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deadhighwaybooks's Reviews (646)
I never expected this book to go where it went, but it did.
This story really reinvented cosmic horror in my opinion.
I don’t even know where to start, or end.
For me, when I sit down to think about what I just read after finishing a book, the sense of dread comes into play. If the author can get me to feel just a little shred of dread, he/she has succeeded in blowing me away.
This story is full of anger, vengeance, and history. Not the good kind of history, as the cover will tell you. In just under 200 pages this author has created strong, vengeful characters that tell us how living in 1920’s America really was, in a way.
Every little detail right down to how his lead characters speak, their body language, and how they think speaks to the story.
Without giving spoilers I will say that if you enjoyed Lovecraft Country but felt like you wanted more, but in less words, than this book is for you.
This story really reinvented cosmic horror in my opinion.
I don’t even know where to start, or end.
For me, when I sit down to think about what I just read after finishing a book, the sense of dread comes into play. If the author can get me to feel just a little shred of dread, he/she has succeeded in blowing me away.
This story is full of anger, vengeance, and history. Not the good kind of history, as the cover will tell you. In just under 200 pages this author has created strong, vengeful characters that tell us how living in 1920’s America really was, in a way.
Every little detail right down to how his lead characters speak, their body language, and how they think speaks to the story.
Without giving spoilers I will say that if you enjoyed Lovecraft Country but felt like you wanted more, but in less words, than this book is for you.
This review has spoilers.
There’s something insanely appealing about coming of age horror stories And I’ll tell you straight up: it’s the nostalgia that they bring. I think we can all agree on that, if it’s our bag.
While this story had its moments, I’m not going to lie that it did lack.
What I liked about this story was that it was an insanely amazing idea. You take four kids trick or treating in London and they face the impossible of one being abducted. All their lives, the remaining three are haunted. It’s no surprise that their past isn’t believed and they are literally traumatized. I mean who wouldn’t be, right? That sense I have to applaud the author on because he really stuck to the reality of how that would’ve plaid out had it happened IRL.
The monster, supernatural as it was, was painted creatively and unique, which I also liked. It leaned toward cosmic but without the sense of dread. That part was lacking for sure, but it wasn’t bad. We even got to hear from the monster a little bit. Not enough, but it was there.
Now for what I didn’t like.
It seemed inconsistent. The story started to develop characters, but then it rushed into an ending that tried to be cosmic, but just didn’t cut it. It wasn’t that the ending wasn’t well thought out, it was just abrupt
It wasn’t completely coming of age, as it split times just like IT did. That’s another thing, you can most definitely see the influence that IT had on this book. And maybe ghostbusters as well, as I can recall at least two scenes that reminded me of it.
Another issue that I have is that we got absolutely no closure on how the characters made out to be with their spouses, who realistically enough refused to believe them and insisted on their husbands being delusional. If that much detail went into the spouses, I feel like we are owed the closure process. How did they cope now that their trauma has been dealt with?
All in all, I’m not saying this one is bad like many others are. It was far from bad. It’s just that some stories aren’t going to end the way we want them to all the time. That is what makes reading so fun.
There’s something insanely appealing about coming of age horror stories And I’ll tell you straight up: it’s the nostalgia that they bring. I think we can all agree on that, if it’s our bag.
While this story had its moments, I’m not going to lie that it did lack.
What I liked about this story was that it was an insanely amazing idea. You take four kids trick or treating in London and they face the impossible of one being abducted. All their lives, the remaining three are haunted. It’s no surprise that their past isn’t believed and they are literally traumatized. I mean who wouldn’t be, right? That sense I have to applaud the author on because he really stuck to the reality of how that would’ve plaid out had it happened IRL.
The monster, supernatural as it was, was painted creatively and unique, which I also liked. It leaned toward cosmic but without the sense of dread. That part was lacking for sure, but it wasn’t bad. We even got to hear from the monster a little bit. Not enough, but it was there.
Now for what I didn’t like.
It seemed inconsistent. The story started to develop characters, but then it rushed into an ending that tried to be cosmic, but just didn’t cut it. It wasn’t that the ending wasn’t well thought out, it was just abrupt
It wasn’t completely coming of age, as it split times just like IT did. That’s another thing, you can most definitely see the influence that IT had on this book. And maybe ghostbusters as well, as I can recall at least two scenes that reminded me of it.
Another issue that I have is that we got absolutely no closure on how the characters made out to be with their spouses, who realistically enough refused to believe them and insisted on their husbands being delusional. If that much detail went into the spouses, I feel like we are owed the closure process. How did they cope now that their trauma has been dealt with?
All in all, I’m not saying this one is bad like many others are. It was far from bad. It’s just that some stories aren’t going to end the way we want them to all the time. That is what makes reading so fun.
