silverberry's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
aparker89's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Well that was a whirlwind of emotion! James Brogden kills it yet again! His use of folklore to build a realistic world of terror and supernatural beings is absolutely nightmare inducing! I feel for every single character, nothing is quite as it seems and man it is a gut punch at times! Get ready for Pesta to sweep you into her grip... unless you're lucky and she brought her rake to your door instead!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Cursing, Gore, Pandemic/Epidemic, and Violence
Minor: Death of parent, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Infertility, Mental illness, Self harm, Miscarriage, Bullying, and Physical abuse
lithero's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
2.0
leksikality's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
I needed an audiobook and this is in the Plus catalogue so I gave it a go not really expecting much.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how engaged with the characters I was. There are imperfections, of course, and the editor in me was dying to cross some things out but Brogden has a talent for pacing which most don't.
At times I was surprised at where he went - which is also a difficult thing to pull off well - and other times you knew exactly what was going to happen which made it that much worse.
I'd read the book, though. The narrator here goes into this weird voice that sort of ruins the effect of Brogden's work.
I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it and how engaged with the characters I was. There are imperfections, of course, and the editor in me was dying to cross some things out but Brogden has a talent for pacing which most don't.
At times I was surprised at where he went - which is also a difficult thing to pull off well - and other times you knew exactly what was going to happen which made it that much worse.
I'd read the book, though. The narrator here goes into this weird voice that sort of ruins the effect of Brogden's work.
lauracs6's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
zhy'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
2.5
becka6131's review against another edition
4.0
Easy and engaging to read despite some pacing issues. I was impressed with how well the author juggled such a big cast of characters, although the arcs of some of them felt predictable - I don't know if we needed quite so many chapters from Hester's POV to get the gist. So the middle definitely lagged a bit, but the last third of the book roars along and puts this book firmly in the horror genre when it had been feeling more like a thriller. Impressed with the sting of the ending too.
sherrybomb's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? It's complicated
4.75
kj8s's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5