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A review by jenhurst
Here There Are Monsters by Amelinda Bérubé
4.0
Blog Post
Thank you Sourcebooks Fire, Neutrally and Amelinda Berube for the ebook ARC in exchange for a honest review.
"The Queen of Shadows would not be ruled by fear".
Skye is tired of being her wild, little sister Deirdre's protector. Thus, when they move to their new house, she does her best to fit in. In typical teenager fashion, she makes friends and finds a guy she likes. Deirdre becomes more wild and retreats more into herself. With each passing day Deirdre becomes more obsessed with the woods and building creepy statues of wood and bone. One day, when Skye is supposed to be watching Deirdre goes missing. It's told in an alternating timeline between the present (after Deirdre went missing) and before (when they first moved into the new house).
I think the alternating timeline gave a lot of background to the sisters, their motivations and their relationship with each other. The complex relationships between the sisters is what really drives the story forward. Deirdre is a queen in the kingdom and Skye is the protector (Queen of Shadows). As Skye tries to find her sister she has to make difficult choices.
The first half of the novel explored their relationship and Skye trying to comprehend what is going on, and as a reader we want to know what's going on in the woods. The 2nd half has monsters that are Lovecraftian masters, difficult choices and a quest of sorts.
I got this novel because the cover was cool, and I loved it. It was very creepy, dark and a overhanging mystery of what happened. I liked the atmosphere of the cold forest and it did such a good job that I felt cold reading it. It's a perfect mystery/horror combination. Imagine a combination of The Blair Witch Project, with some American Horror Story thrown in and a family love.
5/5
Give this novel a shot, especially if you like horrors. This is a novel that is perfect for a crisp, fall evening and focuses on things that go bump in the night and the complex relationships of sisters.
Thank you Sourcebooks Fire, Neutrally and Amelinda Berube for the ebook ARC in exchange for a honest review.
"The Queen of Shadows would not be ruled by fear".
Skye is tired of being her wild, little sister Deirdre's protector. Thus, when they move to their new house, she does her best to fit in. In typical teenager fashion, she makes friends and finds a guy she likes. Deirdre becomes more wild and retreats more into herself. With each passing day Deirdre becomes more obsessed with the woods and building creepy statues of wood and bone. One day, when Skye is supposed to be watching Deirdre goes missing. It's told in an alternating timeline between the present (after Deirdre went missing) and before (when they first moved into the new house).
I think the alternating timeline gave a lot of background to the sisters, their motivations and their relationship with each other. The complex relationships between the sisters is what really drives the story forward. Deirdre is a queen in the kingdom and Skye is the protector (Queen of Shadows). As Skye tries to find her sister she has to make difficult choices.
The first half of the novel explored their relationship and Skye trying to comprehend what is going on, and as a reader we want to know what's going on in the woods. The 2nd half has monsters that are Lovecraftian masters, difficult choices and a quest of sorts.
I got this novel because the cover was cool, and I loved it. It was very creepy, dark and a overhanging mystery of what happened. I liked the atmosphere of the cold forest and it did such a good job that I felt cold reading it. It's a perfect mystery/horror combination. Imagine a combination of The Blair Witch Project, with some American Horror Story thrown in and a family love.
5/5
Give this novel a shot, especially if you like horrors. This is a novel that is perfect for a crisp, fall evening and focuses on things that go bump in the night and the complex relationships of sisters.