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A review by knitcowboy
Down by Ally Blue
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
2.5
It's just not really scary. I did like it, but as a horror book idk. I want to be scared, but with this one I saw every twist coming, and you can only end so many chapters with "and he saw" or "and he screamed" before it itself becomes kind of silly.
I also didn't think the romance part was really that good. The rest of the narration feels very disconnected from that part, and it cuts the tension in a bad way when every time one of the main characters looks at the other and immediately starts to reminisce about how hot the sex was or that how he can't be falling in love because reasons ™.
What comes to the rest of the writing and the style? It felt really rushed, especially the start. Blue just really, really wanted to get to the horror part. Which I think made the story weaker, because the start is needed to establish normalcy which will be later broken, and just who the characters are and why I should care. Other than that, it's an easy book to read, and if you aren't aware of Dead Space, which especially the start feels like a riff of, then you're good, since you can't compare to what is a 100 times a better story.
Anyway, I'm still happy to see gay horror books. And the setting for this one was definitely different and interesting. Overall just an okay book.
I also didn't think the romance part was really that good. The rest of the narration feels very disconnected from that part, and it cuts the tension in a bad way when every time one of the main characters looks at the other and immediately starts to reminisce about how hot the sex was or that how he can't be falling in love because reasons ™.
What comes to the rest of the writing and the style? It felt really rushed, especially the start. Blue just really, really wanted to get to the horror part. Which I think made the story weaker, because the start is needed to establish normalcy which will be later broken, and just who the characters are and why I should care. Other than that, it's an easy book to read, and if you aren't aware of Dead Space, which especially the start feels like a riff of, then you're good, since you can't compare to what is a 100 times a better story.
Anyway, I'm still happy to see gay horror books. And the setting for this one was definitely different and interesting. Overall just an okay book.