Name: Holly's review of Our Last Echoes by Kate Alice Marshall
Item: Our Last Echoes
Rating: 4
Author: Holly

Kate Alice Marshall

Kara Thomas meets Twin Peaks in this supernatural thriller about one girl's hunt for the truth about her mother's disappearance. In 1973, the thirty-one residents of Bitter Rock disappeared. In 2003, so did my mother. Now, I've come to Bitter Rock to find out what happened to her--and to me. Because Bitter Rock has many ghosts. And I might be one of them. Sophia's earliest memory is of drowning. She remembers the darkness of the water and the briny taste as it filled her throat, the sensation of going under. She remembers hands pulling her back to safety, but that memory is impossible--she's never been to the ocean. But then Sophia gets a mysterious call about an island names Bitter Rock, and learns that she and her mother were there fifteen years ago--and her mother never returned. The hunt for answers lures her to Bitter Rock, but the more she uncovers, the clearer it is that her mother is just one in a chain of disappearances. People have been vanishing from Bitter Rock for decades, leaving only their ghostly echoes behind. Sophia is the only one who can break the cycle--or risk becoming nothing more than another echo haunting the island.

Our Last Echoes

Christina 

Holly

As expected, this book was enjoyable, but for some reason it lacked the same magic that Rules for Vanishing had. I liked the overlap and the answers we got from Rules for Vanishing, but the ending was a bit confusing.

danielle bush

What happened to her mother? That is the question that Sophia is trying to answer when she talks her way onto the island of Bitter Rock..What she doesn't know is that the answers she gets are going to change everything she knows. 
Bitter Rock is a very creepy place where you shouldn't leave your house at night.. Especially if the mist comes, you should stay away from the mist. 
.
People have been dissapearing from Bitter Rock for what seems like forever. They leave no traces behind. except their echoes in the mist. What are these echoes? and why does it seem like they are after Sophia? 
.
I think going in with out knowing too much is the way to go.. I think it will make the reading experience that much better. 

I loved the way this story was told, like a found footage film. It sucked me in from the first page. It unfolded like a movie in my head.. 
While this was the first book I have ever read from Kate Alice Marshall, it wont be the last. I definitely want to check out Rules for Vanishing and more books she writes in the future..

Anna Wilson

Soooo this book was confusing. The “echos” are like evil versions of the characters that live in a different world? I think that’s what was going on. The premise was waaaayyy different than anything I’ve read before but I think some of what happened got lost on me bc we were switching thru time/alt realities and with the same characters etc. i did really enjoy it and I would highly recommend the audiobook!


https://www.instagram.com/p/CRsBJ9Ure...

Wiktoria Balcerak

Samantha Bass

I am a big thriller fan, but I've never been someone who could get into horror. While this isn't Stephen King esque, it is pretty gruesome and intense and there were several moments that I had to take a break to calm my heart rate down. But this book was so fantastic that I could get past all of the horror elements because I had to know what was going on. The mystery of this world, of Sophia's experience, and the disappearances on this island captivated me and I absolutely loved it!

One thing I love about thrillers is the mix formatting. It's not just prose showing us what's going on, but interviews, old tapes, and other mediums coming together to build the story. Honestly, during the tape segments, I could vividly picture everything that was happening. I could see this book like a movie in my mind playing out as I'm reading and that's probably why it terrified me so much. 

Now, I'm a big scardy cat. I can't watch horror movies because I am pretty meek with that and I will jump, scream, and cry during movies, if I haven't already covered my eyes while watching. But with books I can't look away and this one held me captive. Even some gruesome descriptions and images couldn't turn me away from the story. And I honestly thought the horror element was so well done. It wasn't over-kill, but it was suspenseful and it definitely freaked me out. I refused to read this book at night. 

One thing I had trouble with at first was our main character Sophia. Sophia is pretty straightforward and emotionless. She doesn't let herself get affected by things that make her sad or angry. She can control her emotions sometimes too well and it made her come across very cold and aloof. At first, I thought she was kind of a bitch. But the more I got to know her, the more I understand what was happening and sympathized with her. We really got to see her humanity when she was with Abby and Liam as they investigated what was going on. 

And I loved Liam. I loved his accepting nature, to not look at Sophia with disgust or like she was a freak. He believed her when she confessed what was going on and didn't discredit her. I loved how he balanced Sophia so well, letting her feel her emotions with him instead of shoving them away, being the cautious voice against her bravado. And Abby was also a good balance to Sophia - she forced her to keep going and be brave when she felt like she couldn't. Abby was the catalyst for this whole thing and finally getting to meet the whirlwind girl made the trio complete. 

Honestly this book was just so good. By the end, I was in astonishment and was so sad when there was nothing left to read. I didn't see the ending coming and I want more. I hope we can get a sequel or spin off because I need more of these characters and more of this world. 

Overall, love love love this book and I feel like I'm about to fall back into my thriller/horror phase again. This was just so well done and it's great for anyone looking for a terrifying read. Highly recommend!

Megan Leprich

This was an intensely creepy book but I wouldn't expect anything less from Kate Alice Marshall. She's one of those authors that I want to crawl into their brain and pick apart everything because I'm blown away by the stories she creates. Highly, highly recommend this book if you're looking for something incredibly spooky and creepy that will have you turning on all the lights in your house and hiding under your blanket.

Melea Mullican

7.75 on CAWPILE

This is a companion to Rules for Vanishing. I recommend reading that one before this one though it can be a stand alone. I really enjoyed this. The atmosphere was top notch and I stayed interested from start to finish. I loved the paranormal elements, but the horror wasn't quite as prominent here.

I did find the explanation to be a bit much and confusion. I would have rather it been more local horror legend rather than something so vast and open ended. Either way, I really enjoyed it and can't wait for the next one.

Lindsay Danforth

If you liked Rules for Vanishing, I recommend picking this one up (plus a couple of the characters from RFV are in this one too). Kate Alice Marshall does such a great job at creating a spooky atmosphere in her books! Like Rules for Vanishing, this books contains mixed media chapters, which I absolutely loved. I didn’t enjoy the plot as much as RFV, but it was still a fun, fast paced read.

Karleigh McCarville

I love how we follow some of the same people from rules for vanishing. Def not as good as rules for vanishing.

Melissa Albert meets Twin Peaks in this supernatural thriller about one girl's hunt for the truth about her mother's disappearance. In 1973, the thirty-one residents of Bitter Rock disappeared. In 2003, so did my mother. Now, I've come to Bitter Rock to find out what happened to her--and to me. Because Bitter Rock has many ghosts. And I might be one of them. Sophia's earliest memory is of drowning. She remembers the darkness of the water and the briny taste as it filled her throat, the sensation of going under. She remembers hands pulling her back to safety, but that memory is impossible--she's never been to the ocean. But then Sophia gets a mysterious call about an island names Bitter Rock, and learns that she and her mother were there fifteen years ago--and her mother never returned. The hunt for answers lures her to Bitter Rock, but the more she uncovers, the clearer it is that her mother is just one in a chain of disappearances. People have been vanishing from Bitter Rock for decades, leaving only their ghostly echoes behind. Sophia is the only one who can break the cycle--or risk becoming nothing more than another echo haunting the island.

Christina &
Our Last Echoes by Kate Alice Marshall

Reviews

Join the club

Christina &Our Last Echoes by Kate Alice Marshall

Reviews

Join the club

Christina &
Our Last Echoes by Kate Alice Marshall