Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by jemgemjim
Below by Laurel Hightower
4.0
"Who wanted to stay with the same old devil, if a new one might be waiting somewhere in the dark?"
3.5 Stars
Pros:
40+ year old woman narrator who 1. loves horror 2. makes logical decisions 3. is learning to rely on herself again.
Hightower is great at writing horror, gore, and general creepiness.
Following Addy's mental monologue for the majority of the story worked well! I was never bored with her, and no less-than-interesting side character was employed! (well notreally)
The monsters weren't invincible!
It made me laugh!
The CT radio
Cons:
I didn't love having to suspend my disbelief for don't get me wrong, I love following a surreal storyline, but one that says Why this or that happens. If a character drinks blood because he's a vampire, that's cool, but if he just does it then wtf Greg, what are you doing?
The ending! One part empowering, one part Addy no! Stop!
Idk How to Feels:
Not enough moth! But moth was intriguing!
Overall: I enjoyed this quick read, but I think that was part of its problem... There are so many ideas here that I understand were supposed to be a bit mysterious at least; but they ventured too far into that territory, leaving me with more questions unanswered than not. I would like to see these expanded on perhaps with lore or interactions after the main story? Addy is a horror buff, maybe she could have just said which genre "things" certain supernatural "things" reminded her of? I think the main derailing factor was The world of the main story is very small, consisting of Addy's mind and immediate surroundings, but those things were jarringly open-worlded, making it feel like they would be developed later, but they were not.
3.5 Stars
Pros:
40+ year old woman narrator who 1. loves horror 2. makes logical decisions 3. is learning to rely on herself again.
Hightower is great at writing horror, gore, and general creepiness.
Following Addy's mental monologue for the majority of the story worked well! I was never bored with her, and no less-than-interesting side character was employed! (well notreally)
The monsters weren't invincible!
Spoiler
Love that Addy was just able to destroy one of the fleshy boys with her bare hands!It made me laugh!
Spoiler
When Addy was so mad at the fleshy boy in the truck that she just started smacking it with her flashlightThe CT radio
Spoiler
twist! Such a convincing conversation, seemed realistic and totally tricked me! I gasped when Addy realized Mads had been dead for a while.Cons:
I didn't love having to suspend my disbelief for
Spoiler
the grinning man randomly appearing anywhere he likes, I got the vibe that he was a man-in-black-based character but that doesn't really account for his omipresenceSpoiler
the stars vanishing for the entirety of the ordeal? Why did this happen? I thought the moon was blocked by Mothman, but?Spoiler
why did the fake version of her ex try to drown her and then randomly let go right before it was successful?The ending! One part empowering, one part Addy no! Stop!
Spoiler
Call a car from the police station, don't just wander into the dark!Idk How to Feels:
Not enough moth! But moth was intriguing!
Overall: I enjoyed this quick read, but I think that was part of its problem... There are so many ideas here that I understand were supposed to be a bit mysterious at least; but they ventured too far into that territory, leaving me with more questions unanswered than not. I would like to see these expanded on perhaps with lore or interactions after the main story? Addy is a horror buff, maybe she could have just said which genre "things" certain supernatural "things" reminded her of? I think the main derailing factor was