leahrosereads's Reviews (1.04k)

This was a dark, atmospheric, powerful piece of fiction.  While quite a bit of the symbolism went over my head, it didn't make this story any less haunting.  One part coming of age, one part ghost story, and one part psychological thriller, this is a story that's going to stick with me for some time, for sure!  

The writing was incredible.  In 100 pages, SGJ had me so invested in everything that was happening to the narrator Junior, Dino, and their mother.   Everything that Junior went through was extraordinary.  I had goosebumps on my arms while reading this at night, imagining what he was seeing, and though I have other sleep issues (sleep paralysis and night terrors), I understood at least a little bit how sleepwalking and dreaming can make you question if what you're seeing is real.  His need for his dad to be back from the dead was so palpable on the page, and my heart definitely hurt for this 12 year old.  

I'll absolutely be reading everything I possibly can by SGJ!   

What a mind fuck!  This book had so many things that I'm afraid of: enclosed, tight spaces; heights; loss of body autonomy; descent into madness; and of course a giant freaking monster!

I was, of course, on the edge of my seat absolutely speed reading this.  I had to know what was going to happen to Gyre!

The only reason this isn't getting 5 stars is that I really didn't like the romance between Gyre and Em.  

Setting this one aside (for now). Jennifer McMahon is a fantastic author, and I've really enjoyed the books I've read, until this one.  The first chapter instantly sucked me into the story, but then chapters 2-??? was where I lost all interest.

I liked this (I think). Sure, I was pretty confused from start to finish, but the storytelling kept me intrigued, the characters fascinated me, and I had to know what was going to happen.

And I found out, but it didn't make me less confused.  Which is OK.  It's OK that I don't know what really happened, because at least the journey was interesting.

The very first paragraph of this novella completely hooked me in!  I had to keep reading just to find out how it came to be, and I wasn't disappointed when I found out!  

This wasn't a gory or gross horror, just incredibly dark, psychologically.  I loved that!  The characters are teenagers and come with all their teenager-ness and the MC, Sawyer is just a fascinating narrator.

Literally anything else I'd say could be viewed as a spoiler, so just read this!!

Well this was a freaking trip! I loved how it turned the traditional haunted house setting on its head. The horror elements in this book were a mix of creepiness, gore, and grossness.   Other things I really liked: the layout of the book. It's so freaking clever!  However, outside of that, only one character felt relevant so if anything happened to the others, I just didn't care.  And I hate when that happens.  I'd like to be impacted in some way when anything happens to characters in a story.

This was a pretty fascinating witchy book.  There were definitely some great takeaways here that I'll be able to use in my own practice.

I didn't like the ABC aspect here and felt the ideas were all over the place here.  

What an absolutely remarkable book.  This was dark and haunting and while paced a little slower, I couldn't put it down! Every chapter added a level of suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat and the creepiness was just *chef's kiss* perfect!

Immanuelle was a fantastic character.  I really liked her values and her strength throughout this entire novel.  And Ezra - what a sweet bean! I love when LIs let the strength of their partners shine!

Obviously I'll be pre-ordering the sequel as soon as I can!

If you want amazing characters, fantastic settings and an outstanding plot, here's the next book you should be reading.  Elatsoe is everything I love in fantasy. It's set in our world with magic ingrained in every fiber of the story.

The characters are so well written, and I can't imagine any reader not rooting for this MC, her friends, and her family.

What a journey!  I'll definitely be reading more from this author whenever possible!

What a stunning conclusion to the duology! Seeing Tobias and Silver together again warmed my heart, and of course there was Bramble too, who I just absolutely love!

This story was so intriguing and really was a continuation from where the first book left off.  It built off of that, while still providing for enough newness that it was never boring.

I absolutely love Emily's writing style and how she tells a story! Definitely can't wait to see what she puts out next!