The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
holl3640's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
peanutjam's review against another edition
5.0
I cannot say how much I love Kate Alice Marshall. Rules For Vanishing is one of my favorite books of all time, so when I heard that Our Last Echos was her next book I immediately preordered it. And it is not disappoint.
The first part of the book was slow and I kept thinking "wtf is with these birds. They're not creepy" and then, well... I was wrong. I should have trusted Kate Alice Marshall more!
The atmosphere, the plot, the characters, were all fantastic. The pacing, while a bit slow in the beginning, really picked up as more and more creepy stuff happened and by the middle of the book it was basically a compulsion to finish it. I finished this book in nearly one sitting within 24 hours.
However, despite how much I loved this book and that I rated it 5 stars, I could have done without the insta-love romance. I don't think it added to the plot at all and I really preferred the little to no romance from her other two YA books. This wasn't enough to detract from the story for me though.
Kate Alice Marshall is utter royalty for horror and all of her books need to be movies. I really hope she puts out an adult book in the future. I'd love to see how she can stretch her wings (ha!) in that area.
Another similar book to this that was good (but not as good) was Teeth in the Mist and I highly recommend it if you liked this one
The first part of the book was slow and I kept thinking "wtf is with these birds. They're not creepy" and then, well... I was wrong. I should have trusted Kate Alice Marshall more!
The atmosphere, the plot, the characters, were all fantastic. The pacing, while a bit slow in the beginning, really picked up as more and more creepy stuff happened and by the middle of the book it was basically a compulsion to finish it. I finished this book in nearly one sitting within 24 hours.
However, despite how much I loved this book and that I rated it 5 stars, I could have done without the insta-love romance. I don't think it added to the plot at all and I really preferred the little to no romance from her other two YA books. This wasn't enough to detract from the story for me though.
Kate Alice Marshall is utter royalty for horror and all of her books need to be movies. I really hope she puts out an adult book in the future. I'd love to see how she can stretch her wings (ha!) in that area.
Another similar book to this that was good (but not as good) was Teeth in the Mist and I highly recommend it if you liked this one
courtlane's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
booksonawire's review against another edition
3.0
I really wanted to love this and be blown away. I've heard such great things about The Rules for Vanishing that when I saw the audio pop up at my library I instantly grabbed it.
What did I like...the format was great. I love podcasts, interviews, mixed media stuff so the audiobook was a great way to experience it.
I also liked how atmospheric it was. She is really great at setting a scene and world building. Her writing really is quite beautiful.
However, I never really connected with any of the characters. I was never really invested in Sophia's story and I think the authors choice to throw everything but the kitchen sink is why. There are unanswered questions at the end, but again, I'm not invested enough to read the sequel.
The premise was promising, even the idea of the echoes was creepy but once we start exploring the big bad it just went down hill. I can't say more without spoiling things, but I wish more had been done with the characters (and not necessarily add a romance!!) . I will try her other books, but this was a meh introduction to the author.
What did I like...the format was great. I love podcasts, interviews, mixed media stuff so the audiobook was a great way to experience it.
I also liked how atmospheric it was. She is really great at setting a scene and world building. Her writing really is quite beautiful.
However, I never really connected with any of the characters. I was never really invested in Sophia's story and I think the authors choice to throw everything but the kitchen sink is why. There are unanswered questions at the end, but again, I'm not invested enough to read the sequel.
The premise was promising, even the idea of the echoes was creepy but once we start exploring the big bad it just went down hill. I can't say more without spoiling things, but I wish more had been done with the characters (and not necessarily add a romance!!) . I will try her other books, but this was a meh introduction to the author.
cevanah's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
itsemmy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-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? It's complicated
3.75
mombythebooks's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.75
kylanatale's review against another edition
3.0
One thing I love about going back and reading a backlist book is you can see the progression of the authors writing and story telling! This book was fun and creepy however I do think that it was a little long, repetitive, and the main character felt way younger than 18. That being said I still enjoyed my time and I love knowing that Kate Alice Marshall has only gotten better and better!
smallsreadsbooks's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.5
I’ve reached this point where usually young adult or like high school main characters just give me the ick. Give me the like oh I’m not like other teens vibe.
While this did have the whole edgy manic pixie dream girl in it, there was enough spooky. Enough xfiles vibes to let me move on and finish the book.
Solid spooks given and maybe chance of a next book (there were some strings left dangling to be answered)
While this did have the whole edgy manic pixie dream girl in it, there was enough spooky. Enough xfiles vibes to let me move on and finish the book.
Solid spooks given and maybe chance of a next book (there were some strings left dangling to be answered)
thebeesknees79's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Kate Alice Marshall is an auto buy author for me. This was a novel I hadn’t heard of, and it was a bit different from her usual. Still carried the gothic, heavy atmosphere, but set on an island in Alaska. I really enjoyed it, was guessing a lot of the time, but felt there were a couple of plot points that just rubbed me the wrong way. Like here’s a nugget and then never address it again. I very much enjoyed the somewhat cliffhanger ending (don’t worry, they wrap up Sophia’s story, but definitely leave room open for Abby to have her own story). Overall, not my fav Marshall book, but I freakin loved it all the same!