clowry1991's review against another edition
3.0
This book was pretty darn good. There were parts where I became confused, not sure where the story was going. The ending was great. I had a hunch the book would get better so I held on and it did not disappoint. I have never been to jail, let alone prison, but this book depicted what I think may be some real life scenarios. At times it was intense, making my stomach crawl, but I think that's what kept me reading.
chmccann's review against another edition
2.0
I still love you, Mike Carey, but I just can't with this. I felt like I'd been reading forever, only to discover there were still 337 pages to go!
I kept waiting for the setup to end and the real plot to get going, only to realize that this was mostly going to be a drama about corruption and brutality in a prison, not a ghost story. The actual ghost story has an intriguing hook at the start, and then goes pretty much nowhere. Flipping to the end of the book shows me that the big reveal for that storyline is exactly what I figured out in the first two chapters.
If you're interested in a grim realistic story of prison life, layered with a kind of spiritual journey, this may delight you. I came for a ghost story, and I'm leaving early and unhappily.
I kept waiting for the setup to end and the real plot to get going, only to realize that this was mostly going to be a drama about corruption and brutality in a prison, not a ghost story. The actual ghost story has an intriguing hook at the start, and then goes pretty much nowhere. Flipping to the end of the book shows me that the big reveal for that storyline is exactly what I figured out in the first two chapters.
If you're interested in a grim realistic story of prison life, layered with a kind of spiritual journey, this may delight you. I came for a ghost story, and I'm leaving early and unhappily.
thona's review against another edition
2.0
this book is disjointed flimsy and miserable “but thona it’s a horror novel it’s supposed to be miserable” no not at all actually, it’s supposed to be full to the brim with intrigue and mystery and make your heart race...this was far from it. far from whatever the reviews on the front cover promise you i can tell you that much. the only time this book picks up is in the 3rd half during the court scene, and that’s about it really.
ufcasey's review against another edition
3.0
This book basically has three main story lines:
- the mystery behind what really happened the night that Jess was accused of murdering Alex
- Jess' ability to talk to Alex after he already died
- the drug smuggling ring in the Fellside prison
The first two things I really liked and was interested in. The third - ugh, complete snoozefest. Unfortunately that part takes up a LOT of the plot. It even pulls in multiple characters, each of which get their own chapters devoted to them, taking up tons of page space. If all of that was cut out, then I would have rated this book much higher. But as it stands, I liked it overall, I just didn't *really* like it as much as I did this author's other book, [b:The Girl with All the Gifts|17235026|The Girl With All the Gifts (The Girl With All the Gifts, #1)|M.R. Carey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403033579s/17235026.jpg|23753235].
I am just not sure what kind of reader this book is supposed to be marketed towards. Murder mystery readers will find this not thrilling enough. Contemporary fiction readers will find the magical realism of the dream world portions to be a bit off putting. Readers of fantasy type books who would find the magical realism more palatable, will find the drug smuggling ring subplot a drag. People who read all those kinds of books will probably wish the book went "more" in one direction or another. In the end, I think it attempts to do too much at once.
- the mystery behind what really happened the night that Jess was accused of murdering Alex
- Jess' ability to talk to Alex after he already died
- the drug smuggling ring in the Fellside prison
The first two things I really liked and was interested in. The third - ugh, complete snoozefest. Unfortunately that part takes up a LOT of the plot. It even pulls in multiple characters, each of which get their own chapters devoted to them, taking up tons of page space. If all of that was cut out, then I would have rated this book much higher. But as it stands, I liked it overall, I just didn't *really* like it as much as I did this author's other book, [b:The Girl with All the Gifts|17235026|The Girl With All the Gifts (The Girl With All the Gifts, #1)|M.R. Carey|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1403033579s/17235026.jpg|23753235].
I am just not sure what kind of reader this book is supposed to be marketed towards. Murder mystery readers will find this not thrilling enough. Contemporary fiction readers will find the magical realism of the dream world portions to be a bit off putting. Readers of fantasy type books who would find the magical realism more palatable, will find the drug smuggling ring subplot a drag. People who read all those kinds of books will probably wish the book went "more" in one direction or another. In the end, I think it attempts to do too much at once.
benmontmagny's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
katebullen's review against another edition
2.0
This was a bit of a letdown after 'Girl With All the Gifts'. It began quite promising and I liked the premise well enough, but it just carried on too long. I found myself skimming parts of it.
morgeliz99's review against another edition
I tried reading this once and couldn't get into it so I stopped. I tried again, and I'm out. Nothing about this is calling to me.
ancillary_reader's review against another edition
3.0
Read if you're interested in the combination women's prison drama, ghosts, and a murder mystery. M.R. Carey has written a great story here (despite some maybe uneven pacing) - I am just personally not into prison drama stories, and some of the events here are just a bit too sad or violent for me.
laurelinwonder's review against another edition
4.0
The story is the fairly impressive, because it's sprawling and intense, but it keeps you completely in its world, desperate to know what is going to happen and when and to whom. There are a number of fascinating characters, who help peel back the layers of the story for the reader as all the pieces start to come together. However, pacing is also a huge factor in what makes this book so gulpy. most of the chapters are fewer than ten pages, 3-4 pages on average, where each chapter switches viewpoint so you're always being propelled forward at great speed, although not always in the same direction. Which kind of worked, but also was like whiplash. Totally different from "The Girl with All the Gifts."
enantiodromia's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0