lizziea229's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
maggiefan's review against another edition
3.0
It was fine, and the ending was great, but I think it would be better as a short story.
jmbz38's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
catinseas's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
emilysurface's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
slow-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? Yes
4.0
y2bd's review against another edition
5.0
Maybe closer to a 4.5. It got a little shaky right near the end, but overall extremely enjoyable.
spookshow's review against another edition
4.0
You can find this review and all of my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Dundurn, and the author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
El Camino. The Way. Camino De Santiago. It has many names, the 500 mile journey across Northern Spain that is a spiritual as well as physical journey to the many who take on the pilgrimage each year. Our story centers around Daniel, an Irishman who is seemingly lost in the abyss after his wife passed away, he carries her ashes in his backpack aiming to scatter them at some point on his journey, though it appears letting go is not as easy for him as he thinks. Especially considering he knows how his wife, Petra, really died.
When he meets Virginia, a bouncy, California native who is also undertaking the pilgrimage, they strike up a friendship and spend more time traversing the trail together than not. Though something strange is happening. A nightmare presence appears to be following them, making Daniel question his sanity at every turn. Who is this person who appears in the night, stalking the pair along the road to Santiago? Will they make it to the end? Or will steal that luxury from them?
I enjoyed this book WAY more than I thought I would. I originally requested it because that synopsis is super intriguing. I'd never heard about El Camino before, and I have to say, even though this story had unsettling horror elements weaved into it, I feel inspired to the point that I would love to take the 500 mile pilgrimage to Santiago, though if I'm honest, I'll probably die before I pass the 15 mile mark as I'm so unfit it's ridiculous, one can dream though, right?
So! Daniel is taking the pilgrimage, after which, he is meant to head home to Ireland to tend to the family farm, first he has to finish his journey, sell his and his deceased wife's home in New Jersey and sell the company that he built up from the ground, but first, he must finish his journey, which he has taken in order to scatter his late wife's ashes, but first, he has to find the right spot to do so. Do you see a running theme here? It's easy to tell, straight off the bat, that Daniel is having a hard time letting go of the life that once was, letting go of his wife who passed away just over a year ago, and attempting to have some semblance of a life. The thing is, he is wracked with guilt, because he knows how Petra really died, and he struggles with the knowledge daily. I actually liked Daniel's character, he was incredibly real to me. I couldn't imagine having to try and move on with life after your partner, whom you loved, had left the land of the living way before they should have. So I could sympathise with Daniel's stubbornness in letting go, it didn't stop me from wanting to throttle the man a few times however.
When he meet Virginia, or Ginny, as her friends call her, he is thankful for the distraction she brings. The conversation, the companionship, two make the road shorter, after all. Ginny was an interesting character, who also annoyed the tripe out of me at times, but I still enjoyed her. There's also this Dutch guy that they run into on their travels and who keeps popping up every now and again, who, to be honest, I think he was my favourite character. Something about Rob the Dutchman just made me smile. We meet other characters on Daniel's journey but I felt that they were mainly supporting roles and I don't have much to say about them. I felt that all the characters written in this story were done exceptionally well, and there's not one that I would have cut out. They all had a role to play, and they played it to perfection.
I loved the historical and travellog feel that this book had. We are treated to scenery descriptions that made me feel like I was actually there, seeing what Daniel was seeing, hearing what he was hearing. We follow Daniel every step of the way, and it actually felt like he was a real person. The historical information, I felt, was well researched and explained, and I really feel like I went away from this book having learnt a lot (as well as gaining that pesky want to walk the trail that I know I never could without vigorous life changes).
The horror aspect that was weaved through the story was done SO well. So many instances left me with major creep vibe, to the point that it felt like I had spiders crawling up my spine, and I felt like the horror really hit in another aspect as well, it made me question Daniel's sanity. Was he just delirious from the distance he was travelling? Was the exhaustion taking a toll on not only his body, but his mind as well? Wondering if you are going slowly crazy is a horror unto itself I believe.
I had an inkling on what a couple of the twists were going to be, and I was right, but I didn't know the how of said twists. So it was great finally getting the reveal and the answers as to how the things I thought might have been happening actually happened. I don't want to go into too much detail here because I feel like it would totally ruin the story.
One thing that I did find annoying was grammar mistakes in the narrative and dialogue. I noticed that there a lot of sentences in the dialogue started with "Sure...." even though it didn't grammatically make sense, also there were a lot of "after being" inserted randomly into dialogue sentences, as well as the word "so" which was commonly used at the end of sentences when it wasn't needed. I'm not sure if it's a language thing that I'm missing or if it was just a formatting error somehow, it did jolt me out of the narrative quite a bit and annoyed my little gramma nazi soul. It didn't detract from the book greatly, it just made the narrative lose flow and seem a bit messy to me. An example of it is below:
"I fell," Daniel says. "Sure, am I right to go now?"
"I thought I was after being the strong one."
"Are you after doubting my male hormones?"
"Are we going to talk about this, so?"
Just a few examples I highlighted to explain what I mean.
This book wasn't just a travelogue with horror elements mixed in, it really makes you think about the weight of guilt; of the need to let go of the past, even though it might tear us apart to do so. I feel like a lot of us hold on to things (not counting lost loved ones, as I believe that you never quite get over the loss of the love one, you have to re-learn how to live again without them) that no longer serve them and it drains the life out of them. It makes their lives seem like dull shades of grey instead of the technicolour richness that surrounds us daily. They say that hiking the Camino De Santiago is a spiritual journey, and I really feel that this story shows that (yes in an extraordinary, maybe partially unrealistic way - see the horror aspect of it) we got to watch a man work through things that were troubling him and got to an ending that left me with a smile, and some serious need to research El Camino more because I'm honestly considering making the pilgrimage myself one day (this want will probably disappear over a couple of weeks, but we'll see ;) )
I received a copy of this book from the publisher, Dundurn, and the author via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
El Camino. The Way. Camino De Santiago. It has many names, the 500 mile journey across Northern Spain that is a spiritual as well as physical journey to the many who take on the pilgrimage each year. Our story centers around Daniel, an Irishman who is seemingly lost in the abyss after his wife passed away, he carries her ashes in his backpack aiming to scatter them at some point on his journey, though it appears letting go is not as easy for him as he thinks. Especially considering he knows how his wife, Petra, really died.
When he meets Virginia, a bouncy, California native who is also undertaking the pilgrimage, they strike up a friendship and spend more time traversing the trail together than not. Though something strange is happening. A nightmare presence appears to be following them, making Daniel question his sanity at every turn. Who is this person who appears in the night, stalking the pair along the road to Santiago? Will they make it to the end? Or will steal that luxury from them?
I enjoyed this book WAY more than I thought I would. I originally requested it because that synopsis is super intriguing. I'd never heard about El Camino before, and I have to say, even though this story had unsettling horror elements weaved into it, I feel inspired to the point that I would love to take the 500 mile pilgrimage to Santiago, though if I'm honest, I'll probably die before I pass the 15 mile mark as I'm so unfit it's ridiculous, one can dream though, right?
So! Daniel is taking the pilgrimage, after which, he is meant to head home to Ireland to tend to the family farm, first he has to finish his journey, sell his and his deceased wife's home in New Jersey and sell the company that he built up from the ground, but first, he must finish his journey, which he has taken in order to scatter his late wife's ashes, but first, he has to find the right spot to do so. Do you see a running theme here? It's easy to tell, straight off the bat, that Daniel is having a hard time letting go of the life that once was, letting go of his wife who passed away just over a year ago, and attempting to have some semblance of a life. The thing is, he is wracked with guilt, because he knows how Petra really died, and he struggles with the knowledge daily. I actually liked Daniel's character, he was incredibly real to me. I couldn't imagine having to try and move on with life after your partner, whom you loved, had left the land of the living way before they should have. So I could sympathise with Daniel's stubbornness in letting go, it didn't stop me from wanting to throttle the man a few times however.
When he meet Virginia, or Ginny, as her friends call her, he is thankful for the distraction she brings. The conversation, the companionship, two make the road shorter, after all. Ginny was an interesting character, who also annoyed the tripe out of me at times, but I still enjoyed her. There's also this Dutch guy that they run into on their travels and who keeps popping up every now and again, who, to be honest, I think he was my favourite character. Something about Rob the Dutchman just made me smile. We meet other characters on Daniel's journey but I felt that they were mainly supporting roles and I don't have much to say about them. I felt that all the characters written in this story were done exceptionally well, and there's not one that I would have cut out. They all had a role to play, and they played it to perfection.
I loved the historical and travellog feel that this book had. We are treated to scenery descriptions that made me feel like I was actually there, seeing what Daniel was seeing, hearing what he was hearing. We follow Daniel every step of the way, and it actually felt like he was a real person. The historical information, I felt, was well researched and explained, and I really feel like I went away from this book having learnt a lot (as well as gaining that pesky want to walk the trail that I know I never could without vigorous life changes).
The horror aspect that was weaved through the story was done SO well. So many instances left me with major creep vibe, to the point that it felt like I had spiders crawling up my spine, and I felt like the horror really hit in another aspect as well, it made me question Daniel's sanity. Was he just delirious from the distance he was travelling? Was the exhaustion taking a toll on not only his body, but his mind as well? Wondering if you are going slowly crazy is a horror unto itself I believe.
I had an inkling on what a couple of the twists were going to be, and I was right, but I didn't know the how of said twists. So it was great finally getting the reveal and the answers as to how the things I thought might have been happening actually happened. I don't want to go into too much detail here because I feel like it would totally ruin the story.
One thing that I did find annoying was grammar mistakes in the narrative and dialogue. I noticed that there a lot of sentences in the dialogue started with "Sure...." even though it didn't grammatically make sense, also there were a lot of "after being" inserted randomly into dialogue sentences, as well as the word "so" which was commonly used at the end of sentences when it wasn't needed. I'm not sure if it's a language thing that I'm missing or if it was just a formatting error somehow, it did jolt me out of the narrative quite a bit and annoyed my little gramma nazi soul. It didn't detract from the book greatly, it just made the narrative lose flow and seem a bit messy to me. An example of it is below:
"I fell," Daniel says. "Sure, am I right to go now?"
"I thought I was after being the strong one."
"Are you after doubting my male hormones?"
"Are we going to talk about this, so?"
Just a few examples I highlighted to explain what I mean.
This book wasn't just a travelogue with horror elements mixed in, it really makes you think about the weight of guilt; of the need to let go of the past, even though it might tear us apart to do so. I feel like a lot of us hold on to things (not counting lost loved ones, as I believe that you never quite get over the loss of the love one, you have to re-learn how to live again without them) that no longer serve them and it drains the life out of them. It makes their lives seem like dull shades of grey instead of the technicolour richness that surrounds us daily. They say that hiking the Camino De Santiago is a spiritual journey, and I really feel that this story shows that (yes in an extraordinary, maybe partially unrealistic way - see the horror aspect of it) we got to watch a man work through things that were troubling him and got to an ending that left me with a smile, and some serious need to research El Camino more because I'm honestly considering making the pilgrimage myself one day (this want will probably disappear over a couple of weeks, but we'll see ;) )
wheeliechick's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
a_wondrous_bookshelf's review against another edition
1.0
I was really looking forward to reading this novel. El Camino de Santiago is in my bucket list. I knew the story was going to involve a murder and some other dark aspects, but really I thought this novel was a joke. Part travel log (and that part was great) and part mystery-horror I just didn’t think that it had a good flow. I pretty much DNF it 60% of the way. I think I have too much respect and interest in this pilgrimage to enjoy a silly story that took this walk lightly.
eseide's review against another edition
4.0
Thrilling, eerie story that kept my eyes on the pages!
The premise grabbed me right away. Daniel is walking the Camino de Santiago, an ancient, well-traveled 500-mile trail through northern Spain, with his wife's ashes in his backpack. He's harboring not only grief at his wife's passing, but also guilt and remorse over the manner of her death. Along the Camino he meets Ginny, another pilgrim on the Camino with her own reasons for walking. And they're being followed by a ghost.
To write any more about the story would be a disservice to future readers. There are so many surprises that there are twists within the twists. Petra's Ghost is a tightly-woven tale with succinct character descriptions and steady pacing. There are no lulls, no extraneous tangents, no distractions from the tension. O'Cinneide also depicts an enticing portrayal of the Camino, one that had me looking up images online and reading her blog entries from her own experience.
If a macabre story with a chilling atmosphere piques your interest, grab this book as soon as you can.
Many thanks to Dundurn Press, Netgalley, and C. S. O'Cinneide for the advance copy. It was a joy to read!
The premise grabbed me right away. Daniel is walking the Camino de Santiago, an ancient, well-traveled 500-mile trail through northern Spain, with his wife's ashes in his backpack. He's harboring not only grief at his wife's passing, but also guilt and remorse over the manner of her death. Along the Camino he meets Ginny, another pilgrim on the Camino with her own reasons for walking. And they're being followed by a ghost.
To write any more about the story would be a disservice to future readers. There are so many surprises that there are twists within the twists. Petra's Ghost is a tightly-woven tale with succinct character descriptions and steady pacing. There are no lulls, no extraneous tangents, no distractions from the tension. O'Cinneide also depicts an enticing portrayal of the Camino, one that had me looking up images online and reading her blog entries from her own experience.
If a macabre story with a chilling atmosphere piques your interest, grab this book as soon as you can.
Many thanks to Dundurn Press, Netgalley, and C. S. O'Cinneide for the advance copy. It was a joy to read!