dannilmp's reviews
63 reviews

A venture back to the classic horror genre for me and my first haunted house read. A slow burn story which focuses far more on atmospheric horror than graphic horror. I'd make sure to keep the lights on while you read this one. 

For being written quite a while ago, I found the language easy to read and understand, there were a couple of times I had to get the dictornary out but aside from that it was easy to immerse myself in the story. The focus on the atmosphere and the slow and gradual build up of the horror aspects kept me on my toes throughout the whole novel. While it was a relatively short novel, the suspence felt like a lifetime. I was not expecting the ending and I still can't quite figure some aspects of the story out. Who really was haunting Hill House if there even was anyone there?

The only letdown for me was my lack of understanding of certain plot points and character behaviour. There was the odd occasion where I wasn't certain which character was speaking and I would have to go back and re-read some sections. This didn't detract too much from the pace of the story. 

This is not a book to read if you don't want to ruin your mood or would like to keep a happy disposition toward life itself. My year of rest and relaxation is certainly one of the more stranger books I have read this year. A story about a young woman wishing to go into hibernation in an attempt to rewire her brain about her views towards herself and life itself. 

Despite not liking any of the characters and the lack of character development throughout the book, I must say I felt compelled to keep reading. I wanted to see if this year of rest and relaxation would accomlish what our MC thought it would and deep down I wanted it to work for her. But I also appreciate that the idea was careless, not well thought through at all and certainly isn't something I would ever recommend anyone to try or even attempt anything remotely similar. 

The only reason I gave this book two stars is due to the fact the ending and the build up to the ending have stuck in my head and I have been tossing and turning ideas relating to them in my mind for days. This book may have been one of my least liked reads of this year however I must applaud the author's capability to get me thinking long after I have put the book down. 

A perfect read for those interested in fantasical adventures with high stakes! The Wolf and the Woodsman follows Evike as she journeys far from home and into a kingdom which wants nothing more than the eradication of her kind. Parterner with Gaspar, they both learn more about the other and continue to develop their own views and opinions of the people and of the world around them.

What makes this book stand out to me is the culture building of the difference races in this world. The way mythology is weaved into and throughout this book is really well done and it has sparked an interest in me wanting to go and learn more about Hungarian history and Jewsish mythology. 

While this book was brilliant, it really left me wanting for more. I wanted to know more of Evike's father's history, culture and religious beliefs and stories, I wanted to understand more about the workings of the other places within the world. An excellent debut and I look forward to reading more books written by Ava Reid.