Halloween and Stranger Things, as well as this basically serving as a prequel to Not Another Sarah Halls.
I am excited to see what this author writes next! :)
panicatthebookstore's review
5.0
"His father's anger caught fire and was burning them alive. Teddy knew he had to put out the flames before his father killed his mother."
Wow, wow, wow. This book had me feeling all the feelings. I wasn't sure about it going in, but I absolutely loved it.
The book is split into five parts (six if you include the epilogue)
In part one, we meet Teddy; a 10 year old boy who doesn't have the greatest life. He witnesses his father hurting his mother on a regular basis, until one day his mother takes him away. Lonely, confused and angry, Teddy soon meets the Shadow living in the basement of his new home. When his father comes looking for them, Shadow helps Teddy and they run away.
The rest of the story is split over the other four parts, and it follows a group of police officers who are desperately searching for Teddy and answers. There isn't much more I can say without spoiling anything, so I suggest you go and read it.
Such a great book.
catra121's review
4.0
3.5 stars...I'm torn about this one. There are 5 parts to this book and the first part is 5 stars for me and I wish the book had ended there. The rest of the book was just ok...maybe I would have liked it more if those other 4 parts had been cut down to one one two...but it definitely started to drag for a while. So...5 stars for the first part and 3 stars for the rest on it. I might listen to this again...but also might stop after part 1 if I do.
casutton's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
laurenbartleson's review
4.0
I read both of Haley's books within two days and... woah. I thought I hated the horror genre, but her two books swayed me. Unfortunately, the description of Take Your Turn, Teddy was a major spoiler. I spent a very long time wondering when Teddy and Officer Strode would meet face-to-face, and it didn't happen until the last few chapters. While I liked the structure of the story, I wish they had left the last line out of the description. There were also a few times when I had to go back and re-read a page or two to figure out what was happening. I did think starting with Not Another Sarah Halls was a good choice. Haley acknowledges it heavily in the author's note, and there's also quite a bit of overlap with Take Your Turn, Teddy. Highly recommend going that route.
aisforartist's review
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
kermit_the_wrong's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.5