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A review by mysticalstardrops
The Companion by Katie Alender
4.0
Rating: 3.75
I'm writing this review with the intention of highlighting a few details that made me either appreciate or dislike this book, in hopes that it may benefit a fellow reader searching for a good horror novel.
I found that The Companion wasn't a particularly special book, but wasn't too bad either. The plotline, although quite cliche, did hook me from the start, which is what made the book an enjoyable read. I found The Companion while searching for a clean horror book to satisfy my cravings (we all get them...), but also that wouldn't have a ton of trash every other page. Although the book wasn't overly horror-y, it was just enough to fall under the horror category.
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The Companion takes readers on a journey into the Sutton estate, a mysterious manor owned by the wealthy Sutton family. When an orphaned Margot is called to the house to become a companion to their sick daughter, she uncovers dark secrets that haunt the mansion. As Margot delves deeper, she discovers a long hidden secret that has festered in the household for decades.
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One of the main things I found important was that although there was some romance written into the plot (something I found very disappointing at that point in the book), I found it very unnecessary, and as a result, detached from the plot in a way that made it easy to skip over. I'm not entirely sure why the author deemed it necessary to add that; I feel that it took away from the truly important relationships the main character had with the other personas. Although I understand that a bit of filler in was needed in the plot to add themes other than gloom and horror, I think Alender could have definitely focused on friendship between the main character and the other character in question, rather than create a romance that wasn't needed by either of the characters at that point in their lives (as was proved at the end of the book).
So in summary, I'd recommend The Companion to readers looking for a clean read—although the romance was bothersome, it wasn't explicit, was very easily skippable, and didn't last longer than a page at a time. I also didn't come across *any* bad language, which was a very pleasant surprise. The horror plotline itself began as a cliche, and did contain more unoriginal plot details throughout the novel, but there were several interesting plot twists that made reading the book worth it. I give this book a 3.75, with points removed because of unnecessary romance plot, as well as the cliches Alender used throughout the novel. Otherwhise, this was truly an enjoyable read.
I'm writing this review with the intention of highlighting a few details that made me either appreciate or dislike this book, in hopes that it may benefit a fellow reader searching for a good horror novel.
I found that The Companion wasn't a particularly special book, but wasn't too bad either. The plotline, although quite cliche, did hook me from the start, which is what made the book an enjoyable read. I found The Companion while searching for a clean horror book to satisfy my cravings (we all get them...), but also that wouldn't have a ton of trash every other page. Although the book wasn't overly horror-y, it was just enough to fall under the horror category.
---
The Companion takes readers on a journey into the Sutton estate, a mysterious manor owned by the wealthy Sutton family. When an orphaned Margot is called to the house to become a companion to their sick daughter, she uncovers dark secrets that haunt the mansion. As Margot delves deeper, she discovers a long hidden secret that has festered in the household for decades.
---
One of the main things I found important was that although there was some romance written into the plot (something I found very disappointing at that point in the book), I found it very unnecessary, and as a result, detached from the plot in a way that made it easy to skip over. I'm not entirely sure why the author deemed it necessary to add that; I feel that it took away from the truly important relationships the main character had with the other personas. Although I understand that a bit of filler in was needed in the plot to add themes other than gloom and horror, I think Alender could have definitely focused on friendship between the main character and the other character in question, rather than create a romance that wasn't needed by either of the characters at that point in their lives (as was proved at the end of the book).
So in summary, I'd recommend The Companion to readers looking for a clean read—although the romance was bothersome, it wasn't explicit, was very easily skippable, and didn't last longer than a page at a time. I also didn't come across *any* bad language, which was a very pleasant surprise. The horror plotline itself began as a cliche, and did contain more unoriginal plot details throughout the novel, but there were several interesting plot twists that made reading the book worth it. I give this book a 3.75, with points removed because of unnecessary romance plot, as well as the cliches Alender used throughout the novel. Otherwhise, this was truly an enjoyable read.