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A review by mentat_stem
The Schatten by Ashley Greathouse
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
There's a lot of chaos in a narrative that can be excused when it becomes clear that your viewpoint character is insane.
Most of the action in this book takes place off-screen. It's recounted 3rd hand in a journal or heard from another room or glimpsed in pieces in unreliable memories.
The structure of the story reflects the bonkers elements it's trying to weave together - murder mystery, family secrets, larger mysteries and secrets, experiments, thugs, time, memory, etc. The narrative is non-linear and the narrator thinks in circles a bit. In the end, it's a rather coherent mess. Ultimately this earns the label horror, but there's way too much of everything else before the well-earned on-screen violence commences.
I'm glad that I read this. It's clear that the author was having a TON of fun weaving a dark tale.
Most of the action in this book takes place off-screen. It's recounted 3rd hand in a journal or heard from another room or glimpsed in pieces in unreliable memories.
The structure of the story reflects the bonkers elements it's trying to weave together - murder mystery, family secrets, larger mysteries and secrets, experiments, thugs, time, memory, etc. The narrative is non-linear and the narrator thinks in circles a bit. In the end, it's a rather coherent mess. Ultimately this earns the label horror, but there's way too much of everything else before the well-earned on-screen violence commences.
I'm glad that I read this. It's clear that the author was having a TON of fun weaving a dark tale.