A review by uchihas
The Shuddering by Ania Ahlborn

dark tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.0

Mostly untagged spoilers ahead, sorry!! Please read at your own discretion. 

I’m giving this 2 stars instead of 1 because I like the writing style, it’s very smooth and easy to read while still being flowy and interesting. This author has been recommended to me  SO many times and I will probably give her another chance because I do enjoy the way she writes, this book just wasn’t it for me.

I was invested in the beginning. The characters are good, mostly; they’re pretty one-note and there’s a bit of a heavy romance subplot but they were still likable, even the side characters who serve no purpose
(RIP Don and Jenny
. It lost me about 60% through when it became obvious that the plot was basically any isolation horror movie that’s ever existed, and then it felt like a waste of time so I just skimmed through the rest of it. Honestly it reminded me a lot of the video game “Until Dawn” which I also didn’t like, but I did like these characters more. 

There is a dog,
she does die.


I LOVE monster stories and creature features but this just did not do it for me. The creatures reminded me too much of the Spooky Island monsters from the Scooby Doo movie, I couldn’t take them seriously. 

Honestly, just read the summary and move on LOL that’s it, that’s the whole book. If you’ve never watched a movie in your life you’ll probably enjoy it though!! 
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