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Reviews tagging 'Violence'

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

374 reviews

atomicrogg's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

So creepy. Loved it.

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tennessaurus's review

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dark emotional hopeful reflective tense slow-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

My primary rule of horror: you can’t tell a good haunted house story that isn’t about a family. And this one certainly packs that emotional punch. 

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kellynleclerc's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful reflective 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

5.0


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abelle's review

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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? Yes

4.25


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honeyflakeapparently's review

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

4.0

Having heard mixed reviews on this book, and having a bit of a hit-or-miss relationship with Grady Hendrix's books, I am pleased to say that this book was an absolutely pleasant surprise for me. 

I am the target audience for this book. I grew up surrounded by  collections of stuffed animals and porcelain dolls. Very early in life, I encountered The Tommyknockers mini series, which left a bit of an impression. Add to that, that I am one of those [un]fortunate souls who was part of a puppet ministry in my childhood...  you get where this is going. Usually, the haunted/possessed dolls trope is just sort of bland to me, or on the occasion, well done but nothing surprising. This one managed to somehow feel fresh and creepy, while still maintaining some of the trademark Hendrix horror-humor. 

The more unexpected part of this read was the surprisingly thought-provoking examination of subjects such as grief, childhood trauma, broken/healing relationships, and those deep secrets that many families keep tucked away so deeply. It was a cautionary tale of how those secrets and avoiding hard topics have consequences that are far reaching and incredibly hard to overcome. 

The characters showed massive amounts of growth (I could not stand Mark and Louise for nearly the first half of the book, and was sure I never would like them), the story was fun, the ending was satisfying. I thought about rating higher than 4 stars, but then I'm kinda pissed that no one gave Spider ear scratches before he presumably disappeared. He may have had a rocky start, but he was a good boi in the end. 


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cozy_academic's review

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dark emotional reflective sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5


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aerim's review

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dark emotional 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

2.25


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bookaddictlt's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? N/A
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5


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book_adjacent's review

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dark emotional mysterious 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

3.75


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lsmith725's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? No
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

If creepy doll/puppet horror is what you're looking for, look no further.  It had intensity, especially in certain action scenes.  It had family drama.  It was maybe a touch too long.  There were a few scenes with Poppy attacks that just weren't necessary and didn't add much because Poppy's creepy factor was already established by that point.  But this was entertaining, a bit disgusting, and action packed.  Read this if you want a thrilling, dark horror story ride.

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