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mme_carton's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Violence, Sexual harassment, and Gore
Moderate: Grief, Torture, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Animal death, Pregnancy, Miscarriage, and Fire/Fire injury
abookishwasp's review
5.0
I've read all of Melinda Salisbury's books so far and i have to say that they just keep getting better and better and i will keep reading everything else she writes.
The synopsis is very vague so i knew next to nothing getting into this book and i think this is the best way to go about it. I'll just say that it is set in the old old times in Scotland and that's a setting I've never read from before, so that was interesting. The writing though, it seems like nothing exceptional but it made the story so vivid. Everything came to life, the scenery and the characters it all felt real. Every time i stated reading, i completely got immersed in the world and forgot where i was. I would describe it like that scene in Harry Potter when Harry dives his head in the bowl of water/memory and he is completely immersed in the memory and forgets about reality, that's what reading this book was like for me. It also gave me vivid dreams and the horror bits... gave me chills. It is creepy for sure and made my heart race.
Heavy spoilers about the ending:
Now this ending... i don't even know what to say. I'm DEVASTATED to say the least. WHYYY OH WHYYY did Alva have to die? Why did her dad have to die??? I don't know who i'm more sad about, and they were just starting to mend their relationship and Alva was just starting her life, there were so many opportunities and life ahead of her. AND REN! poor Ren, he's left alone. I cannot! I'm still processing how i feel about this and i don't even know how exactly to convey my feelings into words.
As for the creatures. The first encounter Alva has with one of them gave me the chills!! I had cold sweats and my heart was in my throat. Very creepy to say the least. It is clear by the end that they are some sort of re-imagined vampires because they can't stand the sun, are killed by silver and they bite people to turn them into one of them using two canines (aka fangs). And are called blood drinkers. Now if that doesn't scream vampires idk what does! (oh and they seem to be immortal). As a massive fan of vampires i have to say i liked this twist on them and how they look.
The synopsis is very vague so i knew next to nothing getting into this book and i think this is the best way to go about it. I'll just say that it is set in the old old times in Scotland and that's a setting I've never read from before, so that was interesting. The writing though, it seems like nothing exceptional but it made the story so vivid. Everything came to life, the scenery and the characters it all felt real. Every time i stated reading, i completely got immersed in the world and forgot where i was. I would describe it like that scene in Harry Potter when Harry dives his head in the bowl of water/memory and he is completely immersed in the memory and forgets about reality, that's what reading this book was like for me. It also gave me vivid dreams and the horror bits... gave me chills. It is creepy for sure and made my heart race.
Heavy spoilers about the ending:
As for the creatures. The first encounter Alva has with one of them gave me the chills!! I had cold sweats and my heart was in my throat. Very creepy to say the least. It is clear by the end that they are some sort of re-imagined vampires because they can't stand the sun, are killed by silver and they bite people to turn them into one of them using two canines (aka fangs). And are called blood drinkers. Now if that doesn't scream vampires idk what does! (oh and they seem to be immortal). As a massive fan of vampires i have to say i liked this twist on them and how they look.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, and Death
Minor: Death of parent
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