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grimoires's Reviews (75)
To be upfront: I am not finishing this book. I had high hopes for it--Danforth's previous novel had a huge impact on me back as a baby lesbian--but I made it 200 pages in, and it is just not delivering. (Quite frankly, every time the narrator cheekily refers to the audience with a "dear readers," I wanted to flip the book off my lap and be done with it.)
I went into this expecting more horror and more boarding school drama. To be fair, the summary mentions the celebrity drama (something I am just not a fan of; perhaps if you're into that those sections will be more enticing) but I had been hoping the horror aspects would intrigue me enough to balance it out. Outside of some decent building of atmosphere on occasion, though, this book isn't scary. The story set at Brookhantz is by far the more interesting one, and I wish the celebrity movie love triangle whatever plotline had just been dropped all together.
The footnotes could have been utilizied better as well. I love the concept, but here it was just unnecessary, unhelpful, and...kind of boring. It didn't really add anything to the story. Unfortunate, because I really was excited to start this.
I went into this expecting more horror and more boarding school drama. To be fair, the summary mentions the celebrity drama (something I am just not a fan of; perhaps if you're into that those sections will be more enticing) but I had been hoping the horror aspects would intrigue me enough to balance it out. Outside of some decent building of atmosphere on occasion, though, this book isn't scary. The story set at Brookhantz is by far the more interesting one, and I wish the celebrity movie love triangle whatever plotline had just been dropped all together.
The footnotes could have been utilizied better as well. I love the concept, but here it was just unnecessary, unhelpful, and...kind of boring. It didn't really add anything to the story. Unfortunate, because I really was excited to start this.
3.5
The horror concepts in this book are enticing but, to my taste, not pushed nearly far enough. Dialogue is pretty trite at times. However, it was overall an enjoyable book, if maybe a bit lacking.
The horror concepts in this book are enticing but, to my taste, not pushed nearly far enough. Dialogue is pretty trite at times. However, it was overall an enjoyable book, if maybe a bit lacking.
I get tired of every other horror novel being described as 'the most twisted thing ever written' when it's really just par the course--maybe due to my growing up on the internet leading to a decreased sensitivity to edgy gore, who knows, but still: disappointing. This book, however, had scenes that had me cringing and near-nauseous; if it'd been a movie, I would have been watching through my fingers. Viscerally unpleasant and artfully arranged. It was great! Vivid setting, vivid characters--raw in so many ways. I'm saddened it took me this long to find this book and look forward to reading his other works.
2.5 stars
Not everything can be a swing and a hit I suppose.
Not everything can be a swing and a hit I suppose.
4.5 rounded up!
Gut punching. Very visceral. I wish the second part had slowed down, though--it flew by extremely fast, especially compared to the first part.
Gut punching. Very visceral. I wish the second part had slowed down, though--it flew by extremely fast, especially compared to the first part.
Banks is clearly trying to make some statements on gender with this, but what that statement is I can barely comprehend. I'm trying to keep the time period this was published in mind, but, it still just reads ridiculous and reductive. The final chapter was a wash and kind of soured me on the novel as a whole (why would Frank be so accepting of that revelation?) The gore is juvenile and gross, which, fair enough, works for the character but grew kind of tedious to read, especially with how long those scenes tended to stretch.
That said, there were parts I enjoyed. Frank's factory and various homebrew rituals being some of them.
That said, there were parts I enjoyed. Frank's factory and various homebrew rituals being some of them.
2.5 and I must admit that frankly generous .5 is because I thought, "well, at least it was gay."
This is, apparently, a first novel and it shows. Honestly it reads more like a first DRAFT than anything--scenes moved so fast, there was never a grounding sense of where the characters were or how they felt outside of the narration very matter-of-factly telling us. Overall, the sheer amount of telling over showing in this was tiring. Oh, the brothers hate each other? How about making them interact for more than two minutes of CW-esque dialogue and stew in some feelings instead of telling me over and over.
I love family drama. I live for family drama. Up until maybe 200ish pages in when there is a flashback of [spoiler!] I was so fucking bored with this family drama. Again, I think this was an issue with how we are constantly being told how tense the family was instead of the story taking the time to slow down and show it.
It all felt so low stakes. I could not get attached to anyone in this novel and the climax was ultimately lacking. No atmosphere, no gripping sense of tension. No ROMANTIC tension, even. A potential love triangle between Vic-Adam-Silver almost had some merit as an interesting plot point except it too feels so bland and rote. Like the author was just checking off boxes of what to include in the story.
Perhaps this would have been better as a screenplay. Maybe the author was speed running this as an intro for the universe he was building, as this is the first in a trilogy, and the writing will be improved in the second novel, but I was not endeared enough to care to pick up the rest.
This is, apparently, a first novel and it shows. Honestly it reads more like a first DRAFT than anything--scenes moved so fast, there was never a grounding sense of where the characters were or how they felt outside of the narration very matter-of-factly telling us. Overall, the sheer amount of telling over showing in this was tiring. Oh, the brothers hate each other? How about making them interact for more than two minutes of CW-esque dialogue and stew in some feelings instead of telling me over and over.
I love family drama. I live for family drama. Up until maybe 200ish pages in when there is a flashback of [spoiler!]
Spoiler
the dad trying to drown AdamIt all felt so low stakes. I could not get attached to anyone in this novel and the climax was ultimately lacking. No atmosphere, no gripping sense of tension. No ROMANTIC tension, even. A potential love triangle between Vic-Adam-Silver almost had some merit as an interesting plot point except it too feels so bland and rote. Like the author was just checking off boxes of what to include in the story.
Perhaps this would have been better as a screenplay. Maybe the author was speed running this as an intro for the universe he was building, as this is the first in a trilogy, and the writing will be improved in the second novel, but I was not endeared enough to care to pick up the rest.