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A review by motherhorror
The Blackening by Seán O'Connor
3.0
THE BLACKENING is my third Seán O'Connor read. The last book, WEEPING SEASON was a fast paced, page-turner. I enjoyed it. This book seemed to mash-up a favorite genre, Crime/Murder Mystery (set in Iceland! Bonus) with a not-so-favorite genre, Cosmic Horror.
The book starts off with a bit of Amity/Jaws vibe when a woman disappears under very mysterious circumstances and the lead investigator wants to cancel a big tourist attraction for the safety of the townsfolk but the Police Commissioner vetos this with a concern for tourist dollars over safety.
A subplot with some scientists develops. They are researching a black substance found at the location where the missing woman was last seen. This sub-plot, in my opinion, should have lead the story. For me, this is just a case of one part of the story being more interesting for the reader than the other and a growing frustration anytime the focus shifts to the less unique storyline. I loved touring around Iceland with O'Connor because it felt so authentic--to the point where I'm sure the author has either traveled there a few times or just researched the hell out of it. The cosmic horror element was a great compliment to the missing woman story and then when THE BLACKENING transitions into a creature-feature is when I felt a little bit of a lift. However, with all the set-up, thin character development, and some clunky dialog weighing these aspects down--the wind dropped out of the sails for me.
A solid 3 stars that could have easily been 4 or 5 with some re-working. As per usual, I will always read anything O'Connor puts out because he does have a unique storytelling voice that I enjoy.
The book starts off with a bit of Amity/Jaws vibe when a woman disappears under very mysterious circumstances and the lead investigator wants to cancel a big tourist attraction for the safety of the townsfolk but the Police Commissioner vetos this with a concern for tourist dollars over safety.
A subplot with some scientists develops. They are researching a black substance found at the location where the missing woman was last seen. This sub-plot, in my opinion, should have lead the story. For me, this is just a case of one part of the story being more interesting for the reader than the other and a growing frustration anytime the focus shifts to the less unique storyline. I loved touring around Iceland with O'Connor because it felt so authentic--to the point where I'm sure the author has either traveled there a few times or just researched the hell out of it. The cosmic horror element was a great compliment to the missing woman story and then when THE BLACKENING transitions into a creature-feature is when I felt a little bit of a lift. However, with all the set-up, thin character development, and some clunky dialog weighing these aspects down--the wind dropped out of the sails for me.
A solid 3 stars that could have easily been 4 or 5 with some re-working. As per usual, I will always read anything O'Connor puts out because he does have a unique storytelling voice that I enjoy.