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and_im_ash's Reviews (395)
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
This was a lot of fun. If you like Darcy Coates' books, I think you'd enjoy this book. I enjoyed the ghostly mystery and the paranormal investigation aspect. But I did feel like some of the characters were just a bit two dimensional and their emotional switch ups (specifically Rodney) were a bit too extreme and on the nose. I did guess the twists, but I also enjoy figuring out twists before they happen so it didn't really bother me.
Overall, this was a fun ghost story, so if that's what you're after this is for you. It'll hit the beats you want a ghost story to hit. For me, the characterisation could have had more depth, and that would have increased my rating, but this was a good time nevertheless.
Overall, this was a fun ghost story, so if that's what you're after this is for you. It'll hit the beats you want a ghost story to hit. For me, the characterisation could have had more depth, and that would have increased my rating, but this was a good time nevertheless.
I had hopes this would give the kind of ship on the open ocean horror/thriller vibes I crave, but it didn't. Two hours in and hardly anything had happened yet. I also didn't find any of the characters particularly compelling. I liked the narrator though, which is something.
Sorcery of Thorns is one of my favourite books of all time - it just brings me immense joy - and this follow up novella is just as delightful. I love the characters, I love the world, I love the magic. It is just such a fantastic time.
fast-paced
I feel like this could have been longer. The author built up the suspense well but I feel like it could have used a longer build up to really hit with some impact at the climax. The ending kind of fell flat for me, to be honest.
I loved the premise, I loved picking up the little easter eggs along the way, but it honestly just didn't feel super satisfying for me because it felt a little too rushed. Probably just my tastes in horror/suspenseful novels. I really enjoy the build of tension, and in a novella you can't really build the tension for too long or you run out of space.
Not mad about it, happy I read it, but I just personally didn't find it as gripping as I'd hoped it would be.
I loved the premise, I loved picking up the little easter eggs along the way, but it honestly just didn't feel super satisfying for me because it felt a little too rushed. Probably just my tastes in horror/suspenseful novels. I really enjoy the build of tension, and in a novella you can't really build the tension for too long or you run out of space.
Not mad about it, happy I read it, but I just personally didn't find it as gripping as I'd hoped it would be.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
I have heard so many raving reviews about this, but it is a long book, like a 10 hour time investment, and the first chapter just did not grab me. We met both main characters and it just dragged for me. There was too much exposition to start.
I am a disciple of start in some action to grab attention, then build the world out from there, but these first 22 pages were just 100% exposition and nothing really happened. It started with one boy telling another boy everything about how the world worked, but nothing had happened yet to make me curious about the world enough to be drawn into the exposition.
I continued into the second chapter and just found myself struggling to care. The world seems really intriguing, and I can absolutely see why people love it, but it is just not for me. Mostly because I am being cut-throat now, if a book isn't grabbing me I am not continuing because I will never have enough time in my life to read all the books I want, so I can't spend my time on books that I am having to force myself to push through.
I may revisit this in the future though, because it may just be that I am not in the correct mood for a book like this rn.
I am a disciple of start in some action to grab attention, then build the world out from there, but these first 22 pages were just 100% exposition and nothing really happened. It started with one boy telling another boy everything about how the world worked, but nothing had happened yet to make me curious about the world enough to be drawn into the exposition.
I continued into the second chapter and just found myself struggling to care. The world seems really intriguing, and I can absolutely see why people love it, but it is just not for me. Mostly because I am being cut-throat now, if a book isn't grabbing me I am not continuing because I will never have enough time in my life to read all the books I want, so I can't spend my time on books that I am having to force myself to push through.
I may revisit this in the future though, because it may just be that I am not in the correct mood for a book like this rn.
This was really compelling. Tori Telfer's writing is incredibly readable and entertaining and I think she approached these women's stories with nuance.
Some of these women were truly evil - enslaving immigrant girls and homeless people, murder, making people so miserable and hopeless they were driven to suicide - and Telfer painted clear pictures of their upbringing, their crimes, their motivations, and also the impacts on their victims.
Overall quite an interesting read. Definitely adding her other book to my TBR.
Some of these women were truly evil - enslaving immigrant girls and homeless people, murder, making people so miserable and hopeless they were driven to suicide - and Telfer painted clear pictures of their upbringing, their crimes, their motivations, and also the impacts on their victims.
Overall quite an interesting read. Definitely adding her other book to my TBR.
I really liked the beginning of this. It was intriguing, it was giving The Conjuring vibes, I liked how it was from child Merry's perspective. But then I got to more of the blog articles, and that just was not working for me. I understand the author used the blog articles as a way to show us what happened in the show, versus what we were seeing from Merry's retelling of actual events, but I just couldn't get into the blogs. I wasn't a fan and it completely pulled me out of the story and diminished the suspense that was built in Merry's parts.
I was so sure I was going to love this, because the subject matter is right up my alley, but it just wasn't working for me and I was just feeling meh about it. It's just not for me.
I was so sure I was going to love this, because the subject matter is right up my alley, but it just wasn't working for me and I was just feeling meh about it. It's just not for me.
