Reviews

A Guide to the Dark by Meriam Metoui

thereadingchallengechallenge's review

dark emotional tense medium-paced

• Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

I love a proper haunting story. This reminded me a lot of 1408 by Stephen King but there were also shades of The Haunting of Hill House. I liked Layla and Mira and reading about their struggles with being queer and Muslim, but I never quite bought that they had feelings for each other. It didn't help that the audiobook narrators were all over the place, each giving the story completely different vibes. I'd be interested to read Metoui's other books and I'll definitely be popping this on a few sapphic rec lists.

thelesbianlibrary's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• 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

3.0

jasminx's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

3.75

geeky_spider's review against another edition

medium-paced

4.25

alenka's review

dark emotional tense slow-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

Still processing this one but it ultimately got under my skin as good horror does. The exploration of Mira's grief and complex feelings surrounding her brother's death and how to move on was very well done; I think it's the strongest through line in the book. I was at times a bit stymied by Layla's hesitancy to be honest about her feelings, but Metoui does a good job of laying out the complexity of her family's expectations, and how as Egyptian immigrants their need to be true to their culture inhibits their ability to openly accept their daughter. I think this falls just a touch short of fully, properly laying out Ellis' story? It's not quite sitting right with me but this is a horror novel - it's not supposed to sit right. 

emburklin's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.75

sioco's review against another edition

4.5

Mira and Layla are taking a roadtrip to visit colleges but get derailed when Mira sees someone in the road, swerves, and totals the car. They end up at the Wildwood Motel and Ellis at the front desk tells them they don’t have any rooms available. His mother comes out to insist they stay in Room 9. Ellis is obviously uncomfortable but his mother isn’t taking no for an answer. When Mira and Layla get to their room, Mira senses something off. She starts to see her dead brother and the story unfolds from there. They find out that eight people died in that room and Mira might be the next one if they don’t figure out how to stop this “thing.” 
I did not see this story as horror. Was it suspenseful? Sure. But it wasn’t the scary story I was expecting. It was sad and explored the intricacies of grief and how people find guilt in themselves or others when someone they love passes. This was a beautiful story that highlights the experiences of two teenagers from Arab families living in America and the role their queerness and grief play in shaping their stay in Room 9. 

bibliophilebree's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense slow-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? Yes

4.0

cyngharris's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad 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? Yes

4.5

dyslexichedgehog's review against another edition

mysterious relaxing sad medium-paced

4.0