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Between lots of characters and lots of time jumps this story just lost me. I didn‘t like that it would jump from the past, to the future to the present. It just was not cohesive enough my brain to follow. The ending was kind of rushed and didn‘t really explain the purpose of the House that seeked these Shining Girls. What was the shine and why was it making people kill over it. I don‘t know, I‘m confused over this one.

Not in the database but I found it on KU. Despite the cute cover and punny title, it just didn‘t work for me. First, the majority of the book takes place in summer (why?) and second, it could have been shorter and third, the romance took way too long actually happen.

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The ideas and the bones of a great novel are here, but the execution felt somehow soulless.

This is a story about women's lives in the brink of the divorce referendum in Ireland, and about the men who deeply fear the loss of control that women's freedom of choices signifies. It should rage and burn, but it fails to ignite. Most of the characters feel like blanks, and I just could not bring myself to care.

I‘ve never read Malerman before and not sure if how this book was written is his normal writing style. If so, not a fan at all. It‘s so choppy and repetitive that I lost interest every other paragraph. I was looking for a good scary book & instead read about someone‘s anxiety with a few murders sprinkled in for fun. I‘ve got my own anxiety. I read books to escape from my thoughts, not to make me think more about my anxiety. Skimmed most of it 👎🏼

I love a dark romance, and whilst I would never Yuck someone else's Yum. This was too much for me 🫣😧
The scenes are very, very intense. It did take away from any storyline. The main character isn't morally grey, he's morally black, and he is completely unlikable. Not one I'd recommend as it was very graphic, violent and so intense that I was wincing whilst reading. If you're about to read this, I would try not to go in blind, like I did 🤣

This was repetitive with massive plot holes and contradicting information. Apparently, it was the Author‘s mafia novel. Also, the book is about a woman, not a girl. Stilted language and unbelievable characters. This Author has done much better. Pick a different book of hers. Thanks to the publisher and Edelweiss for the advance digital copy.

Ugh! I have complicated thoughts upon finishing this. There are many things which I despised, chief among them the brutal antisemitism which poisoned so much of the reading experience. Also, for me, the story boils down to a sociological character study on the negative effects of money, the extremes to which greed can push people. The writing captures the tone and feeling of inevitable destruction excellently. That element kept me reading. Yet…⬇️

I really thought I was going to like this book but unfortunately it just fell flat for me. None of the characters were likable, which I don't like in books personally. I just felt like the book lacked substance. It's just super surface level. I just wanted more out of the book, and the ending just was too much fanfair for me, unfortunately. Not everything in this book was bad, I thought the beginning had a strong start, then just flopped. 2.5/5

There were too many characters with stories that didn‘t connect enough for one book. Because of this I lost interest and ended up skimming to the end. #hauntedshelf #hexesandcrows @Catsandbooks

25 Sep-6 Oct 24 (audiobook)
Such a chore, but I felt I could not be too critical without pursuing it to the end. I wish I hadn‘t.
I quite liked magical realism at uni - Rushdie in particular but others also. Maybe I have lost my patience for it with age.
This book needed a brutal editor. It was repetitive to the point that it could have been a good short story or novella. But as is, was a bloated 700+ pages. I do not understand the acclaim.