Scan barcode
mybooksarenovel's review
3.0
I had very conflicted thoughts over this one.
The good:
I like a good paranormal horror story, and I enjoyed this story immensely. The setting is small town, everyone knows everyone, including a secret everyone shares. Yes. I love this. The story states it is like Stars Hollow (and proceeds to lay out the set of Gilmore Girls). Starting off things aren't quite right, and relationally everyone is super abrupt, awkward, and secretive. I pretty much saw the twist in the middle coming and honestly I couldn't have been happier for it. This was exactly the kind of creepy story I've wanted. Loved this plot!
The bad:
I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. First person present tense is a bit of a pet peeves of mine. It has to be done exquisitely in order for me to accept. But it was forgiveable. The dialogue and inner monologue was kind of rushed. A lot of times I felt like I was trying to catch up to what was going on in the present, and got kind of confused as to who was who and what was what.
Mostly though, I had a real problem with how the messaging was handled. I believe the author was trying to convey positive a story of getting out of a cycle of abuse and abusive relationships. A message I fully support. However, I believe it may have unintentionally villainized men completely. Absent father, passive husbands, dismissive policemen, the one "good guy" is the gay florist but even he is keeping secrets and also fairly passive. To be fair most everyone is complicit to abuse, other than a loving mother, and helpful female spirit. But again, all the men are the villains. Why can't there just be good and bad people of all genders? I'm so sick of the women = good and men = bad narrative.
So yeah, read this if you hate men.
Thank you netgalley and Delacort press for a review copy of this book.
The good:
I like a good paranormal horror story, and I enjoyed this story immensely. The setting is small town, everyone knows everyone, including a secret everyone shares. Yes. I love this. The story states it is like Stars Hollow (and proceeds to lay out the set of Gilmore Girls). Starting off things aren't quite right, and relationally everyone is super abrupt, awkward, and secretive. I pretty much saw the twist in the middle coming and honestly I couldn't have been happier for it. This was exactly the kind of creepy story I've wanted. Loved this plot!
The bad:
I wasn't a huge fan of the writing style. First person present tense is a bit of a pet peeves of mine. It has to be done exquisitely in order for me to accept. But it was forgiveable. The dialogue and inner monologue was kind of rushed. A lot of times I felt like I was trying to catch up to what was going on in the present, and got kind of confused as to who was who and what was what.
Mostly though, I had a real problem with how the messaging was handled. I believe the author was trying to convey positive a story of getting out of a cycle of abuse and abusive relationships. A message I fully support. However, I believe it may have unintentionally villainized men completely. Absent father, passive husbands, dismissive policemen, the one "good guy" is the gay florist but even he is keeping secrets and also fairly passive. To be fair most everyone is complicit to abuse, other than a loving mother, and helpful female spirit. But again, all the men are the villains. Why can't there just be good and bad people of all genders? I'm so sick of the women = good and men = bad narrative.
So yeah, read this if you hate men.
Thank you netgalley and Delacort press for a review copy of this book.
marusik_'s review
dark
emotional
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
2.5
adriannasophiabookss's review against another edition
2.0
Thank you so much to Penguin Random House for sending me a copy of this book to review. I was really excited for this one but was unfortunately a little disappointed.
This is a YA horror/fantasy following Kit Starling, a seventeen year old girl who has just lost her father and is travelling to the small town of Rosemont with her mother to meet her Grandmother for the first time. Her whole life she has been told that her Grandmother, Agatha, is dead and so you can imagine her surprise when after her father’s death she gets a letter from Agatha inviting her and her mother to stay with her. When they arrive however the town is extremely old fashioned and everyone is obsessed with Starling family. As she spends more time there she starts to wonder if Agatha is hiding something and is questioning why her father fled his hometown and told her that Agatha was dead.
This was a really interesting concept that just wasn’t executed well in my opinion. I felt like this book was trying to have an emotional impact but it just fell flat and I think it needed to be edited again before release. The writing reminded me a lot of the stories I used to write when I was ten or eleven years old, that sounds harsh, but it honestly felt like a first draft. The dialogue was so basic and uninteresting, the main character stomped around so much she didn’t read as a seventeen year old and she just kept missing completely obvious pieces of the puzzle.
I’m not even going to bother getting into the “romance” in this because that alone brought it down another star for me. Kit trusts literally everyone and was so paper thin as a character. I didn’t see any of the “fire” in her. She didn’t really come up against any real challenges because it seemed everything was laid out for her when she needed it to be. This was also in no way, shape or form “gothic” like it was marketed to be so don’t be fooled by that like I was.
Like I said, the concept itself had so much potential but it just didn’t give me anything. I mean no disrespect to the author at all, I feel like I’m being harsh but this is my opinion as a critical reader, it just wasn’t good. One the whole; cover stunning, story…meh. This came out on 27th June so if you want to read it it’s already out.
This is a YA horror/fantasy following Kit Starling, a seventeen year old girl who has just lost her father and is travelling to the small town of Rosemont with her mother to meet her Grandmother for the first time. Her whole life she has been told that her Grandmother, Agatha, is dead and so you can imagine her surprise when after her father’s death she gets a letter from Agatha inviting her and her mother to stay with her. When they arrive however the town is extremely old fashioned and everyone is obsessed with Starling family. As she spends more time there she starts to wonder if Agatha is hiding something and is questioning why her father fled his hometown and told her that Agatha was dead.
This was a really interesting concept that just wasn’t executed well in my opinion. I felt like this book was trying to have an emotional impact but it just fell flat and I think it needed to be edited again before release. The writing reminded me a lot of the stories I used to write when I was ten or eleven years old, that sounds harsh, but it honestly felt like a first draft. The dialogue was so basic and uninteresting, the main character stomped around so much she didn’t read as a seventeen year old and she just kept missing completely obvious pieces of the puzzle.
I’m not even going to bother getting into the “romance” in this because that alone brought it down another star for me. Kit trusts literally everyone and was so paper thin as a character. I didn’t see any of the “fire” in her. She didn’t really come up against any real challenges because it seemed everything was laid out for her when she needed it to be. This was also in no way, shape or form “gothic” like it was marketed to be so don’t be fooled by that like I was.
Like I said, the concept itself had so much potential but it just didn’t give me anything. I mean no disrespect to the author at all, I feel like I’m being harsh but this is my opinion as a critical reader, it just wasn’t good. One the whole; cover stunning, story…meh. This came out on 27th June so if you want to read it it’s already out.
sarahbobarah12's review
mysterious
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
3.5
mandykool's review against another edition
4.0
I couldn’t put this book down.
Amanda Linsmeier wrote a book that is definitely reminiscent of “House of Hollow” meets “Small Favors” with this dark fairy tale fantasy horror novel.
The pacing, the plot, the unique story and the history of this creepy Rosemont kept me entranced the entire time. My only grievance was that the rest of the characters besides our main squeeze really didn’t feel interesting or fleshed out.
We have a Grandma who is suspect and a creepy demon dude.
This also gave me Slewfoot vibes, except I didn’t care for the demon daddy.
The end message is one I think all women can stand by.
Bravo for this book. I will definitely be recommending it to people who like comparable books.
Thank you so much Netgalley and the Publishers for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This one was definitely a treat! I can’t wait for this author to do more.
Amanda Linsmeier wrote a book that is definitely reminiscent of “House of Hollow” meets “Small Favors” with this dark fairy tale fantasy horror novel.
The pacing, the plot, the unique story and the history of this creepy Rosemont kept me entranced the entire time. My only grievance was that the rest of the characters besides our main squeeze really didn’t feel interesting or fleshed out.
We have a Grandma who is suspect and a creepy demon dude.
This also gave me Slewfoot vibes, except I didn’t care for the demon daddy.
The end message is one I think all women can stand by.
Bravo for this book. I will definitely be recommending it to people who like comparable books.
Thank you so much Netgalley and the Publishers for giving me an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This one was definitely a treat! I can’t wait for this author to do more.
lfancher's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
lottie1803's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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
3.5
ivyhaunts's review
4.0
This was so intriguing! The environment of the book is somewhat thrilling but also magical and sleepy. I can’t put my finger on it. I highly recommend this title. The narrator comes to stay her grandmother in Rosemont, whom she believed was dead because that is what her father told her. I liked the characters, mystery, and pacing quite a bit.
book4grace's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.75