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brandy_reads 's review for:
Nowhere
by Allison Gunn
fast-paced
Thank you @atriabooks and @simon.audio for the gifted ARC & ALC
I went into Nowhere without realizing it was a horror novel, and honestly, I’m still not sure how I missed that from the synopsis! But you can imagine my surprise when I figured it out. Since horror isn’t typically my go-to genre, maybe take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
The book started off well, diving right into the story - the creep factor was strong. The tension built up quickly, and I was ready for the “dark forces” to take hold. But then - just as things were about to really get going - the family drama took center stage. Rachel and her husband, Finn, were both extremely unlikeable, their relationship and their reasons for staying together didn’t make any sense to me. Rachel was one of those characters who always thought she was right, even when she clearly wasn’t. I also found some of the conclusions she jumped to hard to understand. My irritation with them took me out of the story repeatedly.
The ending had potential, but things got a little weird for me right at the end. Maybe that’s a typical horror ending? I’m not sure, since this is the first horror book I’ve read in years.
Overall, I was hoping for more focus on the story itself and less on the family drama. Didn’t hate it, didn’t love it, it was right down the middle for me. That said, this is Gunn’s debut novel, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for her future work. I also really enjoyed the narration by Leanne Woodward.
I went into Nowhere without realizing it was a horror novel, and honestly, I’m still not sure how I missed that from the synopsis! But you can imagine my surprise when I figured it out. Since horror isn’t typically my go-to genre, maybe take my thoughts with a grain of salt.
The book started off well, diving right into the story - the creep factor was strong. The tension built up quickly, and I was ready for the “dark forces” to take hold. But then - just as things were about to really get going - the family drama took center stage. Rachel and her husband, Finn, were both extremely unlikeable, their relationship and their reasons for staying together didn’t make any sense to me. Rachel was one of those characters who always thought she was right, even when she clearly wasn’t. I also found some of the conclusions she jumped to hard to understand. My irritation with them took me out of the story repeatedly.
The ending had potential, but things got a little weird for me right at the end. Maybe that’s a typical horror ending? I’m not sure, since this is the first horror book I’ve read in years.
Overall, I was hoping for more focus on the story itself and less on the family drama. Didn’t hate it, didn’t love it, it was right down the middle for me. That said, this is Gunn’s debut novel, and I’ll definitely be keeping an eye out for her future work. I also really enjoyed the narration by Leanne Woodward.