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booksandladders's review against another edition
4.0
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I was nervous going into this one because my defining personality trait is "jumpy" and I was, well, scared. But this one wasn't nearly as scary as I anticipated and I am glad it had a good monster scary and also a good people scary aspect to it.
I thought the writing was alright, it wasn't the best and it wasn't the worst, but I think it kept the book moving along pretty well. Considering this book is VERY long, I am glad that the writing allowed the pace to move along (fairly) quickly. I found myself a little bored at the start because we knew the lake monster was there but it was made to seem as though it wasn't? Or at least no one really believed it so it made me feel awkward for the first 100 or so pages.
However, after these 100 I read the rest of the book in like 2.5 hours. Which considering the size is a pretty good feat. I thought the pace was really well done and I didn't feel like there was any part of this novel that I wanted to be cut out or last longer. I liked that there were a lot of the necessary, predictable tropes and then a lot of little surprises along the way. I think the author did a good job of writing a story that people could figure out the basic plot but some of these tropes were subverted to keep you on your toes.
I really liked all the characters, but I thought the romantic relationship between Laurel and Gavin was very quick. I feel like we had seen Gavin falling to pieces over his dead wife and then it was like a flip of a switch and he was with Laurel. And while I am okay with people moving forward in their lives, I thought it was too quick for how we had seen Gavin up to this point. I thought there could have been more time spent with Gavin and Laurel to see him start to open up more before they got together. However, I did like their relationship and it was nice to see Gavin happy. On top of this, I thought Sheriff Pope was way over the top. While he was a great "land monster" in relation to the lake monster, I thought it was just too much.
I did really like this one. For being a monster of a book, I thought it was really well paced; I thought the story used the tropes of the genre but also subverted some of them, and; I really liked the characters. If you're looking for a good lake monster story, this is the one for you!
Books and Ladders | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
I was nervous going into this one because my defining personality trait is "jumpy" and I was, well, scared. But this one wasn't nearly as scary as I anticipated and I am glad it had a good monster scary and also a good people scary aspect to it.
I thought the writing was alright, it wasn't the best and it wasn't the worst, but I think it kept the book moving along pretty well. Considering this book is VERY long, I am glad that the writing allowed the pace to move along (fairly) quickly. I found myself a little bored at the start because we knew the lake monster was there but it was made to seem as though it wasn't? Or at least no one really believed it so it made me feel awkward for the first 100 or so pages.
However, after these 100 I read the rest of the book in like 2.5 hours. Which considering the size is a pretty good feat. I thought the pace was really well done and I didn't feel like there was any part of this novel that I wanted to be cut out or last longer. I liked that there were a lot of the necessary, predictable tropes and then a lot of little surprises along the way. I think the author did a good job of writing a story that people could figure out the basic plot but some of these tropes were subverted to keep you on your toes.
I really liked all the characters, but I thought the romantic relationship between Laurel and Gavin was very quick. I feel like we had seen Gavin falling to pieces over his dead wife and then it was like a flip of a switch and he was with Laurel. And while I am okay with people moving forward in their lives, I thought it was too quick for how we had seen Gavin up to this point. I thought there could have been more time spent with Gavin and Laurel to see him start to open up more before they got together. However, I did like their relationship and it was nice to see Gavin happy. On top of this, I thought Sheriff Pope was way over the top. While he was a great "land monster" in relation to the lake monster, I thought it was just too much.
I did really like this one. For being a monster of a book, I thought it was really well paced; I thought the story used the tropes of the genre but also subverted some of them, and; I really liked the characters. If you're looking for a good lake monster story, this is the one for you!
Books and Ladders | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
canadianbookaddict's review against another edition
3.0
I liked the book but I feel it is a little bit too long .
I did enjoy it but it took me some time to get into it. I find it should have been shorter because some parts were just dragging on and on.
In all, I did enjoy the book but it isn't something I would read again.
I did enjoy it but it took me some time to get into it. I find it should have been shorter because some parts were just dragging on and on.
In all, I did enjoy the book but it isn't something I would read again.
myrdyr's review against another edition
4.0
3.9/5 stars. It has been a long time since I disliked a character as much as I disliked Sheriff Pope. While I didn’t get the constant references to the cockroaches and their actions in Pope’s head and found them distracting, I still liked the book. The writing was entertaining, and I was engaged from the start.
ymiranda's review against another edition
3.0
This is my 4th book by this author and I love his more recent Lucas Page series.
This book started off great and I did like the monster scenes but I finally had to skim through to the end.
My issue is the way women are described in exhaustive terms by their physical attributes. I grew tired of all the toned arms and abs and breasts and great asses.
This book started off great and I did like the monster scenes but I finally had to skim through to the end.
My issue is the way women are described in exhaustive terms by their physical attributes. I grew tired of all the toned arms and abs and breasts and great asses.
readertasha's review
3.0
I won this book in a giveaway on Goodreads ..
3.5 Stars.
I am going to be honest and say this book was not what I usually read but it was horror so i gave it a try. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed this book but it was a very slow read for me. Took me longer to finish this book because of the fishing parts. The fishing parts & scenes when they were deciding what different rods and stuff were, I was sooo lost. I actually had to google some things to understand what was going on. Like I said fishing is not my cup of tea.
But besides those parts, it was a good enjoyable story about a "Loch Ness Monster" or a "Loch Ness Fish Monster" :).
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes fishing & horror together.
3.5 Stars.
I am going to be honest and say this book was not what I usually read but it was horror so i gave it a try. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed this book but it was a very slow read for me. Took me longer to finish this book because of the fishing parts. The fishing parts & scenes when they were deciding what different rods and stuff were, I was sooo lost. I actually had to google some things to understand what was going on. Like I said fishing is not my cup of tea.
But besides those parts, it was a good enjoyable story about a "Loch Ness Monster" or a "Loch Ness Fish Monster" :).
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes fishing & horror together.
barbi312's review against another edition
2.0
Turns out that monsters come in all shapes and sizes. Mannheim Rex features a monster AND a serial killer. Two for the price of one. I’ll take the monster, please. This is the second book I’ve read by Robert Pobi. I was disconcerted by his anti-conservative politics and latent atheism in City of Windows. This book’s flagrant atheism, coarse language, and off-the-cuff deviant sexuality makes it the last book written by Mr. Pobi that I will bother to read. Exciting at times but trashy.
beckylej's review against another edition
4.0
Horror author Gavin Corlie is spiraling out of control. The recent death of his wife has left him reeling and ending it all is frequently on his mind. He decides his only option is a complete change of scenery -- getting away from the places and spaces he once shared with her. He finds the perfect fixer-upper in New Mannheim, on the banks of Lake Caldasac. The picturesque setting and the quaint town should be a destination for fishermen and tourists, but New Mannheim is hiding a secret. The town has seen a shocking number of disappearances and strange accidents. Most people avoid the lake as a whole and take their fishing elsewhere. When a local boy, Finn Horn, barely survives an accident on the lake while fleeing from Gavin, the author feels a sense of responsibility. After all, the boy was welcome to fish in Gavin's little bay, but the shock of the new arrival was enough to scare him away. After meeting Finn and hearing his story, though, Gavin becomes interested in the lake's strange history and the rumors of a monstrous killing machine that lives in its depths.
This past week has been a bit of a slow one reading wise. Interesting how that happens: my pace waxes and wanes with no predictable pattern at all. It can't even be chalked up to tv watching considering a lot of my shows have been on that weird mid season hiatus of late. Robert Pobi's latest seems to have been my pick me up.
I'm a fan of a fun creature feature horror read, so I'd been looking forward to my chance to dive into this one for a while. It hit the spot for sure. It's a bit schlocky, a bit gory, and lots of fun! Admittedly I have a bit of a phobia about underwater creepies, so this is also the perfect sort of skin crawling read for a person like me.
Aside from the creature itself, Gavin and Finn really made the story for me, though. Gavin and his authorly insights are fun on their own but as an author who's also a widow in mourning -- one who does take his time telling his own story -- he's appealing on a lot of levels. Finn, the handicapped thirteen-year-old who becomes Gavin's best friend and partner in crime, is sarcastic and witty as well as completely quirky.
There's plenty of violence and death to go along with the creepy creature and the cool characters -- and there's an entertaining story besides, so you pretty much can't go wrong with this one if you're looking for a fun addition to your TBR. I tell you what, though, I wouldn't move to Lake Caldasac!
This past week has been a bit of a slow one reading wise. Interesting how that happens: my pace waxes and wanes with no predictable pattern at all. It can't even be chalked up to tv watching considering a lot of my shows have been on that weird mid season hiatus of late. Robert Pobi's latest seems to have been my pick me up.
I'm a fan of a fun creature feature horror read, so I'd been looking forward to my chance to dive into this one for a while. It hit the spot for sure. It's a bit schlocky, a bit gory, and lots of fun! Admittedly I have a bit of a phobia about underwater creepies, so this is also the perfect sort of skin crawling read for a person like me.
Aside from the creature itself, Gavin and Finn really made the story for me, though. Gavin and his authorly insights are fun on their own but as an author who's also a widow in mourning -- one who does take his time telling his own story -- he's appealing on a lot of levels. Finn, the handicapped thirteen-year-old who becomes Gavin's best friend and partner in crime, is sarcastic and witty as well as completely quirky.
There's plenty of violence and death to go along with the creepy creature and the cool characters -- and there's an entertaining story besides, so you pretty much can't go wrong with this one if you're looking for a fun addition to your TBR. I tell you what, though, I wouldn't move to Lake Caldasac!
jamiebooksandladders's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I received an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
I was nervous going into this one because my defining personality trait is "jumpy" and I was, well, scared. But this one wasn't nearly as scary as I anticipated and I am glad it had a good monster scary and also a good people scary aspect to it.
I thought the writing was alright, it wasn't the best and it wasn't the worst, but I think it kept the book moving along pretty well. Considering this book is VERY long, I am glad that the writing allowed the pace to move along (fairly) quickly. I found myself a little bored at the start because we knew the lake monster was there but it was made to seem as though it wasn't? Or at least no one really believed it so it made me feel awkward for the first 100 or so pages.
However, after these 100 I read the rest of the book in like 2.5 hours. Which considering the size is a pretty good feat. I thought the pace was really well done and I didn't feel like there was any part of this novel that I wanted to be cut out or last longer. I liked that there were a lot of the necessary, predictable tropes and then a lot of little surprises along the way. I think the author did a good job of writing a story that people could figure out the basic plot but some of these tropes were subverted to keep you on your toes.
I really liked all the characters, but I thought the romantic relationship between Laurel and Gavin was very quick. I feel like we had seen Gavin falling to pieces over his dead wife and then it was like a flip of a switch and he was with Laurel. And while I am okay with people moving forward in their lives, I thought it was too quick for how we had seen Gavin up to this point. I thought there could have been more time spent with Gavin and Laurel to see him start to open up more before they got together. However, I did like their relationship and it was nice to see Gavin happy. On top of this, I thought Sheriff Pope was way over the top. While he was a great "land monster" in relation to the lake monster, I thought it was just too much.
I did really like this one. For being a monster of a book, I thought it was really well paced; I thought the story used the tropes of the genre but also subverted some of them, and; I really liked the characters. If you're looking for a good lake monster story, this is the one for you!
Books and Ladders | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
I was nervous going into this one because my defining personality trait is "jumpy" and I was, well, scared. But this one wasn't nearly as scary as I anticipated and I am glad it had a good monster scary and also a good people scary aspect to it.
I thought the writing was alright, it wasn't the best and it wasn't the worst, but I think it kept the book moving along pretty well. Considering this book is VERY long, I am glad that the writing allowed the pace to move along (fairly) quickly. I found myself a little bored at the start because we knew the lake monster was there but it was made to seem as though it wasn't? Or at least no one really believed it so it made me feel awkward for the first 100 or so pages.
However, after these 100 I read the rest of the book in like 2.5 hours. Which considering the size is a pretty good feat. I thought the pace was really well done and I didn't feel like there was any part of this novel that I wanted to be cut out or last longer. I liked that there were a lot of the necessary, predictable tropes and then a lot of little surprises along the way. I think the author did a good job of writing a story that people could figure out the basic plot but some of these tropes were subverted to keep you on your toes.
I really liked all the characters, but I thought the romantic relationship between Laurel and Gavin was very quick. I feel like we had seen Gavin falling to pieces over his dead wife and then it was like a flip of a switch and he was with Laurel. And while I am okay with people moving forward in their lives, I thought it was too quick for how we had seen Gavin up to this point. I thought there could have been more time spent with Gavin and Laurel to see him start to open up more before they got together. However, I did like their relationship and it was nice to see Gavin happy. On top of this, I thought Sheriff Pope was way over the top. While he was a great "land monster" in relation to the lake monster, I thought it was just too much.
I did really like this one. For being a monster of a book, I thought it was really well paced; I thought the story used the tropes of the genre but also subverted some of them, and; I really liked the characters. If you're looking for a good lake monster story, this is the one for you!
Books and Ladders | Books Are My Fandom | Twitter | Instagram | Bloglovin'
lilyn_g's review
4.0
While not a fantastic work of fiction, Mannheim Rex instantly hooked me. Finn is ultimately responsible for keeping me on the line and reeling me in. He was a spunky character that provided a nice foil to the horror writer.
However, the main bad guy was rather fishy.
However, the main bad guy was rather fishy.
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