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readershark's reviews
193 reviews
Hide by Kiersten White
2.0
So, this is my fourth time attempting to read Kiersten White's books. All of them have intriguing premises, but I could never get myself to dive deep and finish one. I've DNF'd at various points. 20%, 30%, 60%, etc. With this being an adult thriller/horror, I figured it would be faster than her usual plots and easier to read. I was right, but I should've stuck to my gut about reading this author. Her writing style just isn't for me.
Hide has an intriguing premise. A deadly game of hide-and-go-seek wrapped up in a supernatural twist. As a classic mythology fan it did take me an embarrassing amount of time to realize what was happening but I enjoyed that plot point! I also liked that there's a sapphic romance in here, There's not nearly enough queer horror/thriller for my liking. Unfortunately, those were about the only things I liked.
This book read very young. It's White's adult debut and it's very evident that she's a YA writer. There is no actual line on where YA writing ends and Adult writing starts. It's murky at best, invisible at worst, so it's hard to say how this read so young. Despite it being adult, and the book certainly being at an adult price point, everything still feels restrained by YA guidelines. There's minimal swearing, little actual in depth horror and gore, and shallow characterizations that read like a young adult novel. Not that all adult thrillers have to be gory and filled with cursing, but this book felt sanitized somehow. Like it had to be suitable for kids despite that not being the audience. Plus all the adults, ranging from early to late twenties, all talk and act like teenagers. Given the mythos this book is based off, I just genuinely think it would've worked better as a YA thriller.
When it came down to the actual horror, it was underwhelming. Despite there being a time limit between inevitable victims, there was no suspense built. Even though the game is literally about hiding, there's no sense of being hunted, no imminent fear or building tension, even when they are actually being hunted. It falls flat. Every twist, every turn, felt obvious and unenthusiastic and easily predictable. None of it was actually like...scary. Which is entirely subjective, but I just felt no actual horror.
When it comes to Mack, I was frustrated with her the whole book. Due to her past, Mack is closed off and a loner. Reasonable, given the circumstances. We get flashbacks of her past life, but again, it's vague and snippets instead of a fleshed out memory. I wanted more. More of her family dynamic, more of the before, more of her relationships or even her life since. We got nibbles. I wanted shark attacks. Despite her being the main character, I felt we didn't really know Mack at all, and I didn't really end up caring for her.
Unfortunately, I think my luck with this author has run out. Her writing style just doesn't clash with me, though I'm glad a lot of people feel differently. Even though I didn't like this one, I hope there's many people who do! Happy reading!
Hide has an intriguing premise. A deadly game of hide-and-go-seek wrapped up in a supernatural twist. As a classic mythology fan it did take me an embarrassing amount of time to realize what was happening but I enjoyed that plot point! I also liked that there's a sapphic romance in here, There's not nearly enough queer horror/thriller for my liking. Unfortunately, those were about the only things I liked.
This book read very young. It's White's adult debut and it's very evident that she's a YA writer. There is no actual line on where YA writing ends and Adult writing starts. It's murky at best, invisible at worst, so it's hard to say how this read so young. Despite it being adult, and the book certainly being at an adult price point, everything still feels restrained by YA guidelines. There's minimal swearing, little actual in depth horror and gore, and shallow characterizations that read like a young adult novel. Not that all adult thrillers have to be gory and filled with cursing, but this book felt sanitized somehow. Like it had to be suitable for kids despite that not being the audience. Plus all the adults, ranging from early to late twenties, all talk and act like teenagers. Given the mythos this book is based off, I just genuinely think it would've worked better as a YA thriller.
When it came down to the actual horror, it was underwhelming. Despite there being a time limit between inevitable victims, there was no suspense built. Even though the game is literally about hiding, there's no sense of being hunted, no imminent fear or building tension, even when they are actually being hunted. It falls flat. Every twist, every turn, felt obvious and unenthusiastic and easily predictable. None of it was actually like...scary. Which is entirely subjective, but I just felt no actual horror.
When it comes to Mack, I was frustrated with her the whole book. Due to her past, Mack is closed off and a loner. Reasonable, given the circumstances. We get flashbacks of her past life, but again, it's vague and snippets instead of a fleshed out memory. I wanted more. More of her family dynamic, more of the before, more of her relationships or even her life since. We got nibbles. I wanted shark attacks. Despite her being the main character, I felt we didn't really know Mack at all, and I didn't really end up caring for her.
Unfortunately, I think my luck with this author has run out. Her writing style just doesn't clash with me, though I'm glad a lot of people feel differently. Even though I didn't like this one, I hope there's many people who do! Happy reading!