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sarahboudereads's review
2.0
Couldn't get into the storytelling and the characters at all unfortunately! It's not necessarily a bad book, but this specific strangeness wasn't for me.
*Arc via Netgalley*
*Arc via Netgalley*
the_sassy_bookworm's review
2.0
⭐⭐
I wanted to love this book; it had some interesting elements to it, and I really enjoyed Od's character. However, I just found it all a little too strange and confusing.
I wanted to love this book; it had some interesting elements to it, and I really enjoyed Od's character. However, I just found it all a little too strange and confusing.
followingfantasies's review
4.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an e-book in return for an honest review.
After Ed's soul is ejected out of his body, his sister Od is left scrambling to find a way to put her brother back together before their parents get home. Od decides to include someone else to help her that she isn't sure she can trust but she is desperate to put her brother back together. As you can probably guess, nothing goes ad smoothly as Od had hoped.
This was certainly an interesting read. Shanti Leonard's debut novel is an eerie fantasy with elements of horror mixed in. This is a very atmospheric read set in the 80's. The author is very descriptive in describing this world to her readers, though there are many times throughout the book that you feel you are being told and not shown what is happening. The story is told well from the children's perspective, however there isn't a ton of internal dialogue of them figuring situations out. More often than not you are just given the information through very descriptive, telling dialogue. I did not love this about the book as it took me out of the pacing, but some people might enjoy it more considering our main characters are children. The pacing in the beginning is a little slow but then picks up rather quickly to keep you hooked until the end. The ending was satisfying with a good lesson about our relationships with family.
This book definitely has some trigger warnings so be sure to check those out before diving in. THIS IS NOT A CHILDREN'S BOOK, despite being told from the children's POV so be warned. I can definitely see how people compare this to Stranger Things with the heavy 80's atmosphere and the way the plot unfolds in an enexpected way. I also think fans of Stephen King might enjoy this with its horror elements along with some dark comedy.
For me, this was quite an interesting read. I did want to dive a little deeper into the characters but I am someone who really likes their characters fleshed out. The way this ended left me wanting to learn more about the characters, so I could see Leonard expanding on this book in the future, which would be great. I think this was a great debut novel with a very interesting, fresh take on the haunted house trope that keeps you hooked through all it's twists and turns until the end.
3.5 stars from me
After Ed's soul is ejected out of his body, his sister Od is left scrambling to find a way to put her brother back together before their parents get home. Od decides to include someone else to help her that she isn't sure she can trust but she is desperate to put her brother back together. As you can probably guess, nothing goes ad smoothly as Od had hoped.
This was certainly an interesting read. Shanti Leonard's debut novel is an eerie fantasy with elements of horror mixed in. This is a very atmospheric read set in the 80's. The author is very descriptive in describing this world to her readers, though there are many times throughout the book that you feel you are being told and not shown what is happening. The story is told well from the children's perspective, however there isn't a ton of internal dialogue of them figuring situations out. More often than not you are just given the information through very descriptive, telling dialogue. I did not love this about the book as it took me out of the pacing, but some people might enjoy it more considering our main characters are children. The pacing in the beginning is a little slow but then picks up rather quickly to keep you hooked until the end. The ending was satisfying with a good lesson about our relationships with family.
This book definitely has some trigger warnings so be sure to check those out before diving in. THIS IS NOT A CHILDREN'S BOOK, despite being told from the children's POV so be warned. I can definitely see how people compare this to Stranger Things with the heavy 80's atmosphere and the way the plot unfolds in an enexpected way. I also think fans of Stephen King might enjoy this with its horror elements along with some dark comedy.
For me, this was quite an interesting read. I did want to dive a little deeper into the characters but I am someone who really likes their characters fleshed out. The way this ended left me wanting to learn more about the characters, so I could see Leonard expanding on this book in the future, which would be great. I think this was a great debut novel with a very interesting, fresh take on the haunted house trope that keeps you hooked through all it's twists and turns until the end.
3.5 stars from me
raford's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5
onceuponatime's review
dark
funny
lighthearted
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I quite enjoyed reading Od and Ed. I found it to be a quick and easy read. It took me a bit to get into it, but I was engaged and entertained the whole way through, which is the reason I gave it this rating.
I felt like the narration was fitting for a young adult horror, even though it's been labeled general adult. The few grotesque descriptions stuck out from the rest of the usual narration; I think they were simple but affective, though.
As I was reading it, I felt like this book would make a really good campy horror TV show or movie. There is high potential with some scenes and gags that would be really amusing and fun to see in a visual/audio medium.
I do wish the last chapter (especially the very ending) was a bit longer. I think it had the potential to be quite emotional but it doesn't really explore that at all, even thoughEd essentially died.
Besides this, it was overall a very fun read!
I felt like the narration was fitting for a young adult horror, even though it's been labeled general adult. The few grotesque descriptions stuck out from the rest of the usual narration; I think they were simple but affective, though.
As I was reading it, I felt like this book would make a really good campy horror TV show or movie. There is high potential with some scenes and gags that would be really amusing and fun to see in a visual/audio medium.
I do wish the last chapter (especially the very ending) was a bit longer. I think it had the potential to be quite emotional but it doesn't really explore that at all, even though
Besides this, it was overall a very fun read!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Animal cruelty, Animal death, and Body horror
miserablesplendor's review
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Growing up, I lived in permanent fear that my house was haunted. It wasn’t like I had ever seen any ghosts in my house, or had any kind of supernatural experiences there, I was just convinced my house was haunted. It took me til I was nearly 15 before I was willing to sleep alone in my room and that I was finally sure that there were no ghosts living rent-free in my family home.
For twins Od and Ed, they know their house is haunted. By what, they’re not quite sure but it doesn’t stop the house from throwing tantrums and needing the slightly clairsentient Ed to pacify it. But when Od accidentally scares her brother’s soul out of his body, she needs to figure out a way to put him back inside before their parents find out.
But Ed’s soul and body seem to want different things, and they won’t fix themselves. Od now needs to call in reinforcements, but the other person she can rely on is ‘Loony’ Loney and his sinister family.
With Ed floating around the Pale (as he calls the untethered area where souls drift freely), Od is really the shining star of this novel by Shanti Leonard. Despite the unorthodox situation, she is really gung-ho about everything—willing to try just about anything to get her twin back. I loved the depiction on the twins’ relationship, especially from Od’s point of view. She is spunky and surprisingly clearheaded, despite the fact her brother’s soul is missing, and is almost reminiscent of Neil Gaiman’s Coraline.
Od and Ed took so many twists and turns that it’s hard to guess where the novel is going; any reader would be hard pressed to guess what the ending of the twins’ journey was. The horror aspects of the novel were also genuinely scary and I found myself holding my breath during some of the riskier bits in the story.
My main complaint about this book is about the logic—or rather the laws of the Od and Ed universe—behind the story. From the very first page, we have established that the rules within this world don’t quite align with our everyday lives; the twins talk about magic and ghosts, and later when Od is trying to save Ed, her main source of information about what’s going in is a self-published comic written by Loney’s mother.
The story only gets more confusing from there. At one point, Od and Loney decide the only way they can save Ed is by digging up another person’s corpse and getting Ed to possess their rotting body. Could we chalk this up to the unexplained rules of the Od and Ed universe? Maybe. But even so, I would love to see a little more exposition from Leonard to piece everything together.
Whether we are in the Pale or back on Earth, it was hard to follow exactly the thread of logic within the book. I don’t quite understand the decisions the characters made to save Ed, not in a morally “oh why did they do that” kind of way, but in a “are we sure this is the only plan we have” kind of way. Even with the explanation being given to us at the climax, I still felt cheated of a lot of details and the colour of the book’s universe.
A sequel to Od and Ed is supposedly planned, so maybe more backstory will be given in the second novel. The twins are definitely loveable enough that I would consider revisiting them again; hopefully their adventures would make a little bit more sense when they’re older.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Animal cruelty
neversaynevermore's review
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
A great read for those who watched Stranger Things and thought ‘hmm, this isn’t weird enough for me’. This book is one of the strangest I’ve read in a while and it was a delight to follow Od and Ed through this bizzare rampage.
It was initially kind of off putting for me that the book had such a nostalgic, eighties childhood feel to it, but also prominently featured some truly gory stuff, but in the end I think it worked really well. It reads like a B list horror film, and I consider that a high compliment.
But the aspect that really brings this book together is it’s characters. Od in particular is a really well realized protagonist and her relationship with her brother feels natural and anchors the story nicely.
I’ll definitely be watching this space for more Shanti Leonard works in future.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
It was initially kind of off putting for me that the book had such a nostalgic, eighties childhood feel to it, but also prominently featured some truly gory stuff, but in the end I think it worked really well. It reads like a B list horror film, and I consider that a high compliment.
But the aspect that really brings this book together is it’s characters. Od in particular is a really well realized protagonist and her relationship with her brother feels natural and anchors the story nicely.
I’ll definitely be watching this space for more Shanti Leonard works in future.
Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review
wolfiereads's review
5.0
Sci-fi/fantasy and horror are genres I always say I'll check out but never do. I'm glad I stepped outside my romance only comfort zone - this book is so good!
It's a dark fantasy/horror akin to a mix of Stranger Things and Stephen King, Pet Sematary in particular - supernatural small town in the late 80's? Check. Child's perspective with a straightforward, minimal stream-of-consciousness narrative? Check. Souls stuck in a parallel universe, re-animated corpses, multiple spiritual possessions in one person? Big time check. (Bonus check for kick-ass cover art!)
This borders more on dark fantasy with horror elements (and much needed, genuinely hilarious dark humor), so if you're a wuss like me and can't handle medium to extreme gore and disturbing imagery, you'll be fine. The narrative has a slow, wandering start but once it gets going after a few chapters, it's hard to put down. The ending is a bit rushed, but still satisfying and surprisingly touching. I could see this expanding into a series, but it'll do just fine as a stand-alone.
My only qualm is a storytelling choice that might just be personal preference - some of the explanation heavy dialogue felt too on the noise, giving the reader (and characters) the answer without letting them figure it out first. Those moments awkwardly stuck out and made the pace momentarily stumble. Granted, this is told from childrens' perspective so it makes sense to have straightforward explanations rather than realizations from inner monologues. I would've preferred context clues instead of blunt explanations but, again, probably just a personal preference.
4.5 / 5 for me! It's a unique, well executed story by a debut author and a surreal, memorable reading experience that'll live in my head for a long time. I look forward to Shanti Leonard's future works!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Shanti Leonard and IBPA for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
It's a dark fantasy/horror akin to a mix of Stranger Things and Stephen King, Pet Sematary in particular - supernatural small town in the late 80's? Check. Child's perspective with a straightforward, minimal stream-of-consciousness narrative? Check. Souls stuck in a parallel universe, re-animated corpses, multiple spiritual possessions in one person? Big time check. (Bonus check for kick-ass cover art!)
This borders more on dark fantasy with horror elements (and much needed, genuinely hilarious dark humor), so if you're a wuss like me and can't handle medium to extreme gore and disturbing imagery, you'll be fine. The narrative has a slow, wandering start but once it gets going after a few chapters, it's hard to put down. The ending is a bit rushed, but still satisfying and surprisingly touching. I could see this expanding into a series, but it'll do just fine as a stand-alone.
My only qualm is a storytelling choice that might just be personal preference - some of the explanation heavy dialogue felt too on the noise, giving the reader (and characters) the answer without letting them figure it out first. Those moments awkwardly stuck out and made the pace momentarily stumble. Granted, this is told from childrens' perspective so it makes sense to have straightforward explanations rather than realizations from inner monologues. I would've preferred context clues instead of blunt explanations but, again, probably just a personal preference.
4.5 / 5 for me! It's a unique, well executed story by a debut author and a surreal, memorable reading experience that'll live in my head for a long time. I look forward to Shanti Leonard's future works!
Thank you so much to NetGalley, Shanti Leonard and IBPA for providing a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review!
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