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novahkiin's review
4.0
A copy of this book was received in exchange for an honest review.
I went into this novel knowing next to nothing about it (as I usually do, I enjoy finding the book out as I'm reading it), and I was very pleasantly surprised by what I found out as I went. Gabriel Schist, the main character of the story, was in no means a weak presence in his own story. Much like characters should, he commanded not only everything going on around him, but what was going on in his head, despite the ever-looming threat of his Alzheimer's. And, I actually found his struggle really interesting.
It was fascinating to see the methods Gabriel used to contradict the path his mind was trying to take, and the way he watched the other patrons around him fall into the pits of old age that he was trying so desperately to keep from falling into himself. Watching him slip occasionally, only to get right back up, was one of my favorite aspects. I kept rooting for him and wondering anxiously when another possibly slip was coming.
Aside from the wonderful prose (seriously, I absolutely loved the way this was written -- especially the dialogue), the things I found myself looking forward to the most as the story went on were the interactions between all of the characters, both in the chapters that are "current" (2018) and "past" (various time periods in the mid- to late-1900s). Which cycles back to my love for the dialogue. I was looking forward to seeing just how the huge problem Gabriel had on his hands was going to be solved, if he even solved it, but mostly what I really wanted was more speaking. The patrons of the nursing home were hilarious and fantastic. I wish I could actually meet them.
I honestly wasn't expecting the twists the story took, especially early on, when we find out something about Gabriel's "hallucinations" not being quite as unreal as he seemed to think. Or ... were they? Hm. The farther I got in the story, the more I wondered what was meant to be all in Gabriel's mind and what just wasn't as apparent to everyone around him as it was to him. I can't go further into it without giving some spoilers that have to do with the very last chapters of the book, but there are a few very questionable things going on, especially later.
All in all, a very, very different story from what I usually read, and totally worth slipping out of my usual zone to give it a try. Thank you to Nicholas Conley for contacting me!
I went into this novel knowing next to nothing about it (as I usually do, I enjoy finding the book out as I'm reading it), and I was very pleasantly surprised by what I found out as I went. Gabriel Schist, the main character of the story, was in no means a weak presence in his own story. Much like characters should, he commanded not only everything going on around him, but what was going on in his head, despite the ever-looming threat of his Alzheimer's. And, I actually found his struggle really interesting.
It was fascinating to see the methods Gabriel used to contradict the path his mind was trying to take, and the way he watched the other patrons around him fall into the pits of old age that he was trying so desperately to keep from falling into himself. Watching him slip occasionally, only to get right back up, was one of my favorite aspects. I kept rooting for him and wondering anxiously when another possibly slip was coming.
Aside from the wonderful prose (seriously, I absolutely loved the way this was written -- especially the dialogue), the things I found myself looking forward to the most as the story went on were the interactions between all of the characters, both in the chapters that are "current" (2018) and "past" (various time periods in the mid- to late-1900s). Which cycles back to my love for the dialogue. I was looking forward to seeing just how the huge problem Gabriel had on his hands was going to be solved, if he even solved it, but mostly what I really wanted was more speaking. The patrons of the nursing home were hilarious and fantastic. I wish I could actually meet them.
I honestly wasn't expecting the twists the story took, especially early on, when we find out something about Gabriel's "hallucinations" not being quite as unreal as he seemed to think. Or ... were they? Hm. The farther I got in the story, the more I wondered what was meant to be all in Gabriel's mind and what just wasn't as apparent to everyone around him as it was to him. I can't go further into it without giving some spoilers that have to do with the very last chapters of the book, but there are a few very questionable things going on, especially later.
All in all, a very, very different story from what I usually read, and totally worth slipping out of my usual zone to give it a try. Thank you to Nicholas Conley for contacting me!
simonea's review against another edition
5.0
This is what I call a good start of the new year! Fast-paced, enjoyable and mind-twisting. I was wondering the whole book whether what I was reading actually happened or whether Gabriel was just going crazy.
whatsjennareading's review against another edition
4.0
From the very first page, Pale Highway sucked me in and held me captivated, completely glued to my Kindle. My favorite kind of writing happens when an author has the ability to create a world that I can fall right into. The world Conley writes in is ours, yet I felt my surroundings slip away as I fully immersed myself in his creation. His characters, each and every one of them, are sturdy enough to walk right off the page. It’s been a few weeks since I finished this, and I still find myself thinking about it. You’ll need to be ready to suspend your imagination for portions of it, and I say this only because of how jarring those parts are. Tucked in between a sea of pragmatic prose, are out of this world characters that are completely surprising and so so odd.
As always, I’m going to get into more detail after the jump. Continue on at your own discretion, but this one is free of any major spoilers.
I was delighted when the author reached out to me and asked if I would review his book on my blog. Scifi is one of my favorite genres, and this one sounded very interesting, so I quickly agreed. It took me a couple of weeks to get started, as I was in the middle of other reads at the time, but once I did, I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.
The book is written in a flashback narrative that jumps between the protagonist’s current life in the long term care facility, Bright New Day, and his younger days leading up to his discovery of a cure for AIDs. The details are heartbreakingly realistic and touch on many issues and themes, including, alcoholism, Alzheimer’s disease, elderly care, self discovery, self medication, creationism, humanity, death and dying, divorce, and parenthood. Conley writes about each with the insight and expertise of someone who could only have lived through or experienced them personally.
Schist is a brilliant scientist, smarter than everyone around him. He’s never really fit in, and his whole life he has compensated by self medicating with copious amounts of alcohol. Now, he’s living out his days in a long term care facility, while his brain succumbs to the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. He’s struggling to feel any sense of purpose at all, when other residents of Bright New Day start to fall extremely ill with a mysterious and terrifying illness. With the help of some very strange new friends, Schist realizes that the fate of the world is in his hands. Will he be able to discover a new cure? And should he, when it seems as if his life’s work may be what caused all of this in the first place?
I do not want to get into too much detail because I was glad to get to read it knowing almost nothing. I didn’t review this one immediately, as life got in the way. But in the interim, I’ve been trying to think of all I could say about it. I tried on more than one occasion to compare this to other things I’ve read. After many failed attempts I realized that I would not be successful, because this book is not like anything I’ve ever read before. Conley’s voice is completely unique.
I do want to touch on why this book lost a crown for me. The writing is so realistic and so believable, that when the weird stuff starts happening, it’s almost too strange. I was pulled out of the story a few times, because the juxtaposition between the grim realities of life in a nursing home and bizarre other worldly beings was too much for my brain to handle.
Final Thoughts: I absolutely loved this book. It is the most unique of any I’ve read in the scifi/fantasy genre, mostly because of how realistic the majority of the book was. If you love a good character study, this is definitely for you. Read this one anywhere, it won’t matter, because you’ll forget that you’re anywhere but in the world that Conley has created. This was a debut for Conley, and I can’t wait to read what he comes up with next.
You can find more reviews like this at royalbookreview.wordpress.com.
As always, I’m going to get into more detail after the jump. Continue on at your own discretion, but this one is free of any major spoilers.
I was delighted when the author reached out to me and asked if I would review his book on my blog. Scifi is one of my favorite genres, and this one sounded very interesting, so I quickly agreed. It took me a couple of weeks to get started, as I was in the middle of other reads at the time, but once I did, I COULD NOT PUT IT DOWN.
The book is written in a flashback narrative that jumps between the protagonist’s current life in the long term care facility, Bright New Day, and his younger days leading up to his discovery of a cure for AIDs. The details are heartbreakingly realistic and touch on many issues and themes, including, alcoholism, Alzheimer’s disease, elderly care, self discovery, self medication, creationism, humanity, death and dying, divorce, and parenthood. Conley writes about each with the insight and expertise of someone who could only have lived through or experienced them personally.
Schist is a brilliant scientist, smarter than everyone around him. He’s never really fit in, and his whole life he has compensated by self medicating with copious amounts of alcohol. Now, he’s living out his days in a long term care facility, while his brain succumbs to the effects of Alzheimer’s disease. He’s struggling to feel any sense of purpose at all, when other residents of Bright New Day start to fall extremely ill with a mysterious and terrifying illness. With the help of some very strange new friends, Schist realizes that the fate of the world is in his hands. Will he be able to discover a new cure? And should he, when it seems as if his life’s work may be what caused all of this in the first place?
I do not want to get into too much detail because I was glad to get to read it knowing almost nothing. I didn’t review this one immediately, as life got in the way. But in the interim, I’ve been trying to think of all I could say about it. I tried on more than one occasion to compare this to other things I’ve read. After many failed attempts I realized that I would not be successful, because this book is not like anything I’ve ever read before. Conley’s voice is completely unique.
I do want to touch on why this book lost a crown for me. The writing is so realistic and so believable, that when the weird stuff starts happening, it’s almost too strange. I was pulled out of the story a few times, because the juxtaposition between the grim realities of life in a nursing home and bizarre other worldly beings was too much for my brain to handle.
Final Thoughts: I absolutely loved this book. It is the most unique of any I’ve read in the scifi/fantasy genre, mostly because of how realistic the majority of the book was. If you love a good character study, this is definitely for you. Read this one anywhere, it won’t matter, because you’ll forget that you’re anywhere but in the world that Conley has created. This was a debut for Conley, and I can’t wait to read what he comes up with next.
You can find more reviews like this at royalbookreview.wordpress.com.
aly36's review against another edition
5.0
This book was a good Sci-fi book! I say I don't read many Sci-fi but I have been reading more than usual lately and I enjoy the ones I try so, this is a genre I am enjoying more and more every day. This book is very thrilling and terrifying all at the same time. Heart wrenching as well for me but I enjoyed how the author told it. The characters were very complex to me. Alzheimer’s is a very scary disease to me. * I received this book from the author and this is my honest review*
intorilex's review against another edition
5.0
Find this and other Reviews at InToriLex
Actual Rating 4.5
A mixture of fantasy and insightful self reflection, this was a great read. Gabriel is trying to piece together who he was and hold on to what's left of his mind at the end of his life. The novel flashes through his past describing pivotal decisions and experiences, while he's faced with the present. The book makes you think about getting old, which while uncomfortable is sobering. Gabriel has to come to terms with his responsibility and decision making before he loses his mind, while conversing and grappling with talking slugs.
Recognizing his genius while being afraid of the responsibility of it, Gabriel has to accept his past as it was, knowing that he is beyond being able to fix it. At over seventy he is still learning who he is and why it's important. The people that he loves has continually tried to get him to look past his tendency to self destruct, but his decisions while trying to cure the virus remain stubborn and self serving. The nursing home friends that he describes are strong individuals who at the end of their life are finding their own ways to show their strength. The stubbornness and odd requests are their last versions of autonomy. The talking slugs and the mysterious Victor whether real or not, guide Gabriel to a final confrontation with himself.
The book does a great job of making you realize how important and fulfilling it is, to accept who you are despite of the consequences. Gabriel tirelessly searches for a cure to the black virus and the process described could only be fueled by a brilliant mind. The science involving the immune system and the black virus was believable, and I enjoyed thinking through it. I did get emotional at times thinking of how helpless Gabriel felt at certain points in the book. The only reason this isn't five stars is because the beginning started off a bit slow, but led to a engaging and worthwhile read. I would recommend this to fans of fantasy who can handle a frank and emotionally impactful look at getting old and death.
This e-book was provided to me by the Author in exchange for an honest review.
Actual Rating 4.5
A mixture of fantasy and insightful self reflection, this was a great read. Gabriel is trying to piece together who he was and hold on to what's left of his mind at the end of his life. The novel flashes through his past describing pivotal decisions and experiences, while he's faced with the present. The book makes you think about getting old, which while uncomfortable is sobering. Gabriel has to come to terms with his responsibility and decision making before he loses his mind, while conversing and grappling with talking slugs.
"Death was the reward. That was perhaps the greatest punishment of all and evilest mockery."
Recognizing his genius while being afraid of the responsibility of it, Gabriel has to accept his past as it was, knowing that he is beyond being able to fix it. At over seventy he is still learning who he is and why it's important. The people that he loves has continually tried to get him to look past his tendency to self destruct, but his decisions while trying to cure the virus remain stubborn and self serving. The nursing home friends that he describes are strong individuals who at the end of their life are finding their own ways to show their strength. The stubbornness and odd requests are their last versions of autonomy. The talking slugs and the mysterious Victor whether real or not, guide Gabriel to a final confrontation with himself.
"Dignity comes from walking that road from one day to the next, knowing that things might get worse and that everything you love might be taken away from you, yest persevering anyway and never surrendering who you are."
The book does a great job of making you realize how important and fulfilling it is, to accept who you are despite of the consequences. Gabriel tirelessly searches for a cure to the black virus and the process described could only be fueled by a brilliant mind. The science involving the immune system and the black virus was believable, and I enjoyed thinking through it. I did get emotional at times thinking of how helpless Gabriel felt at certain points in the book. The only reason this isn't five stars is because the beginning started off a bit slow, but led to a engaging and worthwhile read. I would recommend this to fans of fantasy who can handle a frank and emotionally impactful look at getting old and death.
This e-book was provided to me by the Author in exchange for an honest review.
shh_reading85's review against another edition
4.0
I received this eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review.
Please visit me at my blog Shh, I Am Reading for more reviews like this!
This was an extremely complex story. It touches deeply on the horror of Alzheimer’s and the decline into one’s self once it has set in.
Gabriel Schist is 70ish years old and has had an accomplished life. Having cured AIDS and won a Nobel Peace Prize for it, everyone who is anyone has taken his cure. Except himself, of course.
When a mysterious illness being dubbed The Black Virus starts attacking residents at the nursing home and all over America, Gabriel must race against his own deteriorating mental state and try to find a cure for this virus before it kills all that he holds dear.
This story touches on that question of “what is reality?” a lot. Especially as Schist begins seeing and talking with slugs. I had a Never Ending Story 1 moment when Schist rode one of the slugs. I was waiting for someone to say “he’s a racing slug!” Haha.
The slugs and the Sky Amoeba added a really weird element to the story, however. I could understand him hallucinating Death; but the Sky Amoeba? Odd.
I suppose it has a religious backing, the Sky Amoeba being God and the Slugs being the angels or messengers.
The very sad and rapid deterioration of Gabriel Schist is very prominent in this novel as well. His moments with his daughter, where he’s remembering his ex-wife and his love for her as well as the moments where he wants to tell his daughter how much she means to him and is unable to. It was heart breaking. Especially at the end.
It was a slow to begin kind of read and took time to build up, but it was well worth the read and oh, all the feels! I was a bit disappointed when it ended, but it was quite the climax.
But the question remains, what if the Sky Amoeba is truly real? Hmm.
Please visit me at my blog Shh, I Am Reading for more reviews like this!
This was an extremely complex story. It touches deeply on the horror of Alzheimer’s and the decline into one’s self once it has set in.
Gabriel Schist is 70ish years old and has had an accomplished life. Having cured AIDS and won a Nobel Peace Prize for it, everyone who is anyone has taken his cure. Except himself, of course.
When a mysterious illness being dubbed The Black Virus starts attacking residents at the nursing home and all over America, Gabriel must race against his own deteriorating mental state and try to find a cure for this virus before it kills all that he holds dear.
This story touches on that question of “what is reality?” a lot. Especially as Schist begins seeing and talking with slugs. I had a Never Ending Story 1 moment when Schist rode one of the slugs. I was waiting for someone to say “he’s a racing slug!” Haha.
The slugs and the Sky Amoeba added a really weird element to the story, however. I could understand him hallucinating Death; but the Sky Amoeba? Odd.
I suppose it has a religious backing, the Sky Amoeba being God and the Slugs being the angels or messengers.
The very sad and rapid deterioration of Gabriel Schist is very prominent in this novel as well. His moments with his daughter, where he’s remembering his ex-wife and his love for her as well as the moments where he wants to tell his daughter how much she means to him and is unable to. It was heart breaking. Especially at the end.
It was a slow to begin kind of read and took time to build up, but it was well worth the read and oh, all the feels! I was a bit disappointed when it ended, but it was quite the climax.
But the question remains, what if the Sky Amoeba is truly real? Hmm.
showthisbooksomelove's review against another edition
5.0
Talk about a book that surprised and impressed me at every turn. This sci-fi novel about an elderly gentleman with Alzheimer’s filled my heart with love, joy, and hope. I will say, as I’ve heard other people mention, the slugs were a little bit weird. I, for the most part, can get behind the slugs, but I think Conley lost me a little with the Sky Amoeba. I’m not going to say any more than that because I feel like it’s something you have to discover for yourself, and maybe you’ll feel differently, but that was my general impression of the story.
I’ve been reading a lot of books with flashback timelines in the story. I really have been enjoying most of these books with similar trajectories, and Pale Highway’s flashback scenes were very well executed. Conley timed them to flow nicely with the start and stop of each contemporary chapter, and I felt satisfaction at discovering more of Gabriel’s life story through these flashbacks.
Oh man, though. The character development was so good. I fell in love with these characters, in love with Gabriel, and I am so impressed with how much Conley made me feel what these characters were feeling. I cried, not once, but several times throughout the course of this book. There is so much simple tragedy, so much honest shyness, so much untimely love in this book that just left me raw from how real each of these characters felt to me.
Pale Highway was a page-turner. I found the flow of the story very easy to read and the overall trajectory very interesting. I love that it was a future story, but that the book was set not too far into the future: 2080. Gabriel found a cure (or vaccine, really) for AIDS (which is not that unbelievable but still sci-fi as it is just out of reach) and is now dealing with a new disease as a result (which, again, is not that unbelievable as there is common talk about how vaccines tend to create new diseases that evolve to better our immune system and the drugs). The premise is borderline realism, and the slugs are the only thing that really stand out to me as being far out there, although the book does raise the question of whether the slugs are simply a product of Gabriel’s Alzheimer’s. This possibility is refuted, but at the same time the door is left open for interpretation, which I feel really lends itself to the story Conley portrays.
I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
I’ve been reading a lot of books with flashback timelines in the story. I really have been enjoying most of these books with similar trajectories, and Pale Highway’s flashback scenes were very well executed. Conley timed them to flow nicely with the start and stop of each contemporary chapter, and I felt satisfaction at discovering more of Gabriel’s life story through these flashbacks.
Oh man, though. The character development was so good. I fell in love with these characters, in love with Gabriel, and I am so impressed with how much Conley made me feel what these characters were feeling. I cried, not once, but several times throughout the course of this book. There is so much simple tragedy, so much honest shyness, so much untimely love in this book that just left me raw from how real each of these characters felt to me.
Pale Highway was a page-turner. I found the flow of the story very easy to read and the overall trajectory very interesting. I love that it was a future story, but that the book was set not too far into the future: 2080. Gabriel found a cure (or vaccine, really) for AIDS (which is not that unbelievable but still sci-fi as it is just out of reach) and is now dealing with a new disease as a result (which, again, is not that unbelievable as there is common talk about how vaccines tend to create new diseases that evolve to better our immune system and the drugs). The premise is borderline realism, and the slugs are the only thing that really stand out to me as being far out there, although the book does raise the question of whether the slugs are simply a product of Gabriel’s Alzheimer’s. This possibility is refuted, but at the same time the door is left open for interpretation, which I feel really lends itself to the story Conley portrays.
I received a copy of the book from the author in exchange for an honest review.
raetheraven's review against another edition
2.0
*I received an e-copy of this book from the author in exchange for a review.
This was a bizarre book. I'm not sure how to approach it. Should I look at it as a sci-fi novel? Then it's pretty bad. Should I look at it as a allegorical, philosophical type thing? Then it has a bit more merit, but still... it's weird and kind of uncomfortable to read.
Full review
https://abooknerd13.wordpress.com/2017/01/15/pale-highway-by-nicholas-conley-book-review/
This was a bizarre book. I'm not sure how to approach it. Should I look at it as a sci-fi novel? Then it's pretty bad. Should I look at it as a allegorical, philosophical type thing? Then it has a bit more merit, but still... it's weird and kind of uncomfortable to read.
Full review
https://abooknerd13.wordpress.com/2017/01/15/pale-highway-by-nicholas-conley-book-review/
barnsey's review against another edition
4.0
Gabriel Schist was once a brilliant scientist who won the Nobel Prize for inventing an AIDS vaccine. Now he's an elderly Alzheimer's patient residing at Bright New Day nursing home. When other residents fall victim to a deadly virus, Gabriel must battle through his Alzheimer's to try and find a cure. He discovers the virus is actually a product of his original AIDS vaccine and it has one purpose - to work as a collective to destroy humanity.
Nicholas Conley has created a book that pulls at the heartstrings - an exceptional mind slowly being extinguished. We're shown glimpses of Gabriel's younger self - his love for Yvonne, their marriage destroyed, daughter Melanie entering his life and his close relationship with man-of-the-cloth Father Gareth. All have played a major role; shaping him into the person he became - the person who is now gradually fading away.
With visitations from talking slugs and the mysterious Victor, the reader is left wondering if the entire scenario is a figment of Gabriel's fractured sense of reality. In my opinion, that's what makes this book so good - not knowing what's real and what's imagined. Without giving away any spoilers, the whole book is somewhat bizarre and 'trippy' to say the least!
Overall, I found Pale Highway to be a good, solid, and extremely well-written story. Would I read it again in a few years' time? Probably not. A giant talking slug called Michael and his minions was just a little too surreal for me 😉.
Thanks to author Nicholas Conley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
https://barnseybooks.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/pale-highway-by-nicholas-conley.html#more
Nicholas Conley has created a book that pulls at the heartstrings - an exceptional mind slowly being extinguished. We're shown glimpses of Gabriel's younger self - his love for Yvonne, their marriage destroyed, daughter Melanie entering his life and his close relationship with man-of-the-cloth Father Gareth. All have played a major role; shaping him into the person he became - the person who is now gradually fading away.
With visitations from talking slugs and the mysterious Victor, the reader is left wondering if the entire scenario is a figment of Gabriel's fractured sense of reality. In my opinion, that's what makes this book so good - not knowing what's real and what's imagined. Without giving away any spoilers, the whole book is somewhat bizarre and 'trippy' to say the least!
Overall, I found Pale Highway to be a good, solid, and extremely well-written story. Would I read it again in a few years' time? Probably not. A giant talking slug called Michael and his minions was just a little too surreal for me 😉.
Thanks to author Nicholas Conley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
https://barnseybooks.blogspot.co.uk/2017/09/pale-highway-by-nicholas-conley.html#more
stephaniesarah's review against another edition
2.0
This book is split in three parts. The first part set the story up interestingly enough, and I was eager to go on. The characters were wacky but interesting, I could tell there would be backstory to explore, and I was eager to get into the mystery of the new virus that would soon infest the nursing home our main character Gabriel lives in. However, it wasn't until the sci-fi/fantasy elements kicked in that my mind began to drift out of the story. My suspension of disbelief simply didn't stretch far enough for the facts and fantasy the story was trying to sell me. It just didn't all meld, and I never found myself feeling particularly emotional toward the story after that. This story also plays a psychological game - is this all really happening, or is it all in our main character's head? I like these kinds of stories, but I wasn't getting enough suspense from this book to enjoy this aspect of it, and felt that the pacing of the plot could have also been faster. As for the backstory, the book does well in alternating between the past and present. That backstory was rather predictable, but I was never quite sure where the plot was taking me with the virus hunting aspect, which kept me interested.
Characters: The characters started out very promising. Gabriel was interesting, his nursing home counterparts were a little strange, and I liked his daughter in the flashbacks of Gabriel's backstory. However, I did find that they were a bit stereotypical and predictable, which I wouldn't have minded in the beginning if they had only been developed further as the story went on. If there were any characters I would have been interested in getting to know more, it would have been the nursing home employees and patients. They were the oddballs of the story, they made me laugh, and I was always entertained when they were around.
Writing: This book was well written. The prose flowed well, it was never hard to understand, and I never found myself lost or tripped up by the text. My one criticism is the dialogue, particularly when I felt that an accent was being implied (such as using "ya" for "you"). It just didn't feel entirely natural. However, I do feel that the writing was one of the biggest strengths of the novel.
Was I satisfied? Overall, I think this wasn't a book for me. I expect a lot from sci-fi and fantasy novels in order to achieve that total immersion and suspense of disbelief, and I didn't find it in this book. It's got a good premise, but I think I just wanted it to be creepy and scary in a way that I could believe, and I just wasn't convinced.
Characters: The characters started out very promising. Gabriel was interesting, his nursing home counterparts were a little strange, and I liked his daughter in the flashbacks of Gabriel's backstory. However, I did find that they were a bit stereotypical and predictable, which I wouldn't have minded in the beginning if they had only been developed further as the story went on. If there were any characters I would have been interested in getting to know more, it would have been the nursing home employees and patients. They were the oddballs of the story, they made me laugh, and I was always entertained when they were around.
Writing: This book was well written. The prose flowed well, it was never hard to understand, and I never found myself lost or tripped up by the text. My one criticism is the dialogue, particularly when I felt that an accent was being implied (such as using "ya" for "you"). It just didn't feel entirely natural. However, I do feel that the writing was one of the biggest strengths of the novel.
Was I satisfied? Overall, I think this wasn't a book for me. I expect a lot from sci-fi and fantasy novels in order to achieve that total immersion and suspense of disbelief, and I didn't find it in this book. It's got a good premise, but I think I just wanted it to be creepy and scary in a way that I could believe, and I just wasn't convinced.