She Waits Where Shadows Gather by Michelle Tang
My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I won’t lie… this Canadian horror novel was a bit of a slog for me. It was a bit too contemporary for me. I’m sure there are many readers, especially women, that will enjoy this and perhaps relish in the oddly happy(ish?) ending. For me, it felt contrived, annoying and flat out unrealistic. Which may seem a silly thing to say about a ghost story that features witches, ghosts and other supernatural events; but some things should fall inside the realm of realism and if you want to root your book in contemporary life then your ghosts need to be a bit moderate or less dramatic than seen here, in my opinion.
I’ll also confess to be so very annoyed with the concept of love here. Both the selfish kind (I want her all for myself) and the devoted kind (I’d do anything until they lie). Each has its flaws, seen here, but also each leaves a weird feeling behind for me as love is so much more complex than this. You can in fact love someone you detest. And begrudge, even hate someone you love. A concept that Michelle Tang seems to avoid here. Instead it’s too black and white for my tastes, and the twists and turns just make the ultimate outcome even more awkward for me. Plus, a key point (in the end) is never explained!!
Maybe there are women, especially mothers, out there that will find something here. For me, as a childless woman, with a spouse of 18 years I can tell you that this just feels like another ‘women’s horror’ book written for the current trend of discussing motherhood. And I’m over it. In fact never loved the concept to start but was willing to concede it makes good sense to bring the horror of birth, loss, etc into this genre. Yet this past couple of years has really saturated the market and I’m over it. So I’ll put this one aside and likely not think of it again.
That said, if you want a contemporary, feminine look at generational family horror and how it might be passed down from generation to generation this could be for you. Just be ready to feel like you are ready a contemporary literature book and not an easy breezy horror one.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
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My rating: 3 of 5 stars
I won’t lie… this Canadian horror novel was a bit of a slog for me. It was a bit too contemporary for me. I’m sure there are many readers, especially women, that will enjoy this and perhaps relish in the oddly happy(ish?) ending. For me, it felt contrived, annoying and flat out unrealistic. Which may seem a silly thing to say about a ghost story that features witches, ghosts and other supernatural events; but some things should fall inside the realm of realism and if you want to root your book in contemporary life then your ghosts need to be a bit moderate or less dramatic than seen here, in my opinion.
I’ll also confess to be so very annoyed with the concept of love here. Both the selfish kind (I want her all for myself) and the devoted kind (I’d do anything until they lie). Each has its flaws, seen here, but also each leaves a weird feeling behind for me as love is so much more complex than this. You can in fact love someone you detest. And begrudge, even hate someone you love. A concept that Michelle Tang seems to avoid here. Instead it’s too black and white for my tastes, and the twists and turns just make the ultimate outcome even more awkward for me. Plus, a key point (in the end) is never explained!!
Maybe there are women, especially mothers, out there that will find something here. For me, as a childless woman, with a spouse of 18 years I can tell you that this just feels like another ‘women’s horror’ book written for the current trend of discussing motherhood. And I’m over it. In fact never loved the concept to start but was willing to concede it makes good sense to bring the horror of birth, loss, etc into this genre. Yet this past couple of years has really saturated the market and I’m over it. So I’ll put this one aside and likely not think of it again.
That said, if you want a contemporary, feminine look at generational family horror and how it might be passed down from generation to generation this could be for you. Just be ready to feel like you are ready a contemporary literature book and not an easy breezy horror one.
Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.
Follow me on Goodreads
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