Scan barcode
remjunior's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars. This was an easy read, but somehow still felt way too long. There is a pretty interesting idea here and the mystery is intriguing. The beginning was suspenseful and moved quickly. The middle was...I don't know. It just felt bogged down and repeated the same things over and over again. And then the end was....something. It was and ending. Sort of. But not really.
In fact, I think I hated the ending. Spoilers ahead.
I'm OK with never knowing if there really is an apocalypse, but the hokey "we're in this together and that's all that matters" was never really set up well enough to matter by the end of the book. It felt unearned and optimistic in a way that was cheap.
I'm positive this would have worked better as a play or movie (which I hear there is a movie) and felt more akin to a script. If this had been shortened to a novella length, I think it would have worked better.
In fact, I think I hated the ending. Spoilers ahead.
I'm OK with never knowing if there really is an apocalypse, but the hokey "we're in this together and that's all that matters" was never really set up well enough to matter by the end of the book. It felt unearned and optimistic in a way that was cheap.
I'm positive this would have worked better as a play or movie (which I hear there is a movie) and felt more akin to a script. If this had been shortened to a novella length, I think it would have worked better.
theinkdrinker's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
medium-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? Yes
3.75
stephparker's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
fast-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
3.0
meltingpages's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is definitely an anxiety inducing book, that's for sure! I wasn't sure what to expect going into this book, I've never seen the movie and it's my first book from this author! I both read this physically and listened to the audiobook when I could, I'm not sure that I really liked the audiobook as at times it was very difficult to know which of Wen's fathers was talking at any given point in time, but grabbing the physical book and following along made that a little easier. While I enjoyed the plot and trying to figure out what was and wasn't real, I'm not totally sure that it worked for me in the end. I tend to like more....concrete answers at the ending of the books I read and I think there was a little more left up to the reader's interpretation than what I normally enjoy. I'm glad I read this though and I'll check out more books from Paul Tremblay!
libliz's review against another edition
2.0
1.5 stars. That's generous.
Poorly executed "head hopping." The characters are really flat and no one's voice is distinct enough to justify the shifting POV (even the child sounds the same). Also the author's decision to switch between first and third person, seemingly at random, made me either think this writer is terrible or they had a terrible editor or both.
Why is it so hard to find good horror?
Poorly executed "head hopping." The characters are really flat and no one's voice is distinct enough to justify the shifting POV (even the child sounds the same). Also the author's decision to switch between first and third person, seemingly at random, made me either think this writer is terrible or they had a terrible editor or both.
Why is it so hard to find good horror?