Reviews

The Ruins, by Scott Smith

victhethicc's review against another edition

challenging dark sad tense medium-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

3.5

cthulhussy's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense 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? No

4.0

pri_k's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad slow-paced

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

5.0

moody's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense

3.0

nightowlreader's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad 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

4.5

awry_diamond's review against another edition

3.0

A good but not great survival horror that takes place in the jungles of mexico. I think I would more accurately have rated this a 3.5 (mostly on the strength of the premise) but couldn't rightly convince myself to push it up to a 4 due to the fairly 2-dimensional characters. If you are hoping for something like Nick Cutter's the Troop, I'd say this mostly delivers on the body horror but definitely under-delivers on authenticity of the characters. That being said, the last few pages played out well and I'm glad the author made the decisions he did about the ending. A solid choice if you're in the mood for something grim!

kayeness's review against another edition

3.0

Gory, compelling and dark.

thebookvisitor's review against another edition

adventurous dark tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

3.5

sooz_767's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this however it's simply too long! My edition is 523 pages and for a suspense novel that is really pushing it.

That said Smith really does do suspense well - the narration is simple but engrossing so you simply need to keep reading. It's not an 'edge of your seat' kind of story but the intrigue keeps you going page after page.

I did find there were a few meandering spots, a little too much introspection and description (a whole page about someone eating a grape!) but all in all a good book.

leilaniann's review against another edition

3.0

The female characters in the book are terrible stereotypes - useless, blubbering idiots in the face of adversity, and ill-prepared in any way to deal with even the most basic of hardships. The first third of the book was tedious to get through, the second third of it was mildly entertaining, the last third of it was pretty brutal. The characters were annoying enough that I kept reading pretty much just to see how/when they would die.