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skillyillian's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
as i said in my review of The Creeper, A.M. Shine writes great descriptions of stuff and his view of Ireland's cultures and folklore is so interesting. i got through this in about four days, listening as often as i could. shine writes characters who are very individual, they don't feel like cardboard cut-outs and i like that a lot, but it feels like in both books of his i've read now, his characters are so focused on escaping The Horrors (tm) that they don't have room to really develop. They make sacrifices for each other, but it feels like stuff they'd be willing to do (for the people they care about) from the get-go anyway.
the watchers themselves were really fun, i liked how spooky they were, and how the characters had no idea what the hell their deal was until the back half of the story.
i felt like the two bigger twists weren't too difficult to spot, but there were still parts of it i hadn't expected, and i enjoyed getting more details once they happened. madeline being a watcher was the thing i spotted first, although i hadn't figured she was one of them until someone mentioned "what if they could come out during the day?" and then it clicked. i knew she was on their side but i didn't predict her being one of the ones who was trained on the doctor's wife, so mina finding that picture at the college was really fun. the bunker made sense, but the thing that bothered me a little was that it was covered in cement with a heavy table that left the cement with an indent. if the concrete had already been dry, and filled from the door to the level of the floor, it shouldn't have budged into denting with a table on top of it. if the table had been put there while the concrete was wet, it should've been cemented into the space. it didn't feel like the logic was 100% there. why did the doctor cover the one safe space with cement? if he left a "hey you found it" video, expecting someone to end up down there, why would he have covered it with concrete at all? if it wasn't him, then who? madeline? why would she do that, and how, instead of showing it to the other people trapped there? idk. maybe it got explained and i forgot already. i'm writing this review a couple weeks after finishing the book.
anyway, a fun story, if you don't think about certain parts of it too much, lmao. i'm planning on watching the movie at some point, but i don't think i'll read the second book.
the watchers themselves were really fun, i liked how spooky they were, and how the characters had no idea what the hell their deal was until the back half of the story.
i felt like the two bigger twists weren't too difficult to spot, but there were still parts of it i hadn't expected, and i enjoyed getting more details once they happened.
anyway, a fun story, if you don't think about certain parts of it too much, lmao. i'm planning on watching the movie at some point, but i don't think i'll read the second book.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Grief, Stalking, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
rllaird's review against another edition
dark
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? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement and Death
caits_lh's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Stalking
Moderate: Body horror, Confinement, and Gore
rainemar14's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement and Death
Moderate: Child abuse and Child death
aparker89's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Slavery, Suicidal thoughts, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Grief, Stalking, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Dysphoria, and Injury/Injury detail
randeerebecca's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Grief, and Stalking
amypalmer's review against another edition
challenging
dark
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? No
4.5
This was a very good read, poetically written folk horror. I am very temped to give a 4.75 rating.
I loved the tense moments and the description of the watchers who are very interesting villians. I read this in a day.
Not overly scary but definitely tense and full of folk style horror and a great atmosphere. It reminds me of the term genius loci "spirit of a place." Where every location had a haunting and intriguing spirit, with or without the watchers. I also really like Mina's characterisation, the fact that she is a portrait artist and people watcher really added to her inner dialogue.
Lots of twists and turns which I managed to guess.
There is still some mystery in the book even at the end, however it was also left open ended as there is going to be a sequel, which is one of the reasons I lowered the rating. I'm not sure if this aspect, or even a sequel is needed. I also looks forward to seeing how the film compares.
I was a little worried for the bird at times, who I really loved, as an animal love who may also be concerned click to reveal spoilerthe bird is fine, they manage to survive till the end which was wonderful
I loved the tense moments and the description of the watchers who are very interesting villians. I read this in a day.
Not overly scary but definitely tense and full of folk style horror and a great atmosphere. It reminds me of the term genius loci "spirit of a place." Where every location had a haunting and intriguing spirit, with or without the watchers. I also really like Mina's characterisation, the fact that she is a portrait artist and people watcher really added to her inner dialogue.
Lots of twists and turns which I managed to guess.
There is still some mystery in the book even at the end, however it was also left open ended as there is going to be a sequel, which is one of the reasons I lowered the rating. I'm not sure if this aspect, or even a sequel is needed. I also looks forward to seeing how the film compares.
I was a little worried for the bird at times, who I really loved, as an animal love who may also be concerned click to reveal spoiler
Content Warnings
Moderate: Confinement, Violence, Blood, Excrement, and Stalking
Minor: Body horror
grunbean's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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? It's complicated
4.0
This is a book where I wish I’d read it before seeing the film, but I still enjoyed it. The original story is better, and I was still able to enjoy the twists.
A solid entry in the horror genre. I found the folklore interesting. I wish it was explored a bit more, actually! Though there is a second book, so this could be intentional.
It is slow in paces. As the locations are limited it feels like you’re boxed in at times. However, I think avoiding this would be hard to do with the story that is being told here.
All in all, a good read that had me eager to turn the pages.
A solid entry in the horror genre. I found the folklore interesting. I wish it was explored a bit more, actually! Though there is a second book, so this could be intentional.
It is slow in paces. As the locations are limited it feels like you’re boxed in at times. However, I think avoiding this would be hard to do with the story that is being told here.
All in all, a good read that had me eager to turn the pages.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Violence, Blood, and Stalking
Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, and Alcohol
Minor: Cancer
doolie's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
I liked the premise and it was well written however it was predictable and I would have liked some more shocks - I am looking forward to the sequel
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
kg18's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement
Moderate: Death