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3.64 AVERAGE
3.64 AVERAGE
I read this book on a recommendation from my Hubby who loved it. I liked it, a lot, but not nearly as much as He did. My issue with it was Oren. What a horrible unlikable character. Sure, he got a LITTLE better in the last 25% but by then it was too late, I hated the guy. If he'd been toned down just a bit, this book would have been 5 stars for me. I didn't care for all the memories, that was some fucked up shit. The last 25% was my favorite of the book but not enough to make it a 5 star books for me.
Read as an eARC from Edelweiss
If one of your favorite movies is Little Miss Sunshine and the business of horror movies is an interest, check this one out. Dario Heyward goes back to Moldavia, his father's movie studio, in time for his funeral. What ensues is a story of belonging and the family you make versus the family you're born into. I laughed and I cried. Milman writes with dry, dark humor I haven't seen in a while.
What I enjoyed the most, I think, was Dario's journey as he reconciles his past with the person he tried to be outside of his father's shadow. There's a compelling subplot with his brother Oren and the way his father's flaws impacted everyone around them. His relationship with Hayley was sweet, but the one that got me the most was Dario's interactions with Gavin. So many parallels in such a tight space.
If one of your favorite movies is Little Miss Sunshine and the business of horror movies is an interest, check this one out. Dario Heyward goes back to Moldavia, his father's movie studio, in time for his funeral. What ensues is a story of belonging and the family you make versus the family you're born into. I laughed and I cried. Milman writes with dry, dark humor I haven't seen in a while.
What I enjoyed the most, I think, was Dario's journey as he reconciles his past with the person he tried to be outside of his father's shadow. There's a compelling subplot with his brother Oren and the way his father's flaws impacted everyone around them. His relationship with Hayley was sweet, but the one that got me the most was Dario's interactions with Gavin. So many parallels in such a tight space.
This was one of the weirdest books I read !
I can't remember how I found out about it but I was so sure it was a horror book lmao and it isn't at all.
Also, I think there should be a trigger warning for physical and emotional child abuse as well as mental illness.
The story follows Dario who grew up in the Moldavia's Studios led by his father, an (in)famous director of horror movies. After a terrible accident when he was 12, Dario is emancipated and moved to an orphanage. Shortly before he turns 18, he is contacted by his older brother and ends up returning to the dreaded Moldavia.
So yeah, that's how the story begins. And let me tell you, right from the beginning, it's so damn WEIRD.His father wants to be buried alive...?? But he ends up EXPLODING????? Tbh, I almost gave up on that book because it was so unreal and I couldn't see where it was going.
But I kept reading and it ends up being really interesting to find out the truth about Dario's childhood and how he comes to terms with what happened.
A few random thoughts :
- Dario's childhood was really sad and painful to discover, between his father's abuse during the shooting and his mom's delusions... it's a lot. I liked his character. Despite all the weird shit going on, I found him to be quite realistic and could relate to him.
- his father's use of people's pain was horrific to me... how he kept pushing Dario and also using the fact Hayley's mom lost a child... (I cannot remember her name omg my memory is so bad)
- Hayley's parents were so loveable, it hurt when you learn about their deaths
- I found Oren to be heartbreaking... he's probably one of the characters who make you laugh a lot but man, his story is also so sad...
I found the end pretty satisfying. And I'd say that what I particularly liked about this book is how the author skilfully mixed dark humor with absurd situations and really horrific events. This was such a weird book to read x)
I can't remember how I found out about it but I was so sure it was a horror book lmao and it isn't at all.
Also, I think there should be a trigger warning for physical and emotional child abuse as well as mental illness.
The story follows Dario who grew up in the Moldavia's Studios led by his father, an (in)famous director of horror movies. After a terrible accident when he was 12, Dario is emancipated and moved to an orphanage. Shortly before he turns 18, he is contacted by his older brother and ends up returning to the dreaded Moldavia.
So yeah, that's how the story begins. And let me tell you, right from the beginning, it's so damn WEIRD.
But I kept reading and it ends up being really interesting to find out the truth about Dario's childhood and how he comes to terms with what happened.
A few random thoughts :
- his father's use of people's pain was horrific to me... how he kept pushing Dario and also using the fact Hayley's mom lost a child... (I cannot remember her name omg my memory is so bad)
- Hayley's parents were so loveable, it hurt when you learn about their deaths
- I found Oren to be heartbreaking... he's probably one of the characters who make you laugh a lot but man, his story is also so sad...
I found the end pretty satisfying. And I'd say that what I particularly liked about this book is how the author skilfully mixed dark humor with absurd situations and really horrific events. This was such a weird book to read x)