phedre 's review for:

Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates

2.75

dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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2.75 stars.  I disliked it more than I liked it, so I can't even put 3 stars as my official rating.  This book had a lot of promise, but the execution left a lot to be desired.  I listened to it, and thought the narrator did a good job.  The problem was the pacing.  Descriptions of what was happening took way too long, and I found my mind wandering a lot.  The scary scenes could have been so much better if they weren't so descriptive and dragged out.  The tension leaked out.  And I gave zero shits what happened to the main character.  At no point were we given enough depth to her character to make us care.  I enjoyed the side characters more, especially Kant.  And the golden retriever Marsh.  Even the old lady (Widgety I think) had more to her character.  There were some really good scenes and the overall story was decent.  The book just should have been shorter.  And I would have liked a different ending.  This one was meh.