Okay. Surprisingly, I enjoyed this waaaaay more than I initially thought I would.
I mean, the way the whole plot of the book, from the beginnin4.35/5 ⭐
Okay. Surprisingly, I enjoyed this waaaaay more than I initially thought I would.
I mean, the way the whole plot of the book, from the beginning to the end, is built to be one big confession from multiple POVs, regarding (more or less) the same main issue, and it is quite captivating.
But the most captivating thing about this book is the evilness and darkness of all of the confessions. This proves to me, one more time, that: 1) having mommy issues is waaaaay worse than having daddy issues and 2) emotions might be things that set us apart from other animals, but the consciousness and intelligence is sometimes ruling over our body and soul, making us do brilliant, but horrible things....more
Very Kingesque, gave me chills and thrills, a really really tasteful psychological thriller/horror (at least for my taste).
It starts off reall4.5/5 ⭐
Very Kingesque, gave me chills and thrills, a really really tasteful psychological thriller/horror (at least for my taste).
It starts off really strong, the atmosphere is quite gripping and the characters remind me a lot of the ones in Stephen King's Pet Sematary and even The Shining. It's a great mix of psychological horror, paranormal activity, science fiction elements and really well individualised characters.
I've been waiting for a good horror like this for quite some time and I finally found it. So if you are a fan of Stephen King's works like I am, I do recommend this for a chilling, gripping and unputdownable experience!...more
This opinion is definitely in minority here, I know it, but that's just how I felt about this book.
I wanted to like it more because it had cr3.45/5 ⭐
This opinion is definitely in minority here, I know it, but that's just how I felt about this book.
I wanted to like it more because it had crazy potential, especially at the beginning where it gripped me with that crazy, witchy story about the leper, the curse, the devil. I said to myself ooh this has to be good now, it's like Sherlock Holmes but he is descending through the rings of hell.
After that initial spark of interest, I actually got to meet all the characters and see exactly how they are and what they bring to the table and I can say that they were very well contoured. Definitely solid characters with solid personalities.
Even though I liked the ending, I must say I got bored during a big chunk of the story and I got a bit lost, which means a big part of the whole plot kind of got chopped, even though my main goal was to cut through it not chop it up. And even with that, I can say that this has got to be one of the most nique (at least to me) books in terms of composition and if you don't mind slow mysteries with a dose of magic then this might be your next read....more
This would be a perfect example of a something-and-a-half star rating because, to me, it was more than a 3, not a full 4 either but right in-be3.5/5 ⭐
This would be a perfect example of a something-and-a-half star rating because, to me, it was more than a 3, not a full 4 either but right in-between. Even so, I've decided to award it the upper rating because I did enjoy it. Maybe it was because of the gloomy, rainy day outside (or maybe not who knows) but this was nonetheless a ✨vibe✨.
Did this drag? Yes, a little bit and I couldn't really see a finality to the whole plot, but it wasn't entirely pointless. I mean, it's a fairly short book and there are other factors that elevate the overall anatomy of the plot, in my opinion.
The atmosphere is just so good. Think of a cosy, dark-academia style of gothic, think of Katherine de Medici types of poisons, think of early Renaissance tapestries, think of early days astrology, think of Medieval witchcraft and bring them all into today's New York where art and history museums are a whole aesthetic at this point.
Yes, I did enjoy this a lot and I got to be around talks about tarot cards, astrology, mythology and old, long-dead languages for almost 400 pages. As for the thriller part - it felt like that was one part that was still loading.
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Even if it had thriller elements, I can't really call this a thriller. To me, it felt like a cosy dark academia novel with elements of history, thriller, linguistics, art and maybe even a little bit of magical realism. It was, overall, a good novel. And that cover is gorgeous, it begs for you to just pick it up and read it on a lazy, rainy day!...more
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