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a_mcg 's review for:
The Bad Ones
by Melissa Albert
4.5/5 stars
This book is amazing! It's exactly the sort of folk horror/gothic fantasy story that has become Melissa Albert's brand, and I loved it. It managed to have both the suspense and the tinge of youthful nostalgia (with a twist) that Our Crooked Hearts has, and yet be entirely unique. This book is compelling from the first sentence and pulls you right in to the mystery. Nora is a really interesting narrator, as her past is more complex than is initially let on and she's not entirely reliable, but you can't help but root for her to find her way, both in the plot and in the broader scope of her life. I really enjoyed the folklore and horror elements, and I thought they were woven very well into the missing-persons-mystery element of this story. It seemed initially as if there were too many different threads for them all to connect together, but in the end they did. This book is also just exactly the right balance of whimsical and spooky! I was drawn into the magic of Becca and Nora's childhood memories while also creeped out and on the edge of my seat as things unfolded in the present. It was unsettling in the way that always urges me to keep reading and reminded me of a modern-day fairytale (a real one, not a Disney-version of one).
I will say, I was a bit confused by some of the logistics of the reveal (like how Becca, as a physical being, could have been where it turned out she was while she was missing). But I liked other elements a lot, like the exploration of toxic friendships, and the true power of imagination and what we put our faith into. And I know that the fantasy elements of this make it easier to explain away some of those elements of the end that confused. I did really like the reveals and who turned out to be behind it all, I thought the pacing of that was excellent! I also wish we had maybe gotten some more from some of the side characters, especially the lit mag crew---because they were good friends to Nora and tried to save---James as a love interest, and Cat and Miranda as Nora and Becca's family members. It was sometimes hard to grasp the weight of scenes without more knowledge of the side characters. That said, I do understand that Nora and Becca were dangerously absorbed in each other (hence the Goddess Game, etc) and so it does make sense that much of the story would be mostly focused on them as well, without fleshing out the other characters.
Over all, so well-paced and well-written. Perfectly scary and magical! I really enjoyed this book a lot and will say that Melissa Albert has definitely carved a niche for herself, and she owns it. I love it.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.
This book is amazing! It's exactly the sort of folk horror/gothic fantasy story that has become Melissa Albert's brand, and I loved it. It managed to have both the suspense and the tinge of youthful nostalgia (with a twist) that Our Crooked Hearts has, and yet be entirely unique. This book is compelling from the first sentence and pulls you right in to the mystery. Nora is a really interesting narrator, as her past is more complex than is initially let on and she's not entirely reliable, but you can't help but root for her to find her way, both in the plot and in the broader scope of her life. I really enjoyed the folklore and horror elements, and I thought they were woven very well into the missing-persons-mystery element of this story. It seemed initially as if there were too many different threads for them all to connect together, but in the end they did. This book is also just exactly the right balance of whimsical and spooky! I was drawn into the magic of Becca and Nora's childhood memories while also creeped out and on the edge of my seat as things unfolded in the present. It was unsettling in the way that always urges me to keep reading and reminded me of a modern-day fairytale (a real one, not a Disney-version of one).
I will say, I was a bit confused by some of the logistics of the reveal (like how Becca, as a physical being, could have been where it turned out she was while she was missing). But I liked other elements a lot, like the exploration of toxic friendships, and the true power of imagination and what we put our faith into. And I know that the fantasy elements of this make it easier to explain away some of those elements of the end that confused. I did really like the reveals and who turned out to be behind it all, I thought the pacing of that was excellent! I also wish we had maybe gotten some more from some of the side characters, especially the lit mag crew---because they were good friends to Nora and tried to save---James as a love interest, and Cat and Miranda as Nora and Becca's family members. It was sometimes hard to grasp the weight of scenes without more knowledge of the side characters. That said, I do understand that Nora and Becca were dangerously absorbed in each other (hence the Goddess Game, etc) and so it does make sense that much of the story would be mostly focused on them as well, without fleshing out the other characters.
Over all, so well-paced and well-written. Perfectly scary and magical! I really enjoyed this book a lot and will say that Melissa Albert has definitely carved a niche for herself, and she owns it. I love it.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for the ARC.