Beautiful and disturbing

Really special book, you can almost smell it. I shall be recommending this to everyone

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2 people found this helpful

Slightly unpleasant

I didn't hate this book but I certainly wasn't enamoured.

I really disliked the animal torture which I personally felt was too graphic, but then I'm a wuss.

Given the current British heatwave, the description of the weather in '76 was realistic and sent me right back there when I was working in my school holidays in a kitchen....but my overall feeling was of a general unpleasantness about the characters and the whole situation.

The whole thing seemed a bit grimy to me.

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Well written and dark but not supernatural

I did enjoy this, it was very well written and very dark in tone but I was expecting more of a supernatural theme which it really wasn't, that's my fault for not properly checking. I'd still recommend to others.

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Best Contemporary Folk Horror

After enjoying “The Loney” and “Devils Day” by Andrew Michael Hurley I wanted to read more British Folk Horror. This book was in my opinion the best contemporary folk horror around at present.

It has me spell bound with every word. The atmosphere of all the 70’s furniture decor in a small run down welsh town. The ever present harsh sun create this atmosphere and tension that just tightens all the way through. A bit like how the film Midsommar achieves its horror during bright light summery scenes. It’s remarkably skillfully written.

It has a slow burning tension that doesn’t let you go.

It has subtle themes of how horrific events can change us as humans and about good and evil. It also has a pay off at the end but not as you would expect it’s so clever I had to read the last two chapters again to fully appreciate what happened.

What’s even better is that the book retains its sense of mystery unlike many in the horror genre. It left me contemplating what was really happening between the characters long after finishing.

I was remembering little parts that after the ending take on new significance.

I don’t want to ruin any of the story but I would thoroughly recommend it.

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9 people found this helpful

Conflicted

I'm really conflicted about this. On one hand, I thought it was a sublime read, and a tragical coming of tale story. On the other hand I don't want to think about it again. I found myself thinking about things that were not explored on paper.

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Great Story Wonderfully Read

An engaging and evocative tale, bought wonderfully to life by Holli Dempsey’s faultless reading. I was totally immersed from start to finish.

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Very dull

I am counter to most of these reviews in so far as I found this so very very dull. I gave up on chapter 8. That may have been a mistake but I couldn't grasp on to anything to make me try harder. Got my credit back.

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Animal cruelty lovingly depicted

Didn't make it through due to all the animal cruelty so lovingly depicted in unnecessary detail. I get it: She tortures birds, but why do I need hear minute after minute about how she hurts it and how it fights and how it's still alive an hour later FOR THE FOURTH TIME, Jesus. Just say she tortured a bird again and get on with the story.

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4 people found this helpful