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A review by camilleisreading24
Lute by Jennifer Marie Thorne
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Gripping and tense reading experience. Not sure why other readers felt it was slowly paced, because that wasn't my impression. From the start, we know that people will die. However, we don't know whom. This puts the reader in a ghoulish position of constantly wondering who will die and how... There are several particularly gruesome deaths in here, and I think the comparison to Final Destination is earned! Folk horror is a favorite subgenre of mine, and Lute is a fascinating take on the idea of pagan sacrificial rituals in a modern setting.
The island of Lute is special. With more sunny days on average than anywhere else in the British Isles, the inhabitants seem to be blessed. But there is a dark side to Lute's good fortune: every seven years on the summer solstice, seven people die. Those who believe say that the deaths are the tithe Lute exacts in exchange for its blessings, but Nina thinks it is nothing more than a grim coincidence coupled with superstition. She has been married to Hugh, Lord Treadway, for just shy of seven years, and this is her first time on Lute for "The Day." She is pretty sure everyone on Lute is messing with her, the sole American on the island, and once the solstice passes, her hazing will be over and everyone will laugh it off. But as The Day draws nearer, she begins to get nervous. All of the children are sent off the island for a camping trip on nearby Sunnan, where they will be safe. The old folks are drinking at nine in the morning. The cell tower is mysteriously down. And Nina's dreams are more vivid than ever, with visions of past deaths haunting her...
The island of Lute is special. With more sunny days on average than anywhere else in the British Isles, the inhabitants seem to be blessed. But there is a dark side to Lute's good fortune: every seven years on the summer solstice, seven people die. Those who believe say that the deaths are the tithe Lute exacts in exchange for its blessings, but Nina thinks it is nothing more than a grim coincidence coupled with superstition. She has been married to Hugh, Lord Treadway, for just shy of seven years, and this is her first time on Lute for "The Day." She is pretty sure everyone on Lute is messing with her, the sole American on the island, and once the solstice passes, her hazing will be over and everyone will laugh it off. But as The Day draws nearer, she begins to get nervous. All of the children are sent off the island for a camping trip on nearby Sunnan, where they will be safe. The old folks are drinking at nine in the morning. The cell tower is mysteriously down. And Nina's dreams are more vivid than ever, with visions of past deaths haunting her...