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thebasiccritic's Reviews (205)
I appreciate the storyline of this short story, but I wish it was longer and more descriptive than it truly was.
This story is about a girl who may or may not be named Sally, and her roommate (unnamed). Things happen in the dark. What you think happened is decided on your own.
This story is about a girl who may or may not be named Sally, and her roommate (unnamed). Things happen in the dark. What you think happened is decided on your own.
Gonna be real honest with you- if I read this book and didn’t listen to it via audiobook, I would have DNF’d this. I love H.G. Wells’s other pieces of work, but this one was a struggle for me. The best part of this is that Kelsey Grammar narrated this and it felt like Frasier Crane was reading to me. All for it.
“The Time Machine” is a science fiction novella that helped influence the popularity of time travel. This follows an English scientist who recalls his success of time travel in Victorian England.
I’d give like a 3/5
“The Time Machine” is a science fiction novella that helped influence the popularity of time travel. This follows an English scientist who recalls his success of time travel in Victorian England.
I’d give like a 3/5
This novel was my first read from this author, so it was nice to get a chance to see his style of writing. Thank you to NetGalley and Crossroad Press for the ARC!
Our story begins in a small town in Alabama where that town has a history...QUITE the history. A massacre at a high school in preparation for a homecoming dance takes place, and a young man has been placed with the blame.
Fast forward to the late 90s, we meet Alan McAdams and his sons, Thomas and Josh, as well as Alan’s father, Sim. Sim and his sister Charlotte were students at the time of the massacre. Weird things begin to happen in their small town in preparation for their own homecoming dance.
The storyline goes back and forth between the Jim Crow 1950s and the “present” time of the 90s. I like how the author did the timeline like this to keep up with what is going on.
I gave this a 4-star rating because in my copy of the ARC, I saw some spelling errors that threw me off, causing me to reread sentences a few more times to grasp what was meant. I don’t blame that on anyone.
There were moments in the story that, to me, made it feel predictable. Although, I did appreciate the twists in the story- those kept me on my toes!
Our story begins in a small town in Alabama where that town has a history...QUITE the history. A massacre at a high school in preparation for a homecoming dance takes place, and a young man has been placed with the blame.
Fast forward to the late 90s, we meet Alan McAdams and his sons, Thomas and Josh, as well as Alan’s father, Sim. Sim and his sister Charlotte were students at the time of the massacre. Weird things begin to happen in their small town in preparation for their own homecoming dance.
The storyline goes back and forth between the Jim Crow 1950s and the “present” time of the 90s. I like how the author did the timeline like this to keep up with what is going on.
I gave this a 4-star rating because in my copy of the ARC, I saw some spelling errors that threw me off, causing me to reread sentences a few more times to grasp what was meant. I don’t blame that on anyone.
There were moments in the story that, to me, made it feel predictable. Although, I did appreciate the twists in the story- those kept me on my toes!
Incredible storyline!
This is the first book I’ve read of V.E. Schwab’s. I’ve always heard great things and finally had the chance to pick this one up.
Our story starts off with two friends, Eli and Victor, who are medical school students. They’ve reached their thesis and have to choose a topic. Eli chose EOs (ExtraOrdinaries). Research takes a turn and there sparks our story.
I love the layers of storytelling; going from past to present. It helps set the scene so well. Granted, there were a couple spots where I had to remind myself what “time” we were in.
The side characters were just perfect and they meshed well with Eli and Victor’s stories too.
I couldn’t stop thinking about this book. Definitely worth the read and I can’t wait to pick up “Vengeful.”
This is the first book I’ve read of V.E. Schwab’s. I’ve always heard great things and finally had the chance to pick this one up.
Our story starts off with two friends, Eli and Victor, who are medical school students. They’ve reached their thesis and have to choose a topic. Eli chose EOs (ExtraOrdinaries). Research takes a turn and there sparks our story.
I love the layers of storytelling; going from past to present. It helps set the scene so well. Granted, there were a couple spots where I had to remind myself what “time” we were in.
The side characters were just perfect and they meshed well with Eli and Victor’s stories too.
I couldn’t stop thinking about this book. Definitely worth the read and I can’t wait to pick up “Vengeful.”
The below reviews hold up to what this novel is like and about. This fast-paced thriller novel is one for the books (pun intended).
We follow a team of amateur film-makers and copywriters led by Alice, who is looking to create a documentary on the happenings of a small town in Sweden. As any thriller/horror novel, things take a turn.
We also are transported back and forth between 1959 and present day, allowing the reader to have a glimpse as to the history of the plot.
I am giving this 4-stars as while it kept the suspense and scary going, there were things that happened that were quite excessive and what, I feel, could have been changed. I wasn’t a fan of how majority of the female characters were the ones who dealt with mental illness or some sort of trauma, whereas the male characters were just fine. I felt like this would have been better as a film, yet as I said above, it was fast-paced and I enjoyed that.
There are definitely themes of cult activity within the plot, which I am totally here for. Also, if you like a trope of people falling through stairs, this is your book.
Note that there are trigger warnings for death, abuse of a person with a disability and implied rape.
A huge thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me to get an ARC copy of this!
We follow a team of amateur film-makers and copywriters led by Alice, who is looking to create a documentary on the happenings of a small town in Sweden. As any thriller/horror novel, things take a turn.
We also are transported back and forth between 1959 and present day, allowing the reader to have a glimpse as to the history of the plot.
I am giving this 4-stars as while it kept the suspense and scary going, there were things that happened that were quite excessive and what, I feel, could have been changed. I wasn’t a fan of how majority of the female characters were the ones who dealt with mental illness or some sort of trauma, whereas the male characters were just fine. I felt like this would have been better as a film, yet as I said above, it was fast-paced and I enjoyed that.
There are definitely themes of cult activity within the plot, which I am totally here for. Also, if you like a trope of people falling through stairs, this is your book.
Note that there are trigger warnings for death, abuse of a person with a disability and implied rape.
A huge thanks to NetGalley and St Martin’s Press/Minotaur Books for allowing me to get an ARC copy of this!