Scan barcode
usma1402's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Toxic friendship and Child abuse
Minor: Gaslighting, Vomit, and Animal cruelty
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-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
4.0
A fun, quick little read that I found very entertaining. I liked the voice and development of the main character, a woman raised in a dysfunctional home by a less-than-honorable single mother. The narrator’s career path has evolved from as a child, helping her mother run con’s, to being a financially self-sufficient adult by providing hand jobs to paying customers, to becoming a psychic adept at intuiting the problems of distressed wealthy women. In fact, the main character is even willing to read a home’s aura if the cash is right.
Being a keen evaluator of a person’s vulnerability, the narrator is anxious to take advantage when one of her well-to-do customers needs help cleansing the bad juju in her home. Little does our main character know what kind of risks she’s taking by involving herself with the bad spirits that infect her mark’s home and family!
For those unhappy with the setup of that begins this story, it’s helpful to know it was written as a short to be included in a collection of short stories that featured thieves, cheats, cons, frauds, etc. I thought the extent of the intro/background was necessary to understand the protagonist’s motivations and actions.
The story is told exclusively first person by the main character, who is streetwise and witty. I found the dialogue funny, and the story downright creepy at times. It was generally well written, and though I’d say I liked the conclusion, the maturity and cleverness of one young teen involved in the story really did strain the credibility of the narrative for me. Other than that, this short story is a fun ride.
I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator, Julia Whelan, to be just perfect in her reading of all the characters.
Being a keen evaluator of a person’s vulnerability, the narrator is anxious to take advantage when one of her well-to-do customers needs help cleansing the bad juju in her home. Little does our main character know what kind of risks she’s taking by involving herself with the bad spirits that infect her mark’s home and family!
For those unhappy with the setup of that begins this story, it’s helpful to know it was written as a short to be included in a collection of short stories that featured thieves, cheats, cons, frauds, etc. I thought the extent of the intro/background was necessary to understand the protagonist’s motivations and actions.
The story is told exclusively first person by the main character, who is streetwise and witty. I found the dialogue funny, and the story downright creepy at times. It was generally well written, and though I’d say I liked the conclusion, the maturity and cleverness of one young teen involved in the story really did strain the credibility of the narrative for me. Other than that, this short story is a fun ride.
I listened to the audiobook and found the narrator, Julia Whelan, to be just perfect in her reading of all the characters.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship and Toxic relationship
Minor: Sexual content
snowiceblackfruit77's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Kidnapping, Vomit, Sexual content, and Animal cruelty
pearlalynn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Super cool and short book - interesting characters and left me on the edge of my seat! Twists and turns and you don’t know who to trust.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Violence and Sexual content
annagerman's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
A nice idea, but would have worked better as an actual book or at least a longer novella, felt too short and rushed. The characters were interesting but under-developed.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Vomit, Gaslighting, Murder, and Sexual content
chaos_na_regale's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gaslighting, Murder, Animal cruelty, Emotional abuse, Sexual content, and Infidelity
gummifrog's review against another edition
dark
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.5
I listened to this audio on a long drive and it definitely killed time! (No pun intended, nobody actually dies in this book haha). The narrator was great, and the buildup had strong Turning of the Screw vibes. But the ending fell reaaaally flat.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Vomit and Toxic friendship
leandrathetbrzero's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
This story was recommended to me by my friend, Moriah. Funnily enough, this is the only book (I believe) that she had read by Flynn and I had read her other three longer form works. There are definitely elements that I enjoyed and due to it being a short story, it’s worth the read. I found the story to begin quite slowly. My investment didn’t begin until the narrator made her way to the house and started experiencing the dysfunction within it. When Flynn personified the house, as if it were watching and reacting to the narrator, that reminded me of The Haunting of Hill House. I loved that parallel. The ending did feel a bit thrown together and too absurd in places for the genre, and the teenaged character’s dialogue did not feel realistic, but I found the last few actions and thoughts of the narrator on the final page to be quite satisfying. Overall a solid read, and it was interesting to return to an author I hadn’t read in many years.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content and Infidelity
Moderate: Vomit
Minor: Animal cruelty
nehanaomi's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
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? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Blood, Cursing, Vomit, Abandonment, Animal cruelty, and Violence
paulrichard's review against another edition
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content