Unfortunately, the characters were not very likable and the book didn't really get interesting until the 75% mark. Hans was a complete womanizing jerk who was unhealthily possessive and verbally abusive to his sister. Greta just took whatever he dished out, too scared and dramatic to handle herself; she was a complete damsel in distress, always looking for a protector.
The first 3/4 of the book was so slow and repetitive, with nothing really happening except the twins wandering around aimlessly in the woods, hallucinating and arguing and making hasty, stupid decisions that don't make sense, considering the dangerous circumstances they were in. And they didn't learn from their mistakes.
The last 1/4 of the book was better, revealing more about the Shrike's origin (even though it is still a mystery), and the character Barin was more involved. He is really the only one with redeeming qualities, although his interest in Greta is kind of weird, with him being at least twice her age (she's 19).
Overall, this book definitely has a dark horror vibe, but I couldn't connect with the characters and the story was just too slow and meandering for me. 2.5 stars.
Thanks to NetGalley and Parliament Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
