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ClareR (6129 KP) rated Starve Acre in Books

Oct 28, 2019 (Updated Oct 28, 2019)

Starve Acre

Andrew Michael Hurley | 2019 | Contemporary, Fiction & Poetry, Horror

9.3

(4 Ratings)

Book Rating

Prepare for a tense, rather scary read!

Starve Acre was a novel that had me wondering whether I’d picked up the right book. I thought I’d chosen a book about a couple struggling to deal with the death of their young son, but by about a third of the way through, I was so gripped and jumping at shadows that I couldn’t decide whether this was a thriller or a horror! It is, I’ve decided, my favourite kind of scary book. You’re never quite sure what you’re supposed to be scared of, but the hairs standing up on the back of your neck would tell you that whatever it is, it’s THERE on the page in front of you! I should’ve guessed that it would be like this. I mean, who lives in a house called Starve Acre and doesn’t expect something to go wrong? And that cover! Jo McLaren has done an amazing piece of art - it’s what made me want to read it, after all.

Children are always the ones that seem to be more sensitive to the supernatural, and Richard and Juliette’s son Ewan is no exception. Before his death, he talks of a menacing figure called Jack Grey, who tells him to do certain things - none of which make him popular in the village. Ewan becomes more and more unhappy, and his behaviour becomes more erratic.

After Ewan’s death, Richard and Juliette’s grief becomes suffocating - I could feel it coming off the page. Juliette’s sister expects her to pull herself together, but Juliette is convinced that Ewan is still in the house. So she invites The Beacons, a group of Spiritualists, to come and contact him and put him to rest. And this is where it starts to get really macabre. If I could have read this with my eyes shut, I would have. The fact that this isn’t written in your stereotypical ‘horror story’ fashion, is what makes it truly unsettling. I was never sure what was real and what was some sort of mass hallucination.

I just loved this book, and it’s going on my Keeper Shelf(yes, it has capital letters). Highly recommended to be read during daylight hours only, unless you like being chilled to the bone!

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher and Readers First for my copy of this book to read and review.

Kudos

Ross (3284 KP) Oct 28, 2019

I have just requested this on Netgalley. That really is a cover that stands out and sounds like the perfect book for this time of year.

Kudos

ClareR (6129 KP) Oct 28, 2019

I really loved it. I keep thinking about it as well, going back to the bookshelf and picking it up to read the end - because it was so weird!!

Kudos

Ivana A. | Diary of Difference (1171 KP) rated It's a Bright World to Feel Lost In in Books

Feb 3, 2020

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<img src="https://diaryofdifference.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Book-Review-Banner-2.png"/>;

I love cute little books, especially when they contain something emotional or motivating around them.

This book was one of those cute little books that you pick up now and then, have a quick read through and then go on with your life. And that is the reason why I chose to review it.

The book is supposedly written by a bear called Mawson that gives life advice. And it's meant for adults, not children. It doesn’t follow any particular story - in fact - it all seems to be a bit of randomly places throughout the pages, with a lot of adorable pictures of a teddy bear doing things. However, I was having some troubles understanding this book.

The teddy bear is so cute and the images are indeed adorable, but I found the text depressing, rather than motivating. Yes - it is a bright world to feel lost in, and we do find ourselves lost all the time. But what can we do about it? What is the teddy bear doing about it? I just didn’t get it. I don’t think the messaging was there. I am not sure the author delivered everything that he wanted to say in this book.

The words had random capital letters, a few spelling errors, and they were also randomly places on the pages, alongside the images, which to some people might be appealing, but to me - it just puts me off. I understand this is the bear typing..... but as I said - definitely annoyed me and I found it ridiculous.

I know I am supposed to love this book, because it has a teddy bear on the cover - but I just didn’t. 

Thank you to the author (bear's guardian) Mark O'Dwyer for sending across this book to me in exchange for an honest review.

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