~1.5~

I'll make this as short as possible. I had really high expectations for this book because the synopsis completely captivated me to read this. Clearly, from my rating, it did not meet said expectations. I do apologise for the delay.

I kept waiting and waiting for something grand to happen, some revelation, some explanation, SOMETHING. And yet I feel like the story just moved on and on and on and on...until the book ended. Sure, the ending was a little bit crazy, but was it really? I mean, it just felt imminent and not that big of a shock.

The writing was also not one of my favourite things because it made the reading experience so much slower for me. The long chapters were also not helpful at all. Though the little moments of writing in between parts were interesting, though I'm not sure what they were there for.

I feel like I missed something crucial, anything that would have made this better. I just have too many questions and a lot of dissatisfaction.

(Free ARC from NetGalley and Independent Publishers Group | The Lilliput Press that I chose to review after reading - Cross-posted on Goodreads on November 5th, 2024)

A bit of "weird fiction" that's also so, so deeply touching and moving - took me longer than I'd have liked to read it, and I wish I'd picked it up sooner.

DNF - I tried reading it and picking it up again, but i think the resonance of characters was a bit hard for me to grasp.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for providing this eARC.

Habitat follows seven people in an apartment building in Oslo who experience a series of strange events.

I'm always a fan of a weird little book, and Habitat was definitely a weird little book! I think it's weird enough that it won't be for everyone, but if you're the kind of reader who's in for a weird time, Habitat is definitely worth picking up. The story does move rapidly, and with a cast of seven characters, I did find it a bit confusing at first to keep everyone straight. However, by the end, I felt like I really had a grasp on what was happening, and the whirlwind journey of the characters left me feeling mesmerized. I think Shine has a lot of good thins to say this book, especially as the story relates to the building itself as an environment impacted both by and alongside our main characters. I don't really know what else to say except that this book, despite its difficult pace and occasionally haphazard storytelling, is one of the most compelling books I've read this year, and I will definitely be thinking about it for a long time.

I was very excited for this book but unfortunately as I read on I felt more and more distant from the book and the characters,

We follow seven residents as weird things start happening in their mid-century apartment complex set in Oslo. All of them, so absorbed in their own catastrophes, fail to acknowledge that this must be a collective scenario happening to all of their neighbours. The storyline of Habitat is unique and brilliant, different from anything else I have ever read. However, I think the execution of it was unfortunately confusing and repetitive.

The aspect of opening chapters by including the thoughts, POV of the building (?) felt confusing and I did not really care for those parts. But I did enjoy the characters and and how each of them had distinct personalities that made them memorable and easy to differentiate (Linda has my heart!). The story dragged a bit as more and more hazards happened - a ceiling happened to no longer be a ceiling, furniture moved from one apartment to another, animal feces, dirt covered entire apartment floors, branches forced themselves into apartments, etc. At some point, I was no longer interested to know what was happening as it became too repetitive.

All in all, I have heard some people say they adored this book, so I definitely recommend others to read it, you might have a better experience with it than I did!

I wanted to love this book so much. The concept attracted me at first because it was interesting and new, but unfortunately the execution wasn't very accessible for me and I had to stop reading about a third of the way in. This was mainly due to the lack of delimitation and punctuation between narration and conversations, which made it very difficult to read. This read like a stream of consciousness which for me didn't click very well with the large numbers of characters and story threads I needed to keep track of.

I'm sure some people may enjoy this book though, because the premise and weird occurrences definitely got my attention. In a different format I would have loved an odd story like this.

✨ Disclaimer ✨ I received a free copy of this book and this is my honest review.

I recently finished Habitat by Catriona Shine, and it was such an intriguing read. The first half of the book especially hooked me in with all the strange, almost otherworldly things happening inside that mysterious building. It read like a puzzle waiting to be solved, and I felt so immersed in it, as if I were one of the residents trying to piece everything together. Shine’s use of magical realism kept me on edge, never quite knowing what to expect, which made the whole experience even more fascinating.

What I really loved about Habitat was the way it brought together such a variety of characters, each with their own background and story. I’m a sucker for books with multiple perspectives and people from different walks of life coming together, and this hit the mark perfectly for me. The way their lives intertwined within the context of this unusual setting was captivating.

While the latter half of the book didn’t grab me quite as much, I still found the journey worthwhile, and I think fans of mystery with a dash of magical realism will really enjoy it. It’s a solid 4-star read for me—definitely one to check out if you’re into stories that are as weird as they are wonderful. 🌿

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately, it just wasn't for me. I found it very hard to engage with the characters and what was happening around them. I picked it back up a few times but still struggled to continue. DNF

I’m settling on a 2.5 stars rating for now, but I admit I may ponder and reconsider. This feels like a book meant to be pondered and reconsidered. I just liked the idea of this book so much more than the execution. But what a concept!

A strange and somewhat creepy story. There are multi POVs that are a little confusing in the beginning, but then they all tie back together with the deterioration of the apartment building.

I did quite like the bits of poetry at the beginning of certain sections. They added needed context, although I think they maybe could have been placed a bit more strategically in the storyline.

And just to explain the creepy comment, that is 100% on me. The characters were actually pretty lackadaisical about what was happening around them. I probably identified most with Raj/Krishna/Pradeep, but never would have lasted as long as they did.

This one really wavered at the 5⭐ mark for me, right up until the end...which was beyond unsatisfactory! I immediately had to check other reviews to see if maybe I got a truncated version of the ARC. I did not. Minus 1⭐.

And I have to wonder if certain characters had a specific role in that ending to highlight the general complacency towards sustainability and environmentalism. If so, that was clever. If not, that was cruel.

A lot of reviewers also blasted the lack of quotation marks. I didn't mind so much, just a few passages that weren't directly clear who was speaking. But I think that was also a factor of the eARC formatting and will hopefully look better in the final release.

In any case, I think this is a perfect read for spooky season, for those who don't really care about spooky season.

DNF - I was interested in this book due to the synopsis & was very hopeful that it would be a hit but, unfortunately, it just didn't work for me.

7 people, 7 days - Habitat narrates the weird ongoings in an apartment complex in Oslo. The blurb and the premise were right up my alley, weird and unnatural? GIMME!

I actually enjoyed this book in the sense that it reads like a dream. As worried as I am about the environment, this dissociated line of events might as well happen to me in a dream. I loved the multiple (DIVERSE) POVs expertly used to drive the story forward. I appreciate when an author is able to maintain that balance rather than just repeating the events in different voices. I also enjoyed the building as a character in itself. Shine's architectural expertise shines through (haha, get it?), with a pertinent message underlying the bizarre happenings. The book drives home the point without being preachy and that's how I like my morals delivered to me, thank you very much.

What fell short for me though was sheer disconnect I felt from the story due to a lack of punctuation. There are absolutely ZERO quotation marks which made it so difficult to figure out who's talking, especially since there are 7 people to keep track of. Further, even though the pacing is fine, some narrative choices really put me off which distracted me from the book I had to make a genuine attempt to force myself back into it, rather than it being a seamless experience. Plus the ending, left a lot to be desired!

Ideally, this one should've been a 5 star read for me easily, but owing to minor issues, it's a 3 star read. Nevertheless, I had fun!

Publishing date: 17.09.2024
Thank you to Netgalley and The Lilliput Press for the ARC. My opinions are my own.

The book as a meal: My meal disappeared??
The book left me: Deeply disturbed, unable to sleep

Negatives:
Hard to keep track of who is who
Needs some quotation marks for the dialogue (has none!)
Feels very samey even if the story is progressing
Unsatisfying ending

Positives:
Have never read or watched this concept before, really refreshing
Tense all the time
Situation gets worse and worse (endearing comment)

Features:
A deeply unsettling mystery that affects everyone in the story very differently, Norway setting, blaming everyone and no-one at all, no quotation marks for dialogue, a hidden "horror" tag

Why did I choose this one?
Honestly ... I saw that it was set in Oslo and thought I should read it because of that

Pick-up-able? Put-down-able?
In-between. I had both a hard time getting into it, and a hard time putting it down. It was fluctuating between both throughout my reading experience. Mostly due to the fact that it took a while for something "new" to happen, and when something "new" happened I was entranced.
I think the slow pacing might be tough for some readers.

What was the vibe and mood?
It was eerie. I felt unsafe at my own location. I felt like no one would believe me if something strange happened. I had sympathy for all the characters, but wondered if I would believe them myself. I wondered what I would do if I were in their shoes.
Very creepy, very tense. Have you felt like a house is haunted even if the house is modern? That is this book in essence.

Final ranking and star rating?
A tier, 4 stars. I enjoyed this a lot. The premise was great, the writing was good (but I wish you used quotation marks in dialogue). A bit up and down with wanting to read or not.
I have to retract a star because of the ending however. Let us just say that there are some loose ends that need attending to ... or at least a hint at the planned attendance.

I would recommend this to people who are tired of classic haunted house stories, and people who like when stuff hits the fan and blows back in everyone's faces.

Original, unsettling and increasingly disturbing, this unusual novel from Catriona Shine is intriguing and thought-provoking. It follows the inhabitants of an apartment block in Oslo as strange things start to happen. At first it’s just an occasional missing item but as time goes on the events become more and more alarming and simply inexplicable, try as the inhabitants might to explain them away. They turn to each other, they blame each other, they mistrust each other, but never quite manage to come together to talk openly to deal with the situation as a group. Everything becomes increasingly surreal and strange as the building quite literally starts to disintegrate around them. Is there a message here? Is it a fable of some kind? I was never quite sure if the author is making a point or simply telling a weird tale. And it doesn’t really matter as each reader can take what he or she wants from the book. Certainly it’s tempting to see the disintegration of the building as a metaphor for our disintegrating world, for nature reclaiming its own. This is borne out by the short passages that interrupt the narrative told by the components of the building. If anything, I found the latter part of the novel dragged a little as more and more bizarre things happen and it all becomes a bit repetitive. But overall I enjoyed it and felt compelled to find out how it was all going to pan out.

4.5 stars rounded down

Habitat is a strange and surreal story about several neighbors in two apartment buildings who begin to deal with troubling things in their homes. For instance, one family finds that their roof becomes porous while another finds their floor no longer holds their items up. People’s belongings go missing and even bricks from walls begin to disappear as the buildings deteriorate. Each neighbor deals with the changes in their own way and we follow as they cope and process their new situations.

I picked up this work on a whim because I was drawn into the concept and it did not disappoint! This was such a unique read and I thought the author did a superb job getting each character’s own voice shining through their chapters. POVs are switched often but I did not find it confusing. I do wish the ending was a bit more satisfying, but had a great time overall following these inhabitants.

I would definitely pick up more by this author. Her writing style was beautiful and engaging.

Thank you to NetGalley, Independent Publishers Group, and The Lilliput Press for access to this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

unfortunately i struggled with connecting with the characters or story, which made this one tough to get through.

Habitat by Catriona Shine is a novel about a block of apartment buildings, their residents and the quirks of their properties.

Although confusing at first, the novel is formed by the multiple points of view of each resident in which we get to know them, their families and their enemies.

The book is set between a few days which become critical as the building starts to disintegrate slowly - the residents can't seem to explain the strange phenomena and keep complaining to Eva, the building administrator overwhelming her with requests.

All the residents have their story to tell and o loved the couple of architects living at the top apartment, making the misfortune of the deteriorating of the apartment a game to play.
While the least favourite was Gunnar the estate agent who owns the bottone flats and is probably the worst human being i had the pleasure to read about.

With an ending that I thought didn't really satisfy me or answer my questions on why it was happening, the novel was really cleverly written and the different POVs really made me part of the going on in the building.

A ruthless novel about the destroying of the earth taking all of humankind with it. It is a very different novel that kept me very interested until the end.

A three star read for me even though I really enjoyed the novel, the ending just didn't really satisfy me and I couldn't justify a higher rating

I found this one to be fairly tough to get through, unfortunately.

I enjoy a cool, edgy concept. The setting? I mean, come on! A housing complex essentially collapsing onto itself for no apparent reason while all of its residents are in complete denial and only want to blame each other in increasingly hostile and absurd ways, highlighting perfectly the human condition and modern life? We have a ceiling that things fall through. Bricks just straight up disappearing in exterior walls. Animal feces and furniture sinking through floors and dirt driving itself up and through the floor. There's a lot happening in a week.

I enjoy a cool, edgy concept but I think this is a bit too niche for me to really settle in and get engrossed in the story. The writing kind of got in its own way to a certain extent, but the descriptions were absolutely vivid and rich. This might be one that after a period of reflection, I could like even more because even as I write this review I feel it growing on me (pun intended) even more.

I received an e-arc from Netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

I really hate to do this because I love the premise of this book, but I had to DNF at 25% as I couldn't get through the no quotation marks. I think once this book comes out and is available via audio book I will listen, because the premise seems right up my alley, but for now, no dice :(

Giving it 3 stars for my prediction, because it feels unfair to give it 1.