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christajls's review against another edition
4.0
This review originally posted at Christa's Hooked on Books
Susan and Alex have just moved into their dream home. Sure it has a few quirks, what place doesn't, but it's beautiful, has lots of space, and even an extra room for Susan to do her painting in. The landlady is a little eccentric but she seems dedicated to the place. What more could they reasonably ask for?
After a couple of days at the new place, however, Susan realizes it may have more problems then they expected. She is convinced that the place is infested with bedbugs. She sees them out of the corner of her eye, she wakes up in the morning with fresh bites. They must be there somewhere. Her situation becomes more and more desperate, however, when no one else can see the bugs and no one else is getting bitten. Unable to sleep, eat, paint or function at all like a normal person, Susan (and everyone around her) is convinced she is going mad. There is one thing she knows for certain – the bugs are there and they have her trapped in her own personal hell.
Considering that I just moved to a big city and that bedbugs are a growing problem all over at the moment, I don't think there could have been a more disturbing book for me to pick up and read before bed. I mean I expected it to be creepy – it is after all called Bedbugs. But I did not expect to be up half the night finishing it and then spend the second half of the night wide awake staring at the ceiling.
The pacing in this novel is perfect. Everything is unraveled slowly and methodically. It really gives you the feeling of dread that just grows and grows as the story continues. It really says something about the writing when a novel can keep the same level of dread/anxiety throughout the entire work. There was not a single point during this book that I got bored, or that my mind wandered or that I even thought about putting it down.
Ben H. Winters weaves together a plot that is full of twists and turns. It will have you biting your nails in suspense. Bedbugs is dark, creepy and it will keep you guessing. As freaked out as I was I really enjoyed reading this book. It's like watching a horror movie – it scares you but you keep coming back for more. I recommend this book to all who are looking for a good scare every once and awhile.
Susan and Alex have just moved into their dream home. Sure it has a few quirks, what place doesn't, but it's beautiful, has lots of space, and even an extra room for Susan to do her painting in. The landlady is a little eccentric but she seems dedicated to the place. What more could they reasonably ask for?
After a couple of days at the new place, however, Susan realizes it may have more problems then they expected. She is convinced that the place is infested with bedbugs. She sees them out of the corner of her eye, she wakes up in the morning with fresh bites. They must be there somewhere. Her situation becomes more and more desperate, however, when no one else can see the bugs and no one else is getting bitten. Unable to sleep, eat, paint or function at all like a normal person, Susan (and everyone around her) is convinced she is going mad. There is one thing she knows for certain – the bugs are there and they have her trapped in her own personal hell.
Considering that I just moved to a big city and that bedbugs are a growing problem all over at the moment, I don't think there could have been a more disturbing book for me to pick up and read before bed. I mean I expected it to be creepy – it is after all called Bedbugs. But I did not expect to be up half the night finishing it and then spend the second half of the night wide awake staring at the ceiling.
The pacing in this novel is perfect. Everything is unraveled slowly and methodically. It really gives you the feeling of dread that just grows and grows as the story continues. It really says something about the writing when a novel can keep the same level of dread/anxiety throughout the entire work. There was not a single point during this book that I got bored, or that my mind wandered or that I even thought about putting it down.
Ben H. Winters weaves together a plot that is full of twists and turns. It will have you biting your nails in suspense. Bedbugs is dark, creepy and it will keep you guessing. As freaked out as I was I really enjoyed reading this book. It's like watching a horror movie – it scares you but you keep coming back for more. I recommend this book to all who are looking for a good scare every once and awhile.
machadofam8's review against another edition
2.0
It was okay. Good and tense early on but then just got silly.
zimb0's review against another edition
5.0
This is a tour de force, Rosemary's baby reimagined and written for skeptics and apologists of genre, alike. Just a phenomenal novel, of mystery, intrigue, and pure horror.
jhouses's review against another edition
2.0
Antes de leer el libro pensaba qué iba a leer de nuevo la semilla del diablo. Acerté completamente. Como mérito la capacidad de crear un ambiente opresivo, haciéndote dudar de la cordura de la protagonista, que es a la vez el personaje a través del cual conocemos la historia. Como punto negativo lo trillado del argumento que nos hace anticipar el final.
thisismenow's review against another edition
4.0
I received a review copy of Bedbugs from Quirk Publishing, and within a day of receiving it, I jumped into reading it.
The book has a sort of slow build, but I think that worked really well. Then, as things started to pick up, I have to admit, the book really started to creep me out.
I'd compare the experience of reading Bedbugs to finding out that someone you've been around recently has head lice, and then, suddenly, you're itching all over and sure that they've passed it to you. Except this was about ten times worse because, instead of imagining little bugs crawling all over your head, you're imagining bugs attacking you at night in you're sleep and sucking the life out of you.
Suffice it to say, there for a while, I had to quit reading this book at night before bed.
What I found so fascinating about the book is that the lines between reality and imaginary really start to blur as more time progresses. Between the massive bedbug epidemic that's occurring in the book and Susan's erratic behavior and apparent singular encounters with the bedbugs, there were times when I really wasn't sure.
As much as I did like the book, though, I wasn't blown away by the ending. It worked, and it was fine, but, considering how my heart was pounding as it built to the ending, I just felt a little let down.
Regardless, I thought this was an excellent read - especially for someone like me, who prefers psychological thrillers or horrors as opposed to violence and gore.
The book has a sort of slow build, but I think that worked really well. Then, as things started to pick up, I have to admit, the book really started to creep me out.
I'd compare the experience of reading Bedbugs to finding out that someone you've been around recently has head lice, and then, suddenly, you're itching all over and sure that they've passed it to you. Except this was about ten times worse because, instead of imagining little bugs crawling all over your head, you're imagining bugs attacking you at night in you're sleep and sucking the life out of you.
Suffice it to say, there for a while, I had to quit reading this book at night before bed.
What I found so fascinating about the book is that the lines between reality and imaginary really start to blur as more time progresses. Between the massive bedbug epidemic that's occurring in the book and Susan's erratic behavior and apparent singular encounters with the bedbugs, there were times when I really wasn't sure.
As much as I did like the book, though, I wasn't blown away by the ending. It worked, and it was fine, but, considering how my heart was pounding as it built to the ending, I just felt a little let down.
Regardless, I thought this was an excellent read - especially for someone like me, who prefers psychological thrillers or horrors as opposed to violence and gore.
quercus707's review against another edition
3.0
Other reviewers have said it best: Rosemary's Baby, with bedbugs. Entertaining if you like this sort of book - the thrill-y/horror-y tension. I don't, much, so I had a hard time reading it but a hard time putting it down, too. Susan is not a likeable protagonist, but her descent into madness was compelling in the driving-by-an-accident sort of way. There was enough foreshadowing that things were going to go very, very badly to keep me from enjoying the book much.
rsnuggs21's review against another edition
3.0
Drags a bit in the beginning, but at about the 40 % mark picks up a bit. Definitely an original albeit bizarre horror story. I mean, who doesn't fear things like bed bugs or lice?!
blake_persephone's review against another edition
1.0
DNF 70% in
A despicable MC, very much a privileged white woman, who was not going to be called out for being an awful wife, mother nor neighbour. Hard pass / The horror isn't outstandingly crafted either.
A despicable MC, very much a privileged white woman, who was not going to be called out for being an awful wife, mother nor neighbour. Hard pass / The horror isn't outstandingly crafted either.
saltycorpse's review against another edition
4.0
This is one of those rare books that you actually don't know what the fuck is going to happen. I wouldn't categorize the ending as a 'twist' so much as a 'reveal', and it's nuts, but also believable despite how crazy it is. Winters does a great job with a character who is written as neurotic and unlikeable yet somehow still a protagonist. The paranoia about bedbugs is written in such a way that you want to scratch yourself and check your mattress as you're reading.
pshotts's review against another edition
challenging
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25