ghostlyreads's reviews
4 reviews

The Shadows by Alex North

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

For a story with such a strong, eerie beginning, The Shadows faded into something forgettable. 

 

There’s no denying the underlining concept of The Shadows is creepy. I wasn’t sure if I was holding my breath for a monster or a murderer, but either way, I was ready to see what jumped at me when I wasn’t looking. From a nightmare sequence that set the tone in the beginning, to the ramblings of a dying woman, weird dream journals, and a kid that screamed: 'I don't know what's wrong with him but I think he might be the devil'...I was genuinely freaked out - for the first third of the book. 

Suddenly a world that felt dark and dangerous began feeling dull and disconnected. Every time I tried to capture that sense of dread, it kept fading to the background, lost to emotional beats that didn't quite hit and a plot that I could resonate with. And trust me, I wanted them to hit. Maybe that’s what made everything feel off - and not in the good way. There wasn’t enough connection between the characters for anything to feel suspenseful or heartbreaking. As much as I wanted to buy in to what was happening, it was too flat to pull me in the way I needed to be for the Shadows to be effective. 

The first twist was decent enough, and maybe if it ended there, or the story took a sharp left and headed a different way with that reveal, it would have been the punch in the gut I needed to get behind this book. 

Persephone Station by Stina Leicht

adventurous dark emotional lighthearted sad slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Reviews said the first third of the book is a struggle to get through but then the story begins, action picks up, and you’re off on a journey to save an alien race.

I think I missed a turn somewhere because Persephone Station was hard to stay invested in. Unfortunately, there were many points when I couldn’t force myself to read more because I was bored. Which is incredibly disappointing because I really, really wanted to like this book. 

There is a certain point where it objectively gets better: the plot becomes clearer, the actions picks up, and you’re thrown into the tick of things but it wasn’t enough to make up for all the information dumps that never quite hit on what you wanted to know, where delivered in awards places, and interrupted action sequences. 

Persephone Station hits it out of the park with representation but fails to take advantage of the wonderful characters that are in the book. Whose chapter am I reading? I don’t know because all the characters sound the same and used to exact same slang. There are small difference but not enough to make anyone really pop. 

But you know what,  screw it! I’m still recommending this book and giving it one more star because I love the representation they bring and maybe someone else out there won’t have an issue with everything that bogged me down. 

Boneset & Feathers by Gwendolyn Kiste

adventurous emotional hopeful medium-paced

• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

Less horror than expected, but still a beautifully written novella. The reader follows, Odette - the last of the witches - in a story that captures what it means to not only be a woman, but also someone who doesn’t conform to the rules of society. 

 

Bonset and Feathers is a sombre and oppressive read, which is the perfect tone for what Odette is going through. I felt equal parts suffocated, angered, and hopeless as I traveled the world with Odette, knowing all too well how hopeless her position seems. 

 

As always, Kiste’s writing is lyrical and beautiful. This time, it fell much more towards fantasy than horror, but the bits of horror sprinkled within were brilliant. 

The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht

dark tense slow-paced

• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Short, complex, and dark. 

Holy world building, the descriptions in the books are as v-i-v-i-d as they are poetic. But don't expect to find too much beauty here. The Monster of Elendhaven is dripping with urban decay and it's the perfect backdrop to our protagonist's story. 

In short, it's a story about suffering and revenge. While there are brief moments of - tenderness (?) - they never overshadow the dark themes surrounding them. Florian and Johann are humorous, a little tender, but ultimately twisted in the best ways possible. 

I'm always on the hunt for unique reads and this novella delivered. The thing I was most disappointed by was the fact that there wasn't another novel to jump into immediately after finishing this one.