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Welcome to Night Vale #3
The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home
From the New York Times bestselling authors of Welcome to Night Vale and It Devours! and the creators of the hit podcast, comes a new novel set in the world of Night Vale and beyond.
In the town of Night Vale, there’s a faceless old woman who secretly lives in everyone’s home, but no one knows how she got there or where she came from...until now. Told in a series of eerie flashbacks, the story of The Faceless Old Woman goes back centuries to reveal an initially blissful and then tragic childhood on a Mediterranean Estate in the early nineteenth century, her rise in the criminal underworld of Europe, a nautical adventure with a mysterious organization of smugglers, her plot for revenge on the ones who betrayed her, and ultimately her death and its aftermath, as her spirit travels the world for decades until settling in modern-day Night Vale.
Interspersed throughout is a present-day story in Night Vale, as The Faceless Old Woman guides, haunts, and sabotages a man named Craig. In the end, her current day dealings with Craig and her swashbuckling history in nineteenth century Europe will come together in the most unexpected and horrifying way.
Part The Haunting of Hill House, part The Count of Monte Cristo, and 100% about a faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home.
In the town of Night Vale, there’s a faceless old woman who secretly lives in everyone’s home, but no one knows how she got there or where she came from...until now. Told in a series of eerie flashbacks, the story of The Faceless Old Woman goes back centuries to reveal an initially blissful and then tragic childhood on a Mediterranean Estate in the early nineteenth century, her rise in the criminal underworld of Europe, a nautical adventure with a mysterious organization of smugglers, her plot for revenge on the ones who betrayed her, and ultimately her death and its aftermath, as her spirit travels the world for decades until settling in modern-day Night Vale.
Interspersed throughout is a present-day story in Night Vale, as The Faceless Old Woman guides, haunts, and sabotages a man named Craig. In the end, her current day dealings with Craig and her swashbuckling history in nineteenth century Europe will come together in the most unexpected and horrifying way.
Part The Haunting of Hill House, part The Count of Monte Cristo, and 100% about a faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home.
384 pages, Hardcover
First published March 24, 2020
677 people are currently reading
16601 people want to read
About the author
Joseph Fink
21 books2,572 followersJoseph Fink is the creator of the Welcome to Night Vale and Alice Isn't Dead podcasts, and the author of the New York Times bestselling novels Welcome to Night Vale, It Devours!, and The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home (all written with Jeffrey Cranor) and Alice Isn’t Dead. He is also the author of the children’s novel, The Halloween Moon. He and his wife, Meg Bashwiner have written the memoir, The First Ten Years. They live together in the Hudson River Valley.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,330 reviews
April 24, 2020
If you had given me this book without a cover or a title, I would have probably found this novel quite enjoyable. It's a simple tale of crime and revenge upon the high seas with a strong female protagonist. However, this is a Night Vale novel. And for that reason alone, I just didn't really enjoy this. For starters, the story didn't even take place in Night Vale!
In Night Vale, there is a faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home. Sounds great right? Spooky and intriguing at the same time. The first chapter sets everything up magnificently, and made me laugh, as well as shiver. These chapters that take place in more recent years are the best in the whole book.
The rest of the book takes place in the 1800's primarily in Europe. Without even a hint at anything Night vale related until about 30 pages from the end. It wasn't a bad story (even though I did pick the culprit pretty much at the beginning....), it just wasn't a Night Vale story. I missed the strange goings on of that town, the secret police, the portals to nowhere, the shapeshifters, and strange scientists. Cecil and his radio shows. Instead I had executions, pirates, and betrayal. Which all sound good, but are all pretty pedestrian in a Night Vale world.
Each citizen in Night Vale is interesting. Each citizen is frightened by their government but more frightened of the sky. Each citizen had something to hide or something to hide from. Maybe each citizen had their own invisible path they were following, and maybe their paths had led them here too. The desert was the only place Night Vale could be, and it was the only place I could be.
This book could have been any other fantasy novel, if it could be called 'fantasy' because there was little fantastical going on, at least not until towards the end.
The only worthwhile thing that actually happened was the introduction of the Order of the Labyrinth and it's connection with Night Vale. These three sentences towards the end held the most level of intrigue for me, and I feel it could have further implications in future books.
The title of this novel had me hooked, but the style of writing and the story was not what I had come to expect from a Night Vale novel. Night Vale is special, and something that no other series has simply because the level of creativity and weirdness is off the charts. Instead, this was a story I have read in different forms many times, and apart from the end, where the faceless ghost of the title starts to develop, it didn't shine like it should have.
In Night Vale, there is a faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home. Sounds great right? Spooky and intriguing at the same time. The first chapter sets everything up magnificently, and made me laugh, as well as shiver. These chapters that take place in more recent years are the best in the whole book.
The rest of the book takes place in the 1800's primarily in Europe. Without even a hint at anything Night vale related until about 30 pages from the end. It wasn't a bad story (even though I did pick the culprit pretty much at the beginning....), it just wasn't a Night Vale story. I missed the strange goings on of that town, the secret police, the portals to nowhere, the shapeshifters, and strange scientists. Cecil and his radio shows. Instead I had executions, pirates, and betrayal. Which all sound good, but are all pretty pedestrian in a Night Vale world.
Each citizen in Night Vale is interesting. Each citizen is frightened by their government but more frightened of the sky. Each citizen had something to hide or something to hide from. Maybe each citizen had their own invisible path they were following, and maybe their paths had led them here too. The desert was the only place Night Vale could be, and it was the only place I could be.
This book could have been any other fantasy novel, if it could be called 'fantasy' because there was little fantastical going on, at least not until towards the end.
The only worthwhile thing that actually happened was the introduction of the Order of the Labyrinth and it's connection with Night Vale. These three sentences towards the end held the most level of intrigue for me, and I feel it could have further implications in future books.
The title of this novel had me hooked, but the style of writing and the story was not what I had come to expect from a Night Vale novel. Night Vale is special, and something that no other series has simply because the level of creativity and weirdness is off the charts. Instead, this was a story I have read in different forms many times, and apart from the end, where the faceless ghost of the title starts to develop, it didn't shine like it should have.
June 30, 2020
Your subconscious always knows, well before the rest of you. There was someone behind you. You attempted to find her face, but couldn't quite make it out. Yet you felt her stare.
This being a Nightvale novel, I was expecting weird goings-on, and dirty tricks by the Sheriff's Secret Police. To my surprise, I got a rollicking tale of smuggling, and seafaring adventure, filled with piratey goodness. And, the characters performing the feats of derring do? Why, they're all women, so - yay! It seems the Faceless Old Lady Who Secretly Lives in Your Home has had quite a past . . . and she's not done yet. She's your guardian angel, a sometimes trickster, a loving caregiver for your offspring, and your worst nightmare.
I finally know what I want to be when I grow up.
. . . that one day a year ago when you passed by the living room and half noticed the strange new chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the one made from the twisted limbs and neck of an old woman, contorted into a shape like a spider. And then you thought, wait, what did I just see? And you backed up to find that the hanging old woman was gone. Almost certain she was never there. Probably you imagined her.
Probably . . .
This being a Nightvale novel, I was expecting weird goings-on, and dirty tricks by the Sheriff's Secret Police. To my surprise, I got a rollicking tale of smuggling, and seafaring adventure, filled with piratey goodness. And, the characters performing the feats of derring do? Why, they're all women, so - yay! It seems the Faceless Old Lady Who Secretly Lives in Your Home has had quite a past . . . and she's not done yet. She's your guardian angel, a sometimes trickster, a loving caregiver for your offspring, and your worst nightmare.
I finally know what I want to be when I grow up.
. . . that one day a year ago when you passed by the living room and half noticed the strange new chandelier hanging from the ceiling, the one made from the twisted limbs and neck of an old woman, contorted into a shape like a spider. And then you thought, wait, what did I just see? And you backed up to find that the hanging old woman was gone. Almost certain she was never there. Probably you imagined her.
Probably . . .
March 4, 2020
This is a fantastic origin story, filled with clever word play, creepy moments, and unfathomable history.
October 2, 2021
Sad to say but this just doesn't fit with the other Night Vale novels. Absent the weird town itself there's little sense that this is even part of the same series. Reads more like fanfic than canon.
1.5 stars. Skip it.
1.5 stars. Skip it.
February 13, 2020
This felt very different from other Night Vale books right away, and more like a traditional novel involving danger, thievery, smuggling, and revenge. I kept waiting for it to feel "More Like Night Vale", all the while thoroughly enjoying the main story of The Faceless Old Woman and feeling very confused about how her past intersected with the small sections involving her current interactions with Night Vale resident Craig. By the time it all came together I was completely entranced. The end worried me because it went on a little longer than it maybe needed to, and I did figure out the "twist" before it was announced, but I decided I was completely okay with it. The end became so strongly, potently NIGHT VALE that all I could do was keep turning pages, a victim of the sheer discomfort and horror being revealed - a discomfort we as fans all associate with Night Vale and yet keep coming back to. This is easily the best Night Vale novel so far because even though the vast majority of it reads like a "normal" novel, it is deliciously compelling and creative. Worth binge-reading!
January 28, 2020
I found this novel...entertaining. It was amusing and fun and forgettable. The quality was good enough to get by, but certainly lackluster compared to the spark and originality of the podcast and the previous novels. This book hung its hat on the impact of a predictable ending. The sidekicks were one-dimensional and diligently served obvious plot functions. Disappointingly, something here didn't click.
For me, this is the first product of the Night Vale universe that seemed franchisey - it has more value as a quick sale boost than as a creative endeavor.
For me, this is the first product of the Night Vale universe that seemed franchisey - it has more value as a quick sale boost than as a creative endeavor.
October 3, 2020
I take care of you, but you refuse to take care of yourself, Craig.
I can whisper ideas in your ear while you sleep. I can pay off your debts. I can cause a perfectly responsible and considerate woman to wreck her car to bring you into her life. I can create scenes, leave cryptic notes, punish your enemies, reward your friends. I'm in your house. I'm in their houses. I am everywhere. All the time. Right now.
Book 3 in the Night Vale novels, spun out from the podcast that started it all, and finally we get to hear more from the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home. Yes, your, all of your in fact - like she says, she's everywhere, right now. Voiced by Mara Wilson in the podcast, and in the audiobook, she's one of the characters I'm most intrigued by, and this novel did not let me down. Neither did Mara Wilson, by the way, who absolutely nails this character and has made it impossible for me to read the book without hearing her voice and her cadence; so I gave in and listened to the audiobook, and I'd absolutely recommend it. She's phenomenal.
Unlike the previous novels, this one (for the most part) takes place mostly outside of Night Vale, though the Renaissance-era European setting incorporates the "European" locations previously mentioned on the show. It's almost Count of Monte Cristo-esque, following a young woman's quest for revenge after her life is forever altered by one fateful night - but it's less the mission and more the journey that makes it just so good. There's stalwart friends (each one is my favourite and I'm not changing my mind), piracy, assassinations and intrigue; and when the action reaches it's climax - the novel continues. And that's where the summary will stop, because spoilers, but it's fantastic. Of the three novels, this would probably be the one I chose as an introduction for non-series readers; it's by far the most approachable if you're not already familiar with the show and it's characters. If you are though, there's plenty of nods in there that you'll recognise.
I don't know what to tell you. We all don't get happy lives. Maybe a happy life doesn't exist, at least not as some complete, discrete entity. We get what we get and we sort through how we feel about it moment by moment.
I can whisper ideas in your ear while you sleep. I can pay off your debts. I can cause a perfectly responsible and considerate woman to wreck her car to bring you into her life. I can create scenes, leave cryptic notes, punish your enemies, reward your friends. I'm in your house. I'm in their houses. I am everywhere. All the time. Right now.
Book 3 in the Night Vale novels, spun out from the podcast that started it all, and finally we get to hear more from the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home. Yes, your, all of your in fact - like she says, she's everywhere, right now. Voiced by Mara Wilson in the podcast, and in the audiobook, she's one of the characters I'm most intrigued by, and this novel did not let me down. Neither did Mara Wilson, by the way, who absolutely nails this character and has made it impossible for me to read the book without hearing her voice and her cadence; so I gave in and listened to the audiobook, and I'd absolutely recommend it. She's phenomenal.
Unlike the previous novels, this one (for the most part) takes place mostly outside of Night Vale, though the Renaissance-era European setting incorporates the "European" locations previously mentioned on the show. It's almost Count of Monte Cristo-esque, following a young woman's quest for revenge after her life is forever altered by one fateful night - but it's less the mission and more the journey that makes it just so good. There's stalwart friends (each one is my favourite and I'm not changing my mind), piracy, assassinations and intrigue; and when the action reaches it's climax - the novel continues. And that's where the summary will stop, because spoilers, but it's fantastic. Of the three novels, this would probably be the one I chose as an introduction for non-series readers; it's by far the most approachable if you're not already familiar with the show and it's characters. If you are though, there's plenty of nods in there that you'll recognise.
I don't know what to tell you. We all don't get happy lives. Maybe a happy life doesn't exist, at least not as some complete, discrete entity. We get what we get and we sort through how we feel about it moment by moment.
April 15, 2020
I wish I could give this a better rating. I love the Night Vale team, but this was a misstep. Boring throughout, with a story that I personally had no interest in. The FOWWSLIYH was a lot cooler and creepier without a lengthy backstory. Lots of characters but no real character development. A very disappointing ending.
Want to read
November 12, 2019Holy hell I'm stupid excited.
April 22, 2020
I wanted to love this one. I adore Night Vale so much, but this book dragged ooooooooon and the reason for the faceless old woman was...mediocre at best. She could have had this really awesome backstory that was complex and intriguing. This one definitely fell short of their normal production.
May 9, 2020
I wish this book was good. It's not.
The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home is my all-time favourite character in WTNV, and I was super excited about a novel telling her backstory, but this has been a huge disappointment. The main character in this book seems to be a different person altogether, none of the characters feel even a little bit realistic and I could not bring myself to like or care for them. The plot is way too simplistic and, at times, predictable (I saw the "very cool ending" coming almost 100 pages before it happened). This, together with the fact that the Night Vale-y style is almost non-present (understandable, since the book takes place outside if Night Very), meant that I practically had to force myself to keep reading. This book doesn't even work as a stand-alone outside of the Night Vale universe.
I enjoyed the Craig chapters, since they follow the pattern in the podcast I already liked, but then again, they have brought nothing new to the table. I feel like this book has made me like the character less. I honestly wish I could un-read it.
The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home is my all-time favourite character in WTNV, and I was super excited about a novel telling her backstory, but this has been a huge disappointment. The main character in this book seems to be a different person altogether, none of the characters feel even a little bit realistic and I could not bring myself to like or care for them. The plot is way too simplistic and, at times, predictable (I saw the "very cool ending" coming almost 100 pages before it happened). This, together with the fact that the Night Vale-y style is almost non-present (understandable, since the book takes place outside if Night Very), meant that I practically had to force myself to keep reading. This book doesn't even work as a stand-alone outside of the Night Vale universe.
I enjoyed the Craig chapters, since they follow the pattern in the podcast I already liked, but then again, they have brought nothing new to the table. I feel like this book has made me like the character less. I honestly wish I could un-read it.
May 7, 2020
Do you like ghost stories? This book is for you!
Do you like revenge plots? This book is for you!
Do you like ragtag teams of criminals? This book is for you!
Do you like bizarre alternate versions of historical Europe? This book is for you!
Do you like dark humor and bitterly harsh realities? This book is for you!
Do you like Welcome to Night Vale? Obviously this book is for you; that’s probably what brought you to this review anyway, right?
Do you like sweet and happy endings? Dear god, please don’t read this book; find yourself something more wholesome.
(Find a slightly longer--and better-formatted--version of this review on my BLOG!)
Like all of the content produced by Fink and Cranor, the creators of the hit podcast Welcome to Night Vale, this book is weird. Like, very weird. It probably only appeals to a very specific demographic, but–as you can probably tell from my enthusiasm already��I am a part of that demographic.
I’m a huge fan of all things Night Vale-related (though I must confess, I’m not caught up on this season yet), so naturally, I was excited about this book right from the moment I first heard about it. For those of you who are unaware, Welcome to Night Vale is a fictional podcast set in a deeply strange city somewhere in the American southwest, and a recurring side character on the show is the Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home. (Fun fact: on the show, she is voiced by Mara Wilson. You might know Wilson for playing Matilda in the movie Matilda back in the 90’s. Following that movie, she all but disappeared from acting; her time on WTNV is the first acting-related thing she’s done since the year 2000. The more you know!) This book is the Faceless Old Woman’s backstory, from her birth in Europe, centuries ago, through her adolescence and adult years, and up to the events that left her a faceless not-quite-ghost on another continent altogether.
First, something to clear up before I start: you can still enjoy this book even if you don’t listen to the podcast. While avid listeners will find plenty of inside jokes wrapped into this story (five-headed dragons, a man who is not tall and a man who is not short, a Brown Stone Spire, and so on), I think the narrative as a whole can be understood even by someone wholly unaware of what else exists in this strange town, because…well, the bulk of this book doesn’t take place in that town at all.
The story unfolds in dual timelines. One is in the 2000s, running up to the present, with the Faceless Old Woman speaking to a Night Vale resident named Craig, who she pokes and prods into living what seems like a happy life. She just also casually torments him along the way (the opening scene includes her burning his shoes in a trash can, for example). The other timeline starts in the 1800s, with her childhood on the Mediterranean. From a young age, she was always fascinated by the ships coming and going in the harbor outside her family’s home, especially the mysterious ships bearing a black flag with a white labyrinth logo. But then a childhood tragedy involving those ships occurs, sending her on a furious quest for revenge that wholly changes her life.
Teaming up with a band of other misfits–a giant girl who despises what society says about physically strong women, an aro-ace boy who has no interest in marrying anyone even though his wealthy family expects it, and a Jewish girl with a knack for disguises who feels most herself when pretending to be someone else–our protagonist travels from fictional countries like Svitz and Luftnarp to more familiar countries like France and Spain. The book, of course, culminates in a collision of the two timelines as the questions are finally answered:
Why does the Faceless Old Woman live in Night Vale? Why is she faceless? And what does she want?
This book was at once everything I expected and nothing like I expected. The language in it followed Fink and Cranor’s signature blend of beautiful, image-heavy, profound statements, with glib, sarcastic, and absurd departures mere moments later.
And, in a move that summed up this entire book (and their entire Night Vale universe) in a single quote, they produced this gem:
"There’s a thin line separating humor and horror, and this was that line."
Honestly, that one line sums this book up beautifully. It is so many things wrapped into one, existing in the liminal space between terms that tend to be considered separate categories. It is too funny to be a drama but too heavy to be a comedy. It is too human to be a ghost story but too spooky to be realistic. It is too weird to be taken seriously, but too serious to be waved off dismissively. The formula is tricky, but like verbal alchemists, the authors have gotten it down to as precisely scientific as an art can be.
In terms of typical book review stuff, our protagonist is wonderfully complex, the pacing is remarkably smooth for a book that spans multiple centuries, and the plot managed to pull a couple twists that even I didn’t see coming. The ending was sad, but not surprising, and certainly not maudlin. The novel was, as a whole, more somber than typical Night Vale fare, but that was entirely fitting for this particular storyline and worked to its advantage. Plus, you know, I’m always here for any asexual rep we can get, and having a charming, sociable ace as a major secondary character just made it that much better. I could go on for ages, but all you really need to know about this book is that it is written well, it is written weirdly, and just because I loved it doesn’t mean you will.
Still–I hope you will give it a try. To me, this book was awesome beyond words, and I hope that some of you out there will be able to share in my enjoyment of this bizarre beauty of a book.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
Do you like revenge plots? This book is for you!
Do you like ragtag teams of criminals? This book is for you!
Do you like bizarre alternate versions of historical Europe? This book is for you!
Do you like dark humor and bitterly harsh realities? This book is for you!
Do you like Welcome to Night Vale? Obviously this book is for you; that’s probably what brought you to this review anyway, right?
Do you like sweet and happy endings? Dear god, please don’t read this book; find yourself something more wholesome.
(Find a slightly longer--and better-formatted--version of this review on my BLOG!)
Like all of the content produced by Fink and Cranor, the creators of the hit podcast Welcome to Night Vale, this book is weird. Like, very weird. It probably only appeals to a very specific demographic, but–as you can probably tell from my enthusiasm already��I am a part of that demographic.
I’m a huge fan of all things Night Vale-related (though I must confess, I’m not caught up on this season yet), so naturally, I was excited about this book right from the moment I first heard about it. For those of you who are unaware, Welcome to Night Vale is a fictional podcast set in a deeply strange city somewhere in the American southwest, and a recurring side character on the show is the Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives in Your Home. (Fun fact: on the show, she is voiced by Mara Wilson. You might know Wilson for playing Matilda in the movie Matilda back in the 90’s. Following that movie, she all but disappeared from acting; her time on WTNV is the first acting-related thing she’s done since the year 2000. The more you know!) This book is the Faceless Old Woman’s backstory, from her birth in Europe, centuries ago, through her adolescence and adult years, and up to the events that left her a faceless not-quite-ghost on another continent altogether.
First, something to clear up before I start: you can still enjoy this book even if you don’t listen to the podcast. While avid listeners will find plenty of inside jokes wrapped into this story (five-headed dragons, a man who is not tall and a man who is not short, a Brown Stone Spire, and so on), I think the narrative as a whole can be understood even by someone wholly unaware of what else exists in this strange town, because…well, the bulk of this book doesn’t take place in that town at all.
The story unfolds in dual timelines. One is in the 2000s, running up to the present, with the Faceless Old Woman speaking to a Night Vale resident named Craig, who she pokes and prods into living what seems like a happy life. She just also casually torments him along the way (the opening scene includes her burning his shoes in a trash can, for example). The other timeline starts in the 1800s, with her childhood on the Mediterranean. From a young age, she was always fascinated by the ships coming and going in the harbor outside her family’s home, especially the mysterious ships bearing a black flag with a white labyrinth logo. But then a childhood tragedy involving those ships occurs, sending her on a furious quest for revenge that wholly changes her life.
Teaming up with a band of other misfits–a giant girl who despises what society says about physically strong women, an aro-ace boy who has no interest in marrying anyone even though his wealthy family expects it, and a Jewish girl with a knack for disguises who feels most herself when pretending to be someone else–our protagonist travels from fictional countries like Svitz and Luftnarp to more familiar countries like France and Spain. The book, of course, culminates in a collision of the two timelines as the questions are finally answered:
Why does the Faceless Old Woman live in Night Vale? Why is she faceless? And what does she want?
This book was at once everything I expected and nothing like I expected. The language in it followed Fink and Cranor’s signature blend of beautiful, image-heavy, profound statements, with glib, sarcastic, and absurd departures mere moments later.
And, in a move that summed up this entire book (and their entire Night Vale universe) in a single quote, they produced this gem:
"There’s a thin line separating humor and horror, and this was that line."
Honestly, that one line sums this book up beautifully. It is so many things wrapped into one, existing in the liminal space between terms that tend to be considered separate categories. It is too funny to be a drama but too heavy to be a comedy. It is too human to be a ghost story but too spooky to be realistic. It is too weird to be taken seriously, but too serious to be waved off dismissively. The formula is tricky, but like verbal alchemists, the authors have gotten it down to as precisely scientific as an art can be.
In terms of typical book review stuff, our protagonist is wonderfully complex, the pacing is remarkably smooth for a book that spans multiple centuries, and the plot managed to pull a couple twists that even I didn’t see coming. The ending was sad, but not surprising, and certainly not maudlin. The novel was, as a whole, more somber than typical Night Vale fare, but that was entirely fitting for this particular storyline and worked to its advantage. Plus, you know, I’m always here for any asexual rep we can get, and having a charming, sociable ace as a major secondary character just made it that much better. I could go on for ages, but all you really need to know about this book is that it is written well, it is written weirdly, and just because I loved it doesn’t mean you will.
Still–I hope you will give it a try. To me, this book was awesome beyond words, and I hope that some of you out there will be able to share in my enjoyment of this bizarre beauty of a book.
Thank you to the publisher for providing me with a digital copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review!
May 6, 2020
As a fan of the podcast "Welcome to Night Vale," I really wanted to love this book. But I found the backstory made her a pathetic and rather unlikable character. More importantly, the backstory was devoid of the dark humor and irony that the series is known for. It was a rather straightforward story of revenge with a less than surprising twist. As a backstory, it's supposed to explain why she became what she did. But this explanation is tenuous at best, doesn't really make any sense, and fails to explain her strange behavior as The Faceless Old Woman. I still love the podcast, but hopefully this book won't color my impressions of the Faceless Old Woman.
January 4, 2020
I've always loved the character of the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home. She's so weird and enigmatic. While I absolutely loved this story as an adventure and a journey about revenge, I am a bit saddened that I know more about the FOWWSLIYH. I liked when she was a mystery. I enjoyed this until the last couple chapters. During the back story part of her life, it was a compelling read with some great side characters (esp Rebekah). Once it got to the end though, it was a little too on-the-nose and a bit too....not her character? I expected the final chapter would have her in the form we all know and love from the podcast. I lost respect for her as a character and that's not something I am sitting comfortably with. I read this with my husband and both of us predicted the plot by less than halfway through, which is a rarity in Night Vale stories. I almost feel like this would be better geared at a YA audience bc the plot is fairly simplistic. Despite all this, it's a great story if you ignore its ties to the world of Night Vale and just appreciate it as a story.
May 2, 2021
Uh.
Maybe it’s just me, but when I pick up a Night Vale novel, I want to read about Night Vale? Or at the very least, a ridiculous eerie story that’ll make me laugh?
I’d say a total of (hilarious) 30 pages in this book took place in Night Vale. The rest was mostly in “Spain” (Barcelona) (only ONE mention about people speaking Catalan though which made me insanely mad :D). So, instead of hilarious stuff, we have historical fiction set in Catalonia written by someone who may have not done proper research or may not care about getting the locals right. Idk. Big no from me. I’m not sure if I stopped caring about her story when I realized the setting was all wrong, or I didn’t care about it from the get go already though.
I would honestly give this one star but the thirty pages in Night Vale did made laugh. And I love Night Vale. This was such a let down :(
PS. Am I overreacting? Sure, but I would say picking a region that has a strong independent movement as book setting and not even addressing it, it’s a good way to get some fans/readers upset. Ok bye.
Maybe it’s just me, but when I pick up a Night Vale novel, I want to read about Night Vale? Or at the very least, a ridiculous eerie story that’ll make me laugh?
I’d say a total of (hilarious) 30 pages in this book took place in Night Vale. The rest was mostly in “Spain” (Barcelona) (only ONE mention about people speaking Catalan though which made me insanely mad :D). So, instead of hilarious stuff, we have historical fiction set in Catalonia written by someone who may have not done proper research or may not care about getting the locals right. Idk. Big no from me. I’m not sure if I stopped caring about her story when I realized the setting was all wrong, or I didn’t care about it from the get go already though.
I would honestly give this one star but the thirty pages in Night Vale did made laugh. And I love Night Vale. This was such a let down :(
PS. Am I overreacting? Sure, but I would say picking a region that has a strong independent movement as book setting and not even addressing it, it’s a good way to get some fans/readers upset. Ok bye.
April 2, 2020
The opener was strong and compelling. It was creepy and gave me chills of excitement. I would be content just to read about how this creepy old lady ghost takes care of this Craig and haunts him and the people around him into good decisions. There should be a book on that! It reminds of You by Caroline Kepnes, the stalker murderer psychopath, but with a side of paranormal vigor.
Many stories use this style of writing: use the present time to set the mood of the ending, and then use flashbacks to tell the story leading to this point. Most of the time this accessory to the main story is boring, and does nothing the further along the actual plot. However, in this case, it is exceptionally well done.
The main story is about a precocious girl who lived by the sea in a recluse land. Her mother died when she was young, and it was her father who brought her up by himself. As she grew older, she became suspicious her father’s work. Eventually she uncovered the world of smugglers, thieves, and bandits.
The protagonist is clever and determined, and likeable because of that. You can understand her ambitions, and at the same time respect her swiftness and precision once she has made up her mind.
The same traits that I admire in her unfortunately became her Achilles heel, for this is a story of betrayal and revenge. It requires a character who equally mastered the art of cunning and deception to lead her to her demise, and the story delivers!
He is reason, she is rage.
The ending is satisfying in its uniqueness. After the protagonist’s natural death, we followed her ghostly presence through time. Although the plot was over, I enjoyed the journey of her wandering spirit and hoped another machination will spring up. Alas, knowing the physical end of the book draws near, my hope was dashed.
After finishing the book, I reflected the protagonist’s life with a sense of despair. She’s driven by ambition, and she’s someone who demands from life something more than simple comfort. I think she’s happy in her pursuit, but the circumstances of her life’s natural end rendered all her meaning void. That was sad, and tragically beautiful. The true ending was spectacular, it looped back and connected with the beginning and brought with it the full throttle of its fury and darkness.
For me, this book sets the standard for all vengeful ghosts. From now on, all things and persons haunted better have a backstory as compelling as the one in this book.
Many stories use this style of writing: use the present time to set the mood of the ending, and then use flashbacks to tell the story leading to this point. Most of the time this accessory to the main story is boring, and does nothing the further along the actual plot. However, in this case, it is exceptionally well done.
The main story is about a precocious girl who lived by the sea in a recluse land. Her mother died when she was young, and it was her father who brought her up by himself. As she grew older, she became suspicious her father’s work. Eventually she uncovered the world of smugglers, thieves, and bandits.
The protagonist is clever and determined, and likeable because of that. You can understand her ambitions, and at the same time respect her swiftness and precision once she has made up her mind.
The same traits that I admire in her unfortunately became her Achilles heel, for this is a story of betrayal and revenge. It requires a character who equally mastered the art of cunning and deception to lead her to her demise, and the story delivers!
He is reason, she is rage.
The ending is satisfying in its uniqueness. After the protagonist’s natural death, we followed her ghostly presence through time. Although the plot was over, I enjoyed the journey of her wandering spirit and hoped another machination will spring up. Alas, knowing the physical end of the book draws near, my hope was dashed.
After finishing the book, I reflected the protagonist’s life with a sense of despair. She’s driven by ambition, and she’s someone who demands from life something more than simple comfort. I think she’s happy in her pursuit, but the circumstances of her life’s natural end rendered all her meaning void. That was sad, and tragically beautiful. The true ending was spectacular, it looped back and connected with the beginning and brought with it the full throttle of its fury and darkness.
For me, this book sets the standard for all vengeful ghosts. From now on, all things and persons haunted better have a backstory as compelling as the one in this book.
April 8, 2020
I attempted many different voices, hoping to find anything that could reach him. I tried being Jesus. I tried being one of the horses. I tried telling him I was his subconscious, but he didn’t know what that word meant. He never questioned the existence of the voices, but he certainly did not take them seriously.
This was not what I was expecting, but was still an entertaining read. I thought the vibe was a lot different than It Devours, creepier and more solemn, if I had to pinpoint.
We start out with the (deeply flawed but still sympathetic) faceless old woman in present day basically lurking and intervening in people’s lives, mainly a guy named Craig, although we don’t know why for most of the book. These brief sections are humorously creepy.
The majority of the book is spent with the old woman telling the story of her life, which is mainly one of pirates/crime and vengeance. Some of this dragged a bit for me, although the characters were all interesting.
Eventually we catch up to present day and figure out why the old woman is faceless and so long living, and what’s up with her and Craig. These sections were my favorite parts, I wish there were more of them.
This was not what I was expecting, but was still an entertaining read. I thought the vibe was a lot different than It Devours, creepier and more solemn, if I had to pinpoint.
We start out with the (deeply flawed but still sympathetic) faceless old woman in present day basically lurking and intervening in people’s lives, mainly a guy named Craig, although we don’t know why for most of the book. These brief sections are humorously creepy.
The majority of the book is spent with the old woman telling the story of her life, which is mainly one of pirates/crime and vengeance. Some of this dragged a bit for me, although the characters were all interesting.
Eventually we catch up to present day and figure out why the old woman is faceless and so long living, and what’s up with her and Craig. These sections were my favorite parts, I wish there were more of them.
August 19, 2020
Welcome to Night Vale is one of my favorite podcasts and I've really been enjoying the novels as well, so of course I jumped at the chance to read T The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home. Well, listen to the audiobook which is narrated by Mara Wilson who gives voice to titular old woman in the podcast. This book is much different than the others in the series and the podcast as well. We don't see a whole lot of Night Vale itself as the story is primarily told in a series of flashbacks in 1800's Europe. This novel is the faceless old woman who secretly lives in your home's origin story and it reeled me right in from the very start. It totally worked for me. Think The Haunting of Hill House meets The Count of Monte Cristo plus Welcome to Night Vale's dark humor and sensibilities. It just might be perfect if you can't resist ghost stories, tales of revenge, and criminal enterprises. Now I just need to get caught up on the most recent episodes of the podcast. I can't wait to see what Joseph Funk and Jeffrey Cranor come up with next.
Read
May 24, 2020
January 4, 2022
I am curious about what someone who'd never listened to the Welcome to Night Vale podcast would make of this book. Taken in isolation, it's an eerie supernatural-historical novel. I chose to read it due to prior familiarity with the podcast, which admittedly I haven't listened to for a few years. The Faceless Old Woman Who Secretly Lives In Your Home was a favourite character of mine - I even dreamed I was her once. Have you ever had a dream where you looked into a mirror and saw you had no face? It's unsettling, believe me. Anyway, this novel recounts her backstory and it wasn't really what I expected. The tone and style of the narrative isn't Night Vale-ish at all. It reminded me more of a Claire North novel. There's practically none of the weird humour that characterises the podcast. I found it readable enough, with some interesting twists. On the other hand, I think the plot was drawn out longer than it needed to be in places and under-explained in others. While there are some fun details, I don't think the quasi-historical flashbacks and 21st century Night Vale parts really cohere effectively, leaving the whole feeling somewhat insubstantial.
February 19, 2021
Zase raz použijem pravidlo: If you see something, say nothing, and drink to forget.
* zdevastovane odkladám knihu a načahujem sa za plechovkou cideru *
* zdevastovane odkladám knihu a načahujem sa za plechovkou cideru *
August 5, 2020
3.5/5
I really enjoyed the story overall and I'm glad I read it for its characters and world-building but unfortunately the pacing was a bit off for me - thus the rating. I kind of got disinterested in the middle and had a long break in reading because of that but then it gained traction once again and I devoured the rest of the story. The ending and the final reveals were truly satisfying.
I really enjoyed the story overall and I'm glad I read it for its characters and world-building but unfortunately the pacing was a bit off for me - thus the rating. I kind of got disinterested in the middle and had a long break in reading because of that but then it gained traction once again and I devoured the rest of the story. The ending and the final reveals were truly satisfying.
September 2, 2022
I really enjoyed this, more than the first Nightvale book. I liked that it focused on one character and gave us her whole background. It was actually quite beautifully written. The first one was closer to the podcast style, and I stopped listening to the podcast quite a while ago because it was harder to pay attention to while listening. Mara Wilson does an excellent job narrating.
March 29, 2020
This book was a huge shot in the dark for me. I hadn’t heard of the series before, and the fact that it was the third in a series so I had no idea what I was getting myself into….and it’s categorized as sci-fi which I usually don’t read much of.
I thought the title sounded interesting and I loved the promise of a creepy old woman haunting people and the cover is quirky and eye catching, so in the end I thought…..why not.
It’s rare that I read a ‘shot in the dark’ book, I usually try and stick within my favorite genres while occasionally trying something ‘new to me’ but this one was completely different than what I normally read so I kept coming back to the catchy title (even if it was long!) and I ultimately just went for it.
I loved the last bit of the summary where it describes this book as being part Haunting of Hill House and part Count of Monte Cristo. I love both of those books so much and I really thought this was going to be a book I would really enjoy. It was difficult for me to decide if I felt lost because I was missing the other 2 books in the series or if this book was part of a podcast series (which what is that even???), or if it was the fact that it was set in a world I had no understanding or prior knowledge, or if the story itself was just plain confusing. I honestly couldn’t say…..maybe all of those things.
I mean, I didn’t hate this book, on the contrary, I thought it had a ton of potential and a lot of unique quirky things to recommend itself, but I definitely felt confused and unsure of the plot for most of the book. The story is told over two different time periods, a modern day thread and an 1800s thread, ultimately converging together later in the book, but for the first part of the book I had no idea how these two threads were connected and felt lost and disconnected from the characters.
Though I did love the old woman though—-she had an interesting story, though predicable, was still a pleasure to read and enjoy. So here comes the big debate….what do I rate this book? I mean on one hand I felt lost in the world and plot, but it wasn’t entirely imperative to the story if that makes sense. The story could be enjoyed independently without much knowledge of the larger world but it is clear that the author assumes readers are familiar with the Night Vale world and I sadly am not, though I am definitely interested in reading the other books or even checking out the podcast because I think there is a lot to love in this series. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel disconnected to the story to some degree so I ended up giving this one a 3 star rating. Lots of good mechanics and interesting things happening, but if you aren’t familiar with the world etc you might not enjoy it as much.
See my full review here
I thought the title sounded interesting and I loved the promise of a creepy old woman haunting people and the cover is quirky and eye catching, so in the end I thought…..why not.
It’s rare that I read a ‘shot in the dark’ book, I usually try and stick within my favorite genres while occasionally trying something ‘new to me’ but this one was completely different than what I normally read so I kept coming back to the catchy title (even if it was long!) and I ultimately just went for it.
I loved the last bit of the summary where it describes this book as being part Haunting of Hill House and part Count of Monte Cristo. I love both of those books so much and I really thought this was going to be a book I would really enjoy. It was difficult for me to decide if I felt lost because I was missing the other 2 books in the series or if this book was part of a podcast series (which what is that even???), or if it was the fact that it was set in a world I had no understanding or prior knowledge, or if the story itself was just plain confusing. I honestly couldn’t say…..maybe all of those things.
I mean, I didn’t hate this book, on the contrary, I thought it had a ton of potential and a lot of unique quirky things to recommend itself, but I definitely felt confused and unsure of the plot for most of the book. The story is told over two different time periods, a modern day thread and an 1800s thread, ultimately converging together later in the book, but for the first part of the book I had no idea how these two threads were connected and felt lost and disconnected from the characters.
Though I did love the old woman though—-she had an interesting story, though predicable, was still a pleasure to read and enjoy. So here comes the big debate….what do I rate this book? I mean on one hand I felt lost in the world and plot, but it wasn’t entirely imperative to the story if that makes sense. The story could be enjoyed independently without much knowledge of the larger world but it is clear that the author assumes readers are familiar with the Night Vale world and I sadly am not, though I am definitely interested in reading the other books or even checking out the podcast because I think there is a lot to love in this series. But I would be lying if I said I didn’t feel disconnected to the story to some degree so I ended up giving this one a 3 star rating. Lots of good mechanics and interesting things happening, but if you aren’t familiar with the world etc you might not enjoy it as much.
See my full review here
March 19, 2020
Was I expecting a somewhat scary story about a woman who haunts the homes of people that live in Night Vale? Yes. Is that what I got? No. This story was not what I expected at all, but I still thought it was good. I wish it had a little more of a scary element to it, but that’s just personal preference and I’m not sure if everyone would agree.
The Story: The story was told using two different time periods. The book used present day, which told the story of the faceless old lady haunting a man named Craig, and the past (mostly in the 1800s), which told the story of how the faceless old woman came to be haunting Craig’s home. For most of the book, the two stories didn’t match up at all and I found myself scratching my head as to Craig’s part in the novel. But, as should have been expected, everything gets cleared up in the end. I found myself really enjoying the faceless old woman’s story. It was easy to follow along and I found myself captivated by her adventures. I didn’t particularly love the story of Craig’s haunting. It was just confusing and seemed so out of place for most of the novel.
The Flow: Some parts of the novel were fast-paced and some took on a bit of a slow crawl. I breezed through most of the stories from the past, as they were the ones filled with all of the action and adventure.
The Characters: I liked our main character and really enjoyed watching her develop throughout the story from a young and innocent child to a woman ruled by vengeance. I liked all the characters I was meant to like and disliked all the characters I was meant to dislike. I thought they were all portrayed really well in their own unique ways and were easy to picture in my mind.
The Writing: I loved the writing of this novel. At times, it seemed poetic. The novel contained such descriptive words that I really felt as if I was playing a movie in my mind. I love when novels contain two time periods, so this one was right on par for me, despite the fact that one of the time periods fell a little flat.
I didn’t realize going into this novel that it was part of a podcast series and I’m wondering if I had known, and followed along with the podcast, if I would have enjoyed the story a lot more. While I did like the story, I didn’t love it, and I think that could have been due to my lack of knowledge about the town of Night Vale.
*Thank you to Harper Perennial and the authors for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*
The Story: The story was told using two different time periods. The book used present day, which told the story of the faceless old lady haunting a man named Craig, and the past (mostly in the 1800s), which told the story of how the faceless old woman came to be haunting Craig’s home. For most of the book, the two stories didn’t match up at all and I found myself scratching my head as to Craig’s part in the novel. But, as should have been expected, everything gets cleared up in the end. I found myself really enjoying the faceless old woman’s story. It was easy to follow along and I found myself captivated by her adventures. I didn’t particularly love the story of Craig’s haunting. It was just confusing and seemed so out of place for most of the novel.
The Flow: Some parts of the novel were fast-paced and some took on a bit of a slow crawl. I breezed through most of the stories from the past, as they were the ones filled with all of the action and adventure.
The Characters: I liked our main character and really enjoyed watching her develop throughout the story from a young and innocent child to a woman ruled by vengeance. I liked all the characters I was meant to like and disliked all the characters I was meant to dislike. I thought they were all portrayed really well in their own unique ways and were easy to picture in my mind.
The Writing: I loved the writing of this novel. At times, it seemed poetic. The novel contained such descriptive words that I really felt as if I was playing a movie in my mind. I love when novels contain two time periods, so this one was right on par for me, despite the fact that one of the time periods fell a little flat.
I didn’t realize going into this novel that it was part of a podcast series and I’m wondering if I had known, and followed along with the podcast, if I would have enjoyed the story a lot more. While I did like the story, I didn’t love it, and I think that could have been due to my lack of knowledge about the town of Night Vale.
*Thank you to Harper Perennial and the authors for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review*
July 25, 2021
What was this book?! How do I read more like this???
This was the most confusing book ever. Except it wasn't. It wasn't hard to follow. I kind of guessed why she was hanging around Craig. But the backstory was so much more in depth and weird than I would have guessed.
I loved the issues that kept arising in this story. Like, not everything went to plan. Like, at all. You'd finally think she'd figured it out and then, PSYCH!
Some top notch moments were:
Craig. CrAIG. Stop screaming. (said with more casualness than I've ever used when speaking about anything.)
Craig, you really need to pay your credit card bill because I didn't get to finish Cheers on Netflix.
Oh, I paid off all your debt! I helped you find your girlfriend (and she's lovely Craig), also I put tiny spiders in your shirt collar.
Also somewhere around the 7 hour mark on audiobook (roughly 2 hours left in the audio) she starts to ramble in a very sing-songy way and it's so disturbing, but delightful.
Mara Wilson being the narrator. Please, for the love of everything, give her a Grammy for this performance, and IDK, throw lots of money at her so she narrates more? Someone talk her into narrating everything. Please. I beg of you.
This was the most confusing book ever. Except it wasn't. It wasn't hard to follow. I kind of guessed why she was hanging around Craig. But the backstory was so much more in depth and weird than I would have guessed.
I loved the issues that kept arising in this story. Like, not everything went to plan. Like, at all. You'd finally think she'd figured it out and then, PSYCH!
Some top notch moments were:
Craig. CrAIG. Stop screaming. (said with more casualness than I've ever used when speaking about anything.)
Craig, you really need to pay your credit card bill because I didn't get to finish Cheers on Netflix.
Oh, I paid off all your debt! I helped you find your girlfriend (and she's lovely Craig), also I put tiny spiders in your shirt collar.
Also somewhere around the 7 hour mark on audiobook (roughly 2 hours left in the audio) she starts to ramble in a very sing-songy way and it's so disturbing, but delightful.
Mara Wilson being the narrator. Please, for the love of everything, give her a Grammy for this performance, and IDK, throw lots of money at her so she narrates more? Someone talk her into narrating everything. Please. I beg of you.
February 23, 2020
Craig's life has been watched over (and sometimes "improved") by the title character, who is not just faceless but nameless. She's nameless as we follow her life from pampered daughter living on her family estate on the Mediterranean coast, through a life dedicated to revenge against her father's murder(s), to her life(?) as the Faceless Old Woman. We get her life's story interspersed with her watching and helping Craig and honestly, more of the Craig interactions and less of the life stuff would have been far better. The revenge plot is really stretched out, getting a little boring and making readers constantly try to calculate her age and length of events. Her gang (Andre, Rebekah and Lora) are also glossed over and more fully fleshing them out would also have made this stronger.
eARC provided by publisher.
eARC provided by publisher.
April 17, 2020
Disappointing third book in the great Night Vale series. It's clear that the two authors both had very different ideas on what kind of novel they wanted to write. The origin story of a beloved NV character feels totally out of context and it's so clear that the 'weird' was forced in there out of necessity due to the source material. The random current year NV bits thrown inbetween are fun but don't make a lot of sense until the highly predictable (and insulting to the character!) ending chapter.
Has it's moments but lacks the charm that makes Night Vale great.
Has it's moments but lacks the charm that makes Night Vale great.
June 15, 2022
"𝗜 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂, 𝗯𝘂𝘁 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗿𝗲𝗳𝘂𝘀𝗲 𝘁𝗼 𝘁𝗮𝗸𝗲 𝗰𝗮𝗿𝗲 𝗼𝗳 𝘆𝗼𝘂𝗿𝘀𝗲𝗹𝗳, 𝗖𝗿𝗮𝗶𝗴"
Ada jembalang berupa nenek tua merayap di rumah. Dia tak berwajah. Dan tiada siapa tahu, bagaimana dia berada di situ: di Night Vale.
Sebuah epik ratusan tahun. Cerita penuh dendam & kesumat.
"𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲?"
Novel ini diceritakan dari sudut pandang "faceless woman". Pembaca dibawa secara jungkir balik: kembali ke tahun 1800an berselang seli dengan riwayat Craig di garis masa sekarang.
Masa lalu: Di pesisir lautan Mediterranean, kita dibawa mengikuti asal usul "faceless woman". Anak penyeludup yang membesar menjadi lanun. Hidupnya bernafaskan dendam, mahu membunuh mereka yang memporak perandakan keluarganya.
Masa sekarang: Sejak kecil, Craig sering merasakan ada "sesuatu" yang memerhatikannya (bahkan mengawal hidupnya). Kerjaya, jodoh, rutin hariannya dipandu oleh "bisikan" aneh.
✅ Money heist dengan strategi licik & rapi
✅ Cerita hantu dengan plot dendam menggerunkan
✅ Sejarah alternatif Eropah dengan tafsiran semula yang bizarre
Seperti Night Vale yang aneh, novel ini adalah adunan pelbagai genre tetapi ramuannya menjadi! Saya suka kebijakan penulis menemukan 2 garis cerita yang terpisah menjadi 1 kesimpulan kemas.
Tragik, epik, mengasyikkan. Seperti 1 quote di dalam novel
"𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲."
Saya sudah diberi amaran awal² oleh kak @biblio_mom, lepas baca novel ini, pasti saya akan ketagih dan terus jadi peminat francais Night Vale.
Ternyata, ya! This kind of story is right up my alley!
Terima kasih @times.reads & @putrifariza menghadiahkan buku ini sebagai pertukaran reviu jujur. Tolong hantar lagi novel dengan vibe macam ni please 😌😂
Ada jembalang berupa nenek tua merayap di rumah. Dia tak berwajah. Dan tiada siapa tahu, bagaimana dia berada di situ: di Night Vale.
Sebuah epik ratusan tahun. Cerita penuh dendam & kesumat.
"𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗼𝗻𝗲 𝗺𝗮𝗱𝗲 𝗳𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝘁𝘄𝗶𝘀𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗹𝗶𝗺𝗯𝘀 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗻𝗲𝗰𝗸 𝗼𝗳 𝗮𝗻 𝗼𝗹𝗱 𝘄𝗼𝗺𝗮𝗻, 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗼𝗿𝘁𝗲𝗱 𝗶𝗻𝘁𝗼 𝗮 𝘀𝗵𝗮𝗽𝗲 𝗹𝗶𝗸𝗲 𝗮 𝘀𝗽𝗶𝗱𝗲𝗿. 𝗔𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗲𝗻 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝘁𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁, 𝘄𝗮𝗶𝘁, 𝘄𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗱𝗶𝗱 𝗜 𝗷𝘂𝘀𝘁 𝘀𝗲𝗲?"
Novel ini diceritakan dari sudut pandang "faceless woman". Pembaca dibawa secara jungkir balik: kembali ke tahun 1800an berselang seli dengan riwayat Craig di garis masa sekarang.
Masa lalu: Di pesisir lautan Mediterranean, kita dibawa mengikuti asal usul "faceless woman". Anak penyeludup yang membesar menjadi lanun. Hidupnya bernafaskan dendam, mahu membunuh mereka yang memporak perandakan keluarganya.
Masa sekarang: Sejak kecil, Craig sering merasakan ada "sesuatu" yang memerhatikannya (bahkan mengawal hidupnya). Kerjaya, jodoh, rutin hariannya dipandu oleh "bisikan" aneh.
✅ Money heist dengan strategi licik & rapi
✅ Cerita hantu dengan plot dendam menggerunkan
✅ Sejarah alternatif Eropah dengan tafsiran semula yang bizarre
Seperti Night Vale yang aneh, novel ini adalah adunan pelbagai genre tetapi ramuannya menjadi! Saya suka kebijakan penulis menemukan 2 garis cerita yang terpisah menjadi 1 kesimpulan kemas.
Tragik, epik, mengasyikkan. Seperti 1 quote di dalam novel
"𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲’𝘀 𝗮 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲 𝘀𝗲𝗽𝗮𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗵𝘂𝗺𝗼𝗿 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝗵𝗼𝗿𝗿𝗼𝗿, 𝗮𝗻𝗱 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝘄𝗮𝘀 𝘁𝗵𝗮𝘁 𝗹𝗶𝗻𝗲."
Saya sudah diberi amaran awal² oleh kak @biblio_mom, lepas baca novel ini, pasti saya akan ketagih dan terus jadi peminat francais Night Vale.
Ternyata, ya! This kind of story is right up my alley!
Terima kasih @times.reads & @putrifariza menghadiahkan buku ini sebagai pertukaran reviu jujur. Tolong hantar lagi novel dengan vibe macam ni please 😌😂
January 26, 2022
This was not at all what I expected from a Night Vale novel, but it was a fantastic origin story for the character that has always intrigued me the most from the WTNV universe. Usually I expect a good bit of nonsense when it comes to WTNV content, but this novel was more grounded.
I loved listening to the audiobook performance, narrated by Mara Wilson. This is one instance where the audiobook version really elevates the story, and I'd encourage everyone to give it a listen on its own or follow along with it while you read the book.
I loved listening to the audiobook performance, narrated by Mara Wilson. This is one instance where the audiobook version really elevates the story, and I'd encourage everyone to give it a listen on its own or follow along with it while you read the book.
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