meaks91's review
1.0
Not scary at all. No plot that I could see. Left me feeling like I'd wasted two days reading it waiting for something to happen
lilreadingpagan's review against another edition
1.0
NOPE!!
TW: child abuse, religious abuse, ableism, anti autism
As an autistic person myself, I have a low threshold for “curing” us. Religion especially pisses me off. I tried with this one but DNF’d when the mother made Hanny vomit up what little food he had gotten. Because he needed to be “prepared”.
No.
-5/5 for ableism and abusive parenting.
TW: child abuse, religious abuse, ableism, anti autism
As an autistic person myself, I have a low threshold for “curing” us. Religion especially pisses me off. I tried with this one but DNF’d when the mother made Hanny vomit up what little food he had gotten. Because he needed to be “prepared”.
No.
-5/5 for ableism and abusive parenting.
ludwigdvorak's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
5.0
Starting November 2023 in style. Probably more of a 4.75 due to a slightly weak ending but the vast majority was so good I'll give it a 5 because it's great.
yvannastar's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
lifeisbutadream's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
demonxore's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
5.0
This is an almost perfect book. Elements of intrigue, creepy atmosphere, demented faith, and the occult. Plus the writing style is extremely good. The story feels very real, like it could have happened to you. The Loney might be my favorite read for this year.
kinley28's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
relaxing
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
the_coycaterpillar_reads's review against another edition
2.0
The Loney was on my shelf for about four or five years and maybe subconsciously something was keeping me from reading it. Perhaps I should have listened to myself. It’s been shelved numerous times as horror, but I didn’t feel any elements of horror to the storyline apart from the atmospheric edge that The Loney held. Was the storyline slow, yes. Was I frustrated with the plot, also yes. Anyone that knows me well knows that struggle with religious storylines and had I known how heavily this story focusses on it I would probably have left well alone.
I think possibly my expectations were way too high going into this book. I had read about the high praise and awards it had won and I was expecting a gothic horror story and ended up with a tame puppy. I know this will seem like a controversial take because so many others have loved it, but I just couldn’t get on board with the author’s vision. I did enjoy his writing style and how his characters breathed life. I felt the characters were almost fanatical in their devout belief in God.
Now one aspect that did become an immediate turn-off for me was the storyline focussing on curing Hanny of his muteness. As a mother of a child who was non-verbal until the age of six, I find it offensive that the mum and dad couldn’t just accept that this is who Hanny was. Yes, he was non-verbal, but did that mean that they loved him any less? By the end of the story, I really couldn’t say with any clarity. It saddened me how much they wanted to cure him…this is the real crux, the religiously devout feel the need for their children to conform or be a certain way in the eyes of God.
I think I know where Hurley was trying to go with it but ultimately it didn’t really work for me. He wants the story to focus on why following blind faith is both insidious and incredibly damaging to communities and families. Unfortunately, nothing much happened and I struggled to finish the story, I did but only to see where things would be left.
I think possibly my expectations were way too high going into this book. I had read about the high praise and awards it had won and I was expecting a gothic horror story and ended up with a tame puppy. I know this will seem like a controversial take because so many others have loved it, but I just couldn’t get on board with the author’s vision. I did enjoy his writing style and how his characters breathed life. I felt the characters were almost fanatical in their devout belief in God.
Now one aspect that did become an immediate turn-off for me was the storyline focussing on curing Hanny of his muteness. As a mother of a child who was non-verbal until the age of six, I find it offensive that the mum and dad couldn’t just accept that this is who Hanny was. Yes, he was non-verbal, but did that mean that they loved him any less? By the end of the story, I really couldn’t say with any clarity. It saddened me how much they wanted to cure him…this is the real crux, the religiously devout feel the need for their children to conform or be a certain way in the eyes of God.
I think I know where Hurley was trying to go with it but ultimately it didn’t really work for me. He wants the story to focus on why following blind faith is both insidious and incredibly damaging to communities and families. Unfortunately, nothing much happened and I struggled to finish the story, I did but only to see where things would be left.
carlamaeshep's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25