Scan barcode
A review by spines
The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn
dark
emotional
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.0
Not gonna lie, every aspect of this book was lacklustre. The horror wasn't very scary at all, but I did like the short scenes of different people being victimized at the beginning of each chapter, made it feel like the monsters were closing in on the protags. The relationships weren't super compelling either.
Multiple KU reviews described this book as being similar to Until Dawn and I very much agree, though Until Dawn is so much better.
April was such an annoying and irrational character, I couldn't even hate her because I was mad at the author for not giving her a single positive trait or thought. She was selfish and boring and stupid and I felt annoyed that she died but also annoyed that it happened off-screen? Like at least give us one line of confirmation.
Sawyer also kind of sucked because he had an annoying girlfriend who he wanted to cheat on and he was supposed to be a sympathetic guy but I didn't give a fuck.
Jane was fine, she was super weepy and didn't really do much but I can't say I'd be much better in a crisis so I can't judge. Ryan was also fine I guess? I had no strong feelings about him.
Lauren was slightly more interesting, I was wondering if there was some sort of backstory to her distaste for rich men but she died too quickly to have any backstory at all. Her insta-love with Ryan was also incredibly annoying; I don't mind insta-love in horror where the characters bond throughout the course of their traumatic experiences but they just flirted on a ski slope.
This is going to sound mean but I don't think this book was good enough to warrant such a bleak ending. Like when a good horror movie ends on a really bleak note it makes me intrigued but if it's a mid horror movie then it feels unsatisfying. Like I ate a whole plate of boiled brussel sprouts in hopes of getting dessert but it's just depressing. The last scene was decent but even then I was just annoyed at all the characters.
Multiple KU reviews described this book as being similar to Until Dawn and I very much agree, though Until Dawn is so much better.
April was such an annoying and irrational character, I couldn't even hate her because I was mad at the author for not giving her a single positive trait or thought. She was selfish and boring and stupid and I felt annoyed that she died but also annoyed that it happened off-screen? Like at least give us one line of confirmation.
Sawyer also kind of sucked because he had an annoying girlfriend who he wanted to cheat on and he was supposed to be a sympathetic guy but I didn't give a fuck.
Jane was fine, she was super weepy and didn't really do much but I can't say I'd be much better in a crisis so I can't judge. Ryan was also fine I guess? I had no strong feelings about him.
Lauren was slightly more interesting, I was wondering if there was some sort of backstory to her distaste for rich men but she died too quickly to have any backstory at all. Her insta-love with Ryan was also incredibly annoying; I don't mind insta-love in horror where the characters bond throughout the course of their traumatic experiences but they just flirted on a ski slope.
This is going to sound mean but I don't think this book was good enough to warrant such a bleak ending. Like when a good horror movie ends on a really bleak note it makes me intrigued but if it's a mid horror movie then it feels unsatisfying. Like I ate a whole plate of boiled brussel sprouts in hopes of getting dessert but it's just depressing. The last scene was decent but even then I was just annoyed at all the characters.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Violence, and Murder