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A review by ajsterkel
Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
3.0
It's a historical horror novel about an awful dude and his slightly less awful daughter. One day, the awful dude is walking in a churchyard when he stumbles across a painting of a froglike demon. The painting is called a doom, and it was made during the Middle Ages. After seeing the painting, disturbing things start happening in the dude's mansion. Is he being stalked by the frog demon, or is his tween daughter trying to punish him for killing her pet magpie? His paranoia eventually leads to murder.
The atmosphere is where this story shines. It's set in a remote mansion in the English fens. The house is surrounded by odd creatures and even odder humans. The heat and humidity are inescapable. It's easy to believe that the characters would descend into anger and paranoia in this environment.
The characters are pretty awesome too. They're all kind of awful. They're arrogant and scheming. They also spend a lot of time stuck in the house, so they're sick of each other. The author sets up a situation where a lot can go wrong. The reader is just waiting to find out who cracks first.
The waiting is my complaint about the book. It's gothic horror, so the pacing is really slow. I was occasionally tempted to skim ahead to the action. There's not much action until the end.
I got a bit bored with this book, but I like the characters and writing style enough to see what else the author has written.
The atmosphere is where this story shines. It's set in a remote mansion in the English fens. The house is surrounded by odd creatures and even odder humans. The heat and humidity are inescapable. It's easy to believe that the characters would descend into anger and paranoia in this environment.
The characters are pretty awesome too. They're all kind of awful. They're arrogant and scheming. They also spend a lot of time stuck in the house, so they're sick of each other. The author sets up a situation where a lot can go wrong. The reader is just waiting to find out who cracks first.
The waiting is my complaint about the book. It's gothic horror, so the pacing is really slow. I was occasionally tempted to skim ahead to the action. There's not much action until the end.
I got a bit bored with this book, but I like the characters and writing style enough to see what else the author has written.