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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A creepy and surprisingly emotional journey that follows a former rock star and his girlfriend, who find themselves haunted by a malevolent spirit after making a reckless purchase.
The concept of HEART-SHAPED BOX hooked me right away: Who doesn’t love a story where a ghost has haunted a suit? From there, I found the writing to be nice and crisp, the characters to be complex, and the atmosphere to be quite creepy.
Jude is definitely a morally grey hero who has some skeleton in his closet, though he always tried to do right by the people closest to him. He’s not a good man, but he’s also sympathetic enough that I wanted to see him succeed. Same for Georgia, who fell into hard times and yet proved to be a tough lifeline for Jude when he needed it.
Most of the plot is dark and disturbing, and there were more than a few moments where I grimaced at the visceral imagery. That said, the plot moves at a good clip with enough downtime that nothing felt unbalanced. There are some truly terrifying moments, especially at the end, with a paranormal aspect that isn’t too outlandish for readers who might not want to venture far from realism.
While this is my first Joe Hill book, it won’t be the last, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a dark, supernatural thriller!
The concept of HEART-SHAPED BOX hooked me right away: Who doesn’t love a story where a ghost has haunted a suit? From there, I found the writing to be nice and crisp, the characters to be complex, and the atmosphere to be quite creepy.
Jude is definitely a morally grey hero who has some skeleton in his closet, though he always tried to do right by the people closest to him. He’s not a good man, but he’s also sympathetic enough that I wanted to see him succeed. Same for Georgia, who fell into hard times and yet proved to be a tough lifeline for Jude when he needed it.
Most of the plot is dark and disturbing, and there were more than a few moments where I grimaced at the visceral imagery. That said, the plot moves at a good clip with enough downtime that nothing felt unbalanced. There are some truly terrifying moments, especially at the end, with a paranormal aspect that isn’t too outlandish for readers who might not want to venture far from realism.
While this is my first Joe Hill book, it won’t be the last, and I recommend it to anyone looking for a dark, supernatural thriller!
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Joe Hill is definitely his father's son. The story and writing is very reminiscent and flows very much like a Stephen King novel.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.75/5 ⭐️
Judas Coyne es una excéntrica estrella del rock retirado que pasa sus días en su granja en Nueva York y al que le gusta coleccionar cosas oscuras y peculiares.
Un día en una subasta en línea se encuentra con el próximo objeto que desea añadir a su colección; un fantasma. Así pues, días después le llega una caja con un traje que perteneció al hombre cuyo fantasma Jude adquirió, el problema es que cuando empiezan a pasar cosas extrañas, el hombre descubre que el traje del muerto no llegó a su vida por casualidad.
En esta historia pasan muchas cosas y eso me gustó, si bien hubo algunas partes que me parecían de relleno y algo aburridas, la trama me tenía enganchada y aunque hubiera preferido que el libro fuera un poco más corto, disfruté mucho esta lectura, y más que nada las sensaciones que me provocó.
Me gustaron mucho los personajes, tal vez no los conocemos demasiado a fondo, pero para mi tuvieron el desarrollo suficiente para que funcionara la historia. Jude no es un hombre bueno, bondadoso y amable; en realidad parece que no le importa nada y que tampoco nada le gusta, pero no me desagradan los personajes así.
También me gustó el crecimiento que tuvieron en la historia por las cosas que fueron viviendo. Me pareció muy interesante ver cómo lo paranormal se conectó con hechos que básicamente fueron un crimen, aunque siento que la motivación del fantasma no tenía sentido, pero tal vez él se lo creía.
En fin, me gustó mucho aunque he visto un montón de malas reseñas, tal vez sea porque no leo mucho terror, pero lo recomiendo sin pensarlo.
Judas Coyne es una excéntrica estrella del rock retirado que pasa sus días en su granja en Nueva York y al que le gusta coleccionar cosas oscuras y peculiares.
Un día en una subasta en línea se encuentra con el próximo objeto que desea añadir a su colección; un fantasma. Así pues, días después le llega una caja con un traje que perteneció al hombre cuyo fantasma Jude adquirió, el problema es que cuando empiezan a pasar cosas extrañas, el hombre descubre que el traje del muerto no llegó a su vida por casualidad.
En esta historia pasan muchas cosas y eso me gustó, si bien hubo algunas partes que me parecían de relleno y algo aburridas, la trama me tenía enganchada y aunque hubiera preferido que el libro fuera un poco más corto, disfruté mucho esta lectura, y más que nada las sensaciones que me provocó.
Me gustaron mucho los personajes, tal vez no los conocemos demasiado a fondo, pero para mi tuvieron el desarrollo suficiente para que funcionara la historia. Jude no es un hombre bueno, bondadoso y amable; en realidad parece que no le importa nada y que tampoco nada le gusta, pero no me desagradan los personajes así.
También me gustó el crecimiento que tuvieron en la historia por las cosas que fueron viviendo. Me pareció muy interesante ver cómo lo paranormal se conectó con hechos que básicamente fueron un crimen, aunque siento que la motivación del fantasma no tenía sentido, pero tal vez él se lo creía.
En fin, me gustó mucho aunque he visto un montón de malas reseñas, tal vez sea porque no leo mucho terror, pero lo recomiendo sin pensarlo.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Really enjoyed this one (mostly)! Was not a fan of the dogs dying or the semi-twist of sexual violence, but otherwise liked this one. Jude was not a very likable character and was not meant to be and Marybeth was definitely my favorite. Very glad she lived and that there was a happy ending. I am definitely a happy endings girl. It was scary but not super scary. Enjoyed that it was Anna who brought the ghost down and liked the afterlife / death road scene of her / Marybeth and Jude. Music being a sort of lifeline or something to hold onto was another thing I liked. Made me think about scenes with Max and Vecna in Stranger Things -- how something like a song we love can anchor us and drown out evil noise.
How did I not heap praise on this story?
I read this novel back when I didn't know Joe was the King of modern horror's son.
This book is a wonderful read. Since I ran an indie music mag from 1986-1997, I love reading about musicians.So much of this book rang true. When the spooky side kicked in, I was sooo hooked.
In fact, I think the son kicks Dad's ass with this one. Warmth and compassion, which is sometimes lacking in Uncle Steve's books, fills the pages.
Joe Hill, you have a new convert.
I read this novel back when I didn't know Joe was the King of modern horror's son.
This book is a wonderful read. Since I ran an indie music mag from 1986-1997, I love reading about musicians.So much of this book rang true. When the spooky side kicked in, I was sooo hooked.
In fact, I think the son kicks Dad's ass with this one. Warmth and compassion, which is sometimes lacking in Uncle Steve's books, fills the pages.
Joe Hill, you have a new convert.
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes