t0ast_and_t3a 's review for:

Mary: An Awakening of Terror by Nat Cassidy

3.75

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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This, for me, more accurately teeters back and forth from 3.5 to 4🌟. Mostly because I believe it’s a LITTLE too long. I believe if we just began in Arroyo with a recall of what Mary’s life was like in the city would have been just fine. The pacing, to was a bit weird for me—which, the more of the horror genre I read, the more I understand that to be a thing. It makes sense—build suspense and whatnot. But the suspense doesn’t hit for me until about halfway through. 

What I DID love about this book was the protagonist (antagonist?🤔). I loved that she was an older woman. I loved that she had a fulfilling character arc. I love that she wasn’t one thing. And fuck if her inner monologue didn’t keep me picking up this book. Cassidy’s strength is characters, for me, and just how real they seemed.

Overall, this was a multilayered story with real themes under a veil of “what the fuck if”.