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A review by readwithchloev
Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis
3.0
I feel so...confused? I’ll break my feelings down.
Positives:
1. The intrigue and the suspense of this book, especially in the first 100 pages, was insane. I was totally hooked. I wanted to know what the hell was going on, I felt like I was part of the story. It had the proper creepy small town with a ton of secrets vibe.
2. Cora. Cora was the ONLY good character in this book in my opinion and I am SO GLAD ABOUT THE ENDING. What a badass!! She was the only one with any substance that I wanted to hear from. She seemed so real and authentic.
3. The ending. The ending was the slight redemption for me. I really liked it. I got genuinely excited to see that someone had had the brain cells to work out what the hell was going on - everyone else in the town felt so oblivious to it. Or that they knew and they were just ignoring it. And that annoyed me.
4. Lola’s ending. I really liked the small addition of the story written by L Evangeline. Of course there’s an air of mystery around it but it’s very obvious that it’s Lola. Despite not liking her as a character I enjoyed that she got her redemption too. It makes me wonder where did she go and what she’s like “now”.
Negatives:
1. Lola. Lola is possibly the WORST character I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. She is so naive and obnoxious - albeit because of her past trauma - but MAN. Really? She’s so self aware that she’s a horrible person as well, she knows it. She knows how to manipulate people and treats people awfully. I thought Carter was a complete idiot for wanting to be anywhere near her. She was not likeable or relatable at all.
2. Plot holes. So much of this book felt so necessary? I got to 200 pages in and I was like right so she’s waiting for Mr Jitters to come and get her? The scene in the museum with the film seemed totally pointless. And the rats at the tree? I struggle to see how that added anything. It was just a weird way to push her and Carter together. Relationships didn’t make sense. So much was left unexplained.
3. The story is just generally confusing. You only really find out the truth at the end, and before then there’s just too much information. So, are we all under the impression that Lola just got wrapped up in trauma, and combined with an urban legend, she just went completely off the rails? Am I right in thinking the other girls dressed as Little Bird just happened to go missing? Drowning/running away or falling into sink holes?
4. Although confusing, it was kind of predictable. I guessed that Lola stabbed Nolan a mile off.
5. Mr Jitters. I feel like I have the wrong idea about him. In my head, there was an existing urban myth already there in Harrow Lake...and Lola was so ill and traumatised, that it just sort of consumed her. Mr Jitters was a manifestation of all her grief and he came alive. Everything she saw wasn’t real. She had an imaginary friend to cope - an imaginary friend trying to shield her from remembering all the trauma. And in the end, she allows him to “reach her” - I.e. fully remembering all the trauma she’s blocked out, and when she says “let me go” she’s releasing herself from the trauma.
Overall I am confused, and I’ve rambled for far too long.
Positives:
1. The intrigue and the suspense of this book, especially in the first 100 pages, was insane. I was totally hooked. I wanted to know what the hell was going on, I felt like I was part of the story. It had the proper creepy small town with a ton of secrets vibe.
2. Cora. Cora was the ONLY good character in this book in my opinion and I am SO GLAD ABOUT THE ENDING. What a badass!! She was the only one with any substance that I wanted to hear from. She seemed so real and authentic.
3. The ending. The ending was the slight redemption for me. I really liked it. I got genuinely excited to see that someone had had the brain cells to work out what the hell was going on - everyone else in the town felt so oblivious to it. Or that they knew and they were just ignoring it. And that annoyed me.
4. Lola’s ending. I really liked the small addition of the story written by L Evangeline. Of course there’s an air of mystery around it but it’s very obvious that it’s Lola. Despite not liking her as a character I enjoyed that she got her redemption too. It makes me wonder where did she go and what she’s like “now”.
Negatives:
1. Lola. Lola is possibly the WORST character I have ever had the displeasure of reading about. She is so naive and obnoxious - albeit because of her past trauma - but MAN. Really? She’s so self aware that she’s a horrible person as well, she knows it. She knows how to manipulate people and treats people awfully. I thought Carter was a complete idiot for wanting to be anywhere near her. She was not likeable or relatable at all.
2. Plot holes. So much of this book felt so necessary? I got to 200 pages in and I was like right so she’s waiting for Mr Jitters to come and get her? The scene in the museum with the film seemed totally pointless. And the rats at the tree? I struggle to see how that added anything. It was just a weird way to push her and Carter together. Relationships didn’t make sense. So much was left unexplained.
3. The story is just generally confusing. You only really find out the truth at the end, and before then there’s just too much information. So, are we all under the impression that Lola just got wrapped up in trauma, and combined with an urban legend, she just went completely off the rails? Am I right in thinking the other girls dressed as Little Bird just happened to go missing? Drowning/running away or falling into sink holes?
4. Although confusing, it was kind of predictable. I guessed that Lola stabbed Nolan a mile off.
5. Mr Jitters. I feel like I have the wrong idea about him. In my head, there was an existing urban myth already there in Harrow Lake...and Lola was so ill and traumatised, that it just sort of consumed her. Mr Jitters was a manifestation of all her grief and he came alive. Everything she saw wasn’t real. She had an imaginary friend to cope - an imaginary friend trying to shield her from remembering all the trauma. And in the end, she allows him to “reach her” - I.e. fully remembering all the trauma she’s blocked out, and when she says “let me go” she’s releasing herself from the trauma.
Overall I am confused, and I’ve rambled for far too long.