Reviews tagging 'Alcoholism'

The House in the Pines: A Novel by Ana Reyes

59 reviews

amberacks12's review against another edition

dark mysterious

• 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? Yes

2.75

Not gonna lie, this book was anti climatic. There was a lot of build up and then just, poof, it’s done. I’m kind of left feeling underwhelmed and like the story is unresolved. I do feel like Ana Reyes has a lot of potential as a writer, but I don’t think this one really hit as hard as I was promised it would. 
And maybe I feel unresolved because of my own skepticism when it comes to certain aspects of the resolution that I will not mention. But I don’t think enough attention was given to how everything is resolved, and more just ends up feeling hand wavy. 
Plus, as a thriller, I didn’t ever feel that Maya was really in much danger, except from herself. 
That being said, I really enjoyed the tone and writing style, I liked Maya as a character and as a narrator, and I felt like the character aspects of this story were well developed. Each character felt distinct, and I could sense Maya’s imperfections and possible unreliabilities. I also liked the dreamlike quality of the writing, with flashbacks happening interspersed between the present day narration. It added to the sense of unease I’m sure Maya felt. 
So, overall, it was fine. 

Enjoyment: 3
Educational Value: 3
Emotional Impact: 2

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction and Alcoholism

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Stalking, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

books_baking_brews's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Child death, Mental illness, Death of parent, Gaslighting, and Alcohol

tamara_joy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, and Gaslighting

Moderate: Death, Vomit, and Classism

Minor: Panic attacks/disorders, Grief, and Murder

capriqueen's review against another edition

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

3.5

A compelling mystery. I guessed what was happening about halfway through but it was still interesting. The flashback chapters were more interesting than the present day chapters, which started to drag around the middle. End felt a little lackluster

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Death, and Drug abuse

Moderate: Mental illness and Gaslighting

Minor: Death of parent

crowbiz's review against another edition

mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Adult/minor relationship, Alcoholism, and Toxic relationship

murtzzie's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Mental illness, Death of parent, Murder, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis

hknox's review against another edition

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Alcoholism, Drug use, and Gaslighting

bethief's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, and Death

hatchtag's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Solid ⭐⭐⭐ it was just fine. I finished it. I looked forward to listening to it. It wasn't groundbreaking and I haven't thought about it since. It did keep me guessing, not in a stressful suspenseful way, but in a "what is going on here" and "how magical are they actually going to make this" way. I was actually hoping they'd lean even more into magical realism given it's cultural relevance to the character...I think the author missed an opportunity to tie a so-so narrative into a good genre piece that could have pushed it closer to four stars. I did enjoy the writing and the descriptions of the characters was clear, I'd read something else by this author for sure.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Toxic relationship, and Alcohol

kristentee's review against another edition

fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Addiction, Alcoholism, Drug abuse, Drug use, and Alcohol