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claudiamccarron's review against another edition
3.0
I loved the world-building and the characters here, even though the plot felt a little thin. Very excited to read more of the author's work.
lpniskanen's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
howlinglibraries's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.0
You belong to me. All you pretty Marys belong to me.
I love cozy, mysterious little ghost stories, and I adore books featuring ghosts as the main characters, so this was right up my alley. Pretty Marys All in a Row is a quiet, speculative novella about a group of Marys and the pain-staking lengths they go to in order to keep themselves "alive" as fabled spirits, and I really enjoyed the way all of these urban legends were brought together to tell this story.
Unfortunately, I'll admit that the plot lost my interest at times, mostly because of how slow-paced it felt — this struck me as a story that may have worked better at the 40- or 50-page mark, maybe even as an installment in an anthology — but overall, I thought it was a sweet, whimsical tale and I enjoyed it.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Gore
catra121's review against another edition
4.0
For such a short book...this took me a long time to finish. It's not a fast paced book...not a compulsive read. But...I did really enjoy it and it was fresh and different from anything else I've read. It's a cool story and I definitely recommend checking it out.
thomaswjoyce's review against another edition
5.0
I finished Kiste's novel, The Rust Maidens, and immediately read this novella. I love her narrative style; the worlds she creates are incredibly real and the characters are captivating. The setting for this story is much more fantastical than The Rust Maidens, the eponymous Marys all ghosts or subjects of urban legends who, in this story, exist together in a familial dynamic. The mystery of the encroaching darkness and what it means for the Marys is paced wonderfully well, and the story is as gripping as it is touching. Incredible work from an author with a breathtaking storytelling style.
cerfluffled's review against another edition
adventurous
hopeful
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
bookish_purrsuits's review against another edition
4.0
Read for Book Riot's 2020 Read Harder Challenge task #22: Read a horror book published by an indie press.
3.5- This was really cute! Well as cute as a book full of ghosts and blood can be.
3.5- This was really cute! Well as cute as a book full of ghosts and blood can be.
cabeswaren's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
neuroqueer's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75