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shawn_of_the_read's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.5
anaveragelife's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
meankelly's review against another edition
5.0
Excellent
This was one of the few books that are completely unpredictable. All of the characters were well developed and the story line never once lost momentum. Loved it!
This was one of the few books that are completely unpredictable. All of the characters were well developed and the story line never once lost momentum. Loved it!
caleighsmith's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.75
anotherbooklady's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
๐87 /100 (2024 Reading Goal)
๐ ๐ผ ๐พ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ผ๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐จ
โ๏ธ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ
๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ:
Supernatural elements, descriptive writing, a cabin in the woods, clairvoyant child, 1990โs setting
๐ง๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐:
child abuse, sexual assault, bullying, racial slurs, animal harm, misogyny
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐:
This book left me feeling conflicted. I really liked the story of Henry-a young boy who is kidnapped for ransom and held captive in a cabin deep in the woods in Southern California. Henry is a bright, intelligent, and gifted child. I found him to be very well developed and beautifully written.
Unfortunately this book overall was just a miss for me. Iโm a fan of horror novels-I like creepy houses, paranormal happenings, clairvoyant children, and monsters-but maybe not ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ of those things happening in one story. For me, it felt like there were just too many characters and too much happening at once that slackened the pace of the story.
At times the novel read like a police procedural, or a ghost story, or a monster tale and it left me feeling impatient. This book is a long, slow burn and at 575 pages, I felt more exhausted and relieved to be finished instead of being satisfied by the end.
Fracassi is a fantastic, descriptive writer (๐ฝ๐ค๐ฎ๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ฎ is one of my favorite horror reads), so Iโm saddened that this book just wasnโt for me.
Narrator Sterling Boyns has a wonderful, rich voice and differentiated characters wonderfully. Unfortunately, the narrator would repeatedly mispronounce wording throughout, and the audiobook itself had some weird editing issues that kept taking me out of the story.
๐ ๐ผ ๐พ๐๐๐ก๐ ๐ผ๐ก๐ค๐ฃ๐ ๐๐๐ฉ๐ ๐๐ฉ๐ง๐๐ฃ๐๐๐ง๐จ
โ๏ธ ๐ฃ๐ต๐ถ๐น๐ถ๐ฝ ๐๐ฟ๐ฎ๐ฐ๐ฎ๐๐๐ถ
๐ง ๐ฆ๐๐ฒ๐ฟ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ผ๐๐ป๐
โญ๏ธโญ๏ธโญ๏ธ
๐ช๐ต๐ฎ๐ ๐ ๐๐ถ๐ธ๐ฒ๐ฑ:
Supernatural elements, descriptive writing, a cabin in the woods, clairvoyant child, 1990โs setting
๐ง๐ฟ๐ถ๐ด๐ด๐ฒ๐ฟ ๐ช๐ฎ๐ฟ๐ป๐ถ๐ป๐ด๐:
child abuse, sexual assault, bullying, racial slurs, animal harm, misogyny
๐ฅ๐ฒ๐๐ถ๐ฒ๐:
This book left me feeling conflicted. I really liked the story of Henry-a young boy who is kidnapped for ransom and held captive in a cabin deep in the woods in Southern California. Henry is a bright, intelligent, and gifted child. I found him to be very well developed and beautifully written.
Unfortunately this book overall was just a miss for me. Iโm a fan of horror novels-I like creepy houses, paranormal happenings, clairvoyant children, and monsters-but maybe not ๐ข๐ญ๐ญ of those things happening in one story. For me, it felt like there were just too many characters and too much happening at once that slackened the pace of the story.
At times the novel read like a police procedural, or a ghost story, or a monster tale and it left me feeling impatient. This book is a long, slow burn and at 575 pages, I felt more exhausted and relieved to be finished instead of being satisfied by the end.
Fracassi is a fantastic, descriptive writer (๐ฝ๐ค๐ฎ๐จ ๐๐ฃ ๐ฉ๐๐ ๐๐๐ก๐ก๐๐ฎ is one of my favorite horror reads), so Iโm saddened that this book just wasnโt for me.
Narrator Sterling Boyns has a wonderful, rich voice and differentiated characters wonderfully. Unfortunately, the narrator would repeatedly mispronounce wording throughout, and the audiobook itself had some weird editing issues that kept taking me out of the story.
craigmatthews87's review against another edition
5.0
I loved Gothic, thought Boys In The Valley was the best horror book of 2023, and A Child Alone With Strangers may just be the best of the three. 600-plus pages that fly by, with a basic premise that's along the lines of the Reservoir Dogs crew kidnapping Danny Torrance, but that hatches into something much more sinister.
A hefty read that has some wonderfully graphic descriptions, true spine-tingling terror, more than a few tear-jerking moments, and an evocative yet easy to read styleโit all combines to feel like, dare I say it, classic era Stephen King. I smashed through the book in a three or four days, and spent my time away from the book wishing I could dive back into the world Fracassi has crafted with this. An experience I tried to savour every minute of, and didn't want to end.
A hefty read that has some wonderfully graphic descriptions, true spine-tingling terror, more than a few tear-jerking moments, and an evocative yet easy to read styleโit all combines to feel like, dare I say it, classic era Stephen King. I smashed through the book in a three or four days, and spent my time away from the book wishing I could dive back into the world Fracassi has crafted with this. An experience I tried to savour every minute of, and didn't want to end.
mafaichney's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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? No
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Incest, Racial slurs, Sexual content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Sexual harassment, and Injury/Injury detail
cluelesswonder's review against another edition
I donโt like the writing style. The sentences are too short and choppy. Perhaps it is because it is from a childโs perspective. Still, I couldnโt continue.
cpeters2384's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
reflective
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
A big part of me wishes the mother and baby had a completely different separate story from the kid and the strangers. I think a lot of what the monster elements were needed for could have been achieved by Henry through his special eye.