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A review by abookwormwithwine
Road of Bones by Christopher Golden
adventurous
dark
informative
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4.25/5
Road of Bones by Christopher Golden has a bit of a slower start, but I was invested immediately, and I finished it in one sitting! The story gradually becomes creepier and creepier, and I don't know if I would want to read it at night all alone. It had a nice mix of elements for me and felt part supernatural suspense, part horror, and part thriller while also having a great ghost aspect as well. The cover of it is what immediately caught and held my attention and now after having read the book, makes perfect sense and is quite fitting. I virtually felt like I was in Siberia the entire time myself, and I loved Teig and his cameraman Prentiss as well as their banter in the first part of the story. While we start with just Teig's viewpoint, that does change, but I honestly loved the book from every viewpoint. After reading the acknowledgments I also went down the rabbit hole that is the Kolyma Highway trying to find the article that Golden mentions. After reading the book and the Googling I did, I am now really fascinated with this tragedy of a road.
The pacing did start out a little on the slow side as previously mentioned but picks up as the story goes on, and by the time I was at the end, it felt very fast indeed. The audiobook is a real winner here, and the narrator Robert Fass did an unbelievable job. Between his narration and Golden's writing, I was practically glued to the book and couldn't wait to see where it would go next. It does get a little on the gross and violent side which is where it started to give me those horror vibes, and I don't think anyone with a weak stomach will be able to handle it. Road of Bones also got more than a little weird and there was a lot going on, but it all worked together for me in the best possible way. I have no idea why I am only just now reading Golden but now I will most certainly be reading more of him and can't help but agree with Stephen King's blurb about this being atmospheric and creepy as hell.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Road of Bones by Christopher Golden has a bit of a slower start, but I was invested immediately, and I finished it in one sitting! The story gradually becomes creepier and creepier, and I don't know if I would want to read it at night all alone. It had a nice mix of elements for me and felt part supernatural suspense, part horror, and part thriller while also having a great ghost aspect as well. The cover of it is what immediately caught and held my attention and now after having read the book, makes perfect sense and is quite fitting. I virtually felt like I was in Siberia the entire time myself, and I loved Teig and his cameraman Prentiss as well as their banter in the first part of the story. While we start with just Teig's viewpoint, that does change, but I honestly loved the book from every viewpoint. After reading the acknowledgments I also went down the rabbit hole that is the Kolyma Highway trying to find the article that Golden mentions. After reading the book and the Googling I did, I am now really fascinated with this tragedy of a road.
The pacing did start out a little on the slow side as previously mentioned but picks up as the story goes on, and by the time I was at the end, it felt very fast indeed. The audiobook is a real winner here, and the narrator Robert Fass did an unbelievable job. Between his narration and Golden's writing, I was practically glued to the book and couldn't wait to see where it would go next. It does get a little on the gross and violent side which is where it started to give me those horror vibes, and I don't think anyone with a weak stomach will be able to handle it. Road of Bones also got more than a little weird and there was a lot going on, but it all worked together for me in the best possible way. I have no idea why I am only just now reading Golden but now I will most certainly be reading more of him and can't help but agree with Stephen King's blurb about this being atmospheric and creepy as hell.
I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore