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4.07 AVERAGE
4.07 AVERAGE
I had to force myself to finish this, and I regret it.
This was sold to me as horror which *could* be the case, but I would classify this as family drama. Nevertheless, it was a good story, a bit sluggish at times, but good character development, beautiful prose, and an ending I loved. This is one I tackled via audiobook, and Robin Miles has firmly established herself as one of my favorite narrators. Overall I recommend this book.
A book picked up attempting to scratch my annual ghost-story itch. I've waited a little too long to give it a proper review, but it was an interesting story full of many-dimensional characters. Lack of communication between characters caused a lot of problems that felt rather unnecessary, but which would have made for a very short book otherwise. The resolution left me scratching my head a little, but I guess it was a satisfying way to go?
This was a decent horror story, I could have done without all of the unnecessary romance elements and I think that the whole book could have been a little less wordy but it was a pretty entertaining fall read. This book is NOT fantasy, so if you are picking it up because people have it shelved as such just put it right back down.
If you believe in the supernatural, if you are afraid of sounds in the dark, if you are superstitious or prone to carrying good luck charms or other talismans to protect against unseen forces -- if any of these things apply to you, then you might want to read The Good House with all the lights on and cheerful music playing.
Tananarive Due unfolds this story, layer by layer, removing strips of the present and the past like layers of skin to reveal the wriggling guts underneath. The pristine, rural setting brings a sort of ancient feel, even though most of the story is set in modern times. This is a fun read.
What it does not have: silly jump scares, gratuitously graphic violence, weak women who try to run in heels
What it does have: Strong female characters, strong non-toxic male characters, well-written but pretty graphic sex (completely plot-centric and not gratuitous).
This review is for the audiobook version, so let me say a bit about the narrator. She was perfect. I would not change a thing. Looking for more books read by this reader.
Tananarive Due unfolds this story, layer by layer, removing strips of the present and the past like layers of skin to reveal the wriggling guts underneath. The pristine, rural setting brings a sort of ancient feel, even though most of the story is set in modern times. This is a fun read.
What it does not have: silly jump scares, gratuitously graphic violence, weak women who try to run in heels
What it does have: Strong female characters, strong non-toxic male characters, well-written but pretty graphic sex (completely plot-centric and not gratuitous).
This review is for the audiobook version, so let me say a bit about the narrator. She was perfect. I would not change a thing. Looking for more books read by this reader.
First heard about Tananarive Due in the excellent documentary Horror Noire on Shudder (maybe the best streaming service when viewed from a quality over quantity perspective). I thought this book was a great supernatural suspense story. Doesn't lean heavily into horror. The characters and setting were perfect and felt very Stephen King-like to me (in a good way). Looking forward to reading more from Due in the future.
The blurb for this one sounded so interesting, and the line at the library for this book was so long that I thought it would definitely be the spooky ghost story I had been looking for.
Unfortunately it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
Angela Toussaint is returning to the house of a terrible tragedy at her fourth of July party many years ago where her son Corey dies. The house has been deemed The Good House, partially because of its original owners, the Goodes and the fact that it was the only one left standing after a mudslide leveled the town of Sacajawea. However, when she returns strange happenings cause her to feel that there is something sinister remaining at The Good House.
This is quite a large book. I struggled to get into it as it started off very slow, and didn't find its footing to the 60% mark. I was expecting a creepy ghost story. Instead I received a lot of foreshadowing, that came off as cheesy, not ominous or spooky.
Angela Toussaint's Fourth of July party began well enough, but no one would remember that because of the way it would end. That's what everyone would talk about later. The way it ended.
The first guests arrived at 6:30 sharp, on Angela's heels. They would have less than an hour to sample Angel's 7-Up punch, and they would never taste Tariq's marinated beef ribs.
It was also her last lingering instance of tranquility in Sacajawea.
It was then that my journey to damnation began.
I get it! Something bad is going to happen. Please stop beating me over the head with it.
Then there is Angela. A character that I couldn't identify with, or make myself care about. A woman who is constantly thinking about how amazing her "first time" with her ex was and how much she still loved him.
I wanted to like this more. I really did. But it needed a serious trim by 100-200 pages.
Despite all its flaws, the lesson here is a valuable one: don't mess around with magic, and I enjoyed learning about the traditions and beliefs of those that practice voodoo. I just wish it hadn't left so many questions at the end, and had focused a little more on the story and less about the main character's sex drive.
Cross posted at Kaora's Corner.
Unfortunately it wasn't all it was cracked up to be.
Angela Toussaint is returning to the house of a terrible tragedy at her fourth of July party many years ago where her son Corey dies. The house has been deemed The Good House, partially because of its original owners, the Goodes and the fact that it was the only one left standing after a mudslide leveled the town of Sacajawea. However, when she returns strange happenings cause her to feel that there is something sinister remaining at The Good House.
This is quite a large book. I struggled to get into it as it started off very slow, and didn't find its footing to the 60% mark. I was expecting a creepy ghost story. Instead I received a lot of foreshadowing, that came off as cheesy, not ominous or spooky.
Angela Toussaint's Fourth of July party began well enough, but no one would remember that because of the way it would end. That's what everyone would talk about later. The way it ended.
The first guests arrived at 6:30 sharp, on Angela's heels. They would have less than an hour to sample Angel's 7-Up punch, and they would never taste Tariq's marinated beef ribs.
It was also her last lingering instance of tranquility in Sacajawea.
It was then that my journey to damnation began.
I get it! Something bad is going to happen. Please stop beating me over the head with it.
Then there is Angela. A character that I couldn't identify with, or make myself care about. A woman who is constantly thinking about how amazing her "first time" with her ex was and how much she still loved him.
I wanted to like this more. I really did. But it needed a serious trim by 100-200 pages.
Despite all its flaws, the lesson here is a valuable one: don't mess around with magic, and I enjoyed learning about the traditions and beliefs of those that practice voodoo. I just wish it hadn't left so many questions at the end, and had focused a little more on the story and less about the main character's sex drive.
Cross posted at Kaora's Corner.
This is an excellent horror novel. I can't believe that more people don't know about Tananarive Due.
I listened to the unabridged Audible version of this book. The narrator did a really good job and the story had a certain appeal. But, as much as I really like long books, this one needed a good editing. It would have been much more effective had it been half the length or less.
And the ending. That has to be among the ten ten worst endings in the history of writing. Such a cop out. If there was one thing this book didn’t need, it was the ending. I don’t know how I stuck with the whole thing, to tell the truth, but after hanging on, I was more than disappointed by the end.
And the ending. That has to be among the ten ten worst endings in the history of writing. Such a cop out. If there was one thing this book didn’t need, it was the ending. I don’t know how I stuck with the whole thing, to tell the truth, but after hanging on, I was more than disappointed by the end.