Not interested in watching my video review of The Watchers? Then look below for the major bullet points. 

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Rating: 4 out of 5

Genre: Horror

Hello friends!

In this blog, I’m reviewing The Watchers by A. M. Shine. As usual, the first half of the review will be spoiler-free, and more about my overall thoughts. The second half will contain spoilers, so look away if you haven’t read the book yet. 

• I won’t lie. The Watchers struggled to get me interested. From the movie trailer and the synopsis, I expected the story to be much scarier. I don’t think I’m scared at the idea of hunkering in a room while monsters circle the building (I should be scared though). The fear factor happened at the end – an amazing twist that was perfectly laid out from the start. 

• The writing was a lot. I didn’t expect the style to be literary fiction – dense and overly descriptive. I want to say this is why I struggled at the beginning. I didn’t want all the descriptions about the location. I appreciate that Shine was trying to level the game, but this is genre fiction, get to the horror. 

• The plot was outside of the box.

• I want the book to stand alone. Book 2 feels like a money grab. I don’t know if Shine will be able to pull off the same reveal. It’s like M. Night Shyamalan and The Village – he couldn’t repeat the magic again because we were all expecting it. 

• The characters never did anything out of character. There wasn’t any shouting at them not to do something. Their actions were realistic and explainable. 

Now look away if you don’t want spoilers. 

• I’m spoiling the ending. You’ve been warned. 

• Someone has played a horrible trick on me. This is exactly how you get me to read a Fae book – you make them the monsters, not some lovesick creatures that find a way to fall in love with mortals. 

• I expected the whole thing to be a thought experiment, especially when they discovered the bunker and Ciara found the camera. But nope… I was wrong. Shine’s ending was a lot scarier.

• The characters returning to their lives felt too far-fetched for me. How did Ciara come back to a house with the electricity still connected? Are there different rules in Ireland? 

• All the stars for writing a book where the pet lives. 

• A well crafted cast with massive backstories that led to their actions. Danny stealing the keys. Danny going back when he sees John. Mina being a stronger person. All spot on. 

Happy Reading!

Love,

Kait