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inkdrinkers's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.0
Shadow Sister's twisting point of views, haunting manor, and spine-chilling ghost will keep you riveted to the page until the very end.
There was a great creep factor in this book! The set-up in the beginning really solidifies the mystery of Ava's mother's death and drives the reader towards wanting to understand what happened all those years ago. I also really enjoyed the idea of a ghost haunting this manor and the way it impacted both kids as they grew up in a very clearly toxic household with parents who were struggling heavily. The "ghost" was a great representation to show the weight each family member carried after losing someone close to them as it often appeared during moments of stress for the characters.
This book was very dialogue heavy. It's my first novel by the author and I found myself struggling to stay grounded in scenes as a majority of the text is dialogue between characters and very rarely contains scene descriptions. I do feel like this book could have been tightened up in that aspect and scenes shortened, some of the character interactions feel lengthy and slow the pace of the book down even further. Unfortunately, the excitement and mystery of the beginning is somewhat tamped down in the middle and I found myself struggling as the plot dragged. I also feel like my enjoyment of this novel was impacted by me figuring out the twist early on. I loved the split point of views, but it made it very easy for me to deduce where the ending was going.
I also wished there had been a content warning for some of the plotlines and throwaway additions in this book. Going into a thriller, I don't expect a lighthearted plotline, but I think some of the more uncomfortable implications of Didi's backstory should have been warned about like sexual abuse and fatphobia throughout. A simple one page warning with some of the content wouldn't take away from the impact of said content in the novel, but it would help readers understand this isn't a simple ghost story.
Overall, I enjoyed the author's writing! I think Marcott has a great voice, but I struggled with some of the decisions made in regarding to plot and character. I went into this book hoping for a haunted house story with a little more of a punch and instead got a revenge tale. I would be willing to check out more by the author at a later time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy for an honest review.
There was a great creep factor in this book! The set-up in the beginning really solidifies the mystery of Ava's mother's death and drives the reader towards wanting to understand what happened all those years ago. I also really enjoyed the idea of a ghost haunting this manor and the way it impacted both kids as they grew up in a very clearly toxic household with parents who were struggling heavily. The "ghost" was a great representation to show the weight each family member carried after losing someone close to them as it often appeared during moments of stress for the characters.
This book was very dialogue heavy. It's my first novel by the author and I found myself struggling to stay grounded in scenes as a majority of the text is dialogue between characters and very rarely contains scene descriptions. I do feel like this book could have been tightened up in that aspect and scenes shortened, some of the character interactions feel lengthy and slow the pace of the book down even further. Unfortunately, the excitement and mystery of the beginning is somewhat tamped down in the middle and I found myself struggling as the plot dragged. I also feel like my enjoyment of this novel was impacted by me figuring out the twist early on. I loved the split point of views, but it made it very easy for me to deduce where the ending was going.
I also wished there had been a content warning for some of the plotlines and throwaway additions in this book. Going into a thriller, I don't expect a lighthearted plotline, but I think some of the more uncomfortable implications of Didi's backstory should have been warned about like sexual abuse and fatphobia throughout. A simple one page warning with some of the content wouldn't take away from the impact of said content in the novel, but it would help readers understand this isn't a simple ghost story.
Overall, I enjoyed the author's writing! I think Marcott has a great voice, but I struggled with some of the decisions made in regarding to plot and character. I went into this book hoping for a haunted house story with a little more of a punch and instead got a revenge tale. I would be willing to check out more by the author at a later time.
Thank you to NetGalley and Thomas & Mercer for providing me with a copy for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Fatphobia, Suicide attempt, and Gaslighting
stephaniezd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
4.5
I guessed one of the twists but what a phenomenal book! The story was detailed enough that I didn’t feel like I was missing anything, but pressed enough that I wanted to race through it. Prefect combination of thriller and ghost story!! I could not put it down. Read it in a day.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Rape, Suicide, Forced institutionalization, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, and Murder