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A review by donasbooks
Snow by Ronald Malfi
2.0
I read Ronald Malfi's SNOW with one of my Booksta book clubs and that's the only reason this book is getting two stars instead of ending up on the DNF shelf. It's only avoiding a 1 star review because the snow is actually really terrifying stuff and I love horror stories set in snowy landscapes.
Initially, the snow creatures Malfi introduces are quite terrifying, but much like playing with a tiny cousin and having him scream new rules at me every time I'm about to score, reading about Malfi's antagonist becomes more preposterous and comedic every time Malfi randomly evolves it. He does this to raise story stakes because in reality, his storyline is always weak.
Still, human versus cold kept me interested in this very long read. Until Malfi has his characters eat food out of a refrigerator that's been powered down for a week. It wouldn't have maintained temperature inside; either it would have warmed enough to rot the food (because sealed and insulated) or if it was cold enough outside ro affect the food inside, the food would have frozen over the course of a week. Wow is there a lot wrong with this book.
I can't say too much about the basic quality of the writing, because the editing is lacking. Errors stack up fast enough to impact the reading experience and bias the reader against the writing, if style is a thing the reader cares about.
Then there are the problems Malfi seems to have with fat bodies (even pregnant ones), old people, and mental illness, all of whom deserve death in his fictional world.
I know Malfi is kind of a big name in horror these days. I love horror. But I don't love Malfi even a little and I won't read anymore of his books. But hey, everyone else in my book club raved about it, so who am I to say this book isn't great?
Rating: ❄️❄️ / 5 snow monsters
Recommend? Nope
Finished: January 16 2023
Initially, the snow creatures Malfi introduces are quite terrifying, but much like playing with a tiny cousin and having him scream new rules at me every time I'm about to score, reading about Malfi's antagonist becomes more preposterous and comedic every time Malfi randomly evolves it. He does this to raise story stakes because in reality, his storyline is always weak.
Still, human versus cold kept me interested in this very long read. Until Malfi has his characters eat food out of a refrigerator that's been powered down for a week. It wouldn't have maintained temperature inside; either it would have warmed enough to rot the food (because sealed and insulated) or if it was cold enough outside ro affect the food inside, the food would have frozen over the course of a week. Wow is there a lot wrong with this book.
I can't say too much about the basic quality of the writing, because the editing is lacking. Errors stack up fast enough to impact the reading experience and bias the reader against the writing, if style is a thing the reader cares about.
Then there are the problems Malfi seems to have with fat bodies (even pregnant ones), old people, and mental illness, all of whom deserve death in his fictional world.
I know Malfi is kind of a big name in horror these days. I love horror. But I don't love Malfi even a little and I won't read anymore of his books. But hey, everyone else in my book club raved about it, so who am I to say this book isn't great?
Rating: ❄️❄️ / 5 snow monsters
Recommend? Nope
Finished: January 16 2023