Reviews with content warning for Vomit - The House in the Pines

Reviews tagging 'Vomit'

The House in the Pines by Ana Reyes

11 reviews

typedtruths's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
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

2.25

major flop. one of the most underwhelming mysteries i have ever read. not a shred of atmosphere or entertainment. i was most invested in maya reconnecting with her heritage and dealing with her trauma. and the twist? laughable

▷ Representation: Maya (mc) is Guatemalan-American and has insomnia and substance addictions.

Blog • Trigger Warning Database • StoryGraph

Content Warnings

amberacks12's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious

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

2.75

Not gonna lie, this book was anti climatic. There was a lot of build up and then just, poof, it’s done. I’m kind of left feeling underwhelmed and like the story is unresolved. I do feel like Ana Reyes has a lot of potential as a writer, but I don’t think this one really hit as hard as I was promised it would.
And maybe I feel unresolved because of my own skepticism when it comes to certain aspects of the resolution that I will not mention. But I don’t think enough attention was given to how everything is resolved, and more just ends up feeling hand wavy.
Plus, as a thriller, I didn’t ever feel that Maya was really in much danger, except from herself.
That being said, I really enjoyed the tone and writing style, I liked Maya as a character and as a narrator, and I felt like the character aspects of this story were well developed. Each character felt distinct, and I could sense Maya’s imperfections and possible unreliabilities. I also liked the dreamlike quality of the writing, with flashbacks happening interspersed between the present day narration. It added to the sense of unease I’m sure Maya felt.
So, overall, it was fine.

Enjoyment: 3
Educational Value: 3
Emotional Impact: 2

Content Warnings

yeesh97's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-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

2.5

Content Warnings

tamara_joy's review against another edition

Go to review page

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.25

Content Warnings

jodean's review against another edition

Go to review page

Not my thing, found it boring.

Content Warnings

mollywill's review against another edition

Go to review page

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? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Ending felt rushed and didn’t provide any real closure/resolution. I kept waiting for a plot twist bc I felt like surely if they’re not going to wrap things up (like who is Ruby, is Frank in jail, etc.) then something else is going to happen, but nothing. I did like the tie in to Guatemalan history and some new folklore I wasn’t familiar with, but I don’t think the connection between Maya’s life and the hymn/her dads book was as good as it was supposed to be.

Content Warnings