A review by lovelymisanthrope
Small Angels by Lauren Owen

dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I picked this book as a Book of the Month pick because it sounded like a gothic mystery about a small town with big secrets. 
"Small Angels" follows a young girl named Kate who finds solace in the abandoned church in the forest: Small Angels. Kate is the first person to become close to the family whose secret Small Angels hides. Now, Kate has returned to the small town for the first time in years and the forest has come alive again and is demanding to be heard. 
The writing in this novel is amazing. The author's ability to compose prose that is gothic and hauntingly beautiful is admirable. However, this book was paced too slowly for me as a reader.  The writing itself can also feel dense at times, which made me disconnect from the characters. By the time the story picked up and some of the mysteries were revealed, I was so bored I did not care.
This book is well-written, but it was not for me. 
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