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October has been a better reading month for me. The second book I finished this month was one of my most anticipated books this year. The Cabin at the End of the World was my first Paul Tremblay book, and I had heard from several people how scary the book was. I was able to get a copy via book swap on Instagram. Book swaps are one of my favorite ways to get free books!
**Disclaimer: As with all of my reviews, I do post the entire plot synopsis before my review. However, I will always recommend for Thriller Thursday reviews that you skip the plot synopsis. Thrillers are better when you go in knowing little to nothing about the plot. Happy reading!
Goodreads Rating: ★★★☆☆ 3.42
My Rating: ★★★☆☆
Page Count: 272 pages
Genre(s): Horror, thriller, suspense
Publisher: William Morrow
Published: June 26, 2018
Plot
Seven-year-old Wen and her parents, Eric and Andrew, are vacationing at a remote cabin on a quiet New Hampshire lake. Their closest neighbors are more than two miles in either direction along a rutted dirt road.
One afternoon, as Wen catches grasshoppers in the front yard, a stranger unexpectedly appears in the driveway. Leonard is the largest man Wen has ever seen but he is young, friendly, and he wins her over almost instantly. Leonard and Wen talk and play until Leonard abruptly apologizes and tells Wen, “None of what’s going to happen is your fault”. Three more strangers then arrive at the cabin carrying unidentifiable, menacing objects. As Wen sprints inside to warn her parents, Leonard calls out: “Your dads won’t want to let us in, Wen. But they have to. We need your help to save the world.”
Thus begins an unbearably tense, gripping tale of paranoia, sacrifice, apocalypse, and survival that escalates to a shattering conclusion, one in which the fate of a loving family and quite possibly all of humanity are entwined. The Cabin at the End of the World is a masterpiece of terror and suspense from the fantastically fertile imagination of Paul Tremblay.
Review
The Cabin at the End of the World starts off with a bang. I was already on edge by the end of the first chapter. By the end of chapter two, I was truly terrified. The story could be described as The Strangers meets the apocalypse.
This book jumps right in to the story, which I appreciated and expected, given the page count of the book. But the story quickly stalled for me because it was a rehashing of the same conversation over and over. I found myself skimming the final 100 pages for the high spots.
I was very unsatisfied with the ending when I finally got there. And based on others’ reviews, I am not alone in this sentiment. I wanted more answers than what I was given by the final page of the book.
Final Thoughts
I’m not sure what I thought this book was about, but I did not get what I wanted out of it. I’ll admit I only read the plot summary once before adding it to my TBR, so I certainly forgot what it was about by the time I actually had the book.
I think I expected a more supernatural story, but this is something that could very easily happen. You are left with more questions than answers by the end, which is very frustrating to me.
I’m not sure I can even recommend this book, but if you are someone who does not mind over describing situations and ambiguous endings, then I say give it a try.
Thank you so much for reading my review! Please let me know down in the comments if you plan to read this one!
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