keithhanson's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
m_elissa_m's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
hauntedtesty's review
challenging
dark
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
pbanditp's review against another edition
4.0
“Why can’t you be here now?”
“Why does everything have to be so wrong?”
“Please, make it stop. “
Soul crusher. Devastation in book form. This is not just a story of dealing with the death of a child. This is not about trying to cope and move on. This is going beyond death and maybe pulling something back.
This book is full of raw emotions. Grief. Regret. Fear. At one point I became so angry (I’m getting pissed just thinking about it) I had to put the book down and just breathe. How dare you Andrew Cull? That was just rude! Seriously, the writing is so good, you can’t help but get caught up.
It actually took a little for me to get into it. I wish there had been a little more character development and that is the only reason it didn’t get 5 stars
“Why does everything have to be so wrong?”
“Please, make it stop. “
Soul crusher. Devastation in book form. This is not just a story of dealing with the death of a child. This is not about trying to cope and move on. This is going beyond death and maybe pulling something back.
This book is full of raw emotions. Grief. Regret. Fear. At one point I became so angry (I’m getting pissed just thinking about it) I had to put the book down and just breathe. How dare you Andrew Cull? That was just rude! Seriously, the writing is so good, you can’t help but get caught up.
It actually took a little for me to get into it. I wish there had been a little more character development and that is the only reason it didn’t get 5 stars
johnlynchbooks's review against another edition
5.0
Andrew Cull. You’re going to want to remember that name. Remains, the authors Debut, is as good of a debut I’ve ever read. If this is any indication, Cull is going to be a mainstay in the horror scene for years to come.
With Remains, Cull tells the tale of a woman named Lucy, who for all intents and purposes, died the same day her son was brutally murdered. The author tells a wonderfully written tale of a mother who is haunted, literally and figuratively. Fresh out of being institutionalized, Lucy finds herself returning to the scene of her sons murder. She believes him to be there, in some form or another, and what transpires is the heartbreaking story of a mother confronted with a grief so heavy that the ghosts in her mind are just as dangerous as what’s in the house. Make no mistake about it, this novel is SAD. You feel Lucy’s heartache and desperation. I’m amazed at the skill Cull displays in making the reader share in the heartache, while still being able to scare the shit out of you. As much as this book is overwhelmingly sad, it has teeth as well. They’re sharp, and they bite. Short chapters keep the pages turning and the tension to a high level, something that benefits the novel and keeps the reader engaged.
With Remains, Andrew Cull has cemented himself as a major player in the horror genre. He knows when to write with a chisel, gently carving Lucy’s ordeal into your heart, while at the same time knowing when to use his skill as a hammer, smashing you in the face with the violence and bloodshed horror aficionados will appreciate.
With Remains, Cull tells the tale of a woman named Lucy, who for all intents and purposes, died the same day her son was brutally murdered. The author tells a wonderfully written tale of a mother who is haunted, literally and figuratively. Fresh out of being institutionalized, Lucy finds herself returning to the scene of her sons murder. She believes him to be there, in some form or another, and what transpires is the heartbreaking story of a mother confronted with a grief so heavy that the ghosts in her mind are just as dangerous as what’s in the house. Make no mistake about it, this novel is SAD. You feel Lucy’s heartache and desperation. I’m amazed at the skill Cull displays in making the reader share in the heartache, while still being able to scare the shit out of you. As much as this book is overwhelmingly sad, it has teeth as well. They’re sharp, and they bite. Short chapters keep the pages turning and the tension to a high level, something that benefits the novel and keeps the reader engaged.
With Remains, Andrew Cull has cemented himself as a major player in the horror genre. He knows when to write with a chisel, gently carving Lucy’s ordeal into your heart, while at the same time knowing when to use his skill as a hammer, smashing you in the face with the violence and bloodshed horror aficionados will appreciate.
oddly's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. What a gut-punch, a truly heart- and brain-wrenching book. You get the full body experience with this novel.
This was a book I sat down to try few pages of before going to sleep and I was so consumed that all of a sudden it was 1 AM and I didn’t know how I was going to sleep at all.
Remains is a story about grief and how far one is willing to go to feel close to someone they’ve lost. It’s about getting stuck in the oppressive cycle of grief so deep that it blinds you to what’s moving forward around you. It wonders about the potential physical manifestation of that grief—is it good? Bad? Does it even exist beyond the mind of the griever?
While the narrative does build slowly through the first half of the book, I felt that the time spent with Lucy was integral to the reader getting to know her, getting to deeply resonate with her pain and really feeling the black hole she’s sunk into. It is a bleak place, a place you might be willing to do anything to get out of. This setup left me emotionally raw and completely invested in the book.
By the time the proverbial s**t starts hitting the fan, I was willing to follow this story anywhere.
Cull is an emotion driven writer, and he doesn’t pull his punches. This is a haunted house story that will sit deep in your bones, and it’s one I can highly recommend.
My thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.
This was a book I sat down to try few pages of before going to sleep and I was so consumed that all of a sudden it was 1 AM and I didn’t know how I was going to sleep at all.
Remains is a story about grief and how far one is willing to go to feel close to someone they’ve lost. It’s about getting stuck in the oppressive cycle of grief so deep that it blinds you to what’s moving forward around you. It wonders about the potential physical manifestation of that grief—is it good? Bad? Does it even exist beyond the mind of the griever?
While the narrative does build slowly through the first half of the book, I felt that the time spent with Lucy was integral to the reader getting to know her, getting to deeply resonate with her pain and really feeling the black hole she’s sunk into. It is a bleak place, a place you might be willing to do anything to get out of. This setup left me emotionally raw and completely invested in the book.
By the time the proverbial s**t starts hitting the fan, I was willing to follow this story anywhere.
Cull is an emotion driven writer, and he doesn’t pull his punches. This is a haunted house story that will sit deep in your bones, and it’s one I can highly recommend.
My thanks to the author for my copy to read and review.
vanquishingvolumes's review against another edition
2.0
A short novella about grief and the power it can hold over the mind, this was a quick read that unfortunately fell flat for me. It read like a horror movie captured on the page - only this was a standard fare horror movie with no tension or fear to be found. It was rather formulaic in its “scares”, and the story it told didn’t seem to go much of anywhere until the end of the story. I wish this book had tackled its subject matter in a less direct manner, I feel subtlety would have helped the ending pack more of a whallop. As it stands now, I was underwhelmed and just kind of bored.
kattrent's review against another edition
4.0
3.8 Stars
I actually really enjoyed this read. It was quick and read like a movie and was easy to picture with every word. Were some of the more horror driven scenes a little cliche? Yes. By all means yes. But that doesn't mean they were bad.
The pace of the book was actually done well. It had a nice build, slow in the beginning, a nice build, and then it just exploded. Part of me wishes there wasn't an explosion. It went from creepy to a sort of bloody horror very fast, and for that I was not entirely impressed.
Overall it was an enjoyable read, but definitely not for the faint of heart towards the end. Speaking of the end, it felt like it cut off too abruptly. I wanted more to hold onto when I finished the book. It was a good ending point in the grand scheme, but there could have been more there.
I actually really enjoyed this read. It was quick and read like a movie and was easy to picture with every word. Were some of the more horror driven scenes a little cliche? Yes. By all means yes. But that doesn't mean they were bad.
The pace of the book was actually done well. It had a nice build, slow in the beginning, a nice build, and then it just exploded. Part of me wishes there wasn't an explosion. It went from creepy to a sort of bloody horror very fast, and for that I was not entirely impressed.
Overall it was an enjoyable read, but definitely not for the faint of heart towards the end. Speaking of the end, it felt like it cut off too abruptly. I wanted more to hold onto when I finished the book. It was a good ending point in the grand scheme, but there could have been more there.
bookish_satty's review against another edition
4.0
Great read. Emotional as well as scary. Loved the ending because it felt like the right outcome in my heart!
jacob444's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
5.0