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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
whiskeywoman79's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
Fiction / Horror / Thriller / Mystery / Audiobook / Paranormal / Suspense
⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5 🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
Mark and I watched the movie on Netflix last week so I had to give this a read. Of course, the book was better, it takes place in Connemara, Ireland, where I can believe fairy, fae and all things mythological might be from, not here in the USA like in the movie.
I love the overall spooky vibes both the book and movie give off without all the blood and gore most have now
⭐⭐⭐⭐ / 5 🎧🎧🎧🎧/5
Mark and I watched the movie on Netflix last week so I had to give this a read. Of course, the book was better, it takes place in Connemara, Ireland, where I can believe fairy, fae and all things mythological might be from, not here in the USA like in the movie.
I love the overall spooky vibes both the book and movie give off without all the blood and gore most have now
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Death, Grief, and Toxic friendship
brookebatesratesbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Cursing, Death, and Grief
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
atalea's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, and Blood
kaiyakaiyo's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
4.75
4.75 rounded up!!
this book was definitely thrilling; a bit predictable, but not in a way that spoiled the ending entirely. parts of it legitimately made my chest tight out of secondhand anxiety!
my only complaint is that the author used 3 paragraphs when 1 would have sufficed for pretty much every description in the book. the language borders on flowery just describing the watchers destroying a room. it almost felt like the book was just leading up to the movie scenes; the descriptions felt like Shine writing out how things should look/smell/sound on set. along with this is the fact that mid-paragraph the perspective would switch; you’d go from Mina “imagining” how something went to the actual events from 3rd person perspective, then into Ciara’s head during the same time… a bit dizzying
this book could have been a bit shorter, but ultimately was a very enjoyable read and i want to see what’s next!
this book was definitely thrilling; a bit predictable, but not in a way that spoiled the ending entirely. parts of it legitimately made my chest tight out of secondhand anxiety!
my only complaint is that the author used 3 paragraphs when 1 would have sufficed for pretty much every description in the book. the language borders on flowery just describing the watchers destroying a room. it almost felt like the book was just leading up to the movie scenes; the descriptions felt like Shine writing out how things should look/smell/sound on set. along with this is the fact that mid-paragraph the perspective would switch; you’d go from Mina “imagining” how something went to the actual events from 3rd person perspective, then into Ciara’s head during the same time… a bit dizzying
this book could have been a bit shorter, but ultimately was a very enjoyable read and i want to see what’s next!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Death and Grief
Minor: Death of parent
whatkatyread87's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
epeolatri's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, and Grief
jamieleepilk's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-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? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, and Grief