Scan barcode
A review by on_your_raedar
The Dead Pennies by Robert Ford
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Thank you Netgalley for providing me with an arc in exchange for an honest review.
A summary, there are three books in this novel, 2 that follow Abby and the other one follows Cora Jean. We are watching as Abby leaves an abusive ex and ends up moving to a town with her friend Hayden after being told that she will have a luxury apartment for free while work on the units are stalled. She immediately encounters a creepy guy and weird things start to happen. You move through this book trying to figure out the reason behind the weird things happening.
This was a hard one to rate, I finished it yesterday and had to sleep on it. The writing, very engaging, the story concept, intriguing, and the predictability... high.
The predictability and the friends-to-lover subplot are truly the only reasons that this book didn't make it into my 4-star tier. Its slow to start but once you hit the 30%ish, things pick up and its hard to put down. There is no denying that the author has talent, I will be picking up another of his novels, but that talent comes with a little downfall because he did really well laying breadcrumbs that made it easier to expect what to happen. With that being said, I don't think that is a bad thing at all, that is always the hope when reading, but I was anticipating this really big twist at the end, thanks to reading some spoiler-free reviews, and it didn't land as a twist because of those breadcrumbs. I'm more surprised that so many others found it to be shocking.
Before getting into that though, this book felt like it had HEAVY Conjuring influence. If that's not you're vibe, maybe stay away from this one. Between the spirits, hauntings/ death, and religious influence in this book, it really was a copy-paste, change a few things, and keep pushing moment. For me, this was fine, I'm a horror movie fan and have seen and enjoyed the entire Conjuring universe to varying extents. Just be mindful going in. As with basically all horror things, check the trigger warning before going in.
Okay, back to the big twist, which I'd say has two parts and though I'd agreed that I didn't fully guess it, it did not shock me.
Part 1: There is enough build-up between Abby and Hayden to make a fair amount of educated guesses.The romance started with Hayden telling Abby that he was the one who kissed her when she was blindfolded (WTF) and let her believe it was someone else all this time. The fact that she found that "romantic" or appealing in any way is actually wild and a solid example of her not being emotionally ready for another relationship. I mean, it's been a week since she escaped her abusive ex.
With that being said, Hayden is a low-key psycho and is obsessed with Abby to the extent of creating this fake life with her completely tracks. I'd 100% argue that this romance subplot was incredibly unnecessary IMO.
Part 2: Beyond the romance thing, Hayden being a casual murderer was an interesting way to go about things. I completely get it, obsession makes you do wild things but man, killing the uncle?! Sorrows prayers.
Overall, a really good read if you need something to round out your spooky/ fall season.
A summary, there are three books in this novel, 2 that follow Abby and the other one follows Cora Jean. We are watching as Abby leaves an abusive ex and ends up moving to a town with her friend Hayden after being told that she will have a luxury apartment for free while work on the units are stalled. She immediately encounters a creepy guy and weird things start to happen. You move through this book trying to figure out the reason behind the weird things happening.
This was a hard one to rate, I finished it yesterday and had to sleep on it. The writing, very engaging, the story concept, intriguing, and the predictability... high.
The predictability and the friends-to-lover subplot are truly the only reasons that this book didn't make it into my 4-star tier. Its slow to start but once you hit the 30%ish, things pick up and its hard to put down. There is no denying that the author has talent, I will be picking up another of his novels, but that talent comes with a little downfall because he did really well laying breadcrumbs that made it easier to expect what to happen. With that being said, I don't think that is a bad thing at all, that is always the hope when reading, but I was anticipating this really big twist at the end, thanks to reading some spoiler-free reviews, and it didn't land as a twist because of those breadcrumbs. I'm more surprised that so many others found it to be shocking.
Before getting into that though, this book felt like it had HEAVY Conjuring influence. If that's not you're vibe, maybe stay away from this one. Between the spirits, hauntings/ death, and religious influence in this book, it really was a copy-paste, change a few things, and keep pushing moment. For me, this was fine, I'm a horror movie fan and have seen and enjoyed the entire Conjuring universe to varying extents. Just be mindful going in. As with basically all horror things, check the trigger warning before going in.
Okay, back to the big twist, which I'd say has two parts and though I'd agreed that I didn't fully guess it, it did not shock me.
Part 1: There is enough build-up between Abby and Hayden to make a fair amount of educated guesses.
With that being said, Hayden is a low-key psycho and is obsessed with Abby to the extent of creating this fake life with her completely tracks.
Part 2: Beyond the romance thing,
Overall, a really good read if you need something to round out your spooky/ fall season.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Suicide
Moderate: Sexual assault, Child abuse, and Ableism