Reviews with content warning for Blood - Devil House

I saw someone describe this book as 'ambitious' and I agree. I was excited about this book, as I liked the others I have read by this author and the subject of this one sounded intriguing and right up my alley. However I was ultimately let down by it - i think due to some of this 'ambitious-ness' which lead me to feel like maybe I just didn't get it?

The book is not very straightforward. And therefor not an easy read. I struggled with the way the narrative is set up and the way it jumps between stories and POVs.

For the first 3/4ths of the book I found I really didn't want to stick with it and I just wanted to finish it and move on to something else.

However in the last 4th I really enjoyed the shift in the narrative. I was confused at first but liked that feeling. However the realizations at the end unfolded so quickly and from an unexpected angle it felt rushed when the rest of the book was slow and creeping.

I think that there were possible a few too many points trying to be made in this book, from bad landlords to the ethics of true crime and even a chapter written in an old english font which made it psychically hard for me to read as well. The story is tied back several times to Arthurian legends which as a metaphor didn't totally connect for me. I felt like I was reading it too fast to make the deeper meaningful connections the author wanted me to make beyond the surface level of our 'protagonists' feeling like their own 'knights' and creating their own legend.

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yrioona's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

Weighed down a bit by metanarrative, deliberate repetition, and high concept touches (really could've done without the barely-relevant medieval interlude in fake gothic font), and treading some overly familiar ground as far as JD's themes and settings, but still really compelling and complex. It has a skillfully done puzzle-box/labyrinth structure that leads you through without spelling things out too much, teasing a straightforward narrative about troubled teens resorting to violence, but then gradually zooming out to reveal
a kind of class-conscious existential horror story about what happens when you apply compassion and imagination to the true crime genre. I picked this up because I'm a mountain goats fan and WIWV was pretty ok, but this is a huge step up from WIWV and it made me look forward to what's next. Pretty incredible what this guy can do! Wish he would write some more interesting women characters.

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defeating_my_demons's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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criticalgayze's review

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challenging dark reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

Merriam-Webster defines stewardship as "the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially : the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care."

Sorry to start this off like an essay, but it's what a book like this deserves.

Stewardship is really what is at the heart of a book. What does it mean to take care of something? A child, a piece of land, (maybe most especially) a story? Even more specifically, a story you have not been trusted to tell but rather named yourself the teller of.

Throughout the book, Gage Chandler wrestles with this moral quandary. How do you tend to something that may or may not be considered "yours?" Is there a healthy way to do such a thing, or is there only the best way you know how? Are you allowed to do such a thing, and once you've made the choice to do it anyway, what is the best way to validate or redeem your choice?

This book is art. The book is beautiful the whole way throughout, but when Darnielle inverts the reader's understanding in the last 15 pages, it becomes elevated to the realm of the truly spectacular.

Do yourself a favor and read this book.

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kleinekita's review against another edition

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dark sad medium-paced

Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Honestly just left me really confused. There were parts I liked quite a bit and parts a had to push myself through. Overall I don't know what it all added up to.

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