Scan barcode
zoer03's review against another edition
5.0
I am not quite sure where to begin…. This book is at once both disturbing and yet at the same time holds a much darker meaning. There is something truly terrifying and upsetting about the abuse and yes murder of animals especially when they can’t cry out and get justice for their cruel slaughter…. Until that person or someone kills a human being, we don’t see or use the same form of punishment for anyone who abuses creatures. This book is quite heavy with issues such as depression, illness, a lot of death and rage and hate but it’s also clever in that it makes you go down several paths trying to work out what’s going on and who’s causing all of this chaos and misery on this backwater town. There are some quite gruesome scenes of violence against people and animals and it’s not something we should hide from. It’s also not as bad as I thought or have been told it’s dark yes but that’s what comes with the setting.
wcaleniemary's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
sar411's review against another edition
dark
sad
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
4.75
lizzillia's review against another edition
4.25
Wow! Such a dark and claustrophobic read. I don't think the sun shone once. This is a debut novel and WARNING for animal abuse. It opens with the discovery of 16 horses head buried in a circle with one eye left uncovered to gaze up into the sky. The tails have been removed and are nearby. With something so bizarre a forensic vet in called in, Cooper Allen and she works with DS Alec Nichols. Alec's wife died of cancer and he lives with his teenage son. And that's where we start. As time progresses more and more layers are revealed in this dying seaside town of Illmarsh. This is a town where the people are broken, there is a history of abuse and killings - human and animal. There are poisonings and contamination and everyone that you meet seems haunted. It is impossible to get close to any character - not even the main two. It will not appeal to some for two reasons - one is the dark subject matter and the second is the fragmented writing style as the reader is switched from different places, times - almost like watching a dark film. However, I found it engrossing even thoiugh at times it was very uncomfortable.
bi_bibliophile's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Why did no one ever question where the rest of the bodies were?
shaunie991's review against another edition
3.0
3.5 stars
Got long and boring at some point half way. The ending was great but it just took forever to get there.
Got long and boring at some point half way. The ending was great but it just took forever to get there.
readwkatie's review against another edition
2.0
After sixteen horse heads are found half buried on a farm, detective Alec Nichols and veterinary forensic expert, Cooper Allen are on the hunt to find out what happened. While investigating, a lot of other crimes come about and it makes the pair unsure of who to trust and where to turn.
This was a hard one for me to get through. I couldn't exactly pin down the time period of this - it felt a lot older (especially with the story of the horses) but there was talk of cell phones so that was a little bit confusing. I think maybe if I had read this one instead of listened to the audio it might have been bit easier to follow. Unfortunately, this story just isn't in my wheelhouse of interest and so I felt my mind glaze over while listening.
**Please note, that I have the utmost respect for authors. The time, energy, and hard work they put into creating for us readers is not lost on me and I hate giving a poor review.
This was a hard one for me to get through. I couldn't exactly pin down the time period of this - it felt a lot older (especially with the story of the horses) but there was talk of cell phones so that was a little bit confusing. I think maybe if I had read this one instead of listened to the audio it might have been bit easier to follow. Unfortunately, this story just isn't in my wheelhouse of interest and so I felt my mind glaze over while listening.
**Please note, that I have the utmost respect for authors. The time, energy, and hard work they put into creating for us readers is not lost on me and I hate giving a poor review.
gotossmycausticsalad's review against another edition
3.0
Interesting enough premise but quite hard to follow.