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ashwhee's review against another edition
2.0
This book was disappointing. The plot was interesting, there are definitely ideas and tropes here that are fun and could make for a really good story.
The problem is that I just could not give two shits (hah) about Mary, the protagonist, and the character telling the story. She's a flat character. There's not much to know about her or to make her compelling as she unravels the mysteries of this town. You learn at one point that she was partly responsible for her partner's death in her previous life, but it's just like... a footnote. It's not interesting at all, even from her perspective.
Then you have the victims of Silvertown. At moments I DO feel bad for them because they're obviously confused and scared by their turn of behavior. But because we're looking at this story from Mary's lens, we don't get to explore that much. I was waiting for more follow up at the end of the story to unpack the other characters and how they're recovering, but nope. It ends on a dumb one-liner and not a moment of time with the victims of this story. The poor guy who shot himself was never mentioned again. Wonder how his loved ones are holding up, wonder how Mary feels about it? Wonder how Chief Greg is doing? Honestly, every character in this is so one-dimensional that I don't know why I care. It feels like a wasted opportunity as a narrative.
This book was entertaining at best, but ultimately shallow. Not the best execution of what was a fun idea.
The problem is that I just could not give two shits (hah) about Mary, the protagonist, and the character telling the story. She's a flat character. There's not much to know about her or to make her compelling as she unravels the mysteries of this town. You learn at one point that she was partly responsible for her partner's death in her previous life, but it's just like... a footnote. It's not interesting at all, even from her perspective.
Then you have the victims of Silvertown. At moments I DO feel bad for them because they're obviously confused and scared by their turn of behavior. But because we're looking at this story from Mary's lens, we don't get to explore that much. I was waiting for more follow up at the end of the story to unpack the other characters and how they're recovering, but nope. It ends on a dumb one-liner and not a moment of time with the victims of this story. The poor guy who shot himself was never mentioned again. Wonder how his loved ones are holding up, wonder how Mary feels about it? Wonder how Chief Greg is doing? Honestly, every character in this is so one-dimensional that I don't know why I care. It feels like a wasted opportunity as a narrative.
This book was entertaining at best, but ultimately shallow. Not the best execution of what was a fun idea.
nerdynatreads's review against another edition
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
2.5
alright, so firstly, this isn’t quite as wintery as the cover would have you believe, but I will give it to the author, it is pretty atmospheric. The small-town vibes are so strong, up in the mountains, chill to the air, everyone knows everyone. I applaud that. There’s also an uneasiness to the story, especially as we learn of more mysterious incidents taking place around the town. Many of them don’t seem super nefarious, but also not normal either. Things have been slow moving though, as the main character, Mary, only just seems to have really started to consider something wrong and what that is around the halfway point.
However, then things take a serious turn! Around 75% in, there’s a huge jump in pacing and it feels like we’re gearing up for the climax— except that’s not it? It felt like we were sprinting to the end, but that sprint turned into a 400m race, because it dropped right back down and continued on and on. The twist was… okay, I guess? I was super shocked by it, nor who was responsible, so even as that element was explored, I wasn’t really engaged because it all seemed to be pretty predictable.
However, then things take a serious turn! Around 75% in, there’s a huge jump in pacing and it feels like we’re gearing up for the climax— except that’s not it? It felt like we were sprinting to the end, but that sprint turned into a 400m race, because it dropped right back down and continued on and on. The twist was… okay, I guess? I was super shocked by it, nor who was responsible, so even as that element was explored, I wasn’t really engaged because it all seemed to be pretty predictable.
Now, the main character… I genuinely can’t tell if I’m just being too critical or not, but I just don’t really like her. I don’t think the author has done a terrible job of writing a woman MC, but there’s something in the details that I can’t put my finger on which keeps reminding me that the author isn’t a woman. One example, insisting that her friend Clara wouldn’t do something because of a mugging she experienced, but I’d say most women would have been more cautious, whether they had trauma or not. It wasn’t a big thing, but did catch my attention. There’s also a random romance plot line with the local bartender that feels so shoehorned in and awkward. It seems that anytime these two characters are in proximity, sex has to be thought of, mentioned, or take place.
The ending really made me think of When No One is Watching by Alyssa Cole, but it went action movie ending rather than a horror movie, which I preferred, while also leaving out the interesting commentary. It was just kind… fine?
willrefuge's review against another edition
2.0
2 / 5 ✪
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2021/04/05/instinct-by-jason-m-hough-review/
Welcome to Silvertown, Washington, population 602.
Actually no, scratch that.
Welcome to Silvertown, Washington, population 665.
I honestly have no idea who wrote the official blurb. Clearly, they didn’t read the book.
Officer Mary Whittaker is the town’s latest resident, and was the 666th resident when she moved two months back. A few of the more superstitious townsfolk still avoid her on the street and cast dirty looks as they mutter behind her back. Most didn’t take the omen at face value.
But perhaps they should’ve.
As the population of Silvertown begins to decline.
The story begins with a funeral. Johnny Rogers, a certified homebody falls to his death after a spontaneous midnight hike. A few weeks later, a hiker terrified of animals dies after trying to hug a bear. Then a helicopter parent ditches her toddlers to have lunch with a complete stranger.
From there, things… just get weirder. It seems as if many of the townsfolk—Mary included—have lost their survival instincts. But as Whittaker continues to dig into the investigation, a conspiracy begins to take form. One that threatens not only Silvertown, but the world itself. And it’s up to Mary to stop it.
Wow. So this one was… quite something.
Up to the 2/3 mark, I was quite invested. Instinct contains a fairly interesting mystery, with a slow build that had me wrapt up through the first big reveal. The revelation that the townsfolk were losing their instincts due to something unknown was an interesting turn, if a bit confusing. The tense and mysterious atmosphere that permeates the text through its 75% mark is nothing short of masterful, and provided me with more than enough reason to keep going even after things got a little… weird.
The main issues start around the halfway mark. Let’s begin with the first big reveal. It was too revealing. It was so obvious who was behind the conspiracy that I knew inside of the first few chapters. So when the curtain is pulled back late in the story—well, mind-blowing it was not.
My second issue was with the setting. A small and isolated town in the mountains is a picture perfect backdrop for a grassroots conspiracy, but it has to actually feel like a small, mountain town in Washington. And to me it didn’t. Now the author lives in Seattle. And I’m not sure he did enough research on the setting before he dove right in. Early on, there’s a hiker that gets mauled by a bear. Now that’s definitely strange, yeah, as bears are usually more afraid of you than you are of them. And they point this out. But mostly they focus on “What was the bear even doing here?” Bears are all over the Pacific Northwest. For one to turn up on the outskirts of a small, rural, mountain town is hardly new. But this is a big clue, apparently. And gets revisited more than once. Our town has one main street. And six-hundred odd people. Which is pointed out. But then a lone car leaves the middle of town, the townsfolk lose sight of it before it reaches the end. A majority of the tale involves roughly two dozen people, with the rest of the community conspicuously absent. In the beginning Silvertown is billed as “one of those towns where everyone knows everyone”, but by the end 95% of the townsfolk remain AWOL.
Speaking of the end, you know how in some stories there’s a lot of jumping from one outlandish conclusion to the next, only for our heroine to hatch an insane plan that probably shouldn’t work but somehow does, and then pass out only to wake up and have everything be magically solved for them. They’re patted on the back, good guys win, life back to normal. It’s done all the time. And I’m sick of it. It’s convenient, sure, but lame. Now, I’m not saying that Instinct does this, but if it did, it probably would’ve soured me on the whole ending.
The real problem with Instinct is its consistency. Now, it was pretty consistent in the first half. The second half less so. As the plot makes the turn for home however, it really goes to pieces. Previously held rules about the conspiracy are broken. It’s going to be hard to get into this with no spoilers, but I’ll give it a shot.
Let’s say we have a Coke. It can only be called a Soft drink so long as it has carbonation and sweetener. And it can only be called a Cola if it is a soft drink that has the proper flavorings. It can only be called a Coke if it is a cola that is made and distributed by the proper company (yes, I know these are generalizations—please bear with me). Now suppose all of these things were rules everyone adhered to. And that all the people of Silvertown prefer to drink Coke. Over everything. They’ll drink other cola, but only if there’s no Coke. They’ll even drink other soft drinks, so long as there’s neither any Coke or other colas around. Get it? Good, but in the latter half of Instinct, all we thought we knew about soda is thrown out the window. There’s a chase scene. Our heroine snags an RC out of the mini-fridge despite the fact that there’s a Coke right next to it. There’s an angry mob. Armed with pitchforks and ginger ale, the citizens storm the town—ignoring the gigantic truck full of Coke parked by the side of the road. There’s a celebration at the bar. Citizens raise mugs of beer in toast while their bottles of Coke go flat beside them.
Get the picture? While for the first half of Instinct everyone eschews Pepsi in favor of dying of thirst while in the second half people are eyeing Mr. Pib with intense longing. And in the back half people are even occasionally drinking water. The rules are forgotten, but in the end they’re back, and no one seems to notice they’d been broken at all.
TL;DR
Instinct is a tense, atmospheric mystery that quietly transforms into an interesting and thought-provoking thriller that makes your head hurt as you try to wrap it around just what it is that’s going on in Silvertown. At least, the first half is, anyway. Up to the 65% mark, I was pretty well invested in it. But wow did it ever go to pieces quick. Among the issues include an unrealistic setting, a strange pacing, a conspiracy that doesn’t really work, a cheap and disappointing ending, and an instigator so diabolically and comically evil they might as well have horns. My biggest problem was with the consistency. Instinct works, until it doesn’t. Until the rules are bent to make some of the more outlandish ideas work. Until the same rules are broken, and then reinstituted again like nothing happened. I asked for a Coke—and got a dozen raw eggs. Better in some ways, but not in others.
https://arefugefromlife.wordpress.com/2021/04/05/instinct-by-jason-m-hough-review/
Welcome to Silvertown, Washington, population 602.
Actually no, scratch that.
Welcome to Silvertown, Washington, population 665.
I honestly have no idea who wrote the official blurb. Clearly, they didn’t read the book.
Officer Mary Whittaker is the town’s latest resident, and was the 666th resident when she moved two months back. A few of the more superstitious townsfolk still avoid her on the street and cast dirty looks as they mutter behind her back. Most didn’t take the omen at face value.
But perhaps they should’ve.
As the population of Silvertown begins to decline.
The story begins with a funeral. Johnny Rogers, a certified homebody falls to his death after a spontaneous midnight hike. A few weeks later, a hiker terrified of animals dies after trying to hug a bear. Then a helicopter parent ditches her toddlers to have lunch with a complete stranger.
From there, things… just get weirder. It seems as if many of the townsfolk—Mary included—have lost their survival instincts. But as Whittaker continues to dig into the investigation, a conspiracy begins to take form. One that threatens not only Silvertown, but the world itself. And it’s up to Mary to stop it.
Wow. So this one was… quite something.
Up to the 2/3 mark, I was quite invested. Instinct contains a fairly interesting mystery, with a slow build that had me wrapt up through the first big reveal. The revelation that the townsfolk were losing their instincts due to something unknown was an interesting turn, if a bit confusing. The tense and mysterious atmosphere that permeates the text through its 75% mark is nothing short of masterful, and provided me with more than enough reason to keep going even after things got a little… weird.
The main issues start around the halfway mark. Let’s begin with the first big reveal. It was too revealing. It was so obvious who was behind the conspiracy that I knew inside of the first few chapters. So when the curtain is pulled back late in the story—well, mind-blowing it was not.
My second issue was with the setting. A small and isolated town in the mountains is a picture perfect backdrop for a grassroots conspiracy, but it has to actually feel like a small, mountain town in Washington. And to me it didn’t. Now the author lives in Seattle. And I’m not sure he did enough research on the setting before he dove right in. Early on, there’s a hiker that gets mauled by a bear. Now that’s definitely strange, yeah, as bears are usually more afraid of you than you are of them. And they point this out. But mostly they focus on “What was the bear even doing here?” Bears are all over the Pacific Northwest. For one to turn up on the outskirts of a small, rural, mountain town is hardly new. But this is a big clue, apparently. And gets revisited more than once. Our town has one main street. And six-hundred odd people. Which is pointed out. But then a lone car leaves the middle of town, the townsfolk lose sight of it before it reaches the end. A majority of the tale involves roughly two dozen people, with the rest of the community conspicuously absent. In the beginning Silvertown is billed as “one of those towns where everyone knows everyone”, but by the end 95% of the townsfolk remain AWOL.
Speaking of the end, you know how in some stories there’s a lot of jumping from one outlandish conclusion to the next, only for our heroine to hatch an insane plan that probably shouldn’t work but somehow does, and then pass out only to wake up and have everything be magically solved for them. They’re patted on the back, good guys win, life back to normal. It’s done all the time. And I’m sick of it. It’s convenient, sure, but lame. Now, I’m not saying that Instinct does this, but if it did, it probably would’ve soured me on the whole ending.
The real problem with Instinct is its consistency. Now, it was pretty consistent in the first half. The second half less so. As the plot makes the turn for home however, it really goes to pieces. Previously held rules about the conspiracy are broken. It’s going to be hard to get into this with no spoilers, but I’ll give it a shot.
Let’s say we have a Coke. It can only be called a Soft drink so long as it has carbonation and sweetener. And it can only be called a Cola if it is a soft drink that has the proper flavorings. It can only be called a Coke if it is a cola that is made and distributed by the proper company (yes, I know these are generalizations—please bear with me). Now suppose all of these things were rules everyone adhered to. And that all the people of Silvertown prefer to drink Coke. Over everything. They’ll drink other cola, but only if there’s no Coke. They’ll even drink other soft drinks, so long as there’s neither any Coke or other colas around. Get it? Good, but in the latter half of Instinct, all we thought we knew about soda is thrown out the window. There’s a chase scene. Our heroine snags an RC out of the mini-fridge despite the fact that there’s a Coke right next to it. There’s an angry mob. Armed with pitchforks and ginger ale, the citizens storm the town—ignoring the gigantic truck full of Coke parked by the side of the road. There’s a celebration at the bar. Citizens raise mugs of beer in toast while their bottles of Coke go flat beside them.
Get the picture? While for the first half of Instinct everyone eschews Pepsi in favor of dying of thirst while in the second half people are eyeing Mr. Pib with intense longing. And in the back half people are even occasionally drinking water. The rules are forgotten, but in the end they’re back, and no one seems to notice they’d been broken at all.
TL;DR
Instinct is a tense, atmospheric mystery that quietly transforms into an interesting and thought-provoking thriller that makes your head hurt as you try to wrap it around just what it is that’s going on in Silvertown. At least, the first half is, anyway. Up to the 65% mark, I was pretty well invested in it. But wow did it ever go to pieces quick. Among the issues include an unrealistic setting, a strange pacing, a conspiracy that doesn’t really work, a cheap and disappointing ending, and an instigator so diabolically and comically evil they might as well have horns. My biggest problem was with the consistency. Instinct works, until it doesn’t. Until the rules are bent to make some of the more outlandish ideas work. Until the same rules are broken, and then reinstituted again like nothing happened. I asked for a Coke—and got a dozen raw eggs. Better in some ways, but not in others.
janinereader's review against another edition
3.0
Hough writes a great mc in Mary Whittaker, and she stands as a great character for any kind of thriller. Blending sci-fi and thriller is another feat that not all authors can do, but I think Hough did a good job. The story did stray near the end, which made it hard to feel connected to the main plot, but it wasn't anything that obscured the primary plot. Overall a good scary thriller and scifi.
raforall's review against another edition
3.0
Review in the April 15, 2021 issue of Booklist and on the blog: https://raforall.blogspot.com/2021/04/what-im-reading-instinct.html
Three Words That Describe This Book: steadily increasing pace, deeply unsettling, strong protagonist
Three Words That Describe This Book: steadily increasing pace, deeply unsettling, strong protagonist
courtthebookgirl's review against another edition
3.0
What in the ever-loving-hell did I just read?!?!?
The creep factor in this book is HIGH, which on the surface, is a huge compliment. The first half(ish) of the book, I was riveted. Small, creepy town in the backwoods of a mountain with two cops and a psychiatrist who serves as the town’s only doctor. Lots of creep factor with a shuttered mine and some other weird things in the woods (I’ll leave the reader to discover).
This one held a lot of promise. I couldn’t read this damn book at nignt because it was screwing with my dreams. Strange happenings and conspiracy theories abound. And, until we started learning what is ACTUALLY happening, I was in.
And then it fell super flat. Against a floor. (If you’ve read it, you get it).
I just…no. I wanted it to be different. I got done reading and ugly stared at it. The stink eye did not change the ending. I was supremely disappointed in the turn that it took and where it ended.
Listen, I implore you to read it and form your own opinion if you like a creepy, conspiracy novel as much as I do. And then message me, because…. What. The. Hell.
The creep factor in this book is HIGH, which on the surface, is a huge compliment. The first half(ish) of the book, I was riveted. Small, creepy town in the backwoods of a mountain with two cops and a psychiatrist who serves as the town’s only doctor. Lots of creep factor with a shuttered mine and some other weird things in the woods (I’ll leave the reader to discover).
This one held a lot of promise. I couldn’t read this damn book at nignt because it was screwing with my dreams. Strange happenings and conspiracy theories abound. And, until we started learning what is ACTUALLY happening, I was in.
And then it fell super flat. Against a floor. (If you’ve read it, you get it).
I just…no. I wanted it to be different. I got done reading and ugly stared at it. The stink eye did not change the ending. I was supremely disappointed in the turn that it took and where it ended.
Listen, I implore you to read it and form your own opinion if you like a creepy, conspiracy novel as much as I do. And then message me, because…. What. The. Hell.
mrssloan's review against another edition
4.0
Very much enjoyed it, but dang that last line was lame.