In the author's note, Cañas features a quote from Cheno Cortina, a paramilitary leader who defended the Mexican border against white settlers d[image]
In the author's note, Cañas features a quote from Cheno Cortina, a paramilitary leader who defended the Mexican border against white settlers during the Texas Revolution. He used the word "vampires" to describe the invading force, and that is where Cañas got her next book idea. Obviously, the vampires in this book are supposed to be an allegory for the Yanquis. Key words: supposed to. The plot choice Cañas chose completely nips that in the bud to the point that the inclusion of the vampires, are first of all sparse, and second, irrelevant. She takes away so much of the power, fear, and mystery of the creatures with her writing choice. Especially the creature coming from Mexican folklore / holding cultural worth as part of traditional storytelling, why did Cañas choose to weaken them instead of wielding its power?
As for the romance featured, there was too much repetition of their grievances with each other and too much filler. I counted once, it took 6 pages to explain a simple scene of Nestor teaching Nena how to shoot a gun. If the author wanted these lovers to bond, why not bond over defending their hometown? Instead, they seldom talked about the vampires. They just accepted the existence of these creatures way too easily.
The writing itself is very beautiful, which is why I thought it'd be a 5 star in the beginning. I quickly grew frustrated because of the plot. ...more
I can appreciate the amount of research the author must've done to weave entomological and gardening info throughout the book, and the humorous[image]
I can appreciate the amount of research the author must've done to weave entomological and gardening info throughout the book, and the humorous inner dialogue of our main character made me laugh out loud at parts. However, the buildup to the horror was too slow, it was only at 50% when any progress on the plot was made, and even then, the reveal was predictable and anticlimactic. So if there's barely any scares, there has to be heart. Unfortunately, the author didn't take enough time to flesh out the relationship between the three generations of women - Grand Mae, mother, granddaughter - it was very surface level, and as a result, I didn't particularly care or root for their survival. My reading experience with this book was just passive. It's not bad, but it's bland.
Also, try to avoid the audiobook. I had no choice, but the narrator is horrible at voices and was miscast. The main character is a Doc Marten wearing, relatively young, drinks wine from a box, doctor of bugs, someone "cool" and "hip", but the voice sounded way too old and "nice" like a PTA mom with 2½ kids and makes pot roast....more
This was a first rate mystery thriller, at one point, listening to the audiobook - which is the best way to read this one btw, it's a full cast[image]
This was a first rate mystery thriller, at one point, listening to the audiobook - which is the best way to read this one btw, it's a full cast w/ sound effects, the whole nine yards - I caught myself thinking it was real, like I was really listening to a true crime podcast. Many times I didn't know which of the two main characters to believe, the distinctive voices of the two were really well written by Jewell, and all the side characters added significantly to the story, no pages wasted. I haven't had this much fun reading a domestic thriller in awhile. ...more
A tragic story where the culprit was also the main victim. A feeling of impending doom pervaded each page, atmospheric, immersive writing, I could feeA tragic story where the culprit was also the main victim. A feeling of impending doom pervaded each page, atmospheric, immersive writing, I could feel the lashing wind whipping around me like I was really standing at the cliff of Hope's End. The flashbacks of Lenora were the most intriguing parts of the book, but the main character of present day, not so much. She was a bit of a stand-in character to really just tell Lenora's story. The first twist caught me off guard and was satisfying, but the subsequent ones and epilogue were unneeded and pushed the book into cheesy, over the top territory. This was my first Riley Sager reading experience, so I had high expectations. I had fun, even though the last 20% of the book I was rolling my eyes, like "ok, let's keep it moving, when's this gonna be over". ...more
I've placed this in the top two of all the Hendrix books I've read, only after Horrorstor. Human possession really gets to me, and one chapter in thisI've placed this in the top two of all the Hendrix books I've read, only after Horrorstor. Human possession really gets to me, and one chapter in this book was written so viscerally terrifying in having the perspective of one being in a fugue state, was so dread inducing, not scary as in "jump scare!" but scary as in bleak, depressing, of wanting so desperately to stop but being unable to, the days blurring together with no end in sight, that death would be preferable to this living hell. I saw it like a movie in my mind.
I docked a star because some back n forth between the siblings could've been cut out, especially in the beginning of the book, as well as a sidetrack scene of a visit to a paranormal investigator, which only served to reveal a surprise that could've been introduced in another way that fit better with the pacing of the story. Because of these two reasons, the book dragged on at times. ...more
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