Penpal

Dathan Auerbach

Jul 2012 · 1000Vultures

Ratings and reviews

I was excited to read this one since it was so hyped on horror BookTok. I personally didn't find it scary. It was mysterious and suspenseful at times. Those parts were really good. I zoomed through it in two days waiting for the action to pick up because the good parts were so good, but it just dragged on for several chapters. I also don't think the author knows many six-year-olds, as the plot was too elaborate for kids that young. Also, the cat part. 👎

I was expecting more from this book. The beginning started off too slowly for my liking and a bit boring. I get that whole slow suspense thing but this just didn't cut it for me. The ending was better than the first half and I did enjoy the twist at the end. I feel like the details about the mundane dragged on while all the thrills were just sort of jammed into the end of each chapter. Another booktok recommended horror that didn't quite hit the mark for me.

First few chapters are pretty good, had some really nice spooks and chills. But as it goes on the disjointed narrative becomes more difficult to follow. It worked for Pulp Fiction but not here. Some of the chapters add very little to the overarching story and just missed the mark for me. Maybe I missed something and need to go back for a second read. That being said, the Boxes chapter is a delight and I would easliy recommend that part of the story to anyone.