Reviews with content warning for Suicide - What Moves the Dead

I think this is a good book. It's not something I would usually read, but I'm really glad I decided to read this.

The fact that this is an Edgar Allan Poe retelling of the fall of the house of usher, is what had me wanting to read it. I haven't read much of poes work and didn't read the short story this is based on but I thought it would be an interesting read and this was definitely interesting.

It is very creepy and unsettling. Which was to be expected with the type of book this is. I do wish it would've been slightly longer so we could see if what they did in the end actually worked or not. But I'm glad the remainder of the characters in the end happened to be fine and weren't infected by what was surrounding the house and lake.

I would definitely recommend this book for sure.

Content Warnings

owlribbon's review against another edition

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mysterious tense fast-paced

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

3.5

Content Warnings

superiour_medium's review against another edition

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adventurous dark funny mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.5

Non-binary person with gun who tackles a mysterious illness maybe related to some nearby strange fungi? Yes please. Last of Us meets Fall of the House of Usher

Content Warnings

lbelow's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.5

Before reading this book, I sat down and read the story that inspired it. Retellings are a conversation with the source material; the best ones add to the themes the author originally spoke to.

This one is fabulous. It roots itself to the original in the way it begins and builds on the atmosphere Poe developed. Where the characters depart, they do so in ways that feel natural to the story. The added characters and complexity and, best yet, answers, feels not like it's trying to upscale the original, but to continue the conversation that The Fall of the House of Usher began. I especially enjoyed the trans protagonist and the intricacies of pronouns that circled back in the end to tie into the plot.

Content Warnings