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A review by geldauran
Beware the Wild by Natalie C. Parker
3.0
The first half of this book had me totally hooked- the deep south, swampy, creepy atmosphere was very well done. And the initial scenes with Lenora May were sufficiently creepy, as was Sterling's initial encounter with the swamp ghoulies. But as I proceeded into the second half, the book lost all of its atmospheric weight to me. It skimped on the anticipation and sense of unease that I found compelling in the first half.
The characters are nothing to write home about, but are likeable enough to carry the story. The setting is very well done, I thought the author had a penchant for scenery, I had solid mental images for both the swamp and the town.
Ultimately, I guess I was disappointed that this took a turn away from horror and a large step toward paranormal. It may just be me, but I thought another injection of creepy could have made this book shine. All the pieces are there- the swamp, the girl from the swamp, the memory loss, the Shine... it all could have been just a little bit more edge-of-your-seat, a little more "wow", a little more "I've gotta watch the swamp behind my house a little more carefully now". The swamp thing at the very least. This book should have left people living near swamps feeling spooked, if only for a night.
The characters are nothing to write home about, but are likeable enough to carry the story. The setting is very well done, I thought the author had a penchant for scenery, I had solid mental images for both the swamp and the town.
Ultimately, I guess I was disappointed that this took a turn away from horror and a large step toward paranormal. It may just be me, but I thought another injection of creepy could have made this book shine. All the pieces are there- the swamp, the girl from the swamp, the memory loss, the Shine... it all could have been just a little bit more edge-of-your-seat, a little more "wow", a little more "I've gotta watch the swamp behind my house a little more carefully now". The swamp thing at the very least. This book should have left people living near swamps feeling spooked, if only for a night.