A review by calexio
Seed by Ania Ahlborn

dark emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

I don't usually - or ever - write reviews of the things that I have read but felt compelled to write one for this book after seeing how highly rated it is by a lot of people because frankly that baffles me.

The book is fine. It is written competently enough and I was never actively bored reading it. But that's all I can really "positively" say about it. At no point did anything surprising or unexpected happen and I am genuinely surprised to read multiple reviews that didn't see where this story was going from the first handful of pages. I don't mean to come across all "oh-ho-I-am-so-smart-and-genre-savvy" here, by the way, because I am thick as two short planks, trust me. But everything here has been done before and better.
Ominous vagueness about something in a character's childhood? Check. Shadowy creature in the corner of bedrooms? Check. Strange creepy noises? Check. Creepily standing over someone sleeping? Check. Spooky rictus smiles? Check. A young, sweet child using foul language? Check. Deliberately causing the death of a beloved family pet? Check. An ominous black figure turning up in happy childhood photos? Check.
And on and on. Somtimes things are greater than the sum of their parts, true. Not here though.

As our main point of view character, Jack is maddening.
I get the impression that we are meant to believe that his inability to act is a result of Mr Scratch's (also, Mr Scratch? Really?) influence. Words change as they pass his lips, etc. etc. This should be terrifying but something about Jack's reactions to this, and the number of times it is brought back again and again throughout the book, just makes it fall flat and repetitive rather than building any kind of tension or any sort of emotional reaction from me.
. I could be wildly missing the mark here, but if there's actual interesting depth to his reactions to the story, I sure missed them.

I will say that I don't mind Aimee the way other reviews here seem to have issue with. Here is a person who has lived at least a decade having to try and bridge the simmering resentments and mutual disrespect her parents and husband share for each other, while her husband wastes time and money on a dream that doesn't look to be going anywhere. Then her family is involved in a terrifying car crash and
her youngest daughter starts being creepy as hell while her husband, from her perspective, stonewalls her and refuses to engage with her very reasonable fears and attempts at trying to find solutions.
Not to harp on the point here, but while none of this is original, I feel she is at least understandable in her attitude.

Far too many words written about an, honestly, so-so book. Two stars, didn't hate my time with it but I will remember nothing about it within a couple months.  
Expand filter menu Content Warnings