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A review by magellen
The Children on the Hill by Jennifer McMahon
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was my second read from McMahon, a sort of 'well maybe a different book is better' attempt after my first choice was lacking. I will go ahead and say this is not a horror or a thriller but only a novel, trying to thrill on occasion.
Meaning 😑 this will be my last attempt on McMahon- honestly it's probably a stylistic thing that some people like, but this author drowns you in rehashing and scenery. If the scenery was important, I'd be less bothered, but she will list off every object in a dang room and where they sit and back info on them whether or not its pertinent to the plot. I can't tell you what the majority of characters look like because they have such fleeting moments that lack individual voice but I could probably draw you a map of the setting. Wish I was kidding.
My other issue is while breadcrumbs are all good and well - bc twists SHOULD have clues that lead to them, so an audience may or may not guess on first read- guessing multiple twists within the first couple chapters is...disappointing. If you think you know who Lizzie is, who the *monster* is, what happened to the girls, and who Vi is early on, buddy you probably guessed right bc the twists are as transparent as cellophane. By the time matters roll out in the back quarter of the book it's just like yeah yeah get it over with. The sociopathic freight train chugs right along and I feel like you'd have to be entirely zoned out not to catch it early.
If you like McMahon's style, you'll probably enjoy this book. It is stronger than The Invited in some ways ('cause god that romance/couple was grating to read, yeesh did they even like one another) but also lacking in voice. The Invited had a darker tone by focusing on violence against women and had more passion for the matter, while CotH is morewhoops grandma turned out to be a eugenicist but we still love her sort of and guess all the people she hurt are just up shit creek.
Happy to say this author just isn't for me, but if you want sprawling settling description about bland interiors, maybe she'll be a match for you.
Meaning 😑 this will be my last attempt on McMahon- honestly it's probably a stylistic thing that some people like, but this author drowns you in rehashing and scenery. If the scenery was important, I'd be less bothered, but she will list off every object in a dang room and where they sit and back info on them whether or not its pertinent to the plot. I can't tell you what the majority of characters look like because they have such fleeting moments that lack individual voice but I could probably draw you a map of the setting. Wish I was kidding.
My other issue is while breadcrumbs are all good and well - bc twists SHOULD have clues that lead to them, so an audience may or may not guess on first read- guessing multiple twists within the first couple chapters is...disappointing.
If you like McMahon's style, you'll probably enjoy this book. It is stronger than The Invited in some ways ('cause god that romance/couple was grating to read, yeesh did they even like one another) but also lacking in voice. The Invited had a darker tone by focusing on violence against women and had more passion for the matter, while CotH is more
Happy to say this author just isn't for me, but if you want sprawling settling description about bland interiors, maybe she'll be a match for you.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Confinement, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Medical trauma, and Murder