chel_hop's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
2.25
sandrareilly513's review against another edition
4.0
This book had me from minute-one! Perfect horror book for the spooky season -- I know it came out in January but it's a great read for October. There are plenty of jaw-dropping moments to keep even avid horror readers intrigued, and I honestly didn't anticipate where the plot was going. It's a perfect blend of horror and magical realism, and Markert explains the lore behind mares in a way that holds the reader's attention while also not making it seem like the plot is taking a break for the sake of background information. Turning Mr. Dream and The Nightmare Man into actual people without them realizing it is just (chef's kiss). The only "hand-up" for me was towards the beginning -- before readers really understand what is going on -- there are so many outlandish bad guys that it feels like a spin-off of Batman and Arkham Asylum, which thankfully the author briefly acknowledges in the story. But once I fully grasped what was really going on, it all made sense and didn't come off as campy in the least bit. I thoroughly enjoyed this and shared so many scenes with my husband while I was reading it. Definitely a great horror read for us grown-ups who devoured R.L. Stine's Fear Street series when we were kids. Not for the faint of heart!
**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.**
**Thank you, NetGalley and publishers, for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.**
pbandjane_library's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
sarag19's review against another edition
4.0
***ARC received from Crooked Lane Books and NetGalley in exchange for honest review, opinions are all my own. Thank you!***
Its not often that I pick up a horror book, they used to be my main read for years back when I was a teen but I am glad that I picked up this book as it was a frighteningly good read.
Following two points of view, Ben Bookman on the cusp of publishing his newest novel and Winchester Mills a homicide detective investigating the towns newest homicide. Both are the perfect characters to be driving the story. Ben is a bit of an unreliable narrator as he tries to piece together what happened to him up to the publication of his book. Mills is a detective pushing himself to the edge his job the most that he has. The book does a great job of weaving their stories together, Ben and Mills are more interconnected than might originally seem. I loved the way that the book did this for most of the characters, they are all connected in some way back to the Bookman family and the asylum that they have run for years.
While this book had some graphic scenes I found it more of a psychological horror book, its not about gore and axe wielders although they are certainly there. Its about the horror of our nightmares about what scares us. To say more would unfortunately give away too much of the plot.
The writing was really good, the author does a great way of bringing emotions to life. It is written between the present and the before, letting us have more information on Ben and Mills. It also drops nice little foreshadowing for the future. I never found anything to graphic or described in details that would gross a reader out. Most of the graphic scenes take place off page, which is fine with me. I’d rather a book focus on the atmosphere and creepiness of horror than just blood and guts every page.
My one real complaint is that the climax of the book tries to do to much with too little time left over. Everything feels crammed right into the last few chapters and that unfortunately robbed many of the scenes of being really scary. Critical scenes were rushed and with too many characters it made everything feel chaotic instead of frightening. I get what the author was trying to do but it felt designed for the end of a multi book series we as the reader read and not a stand alone with a multi book series 4within its pages.
In the end I still really enjoyed this book, staying up way to late in the night wanting to know what came next.
Its not often that I pick up a horror book, they used to be my main read for years back when I was a teen but I am glad that I picked up this book as it was a frighteningly good read.
Following two points of view, Ben Bookman on the cusp of publishing his newest novel and Winchester Mills a homicide detective investigating the towns newest homicide. Both are the perfect characters to be driving the story. Ben is a bit of an unreliable narrator as he tries to piece together what happened to him up to the publication of his book. Mills is a detective pushing himself to the edge his job the most that he has. The book does a great job of weaving their stories together, Ben and Mills are more interconnected than might originally seem. I loved the way that the book did this for most of the characters, they are all connected in some way back to the Bookman family and the asylum that they have run for years.
While this book had some graphic scenes I found it more of a psychological horror book, its not about gore and axe wielders although they are certainly there. Its about the horror of our nightmares about what scares us. To say more would unfortunately give away too much of the plot.
The writing was really good, the author does a great way of bringing emotions to life. It is written between the present and the before, letting us have more information on Ben and Mills. It also drops nice little foreshadowing for the future. I never found anything to graphic or described in details that would gross a reader out. Most of the graphic scenes take place off page, which is fine with me. I’d rather a book focus on the atmosphere and creepiness of horror than just blood and guts every page.
My one real complaint is that the climax of the book tries to do to much with too little time left over. Everything feels crammed right into the last few chapters and that unfortunately robbed many of the scenes of being really scary. Critical scenes were rushed and with too many characters it made everything feel chaotic instead of frightening. I get what the author was trying to do but it felt designed for the end of a multi book series we as the reader read and not a stand alone with a multi book series 4within its pages.
In the end I still really enjoyed this book, staying up way to late in the night wanting to know what came next.
chantalsbookstuff's review against another edition
5.0
This cover just ropes you in. It suggests horror, nightmares and keeping the light on at night. I was not disappointed! With multiple POV's and plot lines twisted in one it brings everything you want to keep turning the pages. The character building starts from page one and surprisingly continues right to the end. With so many different characters I could easily keep up and that is testament of good writing skills. The plot lines was amazing in the way that it played out. I had a small idea on the twist line but was still pleasantly surprised at how intricate and detailed it turned out.
Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
Thank you Netgalley and Crooked Lane Books for the opportunity to read and review this ARC.
sequoviah's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.75
mbeach's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5