#ATBR2019 Review: Violet by Scott Thomas @jessmapreviews
Violet
by Scott Thomas
Publisher: Inkshares
Publish Date: September 24, 2019
Paperback
448 Pages
Standalone
Genre: Horror
In the lineage of Peter Straub's Julia, Scott Thomas’ Violet is the disturbing tale of a woman haunted by her long-abandoned imaginary friend.
For many children, the summer of 1988 was filled with sunshine and laughter. But for ten-year-old Kris Barlow, it was her chance to say goodbye to her dying mother.
Three decades later, loss returns—her husband killed in a car accident. And so, Kris goes home to the place where she first knew pain—to that summer house overlooking the crystal waters of Lost Lake. It’s there that Kris and her eight-year-old daughter will make a stand against grief.
But a shadow has fallen over the quiet lake town of Pacington, Kansas. Beneath its surface, an evil has grown—and inside that home where Kris Barlow last saw her mother, an old friend awaits her return.
My Review:
Well.... this one was a little bit of a struggle for me to get through. It took me 5 days to read and that is a long time for this fast reader. The thing is, a couple times I thought about putting this down and DNFing it... but I was SO curious about Violet. The cover speaks to me. The synopsis is so intriguing.. but I think I'm just not a person for such a slow burn of a novel.
This book is extremely detailed. I had enough of the cleaning. What kept me turning the pages was the intrigue of Violet and when she was finally going to appear. I think had I now known she was coming, it would've made more of an impact.
I will say that I loved the ominous feeling throughout the book. You get that eerie gothic feeling you do with old houses, their natural (and unnatural) noises. The fear of a child... of a mother... of a mother for her child. How do you deal with your own grief for your husband while remaining strong for your daughter, who lost her father? Then going to a house that brings so many memories that were fun to share with said daughter but also sparking memories, good and bad. It's a lot to work through and I felt Thomas displayed this brilliantly.
The last third of the book gives us more and the pacing gets a little bit faster (or maybe I just finally got used to the feel of the book at this point). However, I think I was a bit underwhelmed after the expectation I had going into this read.
I think anyone who likes a slow burn, sinister feel of a book will appreciate this story. There's so much that I did like about it but for my personal tastes, it was just too slow and overly detailed.
★★★
This book is extremely detailed. I had enough of the cleaning. What kept me turning the pages was the intrigue of Violet and when she was finally going to appear. I think had I now known she was coming, it would've made more of an impact.
I will say that I loved the ominous feeling throughout the book. You get that eerie gothic feeling you do with old houses, their natural (and unnatural) noises. The fear of a child... of a mother... of a mother for her child. How do you deal with your own grief for your husband while remaining strong for your daughter, who lost her father? Then going to a house that brings so many memories that were fun to share with said daughter but also sparking memories, good and bad. It's a lot to work through and I felt Thomas displayed this brilliantly.
The last third of the book gives us more and the pacing gets a little bit faster (or maybe I just finally got used to the feel of the book at this point). However, I think I was a bit underwhelmed after the expectation I had going into this read.
I think anyone who likes a slow burn, sinister feel of a book will appreciate this story. There's so much that I did like about it but for my personal tastes, it was just too slow and overly detailed.
★★★
Jessica's Review:
Last year I picked up KILL CREEK by Scott Thomas and absolutely loved it! So I was anxiously waiting for his next book, VIOLET, to come out. This one is perfect to get you in the mood for the fall season and Halloween coming up. The more horror and ghost stories, the better! I did enjoy this one, just not as much as I loved KILL CREEK.
While this was creepy and spooky there was so much information and detail in this book. The main reason I took off a little bit on my rating was because it took away from the pacing for me. Don't get me wrong, I love when an author can give you the details to set the scene and transport you into the book, but this one had some parts that could have been shortened. I know I'm not the only one to mention it, but there was a lot of talk about cleaning floors and similar tasks. This all being said, I know I'm in the minority on this. So it's definitely more of a me thing than the book.
Overall, I would 100% recommend both books! If you're looking for a good horror read, then this is perfect to add to that TBR. I will continue to pick up whatever Thomas releases in the future!
3.5 stars
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