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kleonard's review against another edition
5.0
This is a great supernatural mystery for YA and adult readers, full of interesting twists and turns. Clara's spending the summer with her dad in the small town he grew up in, but the locals are unfriendly and there's a certain amount of local lore about ghosts and monsters. When Clara encounters the things that haunt the place and a local teen dies at a party, she, another outsider, and the dead boy's ex-girlfriend team up to figure out what's going unsaid about the town, its colonizing families, and the powers that lurk in the lake. The issues of colonization, racism, and forced/normate heterosexuality are handled very well, and the big finish is exciting and well-written. I do think the book would benefit by having a catchier title; "People of the Lake" is a bit meh.
tsbowman1124's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
annarella's review against another edition
4.0
A creepy, exciting and well written book that kept me on the edge till the end.
I liked the descriptions of the environment, the well written cast of characters, and the gripping and entertaining plot.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I liked the descriptions of the environment, the well written cast of characters, and the gripping and entertaining plot.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
epilieaspiechick's review against another edition
2.0
My full review can be found on the Epilie Aspie Chick blog!
Thank you to Sky Pony for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Truthfully, I didn't connect to this story. The way it started felt like you were dropped partway through the tale, which left me off pace from the start. The beginning altogether is very slow, which meant that I could not get into the characters or the story at all.
Although I will say, this book did have some redeeming elements. The storyline about the sisters with their own language? I really enjoyed that part of the book and it's what grabbed my attention enough to pick up this ARC to begin with.
Thank you to Sky Pony for providing the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Truthfully, I didn't connect to this story. The way it started felt like you were dropped partway through the tale, which left me off pace from the start. The beginning altogether is very slow, which meant that I could not get into the characters or the story at all.
Although I will say, this book did have some redeeming elements. The storyline about the sisters with their own language? I really enjoyed that part of the book and it's what grabbed my attention enough to pick up this ARC to begin with.
roxanebayer's review against another edition
3.0
The People of the Lake is a YA thriller, mixed with a bit of horror, about Clara, a 16 year old spending her summer vacation with her father in his creepy and unfriendly town, Redmarch Lake. The town doesn't take friendly to newcomers, but one boy, Neil, takes it upon himself to make Clara feel welcome by inviting her to a party out in the woods. Unfortunately, Clara loses track of him during the party, and the next day his body turns up.
Ok, ok, ok. This was good. As far as my research tells me, this is Nick Scorza's first novel, please let me know if I'm wrong here. Thereby making this a worthwhile debut.
The atmosphere of Redmarch Lake is creepy and magical. From the start we know something is wrong with this town.
Our characters are loveable and diverse, and from the get go they act like actual teenagers.
Throughout the novel I was expecting some sort of plot twist, but I have to admit I didn't see the particular twist coming.
I wasn't left too satisfied by the resolution and the pacing of the entire novel could have been revised a bit. But overall I would still suggest the People of the Lake.
This novel would be perfect for fans of paranormal CW shows.
People of the Lake comes out in October. This was a review of an arc from NetGalley
Ok, ok, ok. This was good. As far as my research tells me, this is Nick Scorza's first novel, please let me know if I'm wrong here. Thereby making this a worthwhile debut.
The atmosphere of Redmarch Lake is creepy and magical. From the start we know something is wrong with this town.
Our characters are loveable and diverse, and from the get go they act like actual teenagers.
Throughout the novel I was expecting some sort of plot twist, but I have to admit I didn't see the particular twist coming.
I wasn't left too satisfied by the resolution and the pacing of the entire novel could have been revised a bit. But overall I would still suggest the People of the Lake.
This novel would be perfect for fans of paranormal CW shows.
People of the Lake comes out in October. This was a review of an arc from NetGalley
sch91086's review against another edition
3.0
People of the Lake is about a girl who spends the summer with her dad in his hometown. It’s a quiet little town on Redmarch Lake, except the people there are weird. They don’t like outsiders. They don’t talk to outsiders. And they are definitely hiding something.
One night, after a party in the woods, a teenage boy washes up dead on the lakeshore, and the following morning a note shows up from Clara’s twin sister, written in a secret language they shared as twins. The only problem? Clara’s sister Zoe has been dead for eight years.
This book was slow to get going. It lingers a lot on unnecessary details. Clara’s inner monologue is often repetitive, as is the recounting of her mornings at the coffee shop. The dialogue often felt stiff and cliched. It isn’t bad per se, but it’s not really good either.
I also struggled with the way Clara was written. She was written very much how I think adults believe teenage girls are, rather than how they actually are. She was never fully realized as a person outside of her teenage girl-dom. There were a lot of tropes and cliches stuffed in that just came across as dated. (A step dad she doesn’t want to know, the weird unfriendly goth girl, the awkward Dad… the list goes on.)
That said, I did enjoy the plot. A lot of the details were held back until the end, keeping me in suspense. Even when I struggled, I wanted to see where the crazy train was taking me. There’s a silly romance shoehorned in at the end that you’ll see coming a mile away. By the time they got to “I love you’s” I was rolling my eyes.
There’s some odd pieces of history going back to the 1400s thrown in, that don’t feel like they ever culminate into anything. They reveal bits and pieces of the town’s history but don’t actually contribute to the overall story beyond what the character’s tell us (and what the character’s tell us is much more coherent).
The spook factor was decent. I loved the imagery of lights in the woods and the howling, accompanied by the ever present lake, so silent and still. It’s definitely supernatural in nature, as a heads up, if that kind of horror is not your thing.
I think this could have actually been great if there had been some stronger editing to get rid of the tropes and repetitiveness, and maybe been trimmed down to a novella size to keep the pace up. Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss who provided an eARC for review.
One night, after a party in the woods, a teenage boy washes up dead on the lakeshore, and the following morning a note shows up from Clara’s twin sister, written in a secret language they shared as twins. The only problem? Clara’s sister Zoe has been dead for eight years.
This book was slow to get going. It lingers a lot on unnecessary details. Clara’s inner monologue is often repetitive, as is the recounting of her mornings at the coffee shop. The dialogue often felt stiff and cliched. It isn’t bad per se, but it’s not really good either.
I also struggled with the way Clara was written. She was written very much how I think adults believe teenage girls are, rather than how they actually are. She was never fully realized as a person outside of her teenage girl-dom. There were a lot of tropes and cliches stuffed in that just came across as dated. (A step dad she doesn’t want to know, the weird unfriendly goth girl, the awkward Dad… the list goes on.)
That said, I did enjoy the plot. A lot of the details were held back until the end, keeping me in suspense. Even when I struggled, I wanted to see where the crazy train was taking me. There’s a silly romance shoehorned in at the end that you’ll see coming a mile away. By the time they got to “I love you’s” I was rolling my eyes.
There’s some odd pieces of history going back to the 1400s thrown in, that don’t feel like they ever culminate into anything. They reveal bits and pieces of the town’s history but don’t actually contribute to the overall story beyond what the character’s tell us (and what the character’s tell us is much more coherent).
The spook factor was decent. I loved the imagery of lights in the woods and the howling, accompanied by the ever present lake, so silent and still. It’s definitely supernatural in nature, as a heads up, if that kind of horror is not your thing.
I think this could have actually been great if there had been some stronger editing to get rid of the tropes and repetitiveness, and maybe been trimmed down to a novella size to keep the pace up. Thank you to the publisher and Edelweiss who provided an eARC for review.
wisecraic's review against another edition
4.0
**I was provided an electronic ARC by the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for honest review.**
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
People of the Lake is a YA mystery which borders a bit into suspense and thriller. Redmarch Lake was once a thriving tourist town, but now it is weighed down by secrets and unfriendly to outsiders. Clara, whose family is one of three founding families, goes to the lake for the summer to visit her father after her parents' divorce. When Neil, the only local who will speak to Clara, shows up drowned in the lake, it is written off as a drunken teenage misadventure. But Clara and fellow outsider Hector realize there is more to the people of the lake than they would have the public believe.
In general, I found that I enjoyed this novel. The pacing for the majority of the book was well done. There was a decent balance struck that made the reader doubt what was happening and whether or not the cause of the trouble is paranormal or otherwise.
The ending, to me, was very rushed and resolved itself far too neatly. This was especially stark when compared to the rest of the book, where the pacing was so nicely done. The twists were not particularly original and added a bit to the hastiness of the ending.
Overall, I found People of the Lake to be an easy, fun read and would not hesitate to pick up other works by Nick Scorza.
Actual rating: 3.5 stars
People of the Lake is a YA mystery which borders a bit into suspense and thriller. Redmarch Lake was once a thriving tourist town, but now it is weighed down by secrets and unfriendly to outsiders. Clara, whose family is one of three founding families, goes to the lake for the summer to visit her father after her parents' divorce. When Neil, the only local who will speak to Clara, shows up drowned in the lake, it is written off as a drunken teenage misadventure. But Clara and fellow outsider Hector realize there is more to the people of the lake than they would have the public believe.
In general, I found that I enjoyed this novel. The pacing for the majority of the book was well done. There was a decent balance struck that made the reader doubt what was happening and whether or not the cause of the trouble is paranormal or otherwise.
The ending, to me, was very rushed and resolved itself far too neatly. This was especially stark when compared to the rest of the book, where the pacing was so nicely done. The twists were not particularly original and added a bit to the hastiness of the ending.
Overall, I found People of the Lake to be an easy, fun read and would not hesitate to pick up other works by Nick Scorza.
annarella's review
4.0
A creepy, exciting and well written book that kept me on the edge till the end.
I liked the descriptions of the environment, the well written cast of characters, and the gripping and entertaining plot.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine
I liked the descriptions of the environment, the well written cast of characters, and the gripping and entertaining plot.
It's the first book I read by this author and won't surely be the last.
Recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine