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grizelybear 's review for:

The Ruins by Scott Smith
3.5
adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus: N/A

This book was painfully slow for me in the beginning and the characters made it difficult for me to sympathize with them. They were unfortunately very one-dimensional. I almost dropped it multiple times. However, I'm glad to have powered through; by the 25% mark, the pacing started to pick up, and it suddenly became a page-turner for me. The events that unfolded were cruel and horrific, and the ending is bleak. Maybe it's the softie in me, but I even started to feel some pity for the characters by the end.

If you can get past the characters' stereotypes and the slow start, it's a good horror novel, and maybe even a must-read for fans of the genre, or just those who love books about ruins and carnivorous plants.