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vivalaabbie's review against another edition
3.0
Not one for those with emotional connections to pigs
alicekorchard's review
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
_avadeyes's review against another edition
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
georgiablueberry's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
much_ado_about_mothman's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
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
3.25
sophsg88's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
steministkendra's review against another edition
4.0
Rated 8 on CAWPILE
I really enjoyed this it was very atmospheric being set in Edinburgh mainly. Brilliant if you like unlikeable characters in thrillers as I didn’t like them at all but wow it made for a good book. The premise of this book intrigued me from the start and I wish I had had more time to listen to this.
I really enjoyed this it was very atmospheric being set in Edinburgh mainly. Brilliant if you like unlikeable characters in thrillers as I didn’t like them at all but wow it made for a good book. The premise of this book intrigued me from the start and I wish I had had more time to listen to this.
cuethesun's review against another edition
2.5
view this review on my website !
right off the bat: this book was freaking insane. reading it felt like a fever dream and i consistently felt like i had to reread passages to figure out what the f*ck was going on.
this book felt like a lot of combinations of other stories; the two that come to mind were The Likeness by Tana French (the suspicious communal living situation) and "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (the unreliable narrator). ultimately, it felt like there was a lot of lead up before getting to any semblance of a main plot.
the book was creepy; mostly unsettling. it also made me feel frantic. i really wanted to like it but i think there was too much going on and, despite how much i wanted to quit reading the book, i still wanted to figure out what the relevance of the harrowing first scene was. the second half of the book felt disjointed and it is probably why this wasnt a total "certified snoozle". it was also mildly satisfactory.
right off the bat: this book was freaking insane. reading it felt like a fever dream and i consistently felt like i had to reread passages to figure out what the f*ck was going on.
this book felt like a lot of combinations of other stories; the two that come to mind were The Likeness by Tana French (the suspicious communal living situation) and "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (the unreliable narrator). ultimately, it felt like there was a lot of lead up before getting to any semblance of a main plot.
the book was creepy; mostly unsettling. it also made me feel frantic. i really wanted to like it but i think there was too much going on and, despite how much i wanted to quit reading the book, i still wanted to figure out what the relevance of the harrowing first scene was. the second half of the book felt disjointed and it is probably why this wasnt a total "certified snoozle". it was also mildly satisfactory.
allisonichole's review against another edition
3.0
This was an interesting premise that I think may have fell flat in some areas. Clare is an interesting, though dislikable, protagonist. Her obsessive desire to immerse herself in an "interesting" friend group versus her desire to erase her past and start a new life sets up both internal and external conflict. The combination of obsession and hatred for Tabitha that Clare feels is really fascinating, especially as the similarities between the two characters become more apparent. I also like that the "Ava was the secret mastermind" aspect of the scheme doesn't necessarily feel like a cheap plot twist; there isn't some big reveal where she laughs maniacally and Ava and Clare have a final dramatic face-off. Honestly, this reveal didn't even really feel like a twist to me. It seemed fairly obvious that Ava had a lot more power in the friend group than she let on, and it served as perhaps dramatic irony that Clare is the last to realize Tabitha was not the all-powerful god figure that she had built up in her mind.
The places where this book fell short for me were the pacing and some of the characterization. I felt as though I was dragging myself through the first half of the story. I understand that the protagonist's life in Edinburgh is a downward spiral, a descent into madness that gets more and more intense as the plot progresses, but I do wish some of this expository content was shortened. For example, I think either Finn or the roommates could have been cut; only one is enough to show the difference between the quiet, "normal" life Clare is trying to build and the opulence and chaos of The Shiver. I also couldn't help but feel that the members of The Shiver felt underdeveloped, despite the entire story focusing on their relationship. Their dynamics with Tabitha are explored, but I feel as though the characters do not hold much weight on their own. Maybe this was intentional, a way to reflect Clare's biased perspective, but to me it made things feel somewhat unfinished.
Overall, this wasn't a bad read by any means, and I would love to check out any future works by Heather Darwent. I think most of the disappointment I felt was more due to the extreme hype I saw on social media inflating my expectations. If I had gone in without Donna Tartt comparisons or Booktok influencers claiming this to be the greatest new dark academia work, I think I may have enjoyed the experience more.
The places where this book fell short for me were the pacing and some of the characterization. I felt as though I was dragging myself through the first half of the story. I understand that the protagonist's life in Edinburgh is a downward spiral, a descent into madness that gets more and more intense as the plot progresses, but I do wish some of this expository content was shortened. For example, I think either Finn or the roommates could have been cut; only one is enough to show the difference between the quiet, "normal" life Clare is trying to build and the opulence and chaos of The Shiver. I also couldn't help but feel that the members of The Shiver felt underdeveloped, despite the entire story focusing on their relationship. Their dynamics with Tabitha are explored, but I feel as though the characters do not hold much weight on their own. Maybe this was intentional, a way to reflect Clare's biased perspective, but to me it made things feel somewhat unfinished.
Overall, this wasn't a bad read by any means, and I would love to check out any future works by Heather Darwent. I think most of the disappointment I felt was more due to the extreme hype I saw on social media inflating my expectations. If I had gone in without Donna Tartt comparisons or Booktok influencers claiming this to be the greatest new dark academia work, I think I may have enjoyed the experience more.