leahrosereads's Reviews (1.04k)

Literally chilling on so many occasions for me, and I was completely here for it. I absolutely loved the writing and the distinct POVs. The plot was so horrifying and made for a great story.

My heart broke for the son here, and I'll admit to him being my favorite character. He was a creative, broken, little boy who had way too much heartbreak put upon him at such a young age.

Dang, there were so many fears here that kept me up the night I read this. Some thoroughly creeped me out, others were just a little skeevy, and some just weren't fears I'd ever have (hopefully).

I really liked the illustrations and they brought these fears to life.

Great read for the spooky season.

Silas brought this up to 4 stars for being just the absolute best character ever. He was amazing and everyone should read this book for his awesomeness alone.

Now, I have to admit, this book took a bit for me to warm up to, and I almost DNF'd it. But that was before Silas, and then he came into this book and made every scene special and added a really necessary element to it. The relationships became more dynamic with him involved, and I'm just so happy I stuck it out.

The story really picks up after about 100 pages and I started really liking Elisabeth and Nathaniel after around that point as well, which really helped with my overall enjoyment of the story.

This reads like very realistic YA (MC is 16 and seems 16) which I super appreciated. Really liked a lot about this, particularly Bri's brother and mom. I think they stole the show here.

I don't recommend listening to the audio book sped up (at least maybe not at 2x). I think it took away from that performance.

So, I tried this book years ago and hated it. It's actually the reason I assumed I didn't like the romance genre. But this year, I tried the genre again and fell in love with a few books.

So, I thought I'd try this one again.

Still hated it.

Well, I absolutely loved the beginning half of this book, especially the opening. It just absolutely hooked me in and had me super engaged. I really liked Nik and Carlos' interactions too. From friends to lovers, that was all great. Also, Nik's BFFs and Carlos' family - excellent side characters.

But the second half, when Carlos declares his feelings and his personality does a complete 180...not a great look.

Ren faires hold a special place in my heart. I go to my local one every year, and I absolutely love it. So the setting here was maybe my favorite of the year (in terms of romantic contemporary novels). Loved the family interactions here and just really liked all the characters in general.

But I really hated the lack of communication between Emily and Simon. And I just think this trope is definitively not for me.

I'd still recommend this book if you want a cute, fast read in a super fun setting!

"I think the best stories feel like they’re still going, somewhere, out in story space."

Erin Morgenstern has done it again. She's written a story where I've fallen completely in love with everything about it - the characters, the atmospheric setting, the intrigue, the world - all of it came together in a book that's pure perfection to me.

I've read where other people have mentioned that this feels like a love letter to stories (it does) and that Erin Morgenstern makes the reader work here (we do). And I've read where others who found this story is confusing (it is at times). But still, even when I was confused, or had to work out the mysteries of the all the clues (I was not able to figure out the answer to everything), I was so enthralled by every line of this book.

It was another absolutely beautiful, fantastical, unique story. And I cannot wait to see what this author writes next!

Loved the art and found the whole thing so atmospheric. Shiva and the Teacher had such wonderful interactions and it was such a beautiful friendship. This is one part so freaking wholesome and one part so freaking dark, and all of it, I just loved.