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nerdytruth's review
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
dovie_love's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This was such a richly detailed book. I felt the water and the pressure with Sig when she dived. I could see the heather blowing in the wind and feel the chill of the cold and the water. The breaks when we go back in time were SO captivating. I did feel like it had a bit of a Disney/Hallmark “let’s wrap it up, happily ever after” heavy on the deus-ex-machina at the end which is why I bumped it down from 5 stars to 4.
adrianicsea's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts
The horror of this book stems from water and drowning, so there is very prominent depictions of people in varying states of drowning throughout.rileyreadsalatte's review against another edition
1.0
In theory, this book should have been a 5 star read for me given the setting, the subject, and the genre. However, I was so bored up until about the last 5% of the book. The story felt lost in unimportant details and left me feeling perpetually frustrated.
kingmaker's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
atgerstner's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Look, I get why people don’t like this very much. But it’s wonderful. It’s a Mike Flannigan show in book form. It’s slow until it’s not, the writing is beautiful, the tension simmers until we get to the explosion and action in the last third. It’s not a fast passed horror but a beautiful, scary meditation on grief and place (while still being genuinely scary).
claire_elek's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Scotland, folklore, ancient curses, grief, forgiveness - it was difficult to put this book down with such a variety of themes to explore with the overarching folk-horror storyline. I felt acutely connected to the island community, in which the story was based, & I had a vivid sense of what the island looked like. Each chapter is told from a different character's perspective, including the wildlife, some of which were likable, some were absolutely not, plus plenty of diverse characters & I loved it. Sometimes I felt a bit more disjointed from one character to another, but overall a fantastic and un-put-down-able.
Content Warnings
Minor: Misogyny and Sexism
faye373's review against another edition
5.0
The first half of the book was slow, mostly just introducing us to the characters that live in this island and also setting up a bit of the plot which takes place in the second half. The second half speeded up a lot, but it didn't feel rushed imo. I liked both halves, because of the slow first half you really get a good view of the environment and the residents of the island which made the action packed second half that much more interesting.