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singalana's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I accidentally picked two very similar books to read at the same time: this and Gallant by V.E. Schwab. Both have young protagonists trying to figure out the mystery of a weird house. I’d classify this book as a mystery / horror. I’ve read one book from Mira Grant before (Into the Drowning Deep) which felt a bit too long and I wasn’t that into the plot. This book is definitely not too long, since it’s a novella. The cast of characters in this book is very similar to the characters in Scooby-Doo (teen sleuths investigating mysteries), and the story has strong Lovecraftian-vibes, including the cover art.
I had the same problem with this book as I had with Gallant: I don’t know whether I was somehow distracted or if the writing style was not for me, because I constantly found my attention drifting and came back to realise I hadn’t internalised anything that had been said. Also I have to say that I didn’t like the narrator: her voice sounded too strained and pained towards the end to the point it felt like overacting.
The similarities to Scooby-Doo and Lovecraft did not add to my enjoyment to the story, because it felt like this book didn’t add anything unique. The characters were okay, they were distinct personalities (also borrowed from Scooby-Doo), but the main character’s (Harlow) crush with Addison started to grate on me. It was pointed out in the story multiple times how Harlow had always loved Addison, but I didn’t feel it.
Even though this story had some pretty good bits, the ending… It felt abrupt, and either so much was left unexplained, or I had zoned out and didn’t catch all the clues. This story could have been so much better being just a little bit longer and with characters that were more original and not straight out from Scooby-Doo.
Content Warnings
Minor: Confinement, Death of parent, Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Abandonment, Alcohol, Animal death, Blood, and Murder
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