colleensreadingadventures's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-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
2.5
Doesn’t this cover scream creepy scary good?! That’s what I thought, and I’m a huge fan of thrillers and horrors so I was pretty excited to read this. I even read the book prior, Rules For Vanishing because I’ve heard they correlate without actually being a part of a series. I hate to say I did not really enjoy either book.
Kate Alice Marshall has a wonderful writing ability that much is clear. She set the tone perfectly for a creepy, chilling book. But it didn’t follow through. The characters fell flat, I didn’t really care either way what happened to the them, they just didn’t seem to have a real enough quality and I felt no connection. So suffice to say the romance involving Sophie the MC was something I could not get on board with.
I think the way the story unfolded told from video recordings of the events and then to the events themselves as they happened intermittently made it feel like a documentary or a story being told, not like something that was/had actually taken place. Maybe too much video recordings I’m not sure, but it took away something from the story, for me at least. It does seem like a lot of people really enjoyed that aspect. Also I thought there was way to much action. It was a bit overdone. Not enough time to absorb what was going on.
The plot also just didn’t gel with me. This is why I don’t like Sci Fi. That is not the main element but there definitely were traces of it. The way everything was explained kind of confused me. Maybe I’m just not smart enough to get it! That is a definite possibility! 😂😂
I hate to slam a book this hard but I want to be honest about my feelings and I do believe Kate Alice Marshall has writing talent that needs to be explored. This book just wasn’t a hit for me.
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬
Kate Alice Marshall has a wonderful writing ability that much is clear. She set the tone perfectly for a creepy, chilling book. But it didn’t follow through. The characters fell flat, I didn’t really care either way what happened to the them, they just didn’t seem to have a real enough quality and I felt no connection. So suffice to say the romance involving Sophie the MC was something I could not get on board with.
I think the way the story unfolded told from video recordings of the events and then to the events themselves as they happened intermittently made it feel like a documentary or a story being told, not like something that was/had actually taken place. Maybe too much video recordings I’m not sure, but it took away something from the story, for me at least. It does seem like a lot of people really enjoyed that aspect. Also I thought there was way to much action. It was a bit overdone. Not enough time to absorb what was going on.
The plot also just didn’t gel with me. This is why I don’t like Sci Fi. That is not the main element but there definitely were traces of it. The way everything was explained kind of confused me. Maybe I’m just not smart enough to get it! That is a definite possibility! 😂😂
I hate to slam a book this hard but I want to be honest about my feelings and I do believe Kate Alice Marshall has writing talent that needs to be explored. This book just wasn’t a hit for me.
𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐘𝐨𝐮 𝐭𝐨 𝐏𝐞𝐧𝐠𝐮𝐢𝐧 𝐓𝐞𝐞𝐧 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐠𝐢𝐯𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐨𝐩𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐭𝐮𝐧𝐢𝐭𝐲 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐯𝐢𝐞𝐰 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐨𝐟 𝐎𝐮𝐫 𝐋𝐚𝐬𝐭 𝐄𝐜𝐡𝐨𝐞𝐬
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, and Child abuse
Minor: Gun violence
aeeklund's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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? Yes
5.0
Okay, I, for one, am firmly a fan of Kate Alice Marshall’s particular blend of contemporary, horror, and supernatural. I really enjoy the epistolary nature of the Ashford Files books, as well.
Yes, that’s right. Ashford. Files. Books.
I started reading this one because I loved Rules for Vanishing so much, unaware that Our Last Echoes is a companion novel, the two linked together by an overarching mystery surrounding a minor character in both - a minor character who appears more in this story, and who very well may be the key to the next one (which I need RIGHT NOW).
Sophia Novak has arrived on a lonely island under false pretenses. Masquerading as a scientific research intern, she has come with one goal: find the explanation for her mother’s disappearance fifteen years ago, which will also hopefully explain why she has memories of drowning. Her mother is not the only one who has vanished from Bitter Rock: the island has a legacy of vanishings that spans decades, and no one will talk about it. Sophia must learn quickly who she can trust as she discovers that not everyone who was lost has stayed lost. Some of them have left echoes behind.
As I read Our Last Echoes, I found it reminiscent of Madeleine L’Engle—and I do not say that lightly, but rather almost reverently. There’s the brushes of the uncanny against the edges of our world. There’s the smart, lonely heroine discovering both those uncanny edges and herself. There’s the themes of courage, love, connection, knowledge, and of these things being humanity’s strongest weapons in the battles against darkness. There are other things I cannot say because < REDACTED >
Had I known this was a companion to Rules for Vanishing, I would have gone in with even higher expectations; those expectations would not have been disappointed. I really, really enjoyed this.
Yes, that’s right. Ashford. Files. Books.
I started reading this one because I loved Rules for Vanishing so much, unaware that Our Last Echoes is a companion novel, the two linked together by an overarching mystery surrounding a minor character in both - a minor character who appears more in this story, and who very well may be the key to the next one (which I need RIGHT NOW).
Sophia Novak has arrived on a lonely island under false pretenses. Masquerading as a scientific research intern, she has come with one goal: find the explanation for her mother’s disappearance fifteen years ago, which will also hopefully explain why she has memories of drowning. Her mother is not the only one who has vanished from Bitter Rock: the island has a legacy of vanishings that spans decades, and no one will talk about it. Sophia must learn quickly who she can trust as she discovers that not everyone who was lost has stayed lost. Some of them have left echoes behind.
As I read Our Last Echoes, I found it reminiscent of Madeleine L’Engle—and I do not say that lightly, but rather almost reverently. There’s the brushes of the uncanny against the edges of our world. There’s the smart, lonely heroine discovering both those uncanny edges and herself. There’s the themes of courage, love, connection, knowledge, and of these things being humanity’s strongest weapons in the battles against darkness. There are other things I cannot say because < REDACTED >
Had I known this was a companion to Rules for Vanishing, I would have gone in with even higher expectations; those expectations would not have been disappointed. I really, really enjoyed this.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Body horror, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, and Grief
Minor: Child abuse and Gun violence
juliezantopoulos's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
I adored Kate Alice Marshall's Rules for Vanishing when I read it as an ARC so getting the advance reader copy for this book really excited me. I dove right in and was pleasantly surprised to realize it exists in the same world as Rules for Vanishing (not a spoiler-if you read the synopsis well ...unlike me...you can riddle that out, too).
This story is spooky-like downright gave me nightmares and was difficult to read at night but I loved it. It wasn't my "perfect" Kate Alice Marshall because some of the themes weren't as "me" as Rules for Vanishing but oh my gosh did I love it, still. Her writing is amazing, the way she crafts a story and writes her characters is fantastic. There are a lot of people mentioned, so much like Rules for Vanishing, there is a lot to keep straight. I don't mind this, at all, as a full cast makes the world feel "real" for me.
This one does come with some creepy body gore and a lot of trauma and history with suicidal thoughts, mental illness, depression, and emotional repression. It's dark-her books tend to be, but nothing I couldn't handle. There is some mutations of people and animals and death of people and animals in the novel including a violent assualt on a child that is shown in flashbacks. Know yourself and if you can handle it...but it's fantastic.
This story is spooky-like downright gave me nightmares and was difficult to read at night but I loved it. It wasn't my "perfect" Kate Alice Marshall because some of the themes weren't as "me" as Rules for Vanishing but oh my gosh did I love it, still. Her writing is amazing, the way she crafts a story and writes her characters is fantastic. There are a lot of people mentioned, so much like Rules for Vanishing, there is a lot to keep straight. I don't mind this, at all, as a full cast makes the world feel "real" for me.
This one does come with some creepy body gore and a lot of trauma and history with suicidal thoughts, mental illness, depression, and emotional repression. It's dark-her books tend to be, but nothing I couldn't handle. There is some mutations of people and animals and death of people and animals in the novel including a violent assualt on a child that is shown in flashbacks. Know yourself and if you can handle it...but it's fantastic.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Violence, Suicidal thoughts, Panic attacks/disorders, Mental illness, Body horror, Grief, and Gore
Moderate: Child abuse
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