Reviews tagging 'Toxic relationship'

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

54 reviews

sshpurple1's review against another edition

dark sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Death, Violence, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Abandonment

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. 

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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

missmali's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional funny mysterious reflective tense fast-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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Physical abuse, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death of parent

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.

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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

rachelunabridged's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious 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? Yes

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic relationship, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Alcohol

Moderate: Child death, Cursing, and Self harm

Minor: Car accident

stardustvein's review

dark emotional funny reflective sad 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? It's complicated

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Medical content, and Abandonment

ladyinverse's review against another edition

challenging dark emotional medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

really really well done! I just wish some of the horror scenes weren't so.. visceral. 🥲😭

I will now be further disturbed by puppets and anything of the uncanny valley thanks Grady 🥲

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Medical trauma, Car accident, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

shannonbauchat's review

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gore, Toxic relationship, Violence, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Child death, Car accident, and Gaslighting

Minor: Gun violence

ninahuynh's review

dark mysterious sad medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

 Been wanting to read Grady Hendrix book after hearing all the hype around his writing and around this particular book, and I gotta say, it delivered! The gore. The blood. The puppet. It has you on your   toes while also wanting to curse the curse’d. The only thing I have issue with is

why do the parents, especially the mom, blame Freddie’s death on Nancy when them parents were the one leaving a seven-year-old child to look after her five-year-old brother? They should have also seen how they were also at fault.

Generational trauma, man. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Gun violence, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Grief, Death of parent, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Murder and Fire/Fire injury

thatoneguyjm's review

adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful sad 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

3.5

Half Sam Raimi-esque spook-a-blast and half family drama about the secrets we keep and the thing we (mis)remember, How to Sell a Haunted House might be Grady’s most emotionally affecting book. Not that it’s all feelings and family - there’s also attacking taxidermied squirrels, puppets shoving needles where needles shouldn’t go, and emergency amputations. While you may or may not resonate with the characters, the moments of horror carry the book quite ably for those who are into that sort of thing. (And I am.)

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Bullying, Child death, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail