laurelthebooks's Reviews (662)

I highly recommend this book. The writing was excellent, the story was fun to follow, and it was a quick read as well – only a little over 200 pages. It had elements from multiple genres and you need not be a fantasy fan to enjoy this read. If you like classics, haunted houses, detective stories, fantasy, science fiction, or even literary fiction I would say this may appeal to you.

In fact, the books it most reminded me of were Coraline and We Have Always Lived in the Castle, maybe even a little bit of A Visit from the Goon Squad.

I have a full review and some Q&A with the person who recommended it to me on my blog as well.

Creepy, bloody, and oddly lovely.

I enjoyed re-reading Addie, as I could trace her story breadcrumbs through each bite-sized chapter as I went. The first read-through was fun, but the second allowed me to notice some of the smaller details - the trees, the roots, the very specific books, and some of the tie-ins I missed the first time around.

Victoria Schwab's description of the book being filled with "defiant joy" still rings true, and so much of Addie and Henry here seemed to be two views on what makes a story and who can tell a story, and then what those who hear the story turn it into as well. I enjoyed re-reading it enough a second time that I may in fact slate it for a third time...