Customer Reviews

Drawn to the Grave

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Carl was supposed to have died long ago. A secret from a tribe deep in the Amazon kept him living. It was a simple technique which let him pass his death to someone else. Carl fell in love with Beverly though. He did not want to pass his death to her. But he either did it or wasted away himself. So Beverly was the one who started to rot away. Beverly DID plan on taking Carl with her somehow. Megan would be the key to her revenge.

*** WARNING! This is a sick book! I loved it! In fact, it gave me nightmares for two nights! Mary Ann Mitchell will make her readers cringe while they read the horror within her pages! ***

This is a remarkable first novel. Especially because for the first time in my life I was able to be genuinely disturbed. There is fear and there is disturbance. Fear can be a pleasant emotion to encounter when reading a horror novel. It's only a story. Disturbance is different because it causes the reader to question what he or she believes. I found Drawn to the Grave disturbing and frightening. And I'm someone who has read a great many horror novels. The theme of decay and a living death are very present. And all that is within a prosaic, normal setting. If you read this book, and I recommend it to you, be prepared to be genuinely disturbed.

I gave this novel a chance after reading Mitchell's SIPS OFBLOOD. I wanted to see if she was truly worth the praise I had heardabout her because I found SIPS to be rather, well, mundane and silly.

DRAWN has that "tales from the crypt" feel to it. A well-worn premise (you know, white explorer stumbles on fantastic jungle spell and capitalizes on it until his own destruction), somewhat interesting characters and detailed gory descriptions of rotting corpses (er...living corpses?)...these all make for a rather fun read. I have to admit, I enjoyed it.

DRAWN certainly isn't a horror masterpiece in my book, but it is worth your time. Watch out for graphic sex and even more graphic gore; if you are easily offended, this one isn't for you. But if you are willing to suspend disbelief and pretend you are watching a Saturday afternoon "B" flick, you'll like this book. The ultimate revenge sequence at the end makes it worthwhile.

Drawn to the Grave begins on a wonderfully creepy premise: The idea of going through the decay of death, without the actual death. However, the telling of the story is lacking. First, it is hard to develop empathy or concern for any of the characters--one is appallingly arrogant, another is breathtakingly stupid, and the third is so shallowly rendered that even as she suffers a terrible fate, she doesn't evoke concern or pity. Second, the ending was a huge letdown--I cannot explain much without giving a spoiler, but I can tell you I ended up with a BIG unanswered question. Third, and this is the most important, the writing was, at times, eye-rollingly bad--verbiage that screamed "FIRST TRY!" Note especially Beverly's short soliloquy to the sun--I haven't seen such completely unrealistic dialogue in a long time.

This book won't kill you, but I don't think it'll enrich your life either. However, it might set your imagination rolling--it could be much more effective with more characterization, more realistic dialogue, and more real horror, rather than just a couple vague existential questions and some (admittedly very effective) grossout.

I love horror. Always have, probably always will, and I have a horrible tendency to read while eating lunch at work. This book is the only one (recently, at least) that bothered me. It's very graphic and the descriptions actually make you picture what Beverly is going through. Truly a fun and fast read, but be forewarned, finish your lunch before picking this one up.

I couldn't put this book down. From a simple fantastic premise, Mary Ann Mitchell draws a web of horrific consequences and startling plot twists. And underneath it all, this compelling page turner reveals itself to be a modern morality tale.

So many current novels in the horror and suspense genre sound monotonously similar. Here is a genuinely original new voice, poetic and spare. More, please.

This sad, haunting, almost dreamlike book gave me the creeps. There are more than a few clumsy first novel moments, but in the end it is a truly powerful story that has stuck with me. Recommended for those interested in something a little different from the same old story.

I bought this book based on reviews, and the promise of an unusual premise. Many first novels are wonderful, but this is not one of them. The characters seem one-note personalities, without development (unless you count rot as movement), and thus hard to care about. While the idea of the story is compelling, the plot is manipulated to the point that I stopped looking for logic, reason, or even the power to suspend disbelief. The book is horror-fantasy, to be sure, but if I can't believe a word of it, then it doesn't work for me. The prose seems wooden, and I was finally so frustrated with it that I threw it on the floor. I don't often have a book tantrum, but unfortunately, this novel brought one on. I hate to discourage first time writers, but I hope Ms. Mitchell gets better editing on her next effort, because her work this time out really doesn't seem ready to be presented as a finished, polished book.

This was one of the worst books I have ever read (and I am a bibliophile if ever there was one!).

The plot is ridiculous, the characters are not well-developed at all, and the entire time I was reading, I kept asking myself... "Is this for real? No one would react like this!" I've heard of suspension of disbelief, but this is ridiculous!!

Save your time and money...take my advice...stay away from this novel!

I read "Drawn to the Grave" at lightning speed, mainly because this book forces the reader to do just that. Tightly written, with characters thoroughly fleshed out, it's a sure ride into the Abyss and back.

If this is at all indicative of what we can expect from Mary Ann Mitchell in the future in regards to novels, I'll surely be along to the end. Original.