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stephanieanneauthor's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I read this immediately after Nevill's other mini collection "Before You Sleep", and unfortunately I feel like this one is the weaker of the two collections. Not by a lot - as this is still a good collection - but none of the stories here topped my favourite from "Before You Sleep."
My favourite in "Before You Wake" has got to be "The Angels of London". As someone who has had to put up with two very horrible landlords in the past, this one felt believable but also scary. And as a Whovian, one scene reminded me a lot of the Weeping Angels (so obviously, I loved that).
My favourite in "Before You Wake" has got to be "The Angels of London". As someone who has had to put up with two very horrible landlords in the past, this one felt believable but also scary. And as a Whovian, one scene reminded me a lot of the Weeping Angels (so obviously, I loved that).
Content Warnings
Moderate: Classism, Addiction, Body horror, Confinement, Death, and Injury/Injury detail
stephanieluxton's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
4.0
This is a collection of three short stories. The first is about a man who moves into a shitty apartment ruled by a strange entity. The second is about a cab driver with a dark past who finds himself picking up a series of strange passengers. The third story plays out like a movie where the author basically takes you on a tour of a freighter after something terrible has occurred - reading this felt like watching a silent cameraman giving a tour.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys atmospheric horror. This collection is short so it's perfect to devour in one sitting.
It's beautifully written, as you'd expect from Adam Nevill. He has a way of writing that is so vivid that it truly feels like you're watching a movie. He doesn't over share. He tells you just enough to let your imagination effectively fill in the blanks.
I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys atmospheric horror. This collection is short so it's perfect to devour in one sitting.
It's beautifully written, as you'd expect from Adam Nevill. He has a way of writing that is so vivid that it truly feels like you're watching a movie. He doesn't over share. He tells you just enough to let your imagination effectively fill in the blanks.
The main character in the first story is pretty likeable - I felt bad for him the whole time. The second story's main character is not a good person but I was still very stressed out for him. The third story doesn't really have characters.
Adam Nevill does short stories well. I went into this collection knowing nothing and finished it still basically knowing nothing, but the stories were fairly thought-provoking.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Car accident, Bullying, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Blood, Body horror, Child death, Gore, and Death
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