Like most of Nevill's books it can get a little rambly and slow in the middle, but it's still a decent horror novel. Very dark and brooding, the environment and setting of this story is what makes it so eerie. Followed by the characters of the neighbors by a close second!

A quick read with horror and thoughts of eternity that will stay with you long, long after you've finished. The horror of this book is how it takes the concept of Hell and makes it a meaningless, boring, monotonous task. It really makes you think about time and numbers. How much can the human soul endure of it?

4.5 stars because it was legitimately a creepy book and had some EXCELLENT spook factors to it! It's not often I put aside other hobbies to do just reading. Not audiobook and chores, or book and background TV, JUST BOOK, JUST READ! I was hooked!

The book is first person POV and that of the child, and the writing reflects that of a child's thoughts, which I liked. It made for quick and easy reading and it was a good choice. Plus, it's nice when the adults believe the child and you see them become absolutely TERRIFIED of the ghostly ghoul after one glance when this poor kid has been "friends" with it for months now. Pish, adults *rolls eyes*.

On the downside, with this being from Bela's POV, the author has to have the adults talking out loud a lot of what they're thinking and usually way more deeply and maturely than you would to an eight year-old. It's usually under the guise of them info-dumping or letting out their stresses to their child while they think she's sleeping, but toward the end of the book it started getting a little too long, and while she wasn't sleeping. There's a reason for it, when you get there, but I was getting a little restless and wanted the dumb adults to stop talking so much. LOL.

Also, a very Stephen King-esque ending!

When this kept getting recommended on r/horrorlit I was intrigued. I was not ready for the rollercoaster that is this book! Starts off as a mystery, then funny, then scary, then creepy, then really sad, then surprising, then a good ending to seal it as a pretty good book. It's not like my usual horror. It's more psychological and mysterious. A little bit Neil Gaiman, a little Dean Koontz. Still, it was a wild ride that I think I liked!

4.5 stars. I wish I had read more of this on the train, but I was finishing up another audiobook at that time. But the scenic train I was on for 3 days was fresh with me while I read this book and it made it much more exciting because I could feel the tiny rooms, the rocking train, the tiny shared bathroom, the slim hallways that only allow one person. I could not relate to the high speed car chase or the deserts or the murders, thankfully. I really enjoyed book 1 and I also enjoyed book 2 with Ernest back to his snarky self as he travels across Australia on the scenic train the Ghan attending a Mystery Writer's festival. The author never fails to make me laugh and I was thrilled and wrapped up in the mystery until the very end! Well, not the very very end, which is the author thanking EVERYONE by name at the Penguin Publishing that helped with his book. I was awfully suspicious why there was 10 minutes left of my audiobook when it felt concluded, I started to get worried!

Great Knives Out-ish murder mystery that's a fun who-dunnit, like book 1.

Do you know how much I love these characters? SO MUCH!!! This book is all the feels! Much like Becky Chambers, who is the queer and comforting author of found family and friends being friends for Sci-Fi, T.J. Klune is that for fantasy, especially with this family in this universe. This sequel was amazing and left me swooning and happy after finishing it <3

Excellent story of Sapphic, ghostly love and how to stick up for oneself if someone else's love is damaging and hurtful to you.