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persimmon_lover's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
inspiring
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
I really enjoyed this book a lot, but it did have several flaws. I feel like the "mystery" was not explored in as much detail as it warranted, and also that the pacing was off at times. Not a lot of time was given to the "villain" characters and I think that could have added a lot if done properly. The early part of the story is a bit confusing, as you start getting a feel for the characters, which feel a bit indistinguishable at first (that definitely changes later on). Obviously it is a supernatural horror book so realism is very relative, but I did feel at times like things in the story were just too improbable, the characters often seemed way too smart for 12 year olds, even putting aside the obvious "genius" character.
The themes of the book were very well encoded in the plot and very rich. By the end, the characters each feel unique and you really care about them. I get scared by books easily and found myself very very frightened and shocked throughout the book. I also appreciated that the horror sort of comes in and out, and that a lot of the time things feel "normal" only to be sucked back into scary. The mystery unfolds very slowly and keeps you guessing all the way up to the end, as you learn more and more. Not all of it is perfectly written, but in general the literary style is great for this type of book, and there are a lot of very vivid and appropriate images and metaphors. The book spoke to me at this point in my life. Not perfect, but great.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Torture, Blood, Vomit, and Car accident
Minor: Rape