Scan barcode
itsabookthing2021's review
3.0
The Gate is an interesting read and really not what i normally read so wasn't sure what to expect.
The Gate starts off with Joseph staying at a hotel (named The Gate), during his stay things aren't what they seem and things get peculiar.
The trigger warnings are rife within this book but none too extreme.
The characters are all mystery and well made to fit this novel's story path.
The writing is actually very well done as it creates this story which is fascinating in a weird way, One minute we're a hotel and next minute we're a prison.
It's excellently executed but to be totally honest I still don't know what went on.
The Gate draws you into the story and you follow the motions, whilst trying to figure it all out.
The Gate starts off with Joseph staying at a hotel (named The Gate), during his stay things aren't what they seem and things get peculiar.
The trigger warnings are rife within this book but none too extreme.
The characters are all mystery and well made to fit this novel's story path.
The writing is actually very well done as it creates this story which is fascinating in a weird way, One minute we're a hotel and next minute we're a prison.
It's excellently executed but to be totally honest I still don't know what went on.
The Gate draws you into the story and you follow the motions, whilst trying to figure it all out.
nebulous07's review
5.0
Before I begin, I must give the multiple trigger warnings of suicide and self-harm.
Joseph decides to check into The Gate as his final destination. His daughter's death and his marriage collapse weigh heavily on him. The Gate has secrets, and everything is not what it seems. Strange hallways and disappearing guests reel Joseph to decipher the actual events at this venue. Trey Stone delivers once again! The characters' descriptions and interactions keep you hooked from the first chapter. At times, I felt lost and truly felt the protagonist's helplessness and rode every wave of despair, fear and confusion. But it was all worth it, for the ending is captivating and occupied my thoughts for a few days. I must admit I suffered from a minor book hangover!
I look forward to reading more from Trey.
I received an ARC, and this honest review is left voluntarily.
Joseph decides to check into The Gate as his final destination. His daughter's death and his marriage collapse weigh heavily on him. The Gate has secrets, and everything is not what it seems. Strange hallways and disappearing guests reel Joseph to decipher the actual events at this venue. Trey Stone delivers once again! The characters' descriptions and interactions keep you hooked from the first chapter. At times, I felt lost and truly felt the protagonist's helplessness and rode every wave of despair, fear and confusion. But it was all worth it, for the ending is captivating and occupied my thoughts for a few days. I must admit I suffered from a minor book hangover!
I look forward to reading more from Trey.
I received an ARC, and this honest review is left voluntarily.
ally_red_ink_reads's review
3.0
I was recently given a copy of Trey Stone's upcoming novel, At the Gate, in exchange for an honest review. Trigger warnings: self-harm with razorblades, suicide, mentions of character death and child murder. Additional warnings from this reader include an unflattering depiction of the book's one fat character, and the use of terms that stigmatize mental health issues.
If I could, I'd give this book 2 ratings - one for premise, and one for execution. I love a story that involves settings where things aren't quite what they seem, so when I read the synopsis for At the Gate, I was instantly intrigued.
On the surface, this is 100% my jam, so I was eager to get my hands on it. And as an idea, it's well-conceived.
The execution, on the other hand, lets it down a bit. The pacing felt rushed, likely owing to the fact that it isn't a full-length novel. It needed those few extra pages to make it flow better, rather than feeling like everything was happening all at once. The areas that were meant to feel disorienting to Joseph felt confusing to the reader. A few times I had to stop and reread a passage to make sense of what was happening. There's a difference between layering mystery and just causing confusion, and At the Gate fell a bit closer to the latter.
Another issue I had was with some of the resolutions. Joseph spends the whole book wracked with guilt and depression and suicidal thoughts/intentions over his daughter's death, but the moment he finds out the truth, it's suddenly gone. It feels a bit cheap to just whisk away all the negative feelings in such a way. Similarly, the final chapter revealing that the entire thing was, presumably, played out in the mind of a prison inmate right before he committed suicide also felt like a cheap cop-out. It very much smacked of "it was all just a dream".
Finally, the book had a handful of typos and poor sentence structure/word choice ('was' that should've been 'were', etc.), and could've perhaps benefitted from another pass over an editor's desk.
All in all, an enjoyable read with some minor letdowns.
If I could, I'd give this book 2 ratings - one for premise, and one for execution. I love a story that involves settings where things aren't quite what they seem, so when I read the synopsis for At the Gate, I was instantly intrigued.
On the surface, this is 100% my jam, so I was eager to get my hands on it. And as an idea, it's well-conceived.
The execution, on the other hand, lets it down a bit. The pacing felt rushed, likely owing to the fact that it isn't a full-length novel. It needed those few extra pages to make it flow better, rather than feeling like everything was happening all at once. The areas that were meant to feel disorienting to Joseph felt confusing to the reader. A few times I had to stop and reread a passage to make sense of what was happening. There's a difference between layering mystery and just causing confusion, and At the Gate fell a bit closer to the latter.
Another issue I had was with some of the resolutions. Joseph spends the whole book wracked with guilt and depression and suicidal thoughts/intentions over his daughter's death, but the moment he finds out the truth, it's suddenly gone. It feels a bit cheap to just whisk away all the negative feelings in such a way. Similarly, the final chapter revealing that the entire thing was, presumably, played out in the mind of a prison inmate right before he committed suicide also felt like a cheap cop-out. It very much smacked of "it was all just a dream".
Finally, the book had a handful of typos and poor sentence structure/word choice ('was' that should've been 'were', etc.), and could've perhaps benefitted from another pass over an editor's desk.
All in all, an enjoyable read with some minor letdowns.
chantie's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
I was given an ARC of The Gate. There is a trigger warning as this story does talk about cutting and suicide but it is very well written. This story is full of twist and turns and many, many stairs. It keeps you guessing and wondering right until the end. Trey Stone is so amazing with his words. The book really makes you think. I could not put it down.
More...