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3.14 AVERAGE
3.14 AVERAGE
dark
sad
medium-paced
A great ride. Scary in all the right places, in the classic old world haunted house ways you'd expect. The characters are vibrant, and relatable managing all the mundane and existential struggles of young folks trying to make their way through marriage, moves, family politics, and generational trauma.
Wow. What did I just read? The first 3/4 of the book really had me hooked, waiting to see what could possibly be the reason for all of the odd happenings in the house. But then the 4th quarter hit and cue eye rolls. I honestly felt like it wasn't part of the same book I had been reading. And then the ending. Ooh boy. Proceed with wary caution, I would say.
2.5 ⭐️ - The elements I love most in this story weren’t necessarily the ones that were supposed to be stand out. Overall, in terms of mystery/horror, this story fell flat for me. Many of the things I liked, however, need to be polished off.
The Good-
-There were plenty of characters and different dynamics in this story that enriched the plot.
-The setting of the book was special and added some appeal and depth to the story.
- The premise was intriguing and had a lot of potential.
The Bad-
-Beyond Tommy & Kate, none of the characters were really flushed out. There was so much more potential to build these characters and their interactions and personalities in order to really connect us to the story. Many of the characters and their relationships with each other are *nearly there* but feel unfinished.
- As much as I liked the setting, it was written with about as much detail as you’d expect from someone who just read a bunch of guidebooks on Italy, rather than someone who had any in depth knowledge about Italy. I would have loved more detailed, thorough descriptions that really immersed you in the story rather than the mediocre ones we got.
- Most of the story was build up that lead to a taped together climax that didn’t really hold up or pay off in the end. And that’s saying something because the buildup wasn’t that good either. So many plot lines and sub stories and concepts were introduced that we didn’t actually see play out, we saw absolutely no pay off. So WHY would you even bring it up?? Again, these could have been flushed out and built upon more. It would have made for a longer, but so much better, read.
-Every single ounce of suspense was rushed through or quickly dismissed.
All in all, great concept but not so great execution.
Edit: I just reread the book description. “High concept horror”??? WHERE? lol
The Good-
-There were plenty of characters and different dynamics in this story that enriched the plot.
-The setting of the book was special and added some appeal and depth to the story.
- The premise was intriguing and had a lot of potential.
The Bad-
-Beyond Tommy & Kate, none of the characters were really flushed out. There was so much more potential to build these characters and their interactions and personalities in order to really connect us to the story. Many of the characters and their relationships with each other are *nearly there* but feel unfinished.
- As much as I liked the setting, it was written with about as much detail as you’d expect from someone who just read a bunch of guidebooks on Italy, rather than someone who had any in depth knowledge about Italy. I would have loved more detailed, thorough descriptions that really immersed you in the story rather than the mediocre ones we got.
- Most of the story was build up that lead to a taped together climax that didn’t really hold up or pay off in the end. And that’s saying something because the buildup wasn’t that good either. So many plot lines and sub stories and concepts were introduced that we didn’t actually see play out, we saw absolutely no pay off. So WHY would you even bring it up?? Again, these could have been flushed out and built upon more. It would have made for a longer, but so much better, read.
-Every single ounce of suspense was rushed through or quickly dismissed.
All in all, great concept but not so great execution.
Edit: I just reread the book description. “High concept horror”??? WHERE? lol
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I’m gonna be honest: in spite of the BEYOND creepy things that happened in this book, I would totally move to Italy and buy a €1 villa
“The House of Last Resort” is a fun read, which has a lot of fun moments, but ends up in a pretty anti-climactic conclusion.
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Decent premise, but poorly executed. The protagonists (a young married couple) were insufferable and entitled (expecting the Sicilians to speak English, trying to change centuries-old traditions almost as soon as they arrive). Plus, their dialogue was completely corny.
Much of the book is spent talking about their big move to Italy and dreaming up their tourism business. Almost nothing happens until about halfway through.
Much of the drama/horror centers around possessed rats, which gets old really quickly.
Not much horror, just the misadventures of an annoying couple.
Much of the book is spent talking about their big move to Italy and dreaming up their tourism business. Almost nothing happens until about halfway through.
Not much horror, just the misadventures of an annoying couple.
I wish you could give 1/2 stars, because this would definitely be 4.5 stars for me. Golden takes a lot of horror elements — a creepy old house, probably haunted; demonic possession; catacombs (!) — and blends them together into a weird and pretty wonderful story.
Tommy and Kate move from Boston to Becchina, Italy, buying a huge old house for a single Euro. It’s part of the town’s effort to bring in new residents, to try to revitalize the community and its economy. Tommy’s grandparents still live in the town, though his late father stopped visiting years ago. Once Tommy’s grandmother realizes just which house they’ve bought, she becomes upset and scared, warning them that it’s not a fit place to raise children.
She’s on to something. As soon as they arrive at the house there’s a small earthquake. That is just the start of increasingly bizarre and ever-more terrifying developments. Tommy and Kate’s excitement over starting a new life is somewhat muted by things like an ancient demon on the hunt for a new host body, that kind of thing. As you might imagine.
It’s a different take on a lot of familiar tropes. And it’s a lot of fun.
(Note: I listened to the audiobook.)
Tommy and Kate move from Boston to Becchina, Italy, buying a huge old house for a single Euro. It’s part of the town’s effort to bring in new residents, to try to revitalize the community and its economy. Tommy’s grandparents still live in the town, though his late father stopped visiting years ago. Once Tommy’s grandmother realizes just which house they’ve bought, she becomes upset and scared, warning them that it’s not a fit place to raise children.
She’s on to something. As soon as they arrive at the house there’s a small earthquake. That is just the start of increasingly bizarre and ever-more terrifying developments. Tommy and Kate’s excitement over starting a new life is somewhat muted by things like an ancient demon on the hunt for a new host body, that kind of thing. As you might imagine.
It’s a different take on a lot of familiar tropes. And it’s a lot of fun.
(Note: I listened to the audiobook.)
dark
slow-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:
Complicated
I found the majority of this book very slow going, dry and quite boring - the story should have drawn me in but the main characters felt 2D with no depth to them. The action of the story came around 150-200 pages in and felt very sudden, rushed and almost silly when it should have been scary and atmospheric due to the setting. I went into this expecting Diavola type haunted house vibes - but this just didn’t pack the same punch. Disappointed.