hanks so much to NetGalley and DarkLit Press for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Unfortunately, I've finally decided after leaving hanks so much to NetGalley and DarkLit Press for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review.
Unfortunately, I've finally decided after leaving this book sitting at 63% for months because I wanted to finish but couldn't bring myself to push through it anymore to go ahead and DNF.
I was really excited at the prospect of a horror-heavy retelling of Rapunzel going into Kosa, and in theory, this is a genius book. The plot is interesting and John Durgin has come up with a lot of unique and twisted ways to tell the story while not straying so far from the inspiration that you don't see it at all. For me, I think Kosa fell flat because of the execution and the writing far more than the idea itself. The pacing was insanely slow for me through much of this book, and then in the moments when things would get really creepy or even a little scary, it felt like we flew through them with little to no description or explanation, and that was so frustrating because it ended up feeling like I was pushing through so much of the book for so little payoff when the horror vibes started to set in. And on top of that, these characters...they're very one dimensional and aren't given the space to really show what they're thinking or feeling, so instead it become a tell instead of a show, which takes a lot of fun out of the reading.
I would try another of John Durgin's books in the future, I think, but this one needed a lot more work on the character writing, pacing, and overall writing quality and ended up making a really awesome idea fall flat for me....more
Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen press for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!
Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one at 30%. I've pThanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen press for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!
Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one at 30%. I've promised myself that in the back half of this year, I'll stop forcing myself to push through books that I'm simply not enjoying, and I've hit that point with The Drowning House.
I had such high hopes going into this one that I was going to have the time of my life. I mean, a musty, decrepit old house washes up on a beach exuding a sinister aura? It sounds right up my alley. But the first 30% has moved so slowly and the flashbacks have been the most enjoyable part, which is hard when I'm here for a horror story. Also, and this is more of a personal reason, but the two characters you follow for the first act or so of the book are just not very likeable as people, and while I can get behind an unlikeable character, I can't handle that on top of a book that has bored me to the point that I've started other books instead of continuing it. So...yeah. I'd love to try another of Priest's books because the writing is great, but this one just falls flat for me compared to my expectations....more
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