Finished my 3rd Adam Neville book, Cunning Folk

I had previously read The Ritual and Last Days. Both of which I think I preferred.

Reading Cunning Folk I actually was under the impression it must have been one of his earlier books. The prose was too much for little finished product. A lot of flowery language and poeticisms in an attempt to capture the dreamy, noxious, and haunted atmosphere…but instead of really imparting that feeling to me, it just fell flat. Instead of really having a picture painted or feelings imparted, it was just murky and long winded in places.

I also felt the pacing and tension building in Last Days was much better.

It kind of reminded me Anne Rice's prose shift in The Body Snatcher…I feel she had been very successful and self-assured so she started being more grand in her descriptions, when really pruning and being more exacting would've been better.

I get what he was trying to do…trying to lure the reader into the disgruntled haze of impending doom that his character was in mentally, but whereas other authors have been able to successfully do that for me, with this style I just felt a bit bored and confused…not confused in a good way, but just detached from the story.

However, someone else on here told me Cunning Folk was their favorite of his…so it truly is subjective. To each their own!

And on a more positive note, I still loved the concepts and basic plot. I really like folk horror and Neville always provides.

I might take a break from his books until next year, but I definitely want to check more of his folk horror ones out.