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ofichorandink's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
whiskersandwords's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
wickedbookwitch's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
3.5
bookish_satty's review against another edition
1.0
DNF @60%. I skimmed through the rest to know the ending which was disappointing per usual.
This book started strong but halfway through I realised that it isn't horror but more of a romance novel with sprinkling of supernatural elements. The blurb was very misleading.
I'm not a romance reader but I'm okay with it being a small part of the story but I don't like pining, miscommunication and unresolved sexual tension taking center stage without any warning. That's why I stopped reading YA and NA stories. Being in the main character's head felt like being in a hormonal young adult's mind even if she's 40 apparently.
The writing style was good and I liked the supernatural element included in here but I just cannot read anymore about mutual pining for decades and sexual assault or parental abuse being the cause for the haunting.
Nowadays most horror books are either based on grief or past trauma relating to real life tragedies affecting the mental health of the characters which covers 90% of the plot of the book which isn't my preferred type of horror. I just want to read about good old haunted house, supernatural creatures and nefarious demons, etc. I don't wanna read about real life problems and tragedies. Reading is Escapism for me.
This book started strong but halfway through I realised that it isn't horror but more of a romance novel with sprinkling of supernatural elements. The blurb was very misleading.
I'm not a romance reader but I'm okay with it being a small part of the story but I don't like pining, miscommunication and unresolved sexual tension taking center stage without any warning. That's why I stopped reading YA and NA stories. Being in the main character's head felt like being in a hormonal young adult's mind even if she's 40 apparently.
The writing style was good and I liked the supernatural element included in here but I just cannot read anymore about mutual pining for decades and sexual assault or parental abuse being the cause for the haunting.
Nowadays most horror books are either based on grief or past trauma relating to real life tragedies affecting the mental health of the characters which covers 90% of the plot of the book which isn't my preferred type of horror. I just want to read about good old haunted house, supernatural creatures and nefarious demons, etc. I don't wanna read about real life problems and tragedies. Reading is Escapism for me.
bodiesinbooks's review
emotional
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.5
frank_atlas's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
3.75
“Maybe that’s the trick of being young. You genuinely believe all the promises you make”
Romhauntasy(?)
An enjoyable read that dips into the idea of revisiting the past, what we hold onto, and how to not necessarily move on from it, but exist with it. Not a horror book by any means but very interestingly uses the ghost story elements as the plane to tell a story about childhood trauma. Twisting between the real world and diving into the veil of Velkwood Street we jump between the past and present in a way that never lingers too long on either side, building an atmosphere that lingers throughout like a shadow of our past selves following us throughout life. The Haunting of Velkwood accomplishes being a book that unnerves, has moments that are quite frightening, and explores some traumatic elements without being overly graphic. This is one of the more unique ways I’ve seen this type of story told. At about 241 pages it’s a wonderful length for the story and didn’t feel too drawn out but didn’t leave too much left to be desired.
Romhauntasy(?)
An enjoyable read that dips into the idea of revisiting the past, what we hold onto, and how to not necessarily move on from it, but exist with it. Not a horror book by any means but very interestingly uses the ghost story elements as the plane to tell a story about childhood trauma. Twisting between the real world and diving into the veil of Velkwood Street we jump between the past and present in a way that never lingers too long on either side, building an atmosphere that lingers throughout like a shadow of our past selves following us throughout life. The Haunting of Velkwood accomplishes being a book that unnerves, has moments that are quite frightening, and explores some traumatic elements without being overly graphic. This is one of the more unique ways I’ve seen this type of story told. At about 241 pages it’s a wonderful length for the story and didn’t feel too drawn out but didn’t leave too much left to be desired.
linwithane's review
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
maybe the ghost is the complicated homoerotic friendship we have along the way