Scan barcode
A review by raforall
Hearts Strange and Dreadful by Tim McGregor
5.0
STAR Review in the April 2021 issue of Library Journal: https://www.libraryjournal.com/?reviewDetail=hearts-strange-and-dreadful-2113705
and on the blog [link live 4/5/21]: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2021/04/what-im-reading-april-horror-reviews.html
Three Words That Describe This Book: Pervasively Creepy, Strong Sense of Place, Slow Burn
Draft Review:
It’s 1819 in Rhode Island. Hester, our narrator, lives with her uncle’s family after her own was killed in a fire a few towns away. When an ailing stranger rides in from Hester’s former hometown, a sickness and a terrifying story of a town gone mad follows him infecting Hester’s family, friends and neighbors, spreading death. But there may be more than a plague behind this nightmare. Led by the strong, sympathetic, but damaged Hester, the terror of this story is driven by the three dimensional characters and the extremely well rendered setting. Readers will become immersed in the place and its people, feeling their loss as townsfolk succumb to disease and cower in horror as the occult origins of their situation is revealed. Pervasively creepy and featuring a dread that compounds upon itself until it bursts in horrific fashion, this is a story that will be enjoyed by a wide range of readers.
Verdict: An excellent example of historical horror, this novel holds obvious appeal to fans of Alma Katsu’s The Hunger but it is also reminiscent of the captivatingly creepy occult fable The Boatman's Daughter by Andy Daivdson with its rich and compelling characters and strong sense of ominous place.
and on the blog [link live 4/5/21]: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2021/04/what-im-reading-april-horror-reviews.html
Three Words That Describe This Book: Pervasively Creepy, Strong Sense of Place, Slow Burn
Draft Review:
It’s 1819 in Rhode Island. Hester, our narrator, lives with her uncle’s family after her own was killed in a fire a few towns away. When an ailing stranger rides in from Hester’s former hometown, a sickness and a terrifying story of a town gone mad follows him infecting Hester’s family, friends and neighbors, spreading death. But there may be more than a plague behind this nightmare. Led by the strong, sympathetic, but damaged Hester, the terror of this story is driven by the three dimensional characters and the extremely well rendered setting. Readers will become immersed in the place and its people, feeling their loss as townsfolk succumb to disease and cower in horror as the occult origins of their situation is revealed. Pervasively creepy and featuring a dread that compounds upon itself until it bursts in horrific fashion, this is a story that will be enjoyed by a wide range of readers.
Verdict: An excellent example of historical horror, this novel holds obvious appeal to fans of Alma Katsu’s The Hunger but it is also reminiscent of the captivatingly creepy occult fable The Boatman's Daughter by Andy Daivdson with its rich and compelling characters and strong sense of ominous place.