A review by pagesofkenzie
Mothtown by Caroline Hardaker
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
“I’m shaking, yet trying to be invisible, and as the night comes alive and says everything I don’t want it to, I fight back the ghosts until I, exhausted, sink deliciously into their arms.”
First off, thank you @angryrobotbooks and @caroluna_writes_stuff for sending me an advanced copy for an honest review!
Okay let’s get into it!
What I liked:
1. This is definitely a slow burn book that took me a while to read. But it was a perfect pace for the story that unfolded.
2. I loved Hardaker’s prose & writing style which I would describe as beautifully grotesque & chaotic. Which perfectly fits with the mental state of our main character, David.
3. Guys, we have a very unreliable narrator here. Most of my favourite books involve an unreliable narrator & David’s voice is very well done! His view point was so muddled, confusing, warped & riddled with pain, grief & desperation. We see him grow from a ten year old boy losing his grandfather, his best friend, to the age of 26 where he is still trying to make sense of what happened.
4. The symbolism & metaphors used were fantastic. The authors use of colour, transformation, sound & space was very impactful. There is a significant amount of body horror in this book that is both symbolic & literal so heads up on that.
5. Did I mention that there are illustrations by CHRIS RIDDELL!!! The cover of this proof is one of the illustrations included & they really did add to the story!
6. I loved the story. Even though I was super confused & had no idea what was happening, up until the ending, I loved every second of it. Especially the ending!
The only critic I have is that some points of the novel were very wordy & read a bit awkwardly. But this could have been fixed in the final draft.
This book is definitely not for everyone but it was definitely for me!
First off, thank you @angryrobotbooks and @caroluna_writes_stuff for sending me an advanced copy for an honest review!
Okay let’s get into it!
What I liked:
1. This is definitely a slow burn book that took me a while to read. But it was a perfect pace for the story that unfolded.
2. I loved Hardaker’s prose & writing style which I would describe as beautifully grotesque & chaotic. Which perfectly fits with the mental state of our main character, David.
3. Guys, we have a very unreliable narrator here. Most of my favourite books involve an unreliable narrator & David’s voice is very well done! His view point was so muddled, confusing, warped & riddled with pain, grief & desperation. We see him grow from a ten year old boy losing his grandfather, his best friend, to the age of 26 where he is still trying to make sense of what happened.
4. The symbolism & metaphors used were fantastic. The authors use of colour, transformation, sound & space was very impactful. There is a significant amount of body horror in this book that is both symbolic & literal so heads up on that.
5. Did I mention that there are illustrations by CHRIS RIDDELL!!! The cover of this proof is one of the illustrations included & they really did add to the story!
6. I loved the story. Even though I was super confused & had no idea what was happening, up until the ending, I loved every second of it. Especially the ending!
The only critic I have is that some points of the novel were very wordy & read a bit awkwardly. But this could have been fixed in the final draft.
This book is definitely not for everyone but it was definitely for me!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Mental illness, and Body horror
Minor: Death