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ryantlabee's review against another edition
5.0
What a taught little disturbing novella! Not a wasted word and Greenhall (Hamilton) conveys so many dark and twisted things without even writing it explicitly. I loved this book.
ambrose_7's review against another edition
4.0
Greenhall has a way of writing very unsettling characters. Everyone is just a little bit off, a little bit messed up—some more than others, the protagonist of this novel Elizabeth most of all. She's the most disturbing 14-year-old girl I think I'll ever read. The way she thinks about sex is disturbing, the way she thinks about other people is disturbing, and the way her thoughts are written is the most disturbing of all.
This book talks about sex between adults and children in a way that makes you not even think about it as an unnatural thing, if that's not disturbing I don't know what is. Elizabeth is so different from your typical 14 years of age that you don't think of her as one, but you do at the same time. I can see how someone wouldn't like this book for the reasons stated above, I've heard it compared to "Lolita." For me, It's pulled off because of Greenghall's rational style of writing. His character's deep knowledge of why other characters are motivated to do things. His prose are just so dark and different from anything you'll run into. I think that he sees life a lot differently than I do, and I like
seeing perspectives much different than mine.
I didn't really know how to rate this, I think it's 3.5 stars, I didn't enjoy it as much as "Hellhound" but I was still oddly transfixed. It touches on a lot of taboo subjects in a way that puts them in a different light, not a better light to be clear, but a different one.
This book talks about sex between adults and children in a way that makes you not even think about it as an unnatural thing, if that's not disturbing I don't know what is. Elizabeth is so different from your typical 14 years of age that you don't think of her as one, but you do at the same time. I can see how someone wouldn't like this book for the reasons stated above, I've heard it compared to "Lolita." For me, It's pulled off because of Greenghall's rational style of writing. His character's deep knowledge of why other characters are motivated to do things. His prose are just so dark and different from anything you'll run into. I think that he sees life a lot differently than I do, and I like
seeing perspectives much different than mine.
I didn't really know how to rate this, I think it's 3.5 stars, I didn't enjoy it as much as "Hellhound" but I was still oddly transfixed. It touches on a lot of taboo subjects in a way that puts them in a different light, not a better light to be clear, but a different one.
jrharris's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
lallie91's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
floralvarezr's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This was such an uncomfortable read. If the protagonist had been only a few years older I might have loved it, but she wasn't. She's 14 years old. The contents are just too disturbing and normalised. And I get why, because everything is narrated by her and she doesn't see anything wrong with what's happening to her but still. There's an adult man writing in real life. Pedophilia aside, the prose, setting and pacing were good. The descriptions were vivid and the lore was great as well. The characterisation was good, although I did catch some inconsistencies within Elizabeth's thoughts. I thought it could have had something interesting to say about gender. It is quite effective horror.
nick_at_nite's review against another edition
4.0
Kinky, unsettling, with a side of incest. It’s like a witchy V.C. Andrews book.
the_enobee's review against another edition
4.0
Elizabeth was my first Ken Greenhall novel, and I am duly impressed. Greenhall's writing is fluid, descriptive, and perfectly elucidates the title character. The book was an enjoyable, elegant read and kept me guessing until the end, where things were left suitably ambiguous. Highly recommended to fans of Valancourt's previous releases and those looking for a good read that provides equal parts supernatural and thought-provoking observations on societal norms.
I purchased the ebook, and the audiobook was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. In regards to the audio, Becca Grabowski's narration is pitch-perfect and will have you searching for other books she has narrated. This appears to be her first, so hopefully this is the beginning of a wonderful career in narration. Audio is highly recommended and production quality is as good as it gets.
I purchased the ebook, and the audiobook was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. In regards to the audio, Becca Grabowski's narration is pitch-perfect and will have you searching for other books she has narrated. This appears to be her first, so hopefully this is the beginning of a wonderful career in narration. Audio is highly recommended and production quality is as good as it gets.
theduchess93's review against another edition
4.0
This book offered what it said on the tin: a supernatural Lolita from her perspective. I didn't really care about any of the characters, but I don't think I was supposed to. 4.5 stars with .5 for queer women.
wholewheatwhale's review against another edition
1.0
Content warning for this book: pedophilia, incest
Read this book because it was in NPR's Horror Reading List. I have no idea why it was included. The narrative is choppy to the point of being unreadable. None of the characters have any value or personality. Just no.
Read this book because it was in NPR's Horror Reading List. I have no idea why it was included. The narrative is choppy to the point of being unreadable. None of the characters have any value or personality. Just no.
dantastic's review against another edition
3.0
Urged on by a ghost named Frances living in her mirror, Elizabeth's first victims were her parents. When she goes to live with relatives, will Frances help Elizabeth kill again?
Elizabeth is yet another book whose existence I would have know inkling of if not for Paperbacks from Hell! I eventually overcame my cheapness and nabbed the ebook.
I'd say Elizabeth is part of the "creepy kids" subgenre of horror, although at 14 and sexually precocious, she's at the upper end of the spectrum. A long dead ancestor named Frances who lives in mirrors is Elizabeth's key to power. Her lone obstacle is Miss Barton, a tutor her family hires after her family's dead, someone from the same bloodline.
Elizabeth is touted as a lost horror classic. I can kind see why that is. There's a feeling of creeping doom through most of it, a feeling that Elizabeth is an uncaring, unfeeling monster, witch or no witch. The fact that she's not relatable in the least makes her a chilling first person narrator. There's a pretty big ick factor when Elizabeth seduces male relatives which only adds to the horror.
The book is a breezy read and short, making it really hard to put down. I only stopped because my lunch breaks only last so long. It's a little like a train wreck, waiting to see what Elizabeth does next. The writing itself is pretty unexceptional, though. Nothing remarkable, though there were a few quotable lines.
While I didn't like it quite as much as I thought I would, Elizabeth is still a worthwhile read for horror fans everywhere. 3.5 out of five stars.
Elizabeth is yet another book whose existence I would have know inkling of if not for Paperbacks from Hell! I eventually overcame my cheapness and nabbed the ebook.
I'd say Elizabeth is part of the "creepy kids" subgenre of horror, although at 14 and sexually precocious, she's at the upper end of the spectrum. A long dead ancestor named Frances who lives in mirrors is Elizabeth's key to power. Her lone obstacle is Miss Barton, a tutor her family hires after her family's dead, someone from the same bloodline.
Elizabeth is touted as a lost horror classic. I can kind see why that is. There's a feeling of creeping doom through most of it, a feeling that Elizabeth is an uncaring, unfeeling monster, witch or no witch. The fact that she's not relatable in the least makes her a chilling first person narrator. There's a pretty big ick factor when Elizabeth seduces male relatives which only adds to the horror.
The book is a breezy read and short, making it really hard to put down. I only stopped because my lunch breaks only last so long. It's a little like a train wreck, waiting to see what Elizabeth does next. The writing itself is pretty unexceptional, though. Nothing remarkable, though there were a few quotable lines.
While I didn't like it quite as much as I thought I would, Elizabeth is still a worthwhile read for horror fans everywhere. 3.5 out of five stars.