mike_brough's review against another edition
3.0
Not one of Aycliffe's best and definitely does not bear comparison with Naomi's Room.
Saying that, it was still an engrossing read. Very Gothic (with a capital C), very dark and depressing. And very predictable.
I felt the ending was rushed with no sense of resolution. But that's possibly what Mr Aycliffe wanted to achieve.
Saying that, it was still an engrossing read. Very Gothic (with a capital C), very dark and depressing. And very predictable.
I felt the ending was rushed with no sense of resolution. But that's possibly what Mr Aycliffe wanted to achieve.
nat1577's review against another edition
3.0
I have read a number of Jonathan Aycliffe’s books, and I think the most frustrating thing about them is that they are always SO good…until the ending! He writes some of the most amazing, creepy horror plots, sets up all of these compelling mysteries, and then they either end up with disappointing resolutions, or get no resolution at all.
A perfect example of this is his book, Naomi’s Room, that had me genuinely scared while I was reading it…only for it to just turn into something completely different by the end. This book is another example of that. I genuinely enjoyed reading the majority of it, ended up reading the whole thing in a day, but then it got to the end. This author does a great job with the creepy tone of his story, and a lot of it was genuinely scary. However, when you fill the readers’ heads with all of these questions, and then either ignore them completely, or give them the weakest possible resolutions, it’s very frustrating. I probably wouldn’t have cared so much if the first two thirds of the book weren’t so damn good!
So…I’m not really sure what to say based on my overall impression of the book. With the way I’ve ranted on about how much I disliked the ending, I feel like I should be saying that I wouldn’t recommend this book, but…I’m not even kidding, if you’re a horror fan, the first two thirds of this book are just that good. I can’t even bring myself to regret reading this (and this is why I’ve given the book 3 stars) because I genuinely did enjoy the majority of it. It’s just that ending that was so frustrating. So…keep that in mind when making a decision, but I will say that if you do read this, you’ll at least get some good horror moments out of it.
A perfect example of this is his book, Naomi’s Room, that had me genuinely scared while I was reading it…only for it to just turn into something completely different by the end. This book is another example of that. I genuinely enjoyed reading the majority of it, ended up reading the whole thing in a day, but then it got to the end. This author does a great job with the creepy tone of his story, and a lot of it was genuinely scary. However, when you fill the readers’ heads with all of these questions, and then either ignore them completely, or give them the weakest possible resolutions, it’s very frustrating. I probably wouldn’t have cared so much if the first two thirds of the book weren’t so damn good!
So…I’m not really sure what to say based on my overall impression of the book. With the way I’ve ranted on about how much I disliked the ending, I feel like I should be saying that I wouldn’t recommend this book, but…I’m not even kidding, if you’re a horror fan, the first two thirds of this book are just that good. I can’t even bring myself to regret reading this (and this is why I’ve given the book 3 stars) because I genuinely did enjoy the majority of it. It’s just that ending that was so frustrating. So…keep that in mind when making a decision, but I will say that if you do read this, you’ll at least get some good horror moments out of it.
well_read_unicorn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
mjjc6000's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-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? Yes
2.0
gothicbookshelf's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.5
tamara55's review
3.0
2.5 stars
I got what I expected, a nice gothic ghost story and a haunted mansion. Unfortunately the plot was very predictable and the main character was very bland. I liked Caroline more as an old woman, the glimpses we catch of her at the beginning of the story instead of the boring pretty girl we follow through her predicament. Her older self showed more emotion and wit in one page than we get in the whole novel and it's disappointing.
I got what I expected, a nice gothic ghost story and a haunted mansion. Unfortunately the plot was very predictable and the main character was very bland. I liked Caroline more as an old woman, the glimpses we catch of her at the beginning of the story instead of the boring pretty girl we follow through her predicament. Her older self showed more emotion and wit in one page than we get in the whole novel and it's disappointing.
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