A review by yellowbinge
Habitat by Catriona Shine

mysterious tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

Publishing date: 17.09.2024
Thank you to Netgalley and The Lilliput Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own. 

The book as a meal: My meal disappeared??
The book left me: Deeply disturbed, unable to sleep

Negatives:
Hard to keep track of who is who
Needs some quotation marks for the dialogue (has none!) 
Feels very samey even if the story is progressing 
Unsatisfying ending

Positives:
Have never read or watched this concept before, really refreshing
Tense all the time
Situation gets worse and worse (endearing comment)

Features: 
A deeply unsettling mystery that affects everyone in the story very differently, Norway setting, blaming everyone and no-one at all, no quotation marks for dialogue, a hidden "horror" tag

Why did I choose this one?
Honestly ... I saw that it was set in Oslo and thought I should read it because of that

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?
In-between. I had both a hard time getting into it, and a hard time putting it down. It was fluctuating between both throughout my reading experience. Mostly due to the fact that it took a while for something "new" to happen, and when something "new" happened I was entranced. 
I think the slow pacing might be tough for some readers. 

What was the vibe and mood?
It was eerie. I felt unsafe at my own location. I felt like no one would believe me if something strange happened. I had sympathy for all the characters, but wondered if I would believe them myself. I wondered what I would do if I were in their shoes. 
Very creepy, very tense. Have you felt like a house is haunted even if the house is modern? That is this book in essence. 

Final ranking and star rating?
A tier, 4 stars. I enjoyed this a lot. The premise was great, the writing was good (but I wish you used quotation marks in dialogue). A bit up and down with wanting to read or not. 
I have to retract a star because of the ending however. Let us just say that there are some loose ends that need attending to ... or at least a hint at the planned attendance. 

I would recommend this to people who are tired of classic haunted house stories, and people who like when stuff hits the fan and blows back in everyone's faces. 

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