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June 2016 Group Read #2-The Ritual by Adam Nevill
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Char
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Jun 01, 2016 07:29AM
Our runner up for the month is The Ritual by Adam Nevill. Here is a place for us to discuss it. Please use spoiler tags as necessary and happy reading!
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I'm very excited for this one! I love Nevill so much that I'm going to suck it up and pay the $10 or whatever it is for this one :)
I read this book a few years ago and it was an odd experience. First half of the book is extremely atmospheric and spooky, then you get to the second half...
Tressa wrote: "I read this book a few years ago and it was an odd experience. First half of the book is extremely atmospheric and spooky, then you get to the second half..."I am planning to read this. Didn't you like the 2nd half?
I agree with Tessa. Read it awhile ago, my review is on here. I hope others enjoy it better than I did.
I loved the second part. Thought it was extremely chilling. And the end was the very definition of a nail biter! I think The Ritual was my very first group read here! :)
Poonam wrote: "I am planning to read this. Didn't you like the 2nd half? ..."It's been a while since I read it, but I didn't enjoy the second half compared to the first half. They feel like different styles, IMO, and the shift took me out of the mood that had frightened me. Still, it's not a bad book and I think a lot of people will enjoy it.
I can't wait to start reading this tomorrow
Tressa wrote: "Poonam wrote: "I am planning to read this. Didn't you like the 2nd half? ..."It's been a while since I read it, but I didn't enjoy the second half compared to the first half. They feel like diffe..."
Ah ok. I will give this a try then :)
Amazing book, loved every chapter in it, very intense and extremely creepy.
Mod
Mod
I agree with the sentiment already shared: First half is brilliantly atmospheric and so creepy. But there’s a blunt shift to the macabre / bizarre in the second half, where it loses a lot of the foreboding terror it successfully builds over the first 200 pages. Nonetheless, Neville is an excellent writer and he kept me hooked until the end. His characters are meaningful and well explored, and his prose is genuinely affecting. I’m glad I didn’t read this one while camping in the woods!
Just downloaded and looking forward to getting started.
The first half is brilliant. Very gripping and it actually gave me chills. BUT the next half was quite disappointing!!! Narration was good and for that i'll give full credit BUT the plot was WEAK...
The height of expectation to which the writer took me to in the first half ... collapsed badly in the second half. I was expecting MORE ..
Just started it, the setting is excellent (I live rather close to where this takes place even)But I am not giving it the attention it deserves due to my listening to a King novel at the same time.
This is my first Nevill but I have already bought a few more for my kindle on my last shopping spree.
Can't wait to start reading this after I finish The Fireman.
I've already read this but wanted to say that it was a fantastic book! I hope everyone enjoys it!
Over half way through and starting to see what people mean about the 2nd part of the book.
Just picked this up today courtesy of the reserve desk at my local library. Also bought The Fireman yesterday. I'm going to be busy reading this month. But it's a nice problem.
I read The Ritual last year, I found it creepy but I loved it! It's something new and different and I have never read anything like it before.
Celeste wrote: "I read The Ritual last year, I found it creepy but I loved it! It's something new and different and I have never read anything like it before."I feel the same way, Celeste. I also received an education in Scandinavian black metal music, which I had never heard of before.
Holly wrote: "Celeste wrote: "I read The Ritual last year, I found it creepy but I loved it! It's something new and different and I have never read anything like it before."I feel the same way, Celeste. I also..."
It definitely did!
I read this last year, and I'd have to say I share the same sentiments as others. I loved, absolutely LOVED the first part... and then. :(
Mod
Exactly how I felt, too.....
Kimberly wrote: "David wrote: "I read this last year, and I'd have to say I share the same sentiments as others. I loved, absolutely LOVED the first part... and then. :("Exactly how I felt, too....."
It was actually quite bizarre, just how big a swerve in direction the whole thing took.
I was not a big fan of this. I liked the beginning as well, but the rest of the book dragged and lost the creepy factor. It was disappointing, especially because I've read other books by Nevill and they were great from beginning to end.
I pretty much feel the same.Here's my review https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
I might try a different book by Adam Nevill as this one had some strengths but ultimately didn't quite work for me.
Just at the halfway point now so far its great, but from reading some of the comments it starts to go downhill from here.
I get the change in tone, and it does seem like 2 books mashed together, but I liked both halves. In the end it tied together. I really enjoyed this book.
Started reading on Tuesday evening off and on. I'm up to page 140 now. Love the characters and the tension between them. Events in the forest keep getting weirder and weirder. You can feel the threat. Good stuff.
Just finished the book and I loved the first part of the book, but just wished that the second part of the book contained more horror. I'd still give the book a solid 4 star rating it's a good story.
There are some woods a few miles away from me. I enjoy hiking them but everyone agrees that they are creepy and you wouldn't want to be there at night. I'm not a superstitious person but there are strange sounds and bones in those woods.As I was reading this book, I imagined this happening in the woods where I hike and I literally got goosebumps. What a fantastic read. So much suspense and fear.
I did enjoy the first half of the book better than the second. There seemed to be more suspense building. I didn't feel close to the character though. Somehow I just didn't get attached to them. The second half was very good, but very different than the first half, in my opinion.
I gave it 4 stars. A very good read.
I gotta confess, I hardly even strted it only cause I am going camping this weekend and I actually live rather close to where this book takes place. So a tent in the forest in the northern Sweden while reading the Ritual... hmmm. maybe I'll read it a bit later.
Pixelina wrote: "I gotta confess, I hardly even strted it only cause I am going camping this weekend and I actually live rather close to where this book takes place. So a tent in the forest in the northern Sweden w..."Omg, Pixelina! Good call! Lol
You need to read it while you are camping Pixelina. I think that would be quite an experience.
Mod
I agree!
I know a lot of people stated that they thought the second half of the book dragged. This is my first Nevill book so I really don't have any of his previous works to compare. Overall I really enjoyed the book; it did give me a decent creep out factor. I checked out another one of his books, No One Gets Out Alive. Has anyone read that one? It looks pretty thick.
Pixelina wrote: "I gotta confess, I hardly even strted it only cause I am going camping this weekend and I actually live rather close to where this book takes place. So a tent in the forest in the northern Sweden w..."Take the book with you, Pixelina, and before you bed down for the night read several chapters by torchlight. It'll help you sleep well... or maybe not! :O
Petunia wrote: "I know a lot of people stated that they thought the second half of the book dragged. This is my first Nevill book so I really don't have any of his previous works to compare. Overall I really enjoy..."I have read No one gets out alive and if you like his writing style in this book you will probably like the other book too. The book (no one gets out alive) is quite big though and can be a drag sometimes (especially the 2nd half)
The kind of horror is very different in both the books but the tension created and the parallel drawn between supernatural evil and human evil is similar in both the books.
I am done with 70% of The Ritual and somehow till now I liked No one gets out alive better as haunted house horror is something I enjoy more :)
Petunia wrote: "I know a lot of people stated that they thought the second half of the book dragged. This is my first Nevill book so I really don't have any of his previous works to compare. Overall I really enjoy..."I had to stop reading No One Gets Out Alive because the main character was too frustrating to deal with.
I have read all his other books and enjoyed them; House of Small Shadows was my favorite, but Apartment 16 and Banquet for the Damned were both excellent.
Finished reading this last week, and forgot to post here. I did put up a review of the book on Goodreads. I agree about the second half dragging a bit. It felt slower because the first half proceeded at a rapid fire pace, building tension page after page until the less than satisfying release. The tension in the second half was still there, but different and more tangible than the beginning. This is the first time I've read an Nevill novel, and I will definitely look for more. Worth the time invested in The Ritual.
Mod
I think the ritual is wayyyyy better than no one gets out alive. the ritual was the first book I read by him though. end of days was very good, better than no one gets out alive. those are the only 3 I've read so far. I'm up for reading more of his if anyone wants to buddy read them.
I'm a bit late for the group reading, but I've decided to start the book anyway :) I hope it'll be a nice and scary summer read.
I have finished this one and liked it. The first half of the book is full of tension and gripping. The second half makes us question on what is more evil, the supernatural predator or human beings....
This was great, the first half especially. One question - anyone see striking similarities between Last Days and Banquet for the Damned.....?
Mod
I found this book ultimately disappointing. The first half had me hooked with its aura of creeping menace as the author does a good job of conveying the sense of being stalked by something otherworldly. The deteriorating friendships between the four men add to the atmosphere. Unfortunately all the build up culminates in a bit of a let down in the second half.
