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A review by lady_l
Arrowood by Laura McHugh
3.0
Received advanced copy via NetGalley.
This was closer to a 2.5 star read for me. I'm not sure what it was exactly but it just lacked something, mystique, maybe. It was clear to me, from the start, where it was going but I gave it the benefit of the doubt, hoping it had outsmarted me but everything fell into place as expected. That in and of itself wouldn't have been so bad, but there were other little things that bothered me.
The best way I can describe the other things was that it kind of felt like we were playing murder mystery Bingo:
Old house - ✔️
Creepy caretaker - ✔️
Ouiji board - ✔️
Fortune teller with spot on accuracy - ✔️
Takes place in autumn to include Halloween - ✔️
Secret Underground Railroad tunnel that narrator didn't know about - ✔️
Look, if there's one or two usual elements, I can overlook them, but it just felt like there was nothing new or unique here.
In addition to all this, any revelation felt rushed. It didn't land with any kind of surprising or lasting impact. I hate when narrators spend half the story alluding to a past that is pretty obvious. If you're not going to shock me then just get on with it already. And then don't try to hide a tiny piece to shock me with later because by then, I just don't care.
Even the big ending reveal, despite coming in stages, It seemed rushed. There was little time between to process any revelations the narrator made.
Lastly, this is just a little thing I noticed that stood out. The narrator refers to a character as having salt and pepper hair. That would imply gray and dark hair, yes? He comments on being completely gray. Well, which is it? Pick one.
This was closer to a 2.5 star read for me. I'm not sure what it was exactly but it just lacked something, mystique, maybe. It was clear to me, from the start, where it was going but I gave it the benefit of the doubt, hoping it had outsmarted me but everything fell into place as expected. That in and of itself wouldn't have been so bad, but there were other little things that bothered me.
The best way I can describe the other things was that it kind of felt like we were playing murder mystery Bingo:
Old house - ✔️
Creepy caretaker - ✔️
Ouiji board - ✔️
Fortune teller with spot on accuracy - ✔️
Takes place in autumn to include Halloween - ✔️
Secret Underground Railroad tunnel that narrator didn't know about - ✔️
Look, if there's one or two usual elements, I can overlook them, but it just felt like there was nothing new or unique here.
In addition to all this, any revelation felt rushed. It didn't land with any kind of surprising or lasting impact. I hate when narrators spend half the story alluding to a past that is pretty obvious. If you're not going to shock me then just get on with it already. And then don't try to hide a tiny piece to shock me with later because by then, I just don't care.
Even the big ending reveal, despite coming in stages, It seemed rushed. There was little time between to process any revelations the narrator made.
Lastly, this is just a little thing I noticed that stood out. The narrator refers to a character as having salt and pepper hair. That would imply gray and dark hair, yes? He comments on being completely gray. Well, which is it? Pick one.