An enjoyable entry to the series, as it's always good coming back to visit such fun and interesting characters. This book felt like a lot of prep, a lot of set-up for futures novels. Some of that worked for me, some of it didn't. 

In the 'real world', shit is hitting the fan harder than ever. I think that's apparent, and could become very interesting later on, but a lot of the time in this book I felt it got in the way of what was already a very complex story, with dozens of different characters, plot points and other things to juggle. 

There's a lot to like here. The

other Crawlers returning to the dungeon

was very special. I enjoyed hearing the previous Cookbook owners backstories, and

what happened to the ones that survived

. 

I think this book suffered from too much stuff, simply put. I wish we'd got a bit less of plot thread 13, and a bit more Carl/Donus shenanigans. However, with the way things ended and Faction Wars now behind us, I'm still interested to see what happens next. 

A wonderful conclusion to the first "arc" of the Murderbot series. We are reunited with Murderbot's humans for the first time, and we get to see it try to process that interaction and how those relationships adjust and evolve. This is wrapped in a fun corporate spy-thriller, and is thoroughly enjoyable.

A really great ending to the series. The in media res storytelling worked fine for this, and sets up some really cool imagery and mystery surrounding Britain at the end of the novel. I like that we see the weariness of all the characters, their struggles and their strengths. It really feels like a slog to do what they're doing, and it would be. Paul and Andy are, as usual, brilliant and a wanker respectively. Overall a cracking end to a really different and interesting series. 

A fairly enjoyable romp, Bob is still a bit unlikeable and his womanizing ways work against him here. I felt the stories were compelling but not particularly horrific (lovecraftian/cosmic). Mostly a bit of a fluffy spy thriller this one. I might read more.

After reading "A Head Full of Ghosts", Temblay's "The Cabin at the End of the World" called to me from my e-book shelf. Without restraint, I dove head first into this novel hoping and expecting to love it as much as I enjoyed A Head Full of Ghosts. 

While this novel doesn't quite reach the heights of that for me, it was still an enjoyable, compelling read. There are several flaws and criticisms, much of which I have seen is

directed at the ambiguous nature of the ending

, alongside complaints it's a bit too meandering in places. 

I think you could chop this down into a tighter story, and it isn't perfectly executed, but the idea is so compelling I think if you find the premise interesting you'll get something out of it. 

The dads were affable and relatable. Wen was sweet and pensive for such a young child. The 'horsemen' who visit were both under and overcooked. Leonard made for a compelling 'villain'

and his utter despair at killing Wen

as well as his general arguments made him believable and empathetic. 

I was a bit disappointed by

the ambiguous nature of the ending

, though I suppose I should've expected it. Like with "A Head Full of Ghosts", I have my own conclusion, but I think it's possible to justify the 'horsemen' as either cultist fanatics or genuine messengers from a spiteful God. I think

the horsemen were telling the truth the entire time. The rational explanations of the first couple of 'signs' shown to the family kept me happy, until the seven aeroplanes fell out of the sky. The number seven is significant in Revalation, and features throughout the book. Seven grasshoppers. Seven knocks at the door. Seven point something for the first earthquake. To me, alongside the timing, this felt a little too serendipitous, but you could absolutely argue the other way, with these events as coincidence.

So, while I think it wasn't as good as AHFoG, I do think it's a fun read, if you don't mind an ambiguous ending. 

What a strange and intriguing novel. Powers beyond human comprehension, an abstract process which is neutering out protagonist, and a bunch of weirdos and freaks. 

I loved the opening, the retelling of Rumpelstiltskin as a darker tale, a warning for those who might dare to cross its kind. The moments of horror throughout the book were myriad, generally forgoing 'shocking' lovecraftian reveals, and instead building more and more tension and discomfort in places where we should feel safe and fine.

The ending of the novel, I felt, was also very well done. The last few pages leave the reader with dread and heartache at knowing what comes next, as well as feeling utterly powerless.

Where I struggled was with the protagonist Don. Early on

I understood something bad was happening to him which made him fucking moron, to be frank. A tottering old man who was sympathetic, with Michelle/the Croning process seeming to have taken much of his faculties away.

Don is the victim of this story, and his family are joint victims and conspirators alike. However, the realisation that something was reducing Don to this damnable fool wasn't scary so much as it was sad and frustrating. When I realised in the early chapters what was happening, it made the novel feel pointless, and inevitable. When the pregnancy was announced, I knew what old Rumpelstiltskin would want.

I suppose there's nothing wrong in knowing where a novel is going, what notes you expect to hit next on the sheet, but because Dom was so useless, it all felt a little pointless for me. Maybe that was the point, that we were along with Dom on this awful track, knowing it leads off a cliff with no way to do anything but follow the rail. If that's the case, that's fine, but it still made me enjoy the ride less.

The epithet

'time is a circle'

is repeated throughout the book, but I feel like it was handled a little clumsily. We are introduced to the  "archetype" of "the spy", supposedly Don's bloodline(?), but to me this is ill-woven, a tack added as an afterthought, else improperly placed too far towards the end of the novel to truly stick.

That

Rumpelstiltskin

and it's ilk are

alien's

I found to be, personally, unsatisfying. I suppose had I gone into this expecting elements of cosmic horror then I would've found that more appealing. From the fairy-tale-esque opening, I was expecting more

magical corruption or something.

A lot of thoughts and complaints shows you that there was something about this book that still managed to pull me in, and I read it in a few short days. I'll be interested to read more of Laird's work, knowing a bit more of what to expect, and how it'll shake out when I eventually read more in the future.

A thoroughly enjoyable read. 

Two sisters, one afflicted by an apparent possession, one too young to truly understand what is happening, who is revisiting her memories of the incidents that made and ruined her childhood. 

The novel takes a fresh new approach to a ghost story, sprinkling in the unexplainable alongside rational explanations, rejection of the patriarchy, fear and access to information in the internet age, and a critical look at the exploitative nature of reality tv.

To me,

it is clear by the end that Marjorie wasn't possessed. To others, it may be clear she was.

This ambiguity in a "ghost-story" setting in this case works incredibly well. The reader may well make up their mind several different ways throughout the book before settling on what "really" happened. And I think that's the point. There is no objective reality in Merry's experience. She was too young, and her memories have since been forgotten, repressed, diluted, and altered by the media frenzy that she lived through, and has had to burden since.

Tremblay's writing is evocative, and kept me absolutely hooked.