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cupofbooksreviews's review against another edition
dark
hopeful
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
I read Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix for Chloe’s Crime Scene Corner book club pick and I have given this book four out of four stars ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Creative, fun and creepy all wrapped up in one book.
The format of this book was so much fun! You can definitely tell that Grady Hendrix took a lot of time and thought into making Horrorstör; this is a well-designed, attention to detail and cleverly written book, like no other that I have read before. Each chapter starts off with an “Ikea” styled description of the furniture featured for that chapter which played an important part to this story.
I liked how there was a slow build to the plot of this story, it didn’t feel rushed and I thought it helped to set the scene better (especially with the influence of Ikea involved). There were some disturbingly creepy scenes that happen in this novel. I started to second guess the ending but really liked how it played out, I wouldn’t it to be a waste of a book but I would be interested to read a sequel to this book.
I’m really looking forward to diving into Grady Hendrix’s backlist of books. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys creepy, spooky and suspenseful novels. If this book sounds interesting to you, I would suggest to pick it up and give it a read.
Next time I visit an Ikea store, I’ll keep my wits about myself and make sure not to stray off of the one way maze path..
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
msradiosilence's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Suicide, Violence, Blood, Excrement, and Murder
Moderate: Bullying, Cursing, Mental illness, Misogyny, Torture, Forced institutionalization, Grief, and Gaslighting
oliviafaye's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Physical abuse, Self harm, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Excrement, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Religious bigotry, Medical trauma, and Murder
a_h_severa's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
The author writes in a way that makes it feel like a movie. I couldn’t put it down once I started reading. The pacing was overall pretty good. It was slow for the first chapter or so and then there was a quickly building tension that remained for most of the book. The main character didn’t feel super likable and the story unfortunately lacked diversity but overall it was a thrilling journey with a lot of twists and turns. I do have mixed feelings about the ending. I enjoyed it because it truly showed the character development for the main character but it felt like it was setting up for a sequel that felt unnecessary and undeserved. There’s a time gap of a year if I remember correctly so whatever rescue plan the main character had felt too little too late. Still, I’m glad she completed her character arc because she felt a little flat for the majority of the book. I didn’t really like her until towards the end.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Physical abuse, Slavery, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Minor: Alcoholism, Racism, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
banandrea's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Torture, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Vomit, and Murder
ohkmurr's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
One of my favorite things about this book is the way it's physically constructed. The book itself is designed to look like an IKEA catalog. It has insert pages with employee reviews from management and excerpts from the employee guidelines. And, in classic Hendrix style, it's what you get if you set Office Space in a ghost/zombie universe. (I will forever be floored by his ability to combine opposite genres and tropes and still create a cohesive, emotionally charged story.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Blood, and Murder
Moderate: Mental illness
Rats... so many rats.
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