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justaddwater's review
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The first 100 or so pages felt extremely slow, a lot of annoyingness I find common in Grady Hendrix novels. However, after that it ramped up and just kept getting better. As an avid horror lover, it’s been a while since a book kept me up at night, but I couldn’t get the image of Pupkins pointed hat sticking up over the end of the bed out of my head. Also felt like the theme of accepting death and teaching children about death was handled very well, with obvious emphasis and mirrors without being heavy handed.
If you can make it through the beginning, it definitely worth the read.
If you can make it through the beginning, it definitely worth the read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Torture, Violence, Blood, Medical content, Grief, Stalking, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail
joooooools's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
After reading three books by this author now, I feel comfortable saying: I am not a fan. Frankly, I’m not sure how they’re getting book deals, or how their editor still has a job. Bad writing in general, overuse of tired metaphors and similes, cloying depictions of gratuitous violence…and those are issues I have with all of their work, not specific to this title. More than once I was tempted to throw in the towel and return the book early, but I finished it because I just wanted to know what happened in the end; I lost 11 hours of my life in the process, though, so I guess the joke’s really on me. Grady Hendrix I am begging you please take some writing workshops!!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Medical trauma, and Death of parent
mikaylawood's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Gun violence, Violence, and Death of parent
Moderate: Child death and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
thetinyhealer's review
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This book was pretty interesting and strange. I never thought I'd listen to an audiobook about haunted puppets, but here we are.
This was a story about loss and generational trauma told as two dysfunctional siblings try to uncover the mysteries surrounding their familial past and strange happenings in their deceased parent's house.
There are some things about this story that just don't make sense, and there are some pretty unforgivable things the characters do that seem to just get glossed over and are never mentioned again. I also don't believe the redemption arc in certain characters that I think we're supposed to feel. The story kept my attention but it also had me frequently thinking, really? I'm supposed to be scared of puppets? It could make a good PG-13 movie for spooky season, but I wouldn't go super out of my way to recommend this book to a friend.
On the positive side? I think this author did a great job of writing a strong, sensible and independent FMC. And I appreciated that she was a meaningful character on her own, without needing any kind of romantic relationship in her story. This book also kept me interested pretty consistently. It normally takes me a while to get through audoobooks but I ripped through this one within a couple of days. A very strange concept, but a ride of a book for sure.
Trigger warning! There are a few gory scenes. May include: eyes, limbs, blood.
This was a story about loss and generational trauma told as two dysfunctional siblings try to uncover the mysteries surrounding their familial past and strange happenings in their deceased parent's house.
There are some things about this story that just don't make sense, and there are some pretty unforgivable things the characters do that seem to just get glossed over and are never mentioned again. I also don't believe the redemption arc in certain characters that I think we're supposed to feel. The story kept my attention but it also had me frequently thinking, really? I'm supposed to be scared of puppets? It could make a good PG-13 movie for spooky season, but I wouldn't go super out of my way to recommend this book to a friend.
On the positive side? I think this author did a great job of writing a strong, sensible and independent FMC. And I appreciated that she was a meaningful character on her own, without needing any kind of romantic relationship in her story. This book also kept me interested pretty consistently. It normally takes me a while to get through audoobooks but I ripped through this one within a couple of days. A very strange concept, but a ride of a book for sure.
Trigger warning! There are a few gory scenes. May include: eyes, limbs, blood.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, and Violence
Moderate: Child death, Domestic abuse, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Gun violence and Vomit
sarah984's review against another edition
dark
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I enjoyed parts of this, but I always want to like Grady Hendrix's books more than I end up doing. This was way too long and felt like it spent a lot of time spinning its wheels, the characters felt like they were mostly acting however it was needed to keep the plot moving, and a few plot points strained credulity even keeping in mind it's a horror novel. The anarchist puppet collective putting on a show critical of the Bush admin in the immediate post 9/11 era to third graders and then a group of people dressed as clowns with a puppet trash one of the teachers’ houses and no one ever reacts to this or talks about it?? This would have been bigger than the killer clown craze in 2016.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Ableism, Fatphobia, Gore, Violence, Medical content, and Car accident
Minor: Animal death, Confinement, Gun violence, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts, Vomit, Religious bigotry, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Sexual harassment
bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
this book was not what i was expecting based on the title. I initially put it down part way through, but ended up picking it back up and reading to the finish. The writing of the action scenes was not very engaging. I found the attempts to create tension really repetitive such that the twists never really grabbed. as horror, this book didn’t get me. as a story about trauma and intergenerational relationships, i was hooked.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Gun violence, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Car accident, and Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Self harm, and Alcohol
apoppyinthewind's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The basic premise is that main character Louise gets the call no one wants to get and learns both of her parents have died in a car accident. She has to go back home to deal with the funeral, the estate, and the messed up family she's kept at a distance since moving away decades ago. Her younger and only sibling is the most difficult part as they continually bicker over the estate and past hurts/trauma but it gets a whole lot worse their mother's doll & puppet collection seem to be moving on their own.
So yeah, if horror series like Puppet Master and Chucky freaked you out you'll certainly find this story creepy. Be forewarned there is some eye stuff and body mutilation. And a fuck ton of grief and trauma over losing a parent/parents.
If you've ever had to go through an estate process you may relate hard to Louise's exhaustion and sorrow. At least I did and I think the author accurately captured the experience. My only complaints are: One, I felt like it dragged a bit near the end when Louise's daughter Poppy became a larger part of the story and two, while Mark's background reveal was interesting (and makes me want to know more about radical puppets) it felt disconnected from the story especially with the big reveal at the end. Like, what happened to Louise & Poppy makes sense with the reveal but Mark's made less sense once you know the real reason all these things happened.
Still, I'd recommend it especially if you already like Hendrix's other books.
So yeah, if horror series like Puppet Master and Chucky freaked you out you'll certainly find this story creepy. Be forewarned there is some eye stuff and body mutilation. And a fuck ton of grief and trauma over losing a parent/parents.
If you've ever had to go through an estate process you may relate hard to Louise's exhaustion and sorrow. At least I did and I think the author accurately captured the experience. My only complaints are: One, I felt like it dragged a bit near the end when Louise's daughter Poppy became a larger part of the story and two, while Mark's background reveal was interesting (and makes me want to know more about radical puppets) it felt disconnected from the story especially with the big reveal at the end. Like, what happened to Louise & Poppy makes sense with the reveal but Mark's made less sense once you know the real reason all these things happened.
Still, I'd recommend it especially if you already like Hendrix's other books.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Violence, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Alcohol
Minor: Gun violence
carriepond's review
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Shortly after How to Sell a Haunted House opens, Louise finds out that her parents have died and she has to leave her daughter Poppy with her ex to fly across the country to attend her parents' funeral and get their affairs in order. Unfortunately for Louise, this means forced proximity to her brother, Mark, with whom she has a strained relationship (which we get much more detail on as the novel progresses) and Pupkin, one of her mother's many creepy puppets occupying her childhood home as the embittered brother-sister duo attempt to clean it out to get it ready to sell. Well, as it turns out, the puppets and dolls are more than creepy and the house is haunted, so buckle up, Mark and Louise-- not only do you have to deal with years of family baggage, but you also need to watch your backs (really, watch all your body parts!) because Pupkin is about to play, play, play! Kakawewe!
I love haunted house books, and this one has many of the things I love-- the tension building, the creepy occurrences that characters shrug off while the reader gets increasingly freaked, and the deeper meaning. Here, Hendrix used the haunted house vehicle to explore inherited trauma, family dysfunction, and grief. The horror parts reminded me of an adult version of R.L. Stine's Night of the Living Dummy, which I was totally into as a kid. And it made me laugh so many times at the absurdity. The pacing was a bit off for me and there were a few things about the how of the haunting that didn't come together for me completely, but I really identified as I watched Mark and Louise's dynamic play out and the frustration of the characters as they dealt with family secrets and family members unwilling to face the past head-on.
I had fun reading How to Sell a Haunted House, bottom line. It was stupid, but in a funny way that made me laugh fairly often. It was also a tense and sometimes gory haunted house story that explored themes that resonated with me.
I love haunted house books, and this one has many of the things I love-- the tension building, the creepy occurrences that characters shrug off while the reader gets increasingly freaked, and the deeper meaning. Here, Hendrix used the haunted house vehicle to explore inherited trauma, family dysfunction, and grief. The horror parts reminded me of an adult version of R.L. Stine's Night of the Living Dummy, which I was totally into as a kid. And it made me laugh so many times at the absurdity. The pacing was a bit off for me and there were a few things about the how of the haunting that didn't come together for me completely, but I really identified as I watched Mark and Louise's dynamic play out and the frustration of the characters as they dealt with family secrets and family members unwilling to face the past head-on.
I had fun reading How to Sell a Haunted House, bottom line. It was stupid, but in a funny way that made me laugh fairly often. It was also a tense and sometimes gory haunted house story that explored themes that resonated with me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Violence, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Self harm and Fire/Fire injury
glutenfreemaggie's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book FR terrified me I almost didn’t keep reading but I’m glad I did it was fascinating
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Confinement, Death, Gore, Gun violence, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Self harm, Torture, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Grief, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
ggreen1379's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Self harm, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Child death, Gore, Gun violence, Grief, Car accident, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Alcoholism and Fire/Fire injury