Reviews tagging 'Cancer'

Home Before Dark by Riley Sager

22 reviews

bookishgoob's review against another edition

dark emotional lighthearted tense medium-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

3.0

Riley Sager does it again. and by does it again i mean writing a “not like other girls” main character and using “ample bosom” as a descriptor for no apparent reason. Maggie was so annoying to me. she oozed pick me energy to a point where it made me want to DNF. another thing i don’t like about sagers writing is that he literally waits until the end of the book to do the final twist which is predictable but often annoying. plot twists are fine at the end once in a while but damn, every book? i don’t know man. i have a lot of problems with riley sager and his writing. i would almost recommend you watch haunting of hill house (5/5 show) than read this but i do have to admit that the atmosphere was creepy and would be a great “spooky szn@ read. it’s quick. it’s creepy. it involved and old house. so i’m torn.  either way the characters were so bland but the story was good. do with that information what you want. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death of parent, Mental illness, Death, Gaslighting, Grief, Cancer, Injury/Injury detail, Sexual content, Stalking, and Suicide

serendiptii's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I have been looking for a book like this ever since I watched the Haunting of Hill House. 

This was everything I was looking for in a haunted house book. I am SUCH a fan. 

All the twists were neatly dealt with, I could not see them coming and all loose ends tied up really well. Just when you think it ended, there's another thing waiting for you at the turn. It felt like I was travelling up a mountain with (scary) hairpin bend roads. 

 

The one thing that I still haven't found the explanation for is the chandelier lighting up every so often. I am sure it is all fiction in House of Horrors (but also wasn't addressed) but during Maggie's time, I believe that it is a wiring issue, but I am still not convinced because it never gets addressed beyond that. The only reason I found it worth mentioning is because there is a lit up chandelier right on the cover and I'm still really curious. 

 

Just brilliant writing all around, I loved it so much, quick read from Page 1. I started it 2 days ago and tried to take it slow cuz I was enjoying it so much and wouldn't read at night because I get scared easy (only at night!) and I finished 60% of the book in one day. Phew. Only a great author can give you a fast-paced read and a 2 in 1 horror novel.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Suicide, Murder, Dementia, Child death, and Cancer

illogical's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, and Murder

Minor: Cancer

toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

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

4.0

I don't even know what to say y'all
I don't know what I expected but it wasn't this. This book scared me so much. I'm scared of armoires now. I feel like I can't really talk about this book effectively while still keeping it spoiler free, but I think what I will say is that I did not see the ending coming and I can't tell if I was disappointed by it or not. I opted for the 4 star rating bc of my confusion in relation to that, but overall this was a very immersive and well written book that I think you'll love if you're into horror.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Murder, Violence, Suicide, Cancer, Body horror, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Medical content, Injury/Injury detail, Gaslighting, Fire/Fire injury, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Death, Cursing, Child abuse, Animal death, and Grief

Moderate: Infidelity

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Excrement, and Forced institutionalization

sylvestra's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death

Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Death of parent, and Dementia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship

horizonous's review

dark mysterious tense slow-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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Death of parent, Grief, and Suicide

Minor: Cancer, Child death, Murder, Panic attacks/disorders, and Violence

davidrb's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense slow-paced

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

2.5

Oy vey. Just...not my favorite. Twists weren't fun, story didn't go anywhere...it had some interesting things to say about the lengths that men will go to justify their actions, and then it just didn't use them for anything. But, despite all that, a fun and easy read. Definitely good fodder for this time of year just to get into the mood.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Alcohol, Animal death, Cancer, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Mental illness, Murder, Stalking, Terminal illness, and Violence

librariangeorgia's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Murder, and Mental illness

Moderate: Suicide and Violence

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Cancer, and Dementia

chellbear's review against another edition

emotional mysterious fast-paced

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

4.25

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death, Child death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Grief, Suicide, and Murder

Moderate: Mental illness, Cursing, and Dementia

Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Blood, Cancer, Car accident, Chronic illness, Infidelity, Vomit, Violence, and Sexual content

karlybug's review against another edition

dark 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

2.75

this is just a story about bad parenting.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Child death, Death, Dementia, Murder, Stalking, and Violence

Minor: Cancer and Terminal illness