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A review by em_harring
The Uninvited by Cat Winters
2.0
Per FTC guidelines: I received this book as a digital arc from Edelweiss. I'm not being paid for my review; everything I write is 100% honestly how I felt.
I had high expectations for this book, which seems to be my downfall 80% of the time.
I read Winters' novel In the Shadow of Blackbirds and really enjoyed the atmosphere she created within the novel. It was spooky, haunting, and still somehow realistic even with its fantastical moments. At times it was eerie and gruesome--my favourite pairing. Upon reading the synopsis to this book, I was like "Awesome, another great atmospheric novel to read."
It fell flat. So flat.
The tone and presence I liked so much in Shadow just wasn't in this novel. The elements she had weaved throughout it were heavily influenced by the romance that took over the entire novel. By the end of the novel, I knew why everything had felt foggy and almost whimsically dreamy, which ended up working, but I still didn't feel the environment as much as I felt it in Shadow.
The strongest aspect of the book is the end when everything comes together. All of your questions are answered and it's actually really well done. What killed this book for me was just the romance between Ivy and the German. I didn't buy it. I didn't feel it at all. None of the characters seemed awfully developed, including Ivy. They had bodies, and they had dressing, but they had nothing underneath. No life.
I will say, I did love the jazz club. I thought that was a nice touch and probably one of the spaces in the book that felt the most atmospheric to me.
So, The Uninvited gets about a 2.5 from me. I can think of a handful atmospheric, haunting, ghost films or novels that achieve the same 'twist' ending, but with more heart and emotion.
I had high expectations for this book, which seems to be my downfall 80% of the time.
I read Winters' novel In the Shadow of Blackbirds and really enjoyed the atmosphere she created within the novel. It was spooky, haunting, and still somehow realistic even with its fantastical moments. At times it was eerie and gruesome--my favourite pairing. Upon reading the synopsis to this book, I was like "Awesome, another great atmospheric novel to read."
It fell flat. So flat.
The tone and presence I liked so much in Shadow just wasn't in this novel. The elements she had weaved throughout it were heavily influenced by the romance that took over the entire novel. By the end of the novel, I knew why everything had felt foggy and almost whimsically dreamy, which ended up working, but I still didn't feel the environment as much as I felt it in Shadow.
The strongest aspect of the book is the end when everything comes together. All of your questions are answered and it's actually really well done. What killed this book for me was just the romance between Ivy and the German. I didn't buy it. I didn't feel it at all. None of the characters seemed awfully developed, including Ivy. They had bodies, and they had dressing, but they had nothing underneath. No life.
I will say, I did love the jazz club. I thought that was a nice touch and probably one of the spaces in the book that felt the most atmospheric to me.
So, The Uninvited gets about a 2.5 from me. I can think of a handful atmospheric, haunting, ghost films or novels that achieve the same 'twist' ending, but with more heart and emotion.