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Metronome is a bleak, dark, gripping dystopian novel - and it gave me some serious Waiting For Godot vibes. Aina and Whitney are waiting for someone (the Warden) who I strongly suspected would never come.
Even though Aina and Whitney are on an island, surrounded by the sea, there was such a claustrophobic atmosphere. They have only had one another’s company for 12 years, with past times linked solely with their survival, what has been left in the croft by previous inhabitants, or what has washed up on the beach.
I don’t know how they have managed to stay sane, and indeed there did seem to be an underlying madness to them both. How could there not be?
And their crime? To have had a baby without permission. Aina is sterilised, their 9 year old son is taken from them, and she and Whitney are sent to the island. Punishment upon punishment.
I loved the ending to this - whilst I do like a nice rounded off ending to a novel, somehow I think the ambiguity to the end of Metronome suits it so well. I would have been disappointed with anything else.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this - another great read!
Even though Aina and Whitney are on an island, surrounded by the sea, there was such a claustrophobic atmosphere. They have only had one another’s company for 12 years, with past times linked solely with their survival, what has been left in the croft by previous inhabitants, or what has washed up on the beach.
I don’t know how they have managed to stay sane, and indeed there did seem to be an underlying madness to them both. How could there not be?
And their crime? To have had a baby without permission. Aina is sterilised, their 9 year old son is taken from them, and she and Whitney are sent to the island. Punishment upon punishment.
I loved the ending to this - whilst I do like a nice rounded off ending to a novel, somehow I think the ambiguity to the end of Metronome suits it so well. I would have been disappointed with anything else.
Many thanks to The Pigeonhole for serialising this - another great read!
Merissa (12971 KP) rated Ally and her Mad Hatter (The Madness of Wonderland #2) in Books
May 31, 2023
ALLY AND HER MAD HATTER is a dark and twisted re-telling of Alice in Wonderland that comes with a variety of trigger warnings. Please take heed of them!
I found this to be extremely graphic in places as Ally learns more about herself - including the parts she has tried to keep hidden or denied. The characters are easily recognisable and there is a touch of madness throughout - just as it should be in Wonderland.
The ending was perfectly paced and gripping. I'm not sure if it was completely believable with Ally leaving everything behind without a murmur (and, yes, I know how that sounds considering the story! 😂) but it certainly fits with the rest of the story and gave me the ending I wanted.
There were a few slight errors in the editing with words missing and spelling mistakes but nothing too severe that affected my enjoyment of the story.
A dark read that I enjoyed and definitely recommend.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 8, 2023
I found this to be extremely graphic in places as Ally learns more about herself - including the parts she has tried to keep hidden or denied. The characters are easily recognisable and there is a touch of madness throughout - just as it should be in Wonderland.
The ending was perfectly paced and gripping. I'm not sure if it was completely believable with Ally leaving everything behind without a murmur (and, yes, I know how that sounds considering the story! 😂) but it certainly fits with the rest of the story and gave me the ending I wanted.
There were a few slight errors in the editing with words missing and spelling mistakes but nothing too severe that affected my enjoyment of the story.
A dark read that I enjoyed and definitely recommend.
** same worded review will appear elsewhere **
* A copy of this book was provided to me with no requirements for a review. I voluntarily read this book, and the comments here are my honest opinion. *
Merissa
Archaeolibrarian - I Dig Good Books!
Jan 8, 2023
i-Gun Ultimate - Original Gun App Sensation
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Rachel (48 KP) rated The Venetian: This Haunted World: Book 1 in Books
May 27, 2017
A Slow Burn
actually purchased this book by mistake, it's cover is similar to another novel, but I'm glad that I did!
This novel is certainly a slow burn, for the first 20% of it I was highly unimpressed. It felt flimsy and rushed, making it hard to sympathise with the main characters struggles. To be frank - I almost gave up on it. Suddenly, though, the story really kicks in and I read the remainder in one go.
This story is about anger,madness, betrayal and disappointment. It is also about survival, determination and love.
The main stage for the story is an island that is painted so vividly I can almost believe I have been there! The growing suspense and fear is skillfully built to a crescendo, the story woven between different times in just the right way. The ending is very satisfying - not a fairy tale where suddenly everything is perfect but instead a believable end note.
The medical practices described are even more distasteful and repugnant because they actually occurred. In fact a lot were very common sadly.
This would have been a 10/10 review had it not taken so long for the real, meaty story to start. Hopefully others who have purchased this book also continued with it and discovered this gem of a story.
This novel is certainly a slow burn, for the first 20% of it I was highly unimpressed. It felt flimsy and rushed, making it hard to sympathise with the main characters struggles. To be frank - I almost gave up on it. Suddenly, though, the story really kicks in and I read the remainder in one go.
This story is about anger,madness, betrayal and disappointment. It is also about survival, determination and love.
The main stage for the story is an island that is painted so vividly I can almost believe I have been there! The growing suspense and fear is skillfully built to a crescendo, the story woven between different times in just the right way. The ending is very satisfying - not a fairy tale where suddenly everything is perfect but instead a believable end note.
The medical practices described are even more distasteful and repugnant because they actually occurred. In fact a lot were very common sadly.
This would have been a 10/10 review had it not taken so long for the real, meaty story to start. Hopefully others who have purchased this book also continued with it and discovered this gem of a story.
Dianne Robbins (1738 KP) rated The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness in Books
Dec 2, 2018
Not so much murder, magic, and madness
I'm a true crime junkie, aka murderino, so of course, I looked forward to reading this book. The title and description sounded great and I previously read another book, Isaac's Storm, about the 1900 Galveston hurricane, by Eric Larson, which was fascinating as he did a ton of research and brought that book to life. Though it's been 8 years since I've read Isaac's storm, I remember the stories he told as he narrative made you feel you were there. I expected the same with this book, but alas, that was not the case. Instead, I got pages upon pages of details about rivets and the meetings between city councilmen and architects and city permits needed to build everything. OMG, seriously? Why? There are a few stories in the book that are interesting such as the creation of the first Ferris wheel, some of the exhibits and entertainers and drama of the World's Fair. There is a little information about H.H. Holmes, his murder castle, and crimes but not as much detail as any true crime buff has already read someplace else. And what there is about Holmes is a dry recitation of facts, nothing intriguing at all. I was extremely disappointed in his coverage of the events in this book. The title made it sound exciting but it was mostly just drudgery.
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