shadylane_00's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
elliearnold's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
ashlyc's review
3.0
I mostly enjoyed this, I found myself zoning out in some spots, but I kept on because I wanted to see how it ends. I don't want to spoil anything, but it definitely throws some unexpected, and neat, sci-fi twists at you.
jennyrackel's review
5.0
Wow. Just wow.
I started this book this morning, and finished it this evening. I've never read a book quite like this. What a unique read!
I started this book this morning, and finished it this evening. I've never read a book quite like this. What a unique read!
sophie_hboff's review
4.0
Fabulous Canadian book! Very intriguing and bizarre in its own way. Definitely want to read it again sometime soon. I read it a while ago and I forget some things about it. But it's an amazing book.
spidergirl502's review
4.0
I really enjoyed the book. It did seem to have a Stephen King feel to it (his earlier work, maybe), as it felt a bit eerie and other-worldly. Of course with the western feel to it, it reminded me a little of the Dark Tower series. I thought it started out great and continued throughout. A great read!
thistlechaser's review
5.0
Told from the POV of a seven year old boy, at first I was confused as to where the story was taking place. I had thought it was an alternate universe or some other planet, but it turned out to be just as interesting: The Great Depression era in Canada. (Not a spoiler, that's in the book blurb, I just don't see those on my Kindle.)
The setting was so realistic, and that made the little elements of supernatural extra creepy. A stranger comes to town, and kids start vanishing. Creepiness kept building up to the point where I was surprised this was a YA book. It was never scary, but creepy is almost worse sometimes. It really, really felt a lot like Stephen King's style from a few decades ago.
The one small issue/confusion I had was about the dust itself. In His Dark Materials/Golden Compass, the bad guys were after the kids' dust, right? Dust was used in a similar way in this book. I thought maybe 'soul dust' was a thing outside of books, but I googled and could find no connection. Just a small thing that left me scratching my head, it didn't take away from the story at all.
I'm really surprised that this book wasn't picked up by a publisher. The writing was outstanding (it's been a long time since I last highlighted sentences and phrases because they were worded so interestingly), the story was great, and it was even edited nearly perfectly.
A couple of the lines I loved:
"His gloved hand rested on Robert's shoulder with the weight of a crow."
"Let us be the threshers of men."
"Then the wrath of God. That was the order of the Bible. Next the flood. But here, under the wide blue skies, the wind was the flood. Everyone drowned in it."
The setting was so realistic, and that made the little elements of supernatural extra creepy. A stranger comes to town, and kids start vanishing. Creepiness kept building up to the point where I was surprised this was a YA book. It was never scary, but creepy is almost worse sometimes. It really, really felt a lot like Stephen King's style from a few decades ago.
The one small issue/confusion I had was about the dust itself. In His Dark Materials/Golden Compass, the bad guys were after the kids' dust, right? Dust was used in a similar way in this book. I thought maybe 'soul dust' was a thing outside of books, but I googled and could find no connection. Just a small thing that left me scratching my head, it didn't take away from the story at all.
I'm really surprised that this book wasn't picked up by a publisher. The writing was outstanding (it's been a long time since I last highlighted sentences and phrases because they were worded so interestingly), the story was great, and it was even edited nearly perfectly.
A couple of the lines I loved:
"His gloved hand rested on Robert's shoulder with the weight of a crow."
"Let us be the threshers of men."
"Then the wrath of God. That was the order of the Bible. Next the flood. But here, under the wide blue skies, the wind was the flood. Everyone drowned in it."
lyndiane's review
3.0
2.5 stars
The book starts with loads of potential, with a strong sense of menace being perfectly evoked in the simple description of heat and dust. All the pieces are in place for a riveting example of people in a dried-up husk of a town suddenly being given everything they could possibly dream of without ever realising what it is costing them.
Unfortunately, the writer did not capitalise on this menace, opting instead for the rather clichéd alien invaders aspect, bright colours and, wait for it, butterflies. What a waste of a story.
The book starts with loads of potential, with a strong sense of menace being perfectly evoked in the simple description of heat and dust. All the pieces are in place for a riveting example of people in a dried-up husk of a town suddenly being given everything they could possibly dream of without ever realising what it is costing them.
Unfortunately, the writer did not capitalise on this menace, opting instead for the rather clichéd alien invaders aspect, bright colours and, wait for it, butterflies. What a waste of a story.