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A review by keysmashhh
Pine by Francine Toon
dark
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
Plot: 3/5
Character: 2/5
Relationships: 2/5
World Building: 4/5
Genre: 3/5
things I liked
- the setting! the Scottish Highlands are prime location for a good thriller book and I felt very sold on the isolation of the town in this book
- the Scottish culture :)))) being half Scottish it was so nice to read about super nice Scottish things that made me feel like the hook was talking directly to me (however this might be a con for some)
things that were meh
- the whole plot of the book tbh, like the gothic thriller vibes were there but the book didn't really do or say anything for the entire 300 pages
- the blurb of this book sounds v different (and more action packed) book (the phrase "a community where daughters rebel and men quietly rage" is amazing and I felt like there could have just been *more* from this book)
- Lauren (the main character) was 10?!?!?!?!? just seemed way too young, same with the "teenage" characters - they weren't written convincingly for their ages
things I didn't like
- the random time "lesbian" was used as an insult by one of the students in Lauren's class - unessiscary and just no
- the ending/Plot twist/reveal - didn't make any sense, v little foreshadowing to make the book pay off and just felt like a rushed job
- none of the actual *mystery* bits were really explained (or if they were I defintly didn't pick up on it) like the whole ghosty thing just wasn't dealt with and all the tarot/spirituality stuff just didn't matter to the plot
Character: 2/5
Relationships: 2/5
World Building: 4/5
Genre: 3/5
things I liked
- the setting! the Scottish Highlands are prime location for a good thriller book and I felt very sold on the isolation of the town in this book
- the Scottish culture :)))) being half Scottish it was so nice to read about super nice Scottish things that made me feel like the hook was talking directly to me (however this might be a con for some)
things that were meh
- the whole plot of the book tbh, like the gothic thriller vibes were there but the book didn't really do or say anything for the entire 300 pages
- the blurb of this book sounds v different (and more action packed) book (the phrase "a community where daughters rebel and men quietly rage" is amazing and I felt like there could have just been *more* from this book)
- Lauren (the main character) was 10?!?!?!?!? just seemed way too young, same with the "teenage" characters - they weren't written convincingly for their ages
things I didn't like
- the random time "lesbian" was used as an insult by one of the students in Lauren's class - unessiscary and just no
- the ending/Plot twist/reveal - didn't make any sense, v little foreshadowing to make the book pay off and just felt like a rushed job
- none of the actual *mystery* bits were really explained (or if they were I defintly didn't pick up on it) like the whole ghosty thing just wasn't dealt with and all the tarot/spirituality stuff just didn't matter to the plot