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A review by horrorbutch
Errant roots by Sonora Taylor
4.0
Disclaimer: I received an e-ARC from netgalley in exchange for a review.
A short (less than 100 pages) horror novella, about a daughter returning to the family her mother got estranged from before she was born and the reason for why she's never seen them before.
The novella does a masterful job of building tension and especially the first half is incredibly interesting. I really enjoyed finding out about where the family's darker traditions stemmed from and found myself incredibly interested in the setting.
My main issue with this novella is that it unfortunately suffers, as many novellas do, from feeling a bit underexplored. I would have enjoyed for the writing to dive a bit deeper into the lore it built as well as the setting, which would have elevated this story higher. Particularly the second part of the novella feels a bit too full with information for how long it is and I felt rushed along instead of being able to revel in the messy situation Deidre finds herself in.
Despite this I really enjoyed reading it, I liked the idea and I found the writing style intruiging. All in all, an interesting, but a bit too short, horrifying tale of a family reuinion and perfect for a quick spooky halloween read.
A short (less than 100 pages) horror novella, about a daughter returning to the family her mother got estranged from before she was born and the reason for why she's never seen them before.
The novella does a masterful job of building tension and especially the first half is incredibly interesting. I really enjoyed finding out about where the family's darker traditions stemmed from and found myself incredibly interested in the setting.
My main issue with this novella is that it unfortunately suffers, as many novellas do, from feeling a bit underexplored. I would have enjoyed for the writing to dive a bit deeper into the lore it built as well as the setting, which would have elevated this story higher. Particularly the second part of the novella feels a bit too full with information for how long it is and I felt rushed along instead of being able to revel in the messy situation Deidre finds herself in.
Despite this I really enjoyed reading it, I liked the idea and I found the writing style intruiging. All in all, an interesting, but a bit too short, horrifying tale of a family reuinion and perfect for a quick spooky halloween read.