Scan barcode
shanaelyse's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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
2.5
I'm rating this book at a two stars because I genuinely thought that the story itself was good. I'm a huge fan of the haunted house theme and I think the story itself was wonderful in delivering a good haunted house novel. The overall theme (that I took from the book) that horror manifests from what we all believe was brilliant. I think that the ball was dropped with a lot of things though. The twist with the twin sisters was easily figured out early on in the story before it was revealed. I think I caught onto it halfway through the book, or whenever the mention of the living sister having her hair up in a bun after the other sister had died. There's the continuous mention of light not being able to exist without dark, good not being able to exist without evil. And I thought the author was going to use this concept with the twist about the sisters in the end. For a while I thought that surely, the evil in the house that was going after the four writers would be met with a force of good. That force of good being the sister that was trapped alive in the third floor by her own sister who had gained back the use of her legs from the power of the house. But it wasn't. Both sisters spirits were evil and I feel like that was an element that would have made this a bit more interesting. Or even the spirits of the original owner and his lover who were killed on the property. I wanted to read more about that, I thought for sure they would represent some force of good and would come to assist the writers, especially from that scene with Sebastian seeing the black woman while in his out of mind spell. I understand that the evil is meant to win in this, foreshadowed by Dr. Adudel mentioning it when they all met up again, and due to the epilogue at the end of the book. But it felt like it fell short.
That's about where my enjoyment of this comes to an end.
T.C. Moore is a wonderful example of a women written by a man that thinks he knows who to write women. Joss Whedon and Scott Thomas probably have a lot in common and would get along well, because both of them write terrible women. She's overly sexualized in ways that are demeaning and there's not a single time that she is described in a way that doesn't mention her body in some grossly sexual manner. It's infuriating. Also, I'm exhausted of a women who was assaulted by an ex used as a reasoning for her being the way that she is. And not because it isn't a genuine thing that occurs, but because it's never in a positive way. T.C. Moore's domestic abuse was used as a reasoning for what made her rude, manipulative, and overall a bitch. I'm tired of women being written this way.
Also, GOD, what the hell was up with the way that Daniel Slaughter was written? He's written in the same context as T.C. Moore where his entire description is dwindled down to one key component, and that component being that he's overweight. It's talked about so much and so often that it's laughable. Not to mention the way that he talks about his dead daughters "budding curves"? I was grossed out.
Sebastian was the only character that I actually cared about. I wanted to protect this man with my life.
Sam was mediocre, which was how he was meant to be written, but I couldn't believe that the would be the one to save everyone, especially considering how much it was pushed about T.C. Moore being such a badass. Instead she's used as a prop and the mediocre, midwestern, middle-aged man gets to be the saving hero.
The overall thought of the book is great. A haunted house that is pure evil with a twist on how it got to be like that. But the characters fall flat and into tropes that are neither flattering, fun, or interesting. Except for Sebastian. I don't know why I liked him so much.
That's about where my enjoyment of this comes to an end.
T.C. Moore is a wonderful example of a women written by a man that thinks he knows who to write women. Joss Whedon and Scott Thomas probably have a lot in common and would get along well, because both of them write terrible women. She's overly sexualized in ways that are demeaning and there's not a single time that she is described in a way that doesn't mention her body in some grossly sexual manner. It's infuriating. Also, I'm exhausted of a women who was assaulted by an ex used as a reasoning for her being the way that she is. And not because it isn't a genuine thing that occurs, but because it's never in a positive way. T.C. Moore's domestic abuse was used as a reasoning for what made her rude, manipulative, and overall a bitch. I'm tired of women being written this way.
Also, GOD, what the hell was up with the way that Daniel Slaughter was written? He's written in the same context as T.C. Moore where his entire description is dwindled down to one key component, and that component being that he's overweight. It's talked about so much and so often that it's laughable. Not to mention the way that he talks about his dead daughters "budding curves"? I was grossed out.
Sebastian was the only character that I actually cared about. I wanted to protect this man with my life.
Sam was mediocre, which was how he was meant to be written, but I couldn't believe that the would be the one to save everyone, especially considering how much it was pushed about T.C. Moore being such a badass. Instead she's used as a prop and the mediocre, midwestern, middle-aged man gets to be the saving hero.
The overall thought of the book is great. A haunted house that is pure evil with a twist on how it got to be like that. But the characters fall flat and into tropes that are neither flattering, fun, or interesting. Except for Sebastian. I don't know why I liked him so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fatphobia, Gore, Blood, Body horror, Death, Murder, Sexism, Racism, and Violence
Moderate: Hate crime, Physical abuse, and Suicide
Minor: Cancer and Car accident
More...