I'm not sure how to adequately review this novel. Sharpson writes with elegance and poignancy, but I felt I was missing a great deal of context. There are so many references to Irish folklore and culture that breathe life into the story, but I ultimately finished this read with a longing for more. And perhaps that's part of the point.
If you're a fan of horror steeped in folklore, this is sure to whet your appetite.
*Thank you to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for the ARC.*
After reading Night's Edge last year, I wanted Mia's arc to reach a satisfying conclusion. She was left floundering after her mother's death, and I'll admit to feeling disappointed and let down by the second half of her story. While the duology ended on an okay note, there were many missed opportunities and pivots I didn't fully appreciate.
My biggest gripe was with Devon and how the author seemed to be hinting at a more nuanced relationship between him, Mia, and Izzy (Mia's mom). There were some almost heartfelt scenes between Devon and Mia, and I thoroughly enjoyed the mixed emotions Mia had after hearing his side of the story. She even unearthed the reality of his influence on ADAPT, the Sara (vampire) movement. But it all seemed gratuitous and a waste of time by the last forty pages.
I wanted to love this duology. I adore vampire stories, and the pandemic similarities were appreciated. The prose is also vibrant and compelling. It's a shame the character arcs and plot beats didn't do it for me.
*Thank you to Tor Nightfire and NetGalley for the ARC.*
If you're looking for something weird and dreamy with a fair amount of body and psychological horror sprinkled in, The Yellow Oak might be the book for you.
Victor Vahl crafted an intriguing story about two men who get lost in a forest run by living, cannibalistic trees. Though the premise is decent, and much of the visuals are fantastic, I was hoping for more atmosphere. I would have appreciated a slower pace to build up the tension and flesh out the characters. My favorite thing about psychological horror, and what really makes House of Leaves phenomenal, is the slow build toward the climax. Not everything is thrown at you at once, meaning there's a ton of detail and hints at the full picture before the terror is revealed. In The Yellow Oak, things happen to Rye and Spencer too early. Due to the near-immediate dive into the horror, I didn't care about what happened to the characters. Backstory came too late; I already felt detached from the main cast when the story reached its peak.
From the editorial side of things (and how could I not touch on it given my background in copy editing), the diction was occasionally problematic. There were plenty of words that took me out of the narrative. It felt like the author had a thesaurus handy and ended up choosing words that were technically synonymous with the obvious word but that didn't fit within the text. This is where I'd have to side with Stephen King's advice; the first word you choose/write is likely the one you should use. Don't worry so much about how sophisticated your prose sounds. The point is to tell a great story and you hinder your reader's enjoyment if they have to weed through odd words and/or phrases. When in doubt, keep it simple.
Overall, the book was interesting and I had no idea where it was going the majority of the time. Though not everything worked for me, I'm sure it will appease much of the horror/thriller fan base.
