Take a photo of a barcode or cover
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Murder
Minor: Incest
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
"Can you uncover the dark secret of these strange houses? When you do, an unforgettable truth will be revealed."
This is one of the strangest books I've ever read. It's fairly short, I read it in a couple of hours, & it's based around the floorplans of three houses. It's difficult to give a synopsis without giving anything away - I will say that it is dark in tone. It also read very much like true crime rather than a fictional mystery, in fact, I had to doublecheck the genre.
I did think it was farfetched though to have the characters of the author & the architect immediately jump to what seemed an outlandish explanation for the floorplans, only for them to turn out to be right. It was all rather convenient but I suppose it kept things brief. Overall, it wasn't quite what I was expecting but I have another book from the same author in my TBR pile & this has piqued my interest enough that I will be reading it sooner rather than later.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Pushkin Press/Pushkin Vertigo, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
This is one of the strangest books I've ever read. It's fairly short, I read it in a couple of hours, & it's based around the floorplans of three houses. It's difficult to give a synopsis without giving anything away - I will say that it is dark in tone. It also read very much like true crime rather than a fictional mystery, in fact, I had to doublecheck the genre.
I did think it was farfetched though to have the characters of the author & the architect immediately jump to what seemed an outlandish explanation for the floorplans, only for them to turn out to be right. It was all rather convenient but I suppose it kept things brief. Overall, it wasn't quite what I was expecting but I have another book from the same author in my TBR pile & this has piqued my interest enough that I will be reading it sooner rather than later.
My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Pushkin Press/Pushkin Vertigo, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Murder
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A solid and fun one sitting read! I already enjoy architecture and concepts of architecture that can make a place feel uneasy or haunting (i.e. the haunting of hill house) so that was why I picked up this book initially. Generally this book is a quick read based upon the mostly play-by-play dialogue and the snappy plot you could get through this in one sitting like I did pretty easily.
One downside I felt in the novel (spoilers ahead) that to some degree one does have to suspect their disbelief as the two main 'detectives' basically guess a good portion of exactly what happened in the house to begin with. I felt this was a little on the nose for exactly what they were trying to predict here as they had little to go on besides architecture plans but a book has to start somehow.
A highlight was definetly seeing all the architectural plans and the family trees throughout the novel and it did help keep things straight as though you were guessing alongside the protagonists. A fun read and would recommend for a quick thriller.
One downside I felt in the novel (spoilers ahead)
A highlight was definetly seeing all the architectural plans and the family trees throughout the novel and it did help keep things straight as though you were guessing alongside the protagonists. A fun read and would recommend for a quick thriller.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Incest, Physical abuse, Self harm, Murder, Pregnancy
Moderate: Gore, Violence
I am beginning to think that anything by Uketsu promises to be a wild ride, and this book definitely supports this idea! While the jump from “oh that’s a weird quirk on a house blueprint” to “it’s definitely a murder house” kind of came out of nowhere, everything else about the book was gripping and mysterious!
I love when a mystery has twists that I wasn’t predicting. I buddy read this with two friends, and while we saw some of it coming, there was a huge aspect of it all that took all of us by surprise! There was a lot to question, and the ending had me wondering if everything I had been thinking was actually incorrect. I love when a book lingers after I finish it, and this one definitely did.
If you like weird books with unhinged plot points and can suspend your belief a bit, this is an eerie and bizarre mystery book that’s sure to make you ponder what the heck you just read… in a fun way!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Incest, Murder
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Murder
Moderate: Child death, Confinement, Incest
Minor: Car accident, Death of parent
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Incest, Miscarriage, Trafficking
dark
mysterious
fast-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:
No
Very atmospheric and kept me wondering if the speculation about the house plans were true. The floor plans really help to visualize the questions about the family and exactly what they contribute to the narrative. At times it seems far fetched and made you question if this was a reliable narrator.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Incest, Gaslighting
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Death of parent, Murder
challenging
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Incest, Suicide, Death of parent, Murder
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
More of Uketsu's wonderfully readable "exhibit" oriented mysteries. Strange Pictures used sketches, Strange Houses uses home schematics/floorplans. Super enjoyable even if the actual mysteries are a bit elusive but that was also the case for the first one. Definitely planning on rereading these. Looking forward to the next one!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Incest, Slavery, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Abortion, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting