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krbfleming's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Cannibalism, Medical trauma, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Abandonment
himpersonal's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
As with most of the Crouch books I've read, it's full of high-tension action. I enjoyed this part. I liked less the parallel stories. I also am unclear as to why this book is categorized as horror. Definitely creepy, but nothing about it fit the horror genre for me - not that I was looking for that, but my brain was certainly ready for it based on the description. The only horror for me was what happened to Lana, and that was largely because the man who did it to her was evil.
I disliked every single character, including Abigail. The themes of greed and moral bankruptcy, crises of faith, oppressive patriarchy, taking advantage of the disadvantaged, what veterans deserve, etc. are all important things to explore, but it was all at the surface level. I guess when the action moves as fast is it does in Crouch's writings, it can get a bit difficult to delve while keeping events moving forward.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I think I liked some of his others more than this one. It could make a good movie.
I disliked every single character, including Abigail. The themes of greed and moral bankruptcy, crises of faith, oppressive patriarchy, taking advantage of the disadvantaged, what veterans deserve, etc. are all important things to explore, but it was all at the surface level. I guess when the action moves as fast is it does in Crouch's writings, it can get a bit difficult to delve while keeping events moving forward.
Overall, I enjoyed the book. I think I liked some of his others more than this one. It could make a good movie.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Ableism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Physical abuse, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Police brutality, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Car accident, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
yvo_about_books's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
2.25
Finished reading: October 18th 2024
“The worst moments of your life you never see coming.”
Right... I should probably have trusted my instincts and left this book be. This will teach me to never trust a blurb, and to pay more attention to the reviews instead. Still, I loved the picture the blurb of what was supposed to be a supernatural horror slash survival thriller painted, and I did enjoy my first three experiences with Blake Crouch's writing... So I caved and decided to read it anyway. BIG mistake. Basically everything in the blurb is a big fat lie. There is no supernatural element, there is no paranormal horror to spice things up. Sure, the survival part is still there... But the main focus is basically on a whole boatload of people being killed in the most gruesome and graphic way possible. I don't mind things getting dark and violent, but only if it serves a purpose and if it adds something to the plot. In the case of Abandon, it was just gore galore and SO many deaths that I started skimreading the scenes because I just wanted it to be over. The story uses a dual timeline structure, and while the present timeline set in 2009 was initially engaging enough, I absolutely hated the 1893 timeline from the very start. It has an overload of characters, and to make things worse just about the only purpose of most of them is to die in different horrible ways. This also applies to most of the present characters by the way... And that whole hint at a paranormal angle with the psychic and paranormal photographer in the blurb? Another big fat lie, and they could have been circus clowns and it wouldn't have made any difference in the plot. There are so many over the top and farfetched events, there are so many cliches, there are so many unbelievable and extremely frustrating twists... And in the end I wish I had just abandoned this book instead of ploughing on. This is all? Not even close. There is also the religious angle and the fact that the dialogue in the 1893 didn't feel right for the time period... And the fact that basically all men in both timelines are complete bastards. I can keep talking (ranting), but I guess I've made it clear by now that Abandon and me most definitely didn't get along.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Grief, Cannibalism, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Sexual harassment, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism
othersociologist's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racial slurs and Torture
ordinarypickle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.0
Not what I expect from a Blake Crouch novel. I REALLY did not enjoy this. I've read several books by Crouch and having finished his Pines trilogy recently, I kept waiting for a twist or something sci Fi or supernatural to occur. Nothing. Except lots of senseless violence, the worst of it being inflicted upon women. Was he going through a bad breakup when he wrote this? Seriously, books like this are why, with a couple of exceptions, I tend to skip male authors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Torture, Religious bigotry, and Murder
aseel_reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.25
I liked the parts when the past and present mirrored each other and man, this really showed the depths people will go for greed. But otherwise it was really confusing to keep all the characters in mind and differentiate them. The reason for the whole town dying was so basic and ridiculous, it also had pretty bad pacing and for a town abandoned, why are there so many people visiting?
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Sexism, Religious bigotry, and Sexual harassment
Moderate: Body horror, Child death, Death, Gun violence, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Death of parent, Murder, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
dr_kat's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Okay…this just wasn’t the right book for me. Many other folks I know LOVED this book so much. But me…I just didn’t. I will say there’s a lot of creep and scary-teasing and build up. But I wouldn’t call this horror so much as adventure.
First, it just felt like it took so long to get started and even 3/4 + of the way through we were learning new things. And I disliked everyone. Everyone. And I think I’ve come to the conclusion that I don’t really like ghost stories because they’re all tragedies and so sad.
So in my MFA program I was told over and over to do horrible things to my most likeable characters. I was told this makes great fiction and the reader wants it. Like a safe kind of schadenfreude where it’s just fiction so no one is really hurt. I tho k this is BS advice, though. Yes, testing a person to see how they react will often provide interesting, maybe even entertaining results. But like the “bonus short story” included in my copy of Abandon, at what cost to even a vicarious observer? Yeah, no, no thanks. A story needs complications but I don’t think it needs to be the worst of human nature for nearly the entire cast of characters, which is what this story has. Sorry, I’m not really giving spoilers; just my personal thoughts on why this book disappointed me and troubled me. So I read Lacalle’s Lone Women and it had a similar vibe, similar place and time, but no real cannibals, I guess. That left me with a more uplifted feeling even though it was still tragic. It was creepy and mysterious but not to the point of extreme torture. And there were redeemable people and lots of Justice. I could have used some of that in this novel.
But look, that’s just me. If you liked gold mining westerns and ghosts you may love this. I hope so.
So in my MFA program I was told over and over to do horrible things to my most likeable characters. I was told this makes great fiction and the reader wants it. Like a safe kind of schadenfreude where it’s just fiction so no one is really hurt. I tho k this is BS advice, though. Yes, testing a person to see how they react will often provide interesting, maybe even entertaining results. But like the “bonus short story” included in my copy of Abandon, at what cost to even a vicarious observer? Yeah, no, no thanks. A story needs complications but I don’t think it needs to be the worst of human nature for nearly the entire cast of characters, which is what this story has. Sorry, I’m not really giving spoilers; just my personal thoughts on why this book disappointed me and troubled me. So I read Lacalle’s Lone Women and it had a similar vibe, similar place and time, but no real cannibals, I guess. That left me with a more uplifted feeling even though it was still tragic. It was creepy and mysterious but not to the point of extreme torture. And there were redeemable people and lots of Justice. I could have used some of that in this novel.
But look, that’s just me. If you liked gold mining westerns and ghosts you may love this. I hope so.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cannibalism
Moderate: Torture, Violence, and Murder
benzetsu's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gun violence
Moderate: Alcohol
Minor: Torture, Abandonment, and War
fayelle's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Okay, I'm giving it a 4.5 really. I take off half a star for the following:
*Lofty word choice - it may just be me, but his word choice slowed me down a LOT. And not like, big words, but really unusual words that don't help the story at all. There WERE unusual words that were pertinent during the time period and so, yes, I don't mind looking those up, rock on. But LOADS of other words I feel like nobody would use over and over and it helps nothing. Maybe I'm just grouchy, but it seemed arrogant-ish.
* So many characters that were hard to keep up with. I had to go back a few times and say, "wait, what?"
HOWEVER.
This is THRILLING and I found myself holding my breath while I read sometimes. Ridiculously good story (of course it is, it's Blake Crouch). The back and forth in time were aligned perfectly and many times I found myself shivering because the cold was described so perfectly. So much of it believable and unbelievable at the same time.
*Lofty word choice - it may just be me, but his word choice slowed me down a LOT. And not like, big words, but really unusual words that don't help the story at all. There WERE unusual words that were pertinent during the time period and so, yes, I don't mind looking those up, rock on. But LOADS of other words I feel like nobody would use over and over and it helps nothing. Maybe I'm just grouchy, but it seemed arrogant-ish.
* So many characters that were hard to keep up with. I had to go back a few times and say, "wait, what?"
HOWEVER.
This is THRILLING and I found myself holding my breath while I read sometimes. Ridiculously good story (of course it is, it's Blake Crouch). The back and forth in time were aligned perfectly and many times I found myself shivering because the cold was described so perfectly. So much of it believable and unbelievable at the same time.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing
Minor: Torture