paperwitches's review against another edition
4.0
Highly suggest to horror newbies, as it serves as a good introduction into the genre. The time switches can get confusing, but overall it's perfectly weaved together and the author is talented at creating a tale of terror
hinarcia's review against another edition
4.0
I got this book from the author for free to write an honest review.
I think the different POV's were amazing. I really liked discovering the past of the house and that was original. I really liked how Mark was handling the situation.
For my full review:
click here
I think the different POV's were amazing. I really liked discovering the past of the house and that was original. I really liked how Mark was handling the situation.
For my full review:
click here
goddess_eve21's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
I listened to the audiobook while reading the ebook.
I really enjoyed this story! I mean who does not love past and present, ghosts and a mystery.
It was a bit getting used to, since this was my first audiobook, but I truly enjoyed it. There could have been multiple narrators, for variation, but otherwise, the narrator did great.
My favorite setting was the past with Emma, it just gave me more mysterious vibes. However, I always love a past and present time-line.
I really LOVE how Theresa can have you thinking about the book after reading it.
I am hoping there is a side story on the ending 🙃
I really enjoyed this story! I mean who does not love past and present, ghosts and a mystery.
It was a bit getting used to, since this was my first audiobook, but I truly enjoyed it. There could have been multiple narrators, for variation, but otherwise, the narrator did great.
My favorite setting was the past with Emma, it just gave me more mysterious vibes. However, I always love a past and present time-line.
I really LOVE how Theresa can have you thinking about the book after reading it.
I am hoping there is a side story on the ending 🙃
goddess_eve21's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
4.0
tmcginnis92's review against another edition
While the concept of this book was phenomenal, it was really slow and I just couldn’t get into the book or connect with the characters. The writing was really good but this just wasn’t a book for me.
ameliaveganreader's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
"Although the body often healed, the mind and heart were never the same.”
⛲💀
I was reading and listening at the same time to double the mysterious ghostly story vibes.
This book is so good! It's split in time, past and present are over a century apart and connected throughout with the short chapters of jumping from past to 1988.
It's spooky, it's dark at times, funny and emotional sometimes and there's a whole lot of mystery that keeps you hooked until the end.
You think you know what will happen in the next chapter and you miss the mark(pun intended) every time.
I preferred the 1988 timeline, but 1860 did also have an interesting storyline that was exciting and sad to read about.
⛲💀
I was reading and listening at the same time to double the mysterious ghostly story vibes.
This book is so good! It's split in time, past and present are over a century apart and connected throughout with the short chapters of jumping from past to 1988.
It's spooky, it's dark at times, funny and emotional sometimes and there's a whole lot of mystery that keeps you hooked until the end.
You think you know what will happen in the next chapter and you miss the mark(pun intended) every time.
I preferred the 1988 timeline, but 1860 did also have an interesting storyline that was exciting and sad to read about.
itsabookthing2021's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? No
4.0
Fountain dead audio
The blurb of Fountain Dead sounded so intriguing and I jumped at the chance of listening to the audio.
However listening to the narrator made it a difficult listen, for me made it sound like she was reading a shopping list, it made the novel sound disjointed which left me feeling confused. The switch in time wasn't very clear as both points of view were read in the same distinct voice, so the characters ended up blurring into one.
That being said, the Author kindly provided ebooks for Fountain Dead (though it's available in KU so I went with that option).
Fountain Dead has two narratives - one is set in 1862 which follows Emma determined to be a teacher and make it without a man's in put nor his money. The other point of view is set in the late 1988 which follows Mark, a young boy, whose family has just moved to a new town and a creepy old house.
These two points of view intertwine as you delve further into the storyline.
These two points of view intertwine as you delve further into the storyline.
So what started as an Audio review is now an Ebook review and I am so thankful because this story is mysterious and full of intrigue.
The concept of the story was unique and brilliant.
The author has created a wonderfully creepy novel that expands over the timeline. The characters she created were a stark contrast to each other but it worked really well. The revelations on both time frames had me eagerly reading and sat surprised. I felt the atmosphere was tense and perfectly created. The only downside to this story is Salem! My god! Salem!
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this spooky read, I felt it was written really well. I look forward to reading more from this author.
The concept of the story was unique and brilliant.
The author has created a wonderfully creepy novel that expands over the timeline. The characters she created were a stark contrast to each other but it worked really well. The revelations on both time frames had me eagerly reading and sat surprised. I felt the atmosphere was tense and perfectly created. The only downside to this story is Salem! My god! Salem!
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed this spooky read, I felt it was written really well. I look forward to reading more from this author.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal death
demigodreading19's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
oddly's review against another edition
1.0
I am always on the lookout for good haunted house narrative, but this book was not for me.
The book is set up with two alternating storylines—one of which is not even discussed in the cove copy—and I found them to be very disjointed. One is set in the early 1860s following a young woman determined to be a teacher and the other takes place in the late 1980s following a boy whose family has just moved to a new town and a creepy old house. Even though the narratives do eventually intermingle, each time the narrative switched to one or the other, I felt like I was reading an entirely unrelated story.
There were many threads that felt problematic or unresolved.
Mark, the 1980s character, has a strange connection to the house—even revealing he has had nightmares about the fountain upon first seeing it—but it is a coincidence that he ends up at the house; it isn’t like his parents or family had some kind of previous connection to it. I found this confusing.
The opening of the book, an excerpt from a newspaper, is only mentioned again in a brief aside at the very end, and I didn’t understand why it was considered crucial enough to be included.
There is also an interesting thread involving Mark’s burgeoning sexuality. He previously felt an attraction to his best friend that was never resolved since they moved away, and he experiences a few other things at the house that confuse him, but this thread is never resolved. It felt like an important part of his character and development, and with the rush of the ending it was completely ignored.
Mark also carries around this biography of Andrew Jackson that perplexed me. What is a preteen doing with a big, stuffy biography of a president? The only time is really comes into play is when he has a very strange conversation with his friend about politics and Native American rights that seemed way out of place, and not something that kids of their age would know about, let alone discuss.
I bring up all these instances not to nitpick the book, but to show examples of the wide-ranging inconsistencies throughout the narrative as well as the confusing nature of the story.
I think the main reason I wasn’t meshing with the 1860s thread in particular is because for much of the book, it has barely anything to do with the mystery and drama of the 1980s sections. The reader is just learning about this girl and her struggles in love, her work helping people, and her strong desire to make enough money to go to school. But there is this whole other story going on behind her story, and that’s what’s really important. The only problem is that she has no idea what’s going on, so the reader doesn’t either. It would have been a more interesting story from someone else’s perspective, or if she had been more in the know from the start.
The writing style was also not for me. It was often written in passive voice, which instantly bleeds all the action and interest from the scene. Often the train of though sputtered around as well, making it difficult to keep track of exactly what was being discussed, as a specific topic would come and go without being clearly introduced.
I would also be remiss not to mention the ending, which felt tacked on and the shock value of it relies solely on your feelings about a character who is barely in the book and doesn’t even have a name.
I can’t recommend this one.
My thanks to Unnerving Press and the author for sending the Nightworms copies of this one to review.
The book is set up with two alternating storylines—one of which is not even discussed in the cove copy—and I found them to be very disjointed. One is set in the early 1860s following a young woman determined to be a teacher and the other takes place in the late 1980s following a boy whose family has just moved to a new town and a creepy old house. Even though the narratives do eventually intermingle, each time the narrative switched to one or the other, I felt like I was reading an entirely unrelated story.
There were many threads that felt problematic or unresolved.
Mark, the 1980s character, has a strange connection to the house—even revealing he has had nightmares about the fountain upon first seeing it—but it is a coincidence that he ends up at the house; it isn’t like his parents or family had some kind of previous connection to it. I found this confusing.
The opening of the book, an excerpt from a newspaper, is only mentioned again in a brief aside at the very end, and I didn’t understand why it was considered crucial enough to be included.
There is also an interesting thread involving Mark’s burgeoning sexuality. He previously felt an attraction to his best friend that was never resolved since they moved away, and he experiences a few other things at the house that confuse him, but this thread is never resolved. It felt like an important part of his character and development, and with the rush of the ending it was completely ignored.
Mark also carries around this biography of Andrew Jackson that perplexed me. What is a preteen doing with a big, stuffy biography of a president? The only time is really comes into play is when he has a very strange conversation with his friend about politics and Native American rights that seemed way out of place, and not something that kids of their age would know about, let alone discuss.
I bring up all these instances not to nitpick the book, but to show examples of the wide-ranging inconsistencies throughout the narrative as well as the confusing nature of the story.
I think the main reason I wasn’t meshing with the 1860s thread in particular is because for much of the book, it has barely anything to do with the mystery and drama of the 1980s sections. The reader is just learning about this girl and her struggles in love, her work helping people, and her strong desire to make enough money to go to school. But there is this whole other story going on behind her story, and that’s what’s really important. The only problem is that she has no idea what’s going on, so the reader doesn’t either. It would have been a more interesting story from someone else’s perspective, or if she had been more in the know from the start.
The writing style was also not for me. It was often written in passive voice, which instantly bleeds all the action and interest from the scene. Often the train of though sputtered around as well, making it difficult to keep track of exactly what was being discussed, as a specific topic would come and go without being clearly introduced.
I would also be remiss not to mention the ending, which felt tacked on and the shock value of it relies solely on your feelings about a character who is barely in the book and doesn’t even have a name.
I can’t recommend this one.
My thanks to Unnerving Press and the author for sending the Nightworms copies of this one to review.
ljwrites85's review against another edition
3.0
Forced to move by his parents to a new town, to a new house is probably every teenagers nightmare but that’s just the beginning for Mark. He knows there’s something not right with the house, especially the basement and the neglected fountain outside but his parents ignore his pleas.
As ghostly visions and strange things start happening in the house, Mark must delve into the past and uncover the house’s secrets.
I want to reiterate the fact this is definitely the more mature end of the YA spectrum with plenty of mature themes and gruesome scenes that are not suitable for younger readers.
There are two timelines in the story, the first is Mark back in the eighties and the other is Emma eighteen sixties. While both timelines seem really well researched, I have to be honest I preferred the eighties timeline mainly because I actually got some of the reference, yay!
Both Emma and Mark well really well drawn characters, in a way I felt they were coming of age within the story. Emma wants nothing more than to become a teacher and get away from her horrible father and brother. She also quite a feisty character, gambling when it was frowned upon for women and she’s crack shot with a pistol. Mark is a little more sensitive, a bit angry, and is trying to figure out who he really is.
The problem I did have was keeping each timeline straight in my head, because of the back and forth between the two eras but that’s probably more to do with my terrible memory than the actual book!
Fountain Dead is that combines the supernatural with teenage angst to create a spooky, if not slightly gruesome, read.
As ghostly visions and strange things start happening in the house, Mark must delve into the past and uncover the house’s secrets.
I want to reiterate the fact this is definitely the more mature end of the YA spectrum with plenty of mature themes and gruesome scenes that are not suitable for younger readers.
There are two timelines in the story, the first is Mark back in the eighties and the other is Emma eighteen sixties. While both timelines seem really well researched, I have to be honest I preferred the eighties timeline mainly because I actually got some of the reference, yay!
Both Emma and Mark well really well drawn characters, in a way I felt they were coming of age within the story. Emma wants nothing more than to become a teacher and get away from her horrible father and brother. She also quite a feisty character, gambling when it was frowned upon for women and she’s crack shot with a pistol. Mark is a little more sensitive, a bit angry, and is trying to figure out who he really is.
The problem I did have was keeping each timeline straight in my head, because of the back and forth between the two eras but that’s probably more to do with my terrible memory than the actual book!
Fountain Dead is that combines the supernatural with teenage angst to create a spooky, if not slightly gruesome, read.