C. J. Daley
Finally popped open my box set of Vol1-3. After finishing the show, I knew it was time to get to the source material finally.
If anything, this comic is more off the rails than the show! Which does make sense, but the show was pretty out there to begin with. A group of babies are all born at the same time, mostly to women that were not noticeably pregnant beforehand. For some reason, Reginald Hargreaves sets out to adopt as many of them as he can, eventually succeeding with 7. As he raises them, it’s apparent that he doesn’t do so out of the kindness of his heart, as each child is only bestowed with a number as a name. And eventually he launching them as their own children led superhero group. It’s apparent that they have their own rogues gallery, as well as some serious successes (and losses, aka Ben) but this is focusing on the adult versions of them.
00.05 has been stuck in the future, desperately trying to solve how to return. When he finally does, something wrong happens, and he is stuck inside his body from boyhood. His return is nothing if not timely, as they have just days to stop the end of the world.
While much of this is like season 1 of the show, it differs in some subtle ways, and in some major ways when it comes to 00.07. There are some absolutely explosive and brutal panels in this, with blood and gore that surprised even me, and it was really cool to see them in full color (reading through TWD had the volumes’ covers in color, but the panels in black and white). The main thing that stood out to me was how much more of the characters you get in the show. There beats and banter is clearly taken from the source material, but its format doesn’t allow for them to open up as much, and that’s where the show really shone for me. But that is the necessary differences when you are reading short form, so I cannot wait to get into vol2 so that I can get into more of who they are. It’s such a fun read.
Finally popped open my box set of Vol1-3. After finishing the show, I knew it was time to get to the source material finally.
If anything, this comic is more off the rails than the show! Which does make sense, but the show was pretty out there to begin with. A group of babies are all born at the same time, mostly to women that were not noticeably pregnant beforehand. For some reason, Reginald Hargreaves sets out to adopt as many of them as he can, eventually succeeding with 7. As he raises them, it’s apparent that he doesn’t do so out of the kindness of his heart, as each child is only bestowed with a number as a name. And eventually he launching them as their own children led superhero group. It’s apparent that they have their own rogues gallery, as well as some serious successes (and losses, aka Ben) but this is focusing on the adult versions of them.
00.05 has been stuck in the future, desperately trying to solve how to return. When he finally does, something wrong happens, and he is stuck inside his body from boyhood. His return is nothing if not timely, as they have just days to stop the end of the world.
While much of this is like season 1 of the show, it differs in some subtle ways, and in some major ways when it comes to 00.07. There are some absolutely explosive and brutal panels in this, with blood and gore that surprised even me, and it was really cool to see them in full color (reading through TWD had the volumes’ covers in color, but the panels in black and white). The main thing that stood out to me was how much more of the characters you get in the show. There beats and banter is clearly taken from the source material, but its format doesn’t allow for them to open up as much, and that’s where the show really shone for me. But that is the necessary differences when you are reading short form, so I cannot wait to get into vol2 so that I can get into more of who they are. It’s such a fun read.
Huge shoutout to Angry Robot for the physical arc! I really enjoyed book 1 of the Ice Plague Wars series so to be offered the follow up was so cool.
Book 2 takes off running. While some of the South Pole Stationers have survived the climax of book 1, as well as the winter, there’s no reprieve in sight. If they want a chance in hell of getting off the ice they’ll need to put their heads together, to work as as much of a team as possible, and to overcome some pretty wild opposition. The northern McMurdo Station is expecting its summer influx of flights and an arrival of over 1500 workers. The CIA must get boots on the ground, must find out what happened to the symbiotes, and how to contain (or maintain) the problem before time runs out. Faces new and old will face off in this wickedly pulse pounding tale of survival. If this book does get a sequel, which I daresay is the plan, I think it will take on some real-world implications, finally making the big leap off of the ice.
This feels like equal parts Michael Crichton and Thomas Harris. It has the scifi thriller down pat, but it’s also so scientific and specific that it has that layer of detail that feels like Harris’ Hannibal series. If a zombie-adjacent contagion story were crushed into the isolated island-like Jurassic Park with the cannibal killer himself. Truly sharp writing and distinct prose make this hard to put down. Book 2 adds so much politics into the story, from the CIA to snooping reporters—exactly what you’d expect with a plague-level illness that threatens the Antarctic treaty, and it’s layered really well.
Rajan, Siri, and Keyon continue their partnership, and I think the way they move through this new layer of messed up makes sense. While they are now telepathically (or arguably even ‘symbiotically’) linked, they still have their own personalities and journeys. All they want is to make it off the ice. The only problem? Ben is not so gone as they thought, and he has nefarious intentions. This book adds a whole new layer of crazy, dangerously raising the stakes, and pushing these people ever closer to the edge of extinction. There are some climactic scenes that felt World War Z level tense.
Fast, bloody, and irresistibly good, this is one hell of a sequel that should be on every scifi/thriller reader’s TBR. If book one is about survival, book two is asking if those choices and decisions were even worth it.
Huge shoutout to Angry Robot for the physical arc! I really enjoyed book 1 of the Ice Plague Wars series so to be offered the follow up was so cool.
Book 2 takes off running. While some of the South Pole Stationers have survived the climax of book 1, as well as the winter, there’s no reprieve in sight. If they want a chance in hell of getting off the ice they’ll need to put their heads together, to work as as much of a team as possible, and to overcome some pretty wild opposition. The northern McMurdo Station is expecting its summer influx of flights and an arrival of over 1500 workers. The CIA must get boots on the ground, must find out what happened to the symbiotes, and how to contain (or maintain) the problem before time runs out. Faces new and old will face off in this wickedly pulse pounding tale of survival. If this book does get a sequel, which I daresay is the plan, I think it will take on some real-world implications, finally making the big leap off of the ice.
This feels like equal parts Michael Crichton and Thomas Harris. It has the scifi thriller down pat, but it’s also so scientific and specific that it has that layer of detail that feels like Harris’ Hannibal series. If a zombie-adjacent contagion story were crushed into the isolated island-like Jurassic Park with the cannibal killer himself. Truly sharp writing and distinct prose make this hard to put down. Book 2 adds so much politics into the story, from the CIA to snooping reporters—exactly what you’d expect with a plague-level illness that threatens the Antarctic treaty, and it’s layered really well.
Rajan, Siri, and Keyon continue their partnership, and I think the way they move through this new layer of messed up makes sense. While they are now telepathically (or arguably even ‘symbiotically’) linked, they still have their own personalities and journeys. All they want is to make it off the ice. The only problem? Ben is not so gone as they thought, and he has nefarious intentions. This book adds a whole new layer of crazy, dangerously raising the stakes, and pushing these people ever closer to the edge of extinction. There are some climactic scenes that felt World War Z level tense.
Fast, bloody, and irresistibly good, this is one hell of a sequel that should be on every scifi/thriller reader’s TBR. If book one is about survival, book two is asking if those choices and decisions were even worth it.
Thanks to Netgalley, Tor Nightfire, and Macmillan Audio for the arc!
This is my third attempt reading the author, and definitely my best experience to date. There were definitely things of genuine enjoyment in this release! The thing that keeps bringing me back is that the author honestly has some of the best covers in the industry…continuously.
Sonia is a naturalist and illustrator, who, after the death of her father, finds herself struggling for scientific work and recognition. But so is the life of an educated woman in 1899. Still, she has found herself with an offer to illustrate a scientific text, a job that includes lodging, food, and pay—and best of all, is not at the school she’s been forced to take employment with just to exist. She takes the offer and finds herself traveling to North Carolina. The house she is staying in borders on more of a mansion, however, it hardly has anyone living or even working within it. She finds that awfully strange, but gets to work. Her employer, an eccentric hothead, has an extensive collection to work through, but unfortunately, it just so happens to be bugs. So many bugs, in excruciating detail and color. The likes of which may have you questioning ever entering the woods again…and wouldn’t you know it, it just might contain something of a darker nature there too.
So, the positives? The story wasn’t overlong, and I mean that as it helped with pacing, not because it was unenjoyable. Much of this is to the point, with little to no unnecessary or sidebar sequences. The author has given readers a streamlined novel that does flow rather effortlessly. The dialogue is light, and even when it is on the edge of scientific, I at least found it of interest. The character of Sonia, is both an unusual and typical personality for the author. She has a knack for creating strange yet persevering women set in times, places, or at task that may be out of the ordinary. I enjoyed Sonia, and while her father was a naturalist that raised her to be one as well, she still embodies her own being of interests and intellect. There are some nice descriptions throughout the book as well, as the POV allows the narration to depict the world in brushstrokes and paint colors. And also, without spoiling too much, but the “something darker” in the woods was a really interesting take. Kingfisher always has a twist into a somewhat fantastical realm, and I enjoyed that this had a twinge of the vampiric.
On the other hand, the issue I continually come back to with this author is that they have a very distinctive voice in their writing, and while it is fully fledged and hammered to a sort of perfection, I don’t think it’s fitting for some genres. This one in particular, which was or should have been a period piece, felt entirely modern, with the synopsis just stating it was 1899. The narration, by Mary Robinette Kowal, was well produced but felt out of place in its modernity. Take for example author Tanya Pell, whose most recent Her Wicked Roots delivered an entirely different voice and prose from her previous Cicada. It is possible to switch, it just didn’t happen here. There was also so much room for this to be tense and atmospheric. A giant house, moderate isolation, an undertone of nefariousness. These were all the things I expected, were why I tackled this one. While I am not against books stepping away from expectations, I still think this one went too far the other way from a Gothic. Things kind of just happen. The buildup is minimal, the fright not really existent. Maybe Sonia spends too much time in her head? Perhaps the author’s attempt at keeping her levelheaded and scientific simply bleached all the struggle? Overall, I finished this book happy to have read it, I did just want even more out of it.
I’ve seen removal videos online, and I can tell you now after reading these descriptions, if I ever find out I am in an area where botflies inhabit, I am full on sprinting out of there. Not happening.
Thanks to Netgalley, Tor Nightfire, and Macmillan Audio for the arc!
This is my third attempt reading the author, and definitely my best experience to date. There were definitely things of genuine enjoyment in this release! The thing that keeps bringing me back is that the author honestly has some of the best covers in the industry…continuously.
Sonia is a naturalist and illustrator, who, after the death of her father, finds herself struggling for scientific work and recognition. But so is the life of an educated woman in 1899. Still, she has found herself with an offer to illustrate a scientific text, a job that includes lodging, food, and pay—and best of all, is not at the school she’s been forced to take employment with just to exist. She takes the offer and finds herself traveling to North Carolina. The house she is staying in borders on more of a mansion, however, it hardly has anyone living or even working within it. She finds that awfully strange, but gets to work. Her employer, an eccentric hothead, has an extensive collection to work through, but unfortunately, it just so happens to be bugs. So many bugs, in excruciating detail and color. The likes of which may have you questioning ever entering the woods again…and wouldn’t you know it, it just might contain something of a darker nature there too.
So, the positives? The story wasn’t overlong, and I mean that as it helped with pacing, not because it was unenjoyable. Much of this is to the point, with little to no unnecessary or sidebar sequences. The author has given readers a streamlined novel that does flow rather effortlessly. The dialogue is light, and even when it is on the edge of scientific, I at least found it of interest. The character of Sonia, is both an unusual and typical personality for the author. She has a knack for creating strange yet persevering women set in times, places, or at task that may be out of the ordinary. I enjoyed Sonia, and while her father was a naturalist that raised her to be one as well, she still embodies her own being of interests and intellect. There are some nice descriptions throughout the book as well, as the POV allows the narration to depict the world in brushstrokes and paint colors. And also, without spoiling too much, but the “something darker” in the woods was a really interesting take. Kingfisher always has a twist into a somewhat fantastical realm, and I enjoyed that this had a twinge of the vampiric.
On the other hand, the issue I continually come back to with this author is that they have a very distinctive voice in their writing, and while it is fully fledged and hammered to a sort of perfection, I don’t think it’s fitting for some genres. This one in particular, which was or should have been a period piece, felt entirely modern, with the synopsis just stating it was 1899. The narration, by Mary Robinette Kowal, was well produced but felt out of place in its modernity. Take for example author Tanya Pell, whose most recent Her Wicked Roots delivered an entirely different voice and prose from her previous Cicada. It is possible to switch, it just didn’t happen here. There was also so much room for this to be tense and atmospheric. A giant house, moderate isolation, an undertone of nefariousness. These were all the things I expected, were why I tackled this one. While I am not against books stepping away from expectations, I still think this one went too far the other way from a Gothic. Things kind of just happen. The buildup is minimal, the fright not really existent. Maybe Sonia spends too much time in her head? Perhaps the author’s attempt at keeping her levelheaded and scientific simply bleached all the struggle? Overall, I finished this book happy to have read it, I did just want even more out of it.
I’ve seen removal videos online, and I can tell you now after reading these descriptions, if I ever find out I am in an area where botflies inhabit, I am full on sprinting out of there. Not happening.
Believe it or not, this was an instagram ad for me from Hot Topic? Super odd, but once I saw it was real I had to have one.
Delightfully, deliriously different. A love letter to Tolkien’s Legendarium and Edward Gorey’s art style. Each letter of the alphabet representing a person, place, or item, that found, witnessed, or welcomed death.
What a cool idea. One that started as a Inktober idea just as a fan, that then blew up on instagram, and later became an actual book deal. I feel like things like that don’t happen anymore, especially with something as legendary as the Tolkien Estate. This is one of those truly ‘dream big’ moments.
Breezed through this in one sitting. As it’s a stylized poem, with each letter receiving a single sentence, it’s not a time consuming read. However, the paragraph or so describing where each reference came from in the back of the book was awesome. This would be a really cool piece to get someone into the greater, deeper works of Tolkien, and the fact that the author cited his references, this might do just that. Middle-earth is an incredibly vast place with history and lore than many fans have only just scratched the surface on.
Here are two sets of favorites: “C is for Celebrimbor hung out to dry D is for Denethor who elected to fry”
“U is for Ungoliant whose last meal was gory V is for the Valiant “They are coming!” By Ori”
Beautifully, inventively illustrated, with both that Gorey style and yet still a Tolkien feel. A must have for Tolkien shelves.
Believe it or not, this was an instagram ad for me from Hot Topic? Super odd, but once I saw it was real I had to have one.
Delightfully, deliriously different. A love letter to Tolkien’s Legendarium and Edward Gorey’s art style. Each letter of the alphabet representing a person, place, or item, that found, witnessed, or welcomed death.
What a cool idea. One that started as a Inktober idea just as a fan, that then blew up on instagram, and later became an actual book deal. I feel like things like that don’t happen anymore, especially with something as legendary as the Tolkien Estate. This is one of those truly ‘dream big’ moments.
Breezed through this in one sitting. As it’s a stylized poem, with each letter receiving a single sentence, it’s not a time consuming read. However, the paragraph or so describing where each reference came from in the back of the book was awesome. This would be a really cool piece to get someone into the greater, deeper works of Tolkien, and the fact that the author cited his references, this might do just that. Middle-earth is an incredibly vast place with history and lore than many fans have only just scratched the surface on.
Here are two sets of favorites: “C is for Celebrimbor hung out to dry D is for Denethor who elected to fry”
“U is for Ungoliant whose last meal was gory V is for the Valiant “They are coming!” By Ori”
Beautifully, inventively illustrated, with both that Gorey style and yet still a Tolkien feel. A must have for Tolkien shelves.
Huge thanks to the author for the eARC. The final cover is sick!
This is a folk horror that meshes psychological second-guessing with one hell of a buggy creature feature. The writing reminded me of King, and the pace was fast and smooth. Short chapters that almost always ended with something exciting or a hook made this a quick read for me.
Delilah has returned home in order to care for her ailing mother, who is bedridden. The town is one she’d rather avoid, as people stare as if she’s the shiny ‘new thing,’ but things are even darker than they seem. Her barista seems to tolerate her, the grocery store clerk, Mr. Gengi, is the most warmth she can seem to find, and in the midst of things spiraling she finds herself reliant on an old crush, the sheriff. And as much stress as having a parent lose themselves and their personality as sundowing rolls around each day, her mother’s ire is the least of her worries as truly horrific things start to happen.
Are they hallucinations, or are they real? Or perhaps even worse, is this mysterious entity implanting them? While folk horror is something I do delve into, I wouldn’t say it’s my typical read. This somehow nailed both the more creepy dread of the likes of a folk film, as well as the pace and action of a creature feature. While I haven’t read IT, the hallucinations/visions really reminded me of Pennywise’s torment in the movies and Welcome to Derry. Heinous thoughts, creepy voices, and trauma-buried memories are brought to life, and even if Delilah can distinguish what’s real, it still won’t be over.
The novel also features wasps, and lots of them. I’ve noticed an uptick in bee related plots recently, and while I have yet to read more of them, I certainly get it. Why do they have an armored carapace, why can they sting, and why do wasps possess the ability to do so over and over? While I’m not outright afraid it insects, I’m still not a fan! These mud daubers were something new to me entirely, the tube-like mud nests for their young, and how the creature expands on this and makes use of them, was gross and creepy. This loosely reminded me of notes of Cicada by Tanya Pell, with its winged horrors, and how both insects utilize a kind of ‘becoming.’ The entity, which you’ll have to read on your own to find out more about, had me picturing a mesh of a demogorgon and the aliens from A Quiet Place…real creepy stuff.
Overall, the ending nailed it for me. Creepy, fast, and refreshingly different. The connection to the author’s other work was so cool too, I love when people do that, and it made me want to hurry up and get to The Boatman too.
Huge thanks to the author for the eARC. The final cover is sick!
This is a folk horror that meshes psychological second-guessing with one hell of a buggy creature feature. The writing reminded me of King, and the pace was fast and smooth. Short chapters that almost always ended with something exciting or a hook made this a quick read for me.
Delilah has returned home in order to care for her ailing mother, who is bedridden. The town is one she’d rather avoid, as people stare as if she’s the shiny ‘new thing,’ but things are even darker than they seem. Her barista seems to tolerate her, the grocery store clerk, Mr. Gengi, is the most warmth she can seem to find, and in the midst of things spiraling she finds herself reliant on an old crush, the sheriff. And as much stress as having a parent lose themselves and their personality as sundowing rolls around each day, her mother’s ire is the least of her worries as truly horrific things start to happen.
Are they hallucinations, or are they real? Or perhaps even worse, is this mysterious entity implanting them? While folk horror is something I do delve into, I wouldn’t say it’s my typical read. This somehow nailed both the more creepy dread of the likes of a folk film, as well as the pace and action of a creature feature. While I haven’t read IT, the hallucinations/visions really reminded me of Pennywise’s torment in the movies and Welcome to Derry. Heinous thoughts, creepy voices, and trauma-buried memories are brought to life, and even if Delilah can distinguish what’s real, it still won’t be over.
The novel also features wasps, and lots of them. I’ve noticed an uptick in bee related plots recently, and while I have yet to read more of them, I certainly get it. Why do they have an armored carapace, why can they sting, and why do wasps possess the ability to do so over and over? While I’m not outright afraid it insects, I’m still not a fan! These mud daubers were something new to me entirely, the tube-like mud nests for their young, and how the creature expands on this and makes use of them, was gross and creepy. This loosely reminded me of notes of Cicada by Tanya Pell, with its winged horrors, and how both insects utilize a kind of ‘becoming.’ The entity, which you’ll have to read on your own to find out more about, had me picturing a mesh of a demogorgon and the aliens from A Quiet Place…real creepy stuff.
Overall, the ending nailed it for me. Creepy, fast, and refreshingly different. The connection to the author’s other work was so cool too, I love when people do that, and it made me want to hurry up and get to The Boatman too.
Unfortunately for me, the only thing I really felt during my listen of this one was meh. Not necessarily bad, it just did nothing for me. The narration was good though.
This is an eco thriller and horror that blends commentary on race with family drama, trauma, and woodland terrors. It is a dual timeline that for me kind of killed the pacing. Not to mention, I wanted nothing to do with mentions of a fifteen-year-old grinding on a man’s lap and maste**ating. While it wasn’t terribly detailed, it was entirely unnecessary. The switches in time did come into play later, but instead of a big reveal it changed in tone to almost textbook sounding explanation.
The family drama really has no resolution, and with that, therefore doesn’t ever really come to anything. It’s commenting on anger, loss, grief, changing and becoming, but I didn’t find it to be well handled. I never ended up caring about the characters or the redwood forest.
Not for me sadly.
Unfortunately for me, the only thing I really felt during my listen of this one was meh. Not necessarily bad, it just did nothing for me. The narration was good though.
This is an eco thriller and horror that blends commentary on race with family drama, trauma, and woodland terrors. It is a dual timeline that for me kind of killed the pacing. Not to mention, I wanted nothing to do with mentions of a fifteen-year-old grinding on a man’s lap and maste**ating. While it wasn’t terribly detailed, it was entirely unnecessary. The switches in time did come into play later, but instead of a big reveal it changed in tone to almost textbook sounding explanation.
The family drama really has no resolution, and with that, therefore doesn’t ever really come to anything. It’s commenting on anger, loss, grief, changing and becoming, but I didn’t find it to be well handled. I never ended up caring about the characters or the redwood forest.
Not for me sadly.
Thanks to the author for reaching out to FanFiAddict and for giving me an eARC. I love the cover!
This novel is a unique blend. A group of friends and amateur filmmakers have found a the perfect house to film in. The problem is that the snowstorm made it difficult to get there, let alone leave after. And while their host has been nothing but welcoming, even telling them they could stay if the snow got too bad, she was definitely weird the whole time too. Cleo, the script writer and main character, is creeped out from their first meeting. Her cousin, Noah, has them on an incredibly strict filming schedule, and the camera, as well as their eyes, start to pick up on things…out of the ordinary. They brought an actor to play the ghost, but maybe they shouldn’t have bothered.
I love a good haunted house story, and the fact that this blended a film crew/set felt like a modern take on one. It felt similar in that aspect to my novella BestGhost, with the technology being a frontrunner. It also gives readers the trapped ‘vacation’ feel of a snowed in location, as well as added layers of spookiness and cabin fever. At first Cleo just seems jumpy, her camera dies at inconvenient and random times, but then the rest finally catch on. It had some typical ghost notes, jump scares, and then isolation too. I think this worked well because at first the filming is top of mind, then the haunting comes to the front and it almost kind of mirrors some of the script. It’s a unique idea.
I will say, and this is probably a me problem, but the use of the term camcorder made me unsure of when this took place. They have cellphones with the flashlight app, which makes me think smartphone obviously, but I guess for me the term is rooted in the early 2000s when I was growing up. There is also a character with a strange dialogue affectation where they end sentences, especially questions, with “eh?” That I really didn’t know what to make of. It stood out as an almost The Sopranos or even Joe Pesci-esque Italian mannerism that confused me. Neither hampered my enjoyment, but they did stick out each time.
There is some well done integration with art and grief, and even anger and guilt. Where the canvas they borrowed from the homeowner is heavily foreshadowing and involved in what’s to come. The paintings—which allowed the author to show off some horror knowledge—where the artist took famous movie scenes but painted the characters to look more like how they were described in the text is really cool. The kind of thing I would even buy.
There is a forced-proximity romance subplot that I didn’t necessarily need, but was not against either. I think that it does give the novel its more grounded moments, and it is earned by the time things develop. It is also bi representation which we love to see. The character of Isobel had me picturing a kind of mesh of Robin and Vickie from Stranger Things and Cleo felt like Elsie Fisher would play her in a movie.
This one does some interesting things, and most importantly I truly didn’t know what was going to happen in the end.
“But much like a grave, this home is colder.”
Thanks to the author for reaching out to FanFiAddict and for giving me an eARC. I love the cover!
This novel is a unique blend. A group of friends and amateur filmmakers have found a the perfect house to film in. The problem is that the snowstorm made it difficult to get there, let alone leave after. And while their host has been nothing but welcoming, even telling them they could stay if the snow got too bad, she was definitely weird the whole time too. Cleo, the script writer and main character, is creeped out from their first meeting. Her cousin, Noah, has them on an incredibly strict filming schedule, and the camera, as well as their eyes, start to pick up on things…out of the ordinary. They brought an actor to play the ghost, but maybe they shouldn’t have bothered.
I love a good haunted house story, and the fact that this blended a film crew/set felt like a modern take on one. It felt similar in that aspect to my novella BestGhost, with the technology being a frontrunner. It also gives readers the trapped ‘vacation’ feel of a snowed in location, as well as added layers of spookiness and cabin fever. At first Cleo just seems jumpy, her camera dies at inconvenient and random times, but then the rest finally catch on. It had some typical ghost notes, jump scares, and then isolation too. I think this worked well because at first the filming is top of mind, then the haunting comes to the front and it almost kind of mirrors some of the script. It’s a unique idea.
I will say, and this is probably a me problem, but the use of the term camcorder made me unsure of when this took place. They have cellphones with the flashlight app, which makes me think smartphone obviously, but I guess for me the term is rooted in the early 2000s when I was growing up. There is also a character with a strange dialogue affectation where they end sentences, especially questions, with “eh?” That I really didn’t know what to make of. It stood out as an almost The Sopranos or even Joe Pesci-esque Italian mannerism that confused me. Neither hampered my enjoyment, but they did stick out each time.
There is some well done integration with art and grief, and even anger and guilt. Where the canvas they borrowed from the homeowner is heavily foreshadowing and involved in what’s to come. The paintings—which allowed the author to show off some horror knowledge—where the artist took famous movie scenes but painted the characters to look more like how they were described in the text is really cool. The kind of thing I would even buy.
There is a forced-proximity romance subplot that I didn’t necessarily need, but was not against either. I think that it does give the novel its more grounded moments, and it is earned by the time things develop. It is also bi representation which we love to see. The character of Isobel had me picturing a kind of mesh of Robin and Vickie from Stranger Things and Cleo felt like Elsie Fisher would play her in a movie.
This one does some interesting things, and most importantly I truly didn’t know what was going to happen in the end.
“But much like a grave, this home is colder.”