Zoje Stage | BABY TEETH
Meet Hanna.
She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.
Meet Suzette.
She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette's husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.
She’s the sweet-but-silent angel in the adoring eyes of her Daddy. He’s the only person who understands her, and all Hanna wants is to live happily ever after with him. But Mommy stands in her way, and she’ll try any trick she can think of to get rid of her. Ideally for good.
Meet Suzette.
She loves her daughter, really, but after years of expulsions and strained home schooling, her precarious health and sanity are weakening day by day. As Hanna’s tricks become increasingly sophisticated, and Suzette's husband remains blind to the failing family dynamics, Suzette starts to fear that there’s something seriously wrong, and that maybe home isn’t the best place for their baby girl after all.
Review:
This book is being majorly buzzed about and I can see why. The plot is similar to The Omen and there's something thats over-the-top and creepy about evil children. Unfortunately, this one just hit the mark for me.
The plot was great, don't get me wrong. I loved the alternating prospects from mother to daughter and got a real insight into this child's thought process, which made it even more creepy and rather entertaining. I just kind of felt like this one started off really intense and while the intensity definitely increased as the novel progresses, I felt as though I was missing something. Why now? What happened to make things shoot straight from the hip and go from 0 to 100 in a matter of days? I felt like I had missing something and maybe I did, but it didn't seem as realistic to me as it could have been. It's not a boring novel whatsoever, and I appreciate Stage's writing as it is sharp and she can write one hell of a story, I just felt something was lacking. I did enjoy Hanna's perspective as Stage really proved her strength as a writer by writing a character that is sort of unfamiliar territory within the realm what is out there, but Suzette kind of fell flat for me. Her perspective was a little over-the-top and her reactions weren't realistic to me. I was also bothered by her husbands reactions to things. I get that being a parent is difficult and challenging, but who wouldn't believe their spouse over a seven year old?
The story was great, the pacing was well done, and I did enjoy this read, I just wished there was more to it and a better explanation as to why Hanna was the way she was. There were some great and creepy parts, but ultimately this one just wasn't my favorite read. The ending was ominous and relied heavily on the readers imagination, opening it to a possible sequel. Would I read a sequel to this one? Yes, I would. Would I read more by Zoje Stage? Absolutely. Stage is a great writer and her descriptions were on point, I just wish this one had been a little more detailed and maybe expanded more on the unknown. This isn't one I would necessarily recommend to someone for an immersive read, but I wouldn't stray from checking it out if you're looking for something unlike anything else out there. I just didn't love it, I didn't hate it, but I am glad I got to experience something unique.
Special thanks to St. Martins Press for this copy in exchange for my honest review.
Rating: 2.5/5
Comments
Post a Comment