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dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Unfortunately this one wasn’t for me. It started off strong - the first chapter opens with the main character, Chief Rachel Kennan, finding a dead body in the woods. The descriptions of the eerie quiet and creeping anxiety when Rachel examines the scene were great, and it really seemed like the story would continue in that direction - a mystery with scary and supernatural elements, but it quickly veered into more of a family drama territory as Rachel and her husband dealt with the loss of their son.
Now drama, tension, and unresolved traumas certainly make for rich stories; however, it was hard to get into this because none of the characters were particularly likeable, and many felt like caricatures.
Rachel is awful - there’s no sugarcoating it; she’s nasty just because, she makes stupid decisions that hurt others around her to varying degrees, and she’s okay putting herself in danger because she has no motivation to live. Again, there’s trauma here, but nothing’s really fleshed out so we’re just left to read Rachel’s angry jabs at whoever’s pissing her off for calling her “Rach” instead of “Chief”. Her husband, Finn, is essentially the punching bag. I don’t know if we’re meant to feel sympathetic for him, but he’s such a bland guy who just puts up with Rachel so it’s kind of hard to. They both mention that they’re done with each other but remaining married to maintain stability for their two daughters, but they argue constantly in front of the kids so I found myself wondering if they were either just too lazy to get a divorce or afraid they wouldn’t have anyone around to spew vitriol at.
The supporting cast in their little West Virginia town were painted as small-minded country bumpkins that don’t accept outsiders.
What I did appreciate were the creepy elements. The descriptions when something feels “off”, there’s foreboding or overwhelming dread, or when a character feels anxious for going somewhere they shouldn’t because curiosity won out — these hit the nail on the head and were so well done. I wish the plot had leaned more into this area!
Thank you very much to Atria for the invitation to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review, and thank you to Netgalley.
Now drama, tension, and unresolved traumas certainly make for rich stories; however, it was hard to get into this because none of the characters were particularly likeable, and many felt like caricatures.
Rachel is awful - there’s no sugarcoating it; she’s nasty just because, she makes stupid decisions that hurt others around her to varying degrees, and she’s okay putting herself in danger because she has no motivation to live. Again, there’s trauma here, but nothing’s really fleshed out so we’re just left to read Rachel’s angry jabs at whoever’s pissing her off for calling her “Rach” instead of “Chief”. Her husband, Finn, is essentially the punching bag. I don’t know if we’re meant to feel sympathetic for him, but he’s such a bland guy who just puts up with Rachel so it’s kind of hard to. They both mention that they’re done with each other but remaining married to maintain stability for their two daughters, but they argue constantly in front of the kids so I found myself wondering if they were either just too lazy to get a divorce or afraid they wouldn’t have anyone around to spew vitriol at.
The supporting cast in their little West Virginia town were painted as small-minded country bumpkins that don’t accept outsiders.
What I did appreciate were the creepy elements. The descriptions when something feels “off”, there’s foreboding or overwhelming dread, or when a character feels anxious for going somewhere they shouldn’t because curiosity won out — these hit the nail on the head and were so well done. I wish the plot had leaned more into this area!
Thank you very much to Atria for the invitation to read this eARC in exchange for my honest review, and thank you to Netgalley.