dark_lyn's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
3.0
From the first page this was tricky to get into, because the MC spoke/narrated in an unusual dialect. For example they said 'hims' instead of his and 'dun' instead of 'don't/didn't'. This turned me off at first but I did get used to it. The story is set on a remote Scottish island, so imagining the MC speaking with a heavy Scottish accent helped. The writing read more like poetry than prose, which was interesting.
The islanders are primarily female led, and the story explores issues that effect women and girls. I was expecting a whimsical YA fantasy, but this turned out to be an emotional and challenging read. I did find parts of it compelling, there's a strong sense of mystery throughout the story. I found the final half or third of the book quite upsetting and triggering, which really reduced my enjoyment of it. If I was rating purely on my enjoyment I'd probably give it 2 stars.
The islanders are primarily female led, and the story explores issues that effect women and girls. I was expecting a whimsical YA fantasy, but this turned out to be an emotional and challenging read. I did find parts of it compelling, there's a strong sense of mystery throughout the story. I found the final half or third of the book quite upsetting and triggering, which really reduced my enjoyment of it. If I was rating purely on my enjoyment I'd probably give it 2 stars.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Sexual assault, and Emotional abuse
Moderate: Pregnancy and Blood
Minor: Injury/Injury detail
leavingsealevel's review against another edition
3.0
Super creepy, but intriguing and intelligent. Not a light read. At all. Random at times if you don't realize that a lot of the mythology stuff is apparently rooted in Scottish folklore. Also, a volcano off the coast of Scotland? Really?
annelienvan's review against another edition
5.0
Amazing. Highly original novel with brilliant writing. Highly recommend.
forgottenpoets's review against another edition
5.0
Sneak ropes exists somewhere between the realms of narrative literature and mythology. Set entirely on an island somewhere off the coast of Scotland, it is focused around a community of people who make their living by traditional means (trading with the “Tall Men“ who travel back-and-forth from the mainland).
This isn’t your average island however, as it is laced with mysticism and magic. On the beach there are mysterious bundles of rope which are deadly to the touch, owls with women’s faces who serve as harbingers of doom, and the ruins of an old estate known as the “Thrashing House”, which looms over the island and is where criminals are sent for punishment.
It is told from the alternating perspectives of two teenage girls, Mary and Morgan, who live very different lives and want for very different things. One wishes to find her brother, the other to find freedom. When the lives of these two girls finally converge, they begin to uncover what’s really going on around the island, with themselves, as well as why local boys are going missing.
This book is dark and kind of sinister at times, with a pervasive feeling of uncertainty and uneasiness. Until the very last page i did not know whether or not the ending was going to be happy. Overall it was an exceptional read and i would definitely recommend it if you like kind of suspenseful psychological narrative driven stories.
This isn’t your average island however, as it is laced with mysticism and magic. On the beach there are mysterious bundles of rope which are deadly to the touch, owls with women’s faces who serve as harbingers of doom, and the ruins of an old estate known as the “Thrashing House”, which looms over the island and is where criminals are sent for punishment.
It is told from the alternating perspectives of two teenage girls, Mary and Morgan, who live very different lives and want for very different things. One wishes to find her brother, the other to find freedom. When the lives of these two girls finally converge, they begin to uncover what’s really going on around the island, with themselves, as well as why local boys are going missing.
This book is dark and kind of sinister at times, with a pervasive feeling of uncertainty and uneasiness. Until the very last page i did not know whether or not the ending was going to be happy. Overall it was an exceptional read and i would definitely recommend it if you like kind of suspenseful psychological narrative driven stories.
leerazer's review against another edition
3.0
The story of two teenage girls on a very remote Scottish island incorporates a good deal of myth and magic and is fairly enjoyable if you like that sort of thing (I generally do), but it has some problems.
Mary lives with her Da and 3 year old Barney after her mother died in the recent past. They survive by trading Mary's embroideries and her father's fishing catches to the "tall men" who visit their island and trade them food, candles, and other items. When Barney becomes the latest in a string of boys to disappear from the island after the tall men have visited, Mary is driven to try to find him, and in the process remembers some harrowing repressed memories.
Morgan lives with her parents and sisters behind a 13 foot high fence which is always locked closed by her mother. They are the only non-natives on the island, having fled from the mainland. Her mother is deeply troubled with anxiety and persecution complexes, and Morgan reads fairy tales and dreams of escaping her prison. When she gets out, she runs into Mary and sort of bumbles around the island, acting as a witness to developing events.
Fantastical elements include the Thrashing House, a building which a tree on the island formed itself into on its own initiative and which kills anyone put in there, transforming them into a physical object with symbolic meaning. The island's women, the power brokers, use it to punish transgressors and criminals.
Mary is able to recall the memories of people who have previously held metal keys when she has those keys in her hands. Also one of the main characters of the novel turns out to be a Selkie and abruptly disappears when she finds her lost seal skin and returns to the sea, presumably losing all interest in the mystery of the missing boys. Bye then.
Problems include dropped plot points. A couple of instances are provided of women seeming to go mad because the Thrashing House key has disappeared and no one can get in to the bell tower attached to it to ring the bells which are said to take away the dreams of the sleeping. No bells means no escaping dreams, which is a problem? But then that's dropped and we don't hear any more about that idea. Nevermind.
The missing boys are traded for by the tall men, who take them to the mainland for... some reason. I don't know why. Seems odd they'd give up trading goods out of benevolence so the boys could go get educated in larger society, it runs counter to their cold business like approach, but that seems to be the best argument presented. Doesn't make much sense.
I was also bothered by how this island could exist in such isolation. We're not told what time period this is, but clues are given that indicate it is pretty close to the current day. The island may be remote, but it's not unknown... islands off Scotland aren't exactly well hidden... the tall men trade with it and sail around, so word would get out. Some of the boys from the island went to the mainland. So... how can there be total absence of things like tourists, and national government, and such? I doubt very much any mainland government would leave law and order on the island up to women putting people into a Thrashing House that kills them as the means of maintaining law.
Mary lives with her Da and 3 year old Barney after her mother died in the recent past. They survive by trading Mary's embroideries and her father's fishing catches to the "tall men" who visit their island and trade them food, candles, and other items. When Barney becomes the latest in a string of boys to disappear from the island after the tall men have visited, Mary is driven to try to find him, and in the process remembers some harrowing repressed memories.
Morgan lives with her parents and sisters behind a 13 foot high fence which is always locked closed by her mother. They are the only non-natives on the island, having fled from the mainland. Her mother is deeply troubled with anxiety and persecution complexes, and Morgan reads fairy tales and dreams of escaping her prison. When she gets out, she runs into Mary and sort of bumbles around the island, acting as a witness to developing events.
Fantastical elements include the Thrashing House, a building which a tree on the island formed itself into on its own initiative and which kills anyone put in there, transforming them into a physical object with symbolic meaning. The island's women, the power brokers, use it to punish transgressors and criminals.
Mary is able to recall the memories of people who have previously held metal keys when she has those keys in her hands. Also one of the main characters of the novel turns out to be a Selkie and abruptly disappears when she finds her lost seal skin and returns to the sea, presumably losing all interest in the mystery of the missing boys. Bye then.
Problems include dropped plot points. A couple of instances are provided of women seeming to go mad because the Thrashing House key has disappeared and no one can get in to the bell tower attached to it to ring the bells which are said to take away the dreams of the sleeping. No bells means no escaping dreams, which is a problem? But then that's dropped and we don't hear any more about that idea. Nevermind.
The missing boys are traded for by the tall men, who take them to the mainland for... some reason. I don't know why. Seems odd they'd give up trading goods out of benevolence so the boys could go get educated in larger society, it runs counter to their cold business like approach, but that seems to be the best argument presented. Doesn't make much sense.
I was also bothered by how this island could exist in such isolation. We're not told what time period this is, but clues are given that indicate it is pretty close to the current day. The island may be remote, but it's not unknown... islands off Scotland aren't exactly well hidden... the tall men trade with it and sail around, so word would get out. Some of the boys from the island went to the mainland. So... how can there be total absence of things like tourists, and national government, and such? I doubt very much any mainland government would leave law and order on the island up to women putting people into a Thrashing House that kills them as the means of maintaining law.
neenstar's review against another edition
5.0
Wow, what does one say about this book!
The first page was nearly enough to make me take it straight back to the library. The voice of the first character was annoying. I'm so glad I continued.
It's written in the voice of two characters, alternating each chapter.
Such a bizarre little tale that will have you devouring the pages till the end.
If you liked The Night Circus, Harry Potter and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell then you'll have the imagination to accept this wonderful, bizarre tale.
So many twists and turns and to be honest I only guessed at one. Some authors can be so predictable, but Jess Richards has one hell of a wild imagination to say the least.
Not depressing to be dystopian and not 'happy happy joy joy' to be utopian...somewhere smack bang in the middle on a weirdly wonderful parallel universe.
Oh, and yes, I did pick this for its cover...lol call me predictable.
The first page was nearly enough to make me take it straight back to the library. The voice of the first character was annoying. I'm so glad I continued.
It's written in the voice of two characters, alternating each chapter.
Such a bizarre little tale that will have you devouring the pages till the end.
If you liked The Night Circus, Harry Potter and Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell then you'll have the imagination to accept this wonderful, bizarre tale.
So many twists and turns and to be honest I only guessed at one. Some authors can be so predictable, but Jess Richards has one hell of a wild imagination to say the least.
Not depressing to be dystopian and not 'happy happy joy joy' to be utopian...somewhere smack bang in the middle on a weirdly wonderful parallel universe.
Oh, and yes, I did pick this for its cover...lol call me predictable.
heathssm's review
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
hauntedtesty's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Grief, Kidnapping, Rape, and Violence
Minor: Suicidal thoughts
chickadilly's review against another edition
1.0
The writing style is pretentious and nothing really happens until the book is almost over. By that time I just did not care & wanted it to end. Only reason I kept up with it is because I've been too sick to do much else this weekend.