Scan barcode
khubberman's review against another edition
4.0
Some plot holes that I wish were wrapped up but still fun to read
bfab18's review against another edition
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? It's complicated
4.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts and Alcohol
vvampyre's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
I'm glad I listened to the audiobook because I can't imagine having to spend time sitting to read this one.
This book doesn't know what it is doing. It is as though the plot can't decide whats worth focusing on and you lose a lot of the depth in unimportant story. I dont even mind the switching of characters and perspectives, I enjoyed the soap opera drama and the tragedy but it wasn't a "Donner party telling with a supernatural twist"... it was just the Donner party.
This book doesn't know what it is doing. It is as though the plot can't decide whats worth focusing on and you lose a lot of the depth in unimportant story. I dont even mind the switching of characters and perspectives, I enjoyed the soap opera drama and the tragedy but it wasn't a "Donner party telling with a supernatural twist"... it was just the Donner party.
rmnedder's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I love the Donner Party incident, and I love a good historical horror, so I had high hopes for this book. And unfortunately, I was let down. I will admit, the horror element of this book is intriguing, if a bit under-developed, and the inclusion of so many key players in the actual Donner Party was refreshing. However, there were so many things happening - so many secrets and so much interpersonal conflict - that the melodrama of it all actually eclipsed the horror. The plot crawls forward; any tension built up for the horror is immediately dissipated by the many strangely-placed interludes and frequent perspective changes. It's a little jarring and more than a little disjointed.
It's a fine enough choice if you want a spooky Donner Party fiction novel (copious historical inaccuracies aside), but if you're looking for something true to history, or something genuinely thrilling, I'd skip this one.
It's a fine enough choice if you want a spooky Donner Party fiction novel (copious historical inaccuracies aside), but if you're looking for something true to history, or something genuinely thrilling, I'd skip this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence, Misogyny, Racism, Sexual assault, Violence, Blood, Cannibalism, and Murder
Moderate: Animal death, Incest, Pedophilia, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Pregnancy, and Colonisation
Minor: Physical abuse and Pandemic/Epidemic
ellakostka's review against another edition
4.0
★★★★☆ 3.5/5 definitely going to start following this author, she has some solid books with extremely interesting plots.
daniel_thewalkingdude's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
katiescho741's review against another edition
2.0
There was much to like about this book, but also plenty that bothered me. I'm not normally into Supernatural horror but I enjoyed the way the story was told of the Donner Party with the added extra of the supernatural...but the superntaural was not the ultimate horror of the book, which was interesting.
This is very much a soap-opera horror novel. There are plenty of chills, but also everyone has a secret past life involving love affairs, taboos, and family drama. At times it felt there was more focus on the soap-opera aspect than there was on the horror.
I felt the pacing was a bit weird. I felt like the journey went from happy to desolate in the space of a few pages. I also thought that the most interesting stuff happened right at the end, some of it off-page and so the focus of the book was a bit muddled.
A decent book if you like a family drama filled horrors, but not as good as I hoped.
This is very much a soap-opera horror novel. There are plenty of chills, but also everyone has a secret past life involving love affairs, taboos, and family drama. At times it felt there was more focus on the soap-opera aspect than there was on the horror.
I felt the pacing was a bit weird. I felt like the journey went from happy to desolate in the space of a few pages. I also thought that the most interesting stuff happened right at the end, some of it off-page and so the focus of the book was a bit muddled.
A decent book if you like a family drama filled horrors, but not as good as I hoped.
zsherwo1130's review against another edition
Found myself not wanting to pick it back up.
wallabystew's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
4.0