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jnbell2012's review
3.0
I thought this was okay. There were some parts of it that I felt like we were taking forever to get to a climax. Overall, it was good for a short read but I think I wanted more to develop with the characters and the big sections to be more intense than they were.
cleora29's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
honeys_horror_haven's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
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? No
5.0
gsatori's review against another edition
2.0
This is one of those ghost stories where you ask what the hell people are doing staying where they are. Maybe we can rationalize that they are being influenced by something demonic that is warping their collective judgement.
evenshadow's review against another edition
1.0
If this hadn’t been an audiobook, I would have thrown the paper copy at the wall and never finished it. Unfortunately, I couldn’t really throw my phone, and I was stuck with not much else to do instead but slog on.
Mountford has managed to take what would otherwise be a solid jumping off point for a fairly basic but enjoyable horror story (the true events of a very old murder in his hometown) into a spectacularly bad “yarn” as he calls it. It’s hard to know what to criticize first. The writing style sounded like an inexperienced 14 year old’s first novel. Too much unnecessary description, hitting you over the head with every thought of every character, leaving nothing implied or for the reader to discern on their own. The characters are all flat with bizarrely blunt motives. It’s difficult to like anyone, and while it’s obvious he tried to show a change in some characters over the course of the book, it doesn’t work. The husband, especially, always seems like a misogynistic abusive narcissist and it’s disturbing that the author doesn’t seem to realize that there’s no shift there. There’s really no build of suspense, there’s no one to root for. It’s mind boggling that this was published in the first place.
Books like this are why people think the horror genre can’t have subtlety or substance. Mountford isn’t just ruining his own book by putting garbage like this out at such a low standard, he’s helping to ruin the whole shelf.
Mountford has managed to take what would otherwise be a solid jumping off point for a fairly basic but enjoyable horror story (the true events of a very old murder in his hometown) into a spectacularly bad “yarn” as he calls it. It’s hard to know what to criticize first. The writing style sounded like an inexperienced 14 year old’s first novel. Too much unnecessary description, hitting you over the head with every thought of every character, leaving nothing implied or for the reader to discern on their own. The characters are all flat with bizarrely blunt motives. It’s difficult to like anyone, and while it’s obvious he tried to show a change in some characters over the course of the book, it doesn’t work. The husband, especially, always seems like a misogynistic abusive narcissist and it’s disturbing that the author doesn’t seem to realize that there’s no shift there. There’s really no build of suspense, there’s no one to root for. It’s mind boggling that this was published in the first place.
Books like this are why people think the horror genre can’t have subtlety or substance. Mountford isn’t just ruining his own book by putting garbage like this out at such a low standard, he’s helping to ruin the whole shelf.
dnemec's review against another edition
3.0
"Death is a part of life," Jon said. "And, unfortunately, it comes to us all."
Danni has packed her family into their SUV to make the 250-mile trip to her hometown for her father's funeral . She hasn't spoken to her father in 20 years, but Jon, her husband, thinks it will be good for her to face her past and go back home. For the record, I HATED Jon.
Immediately upon arriving, the solicitor that meets the family is acting weird. Alex, the couple's son, sees an old woman dressed in black standing behind her sister within 10 minutes of their arrival. Later that night, Leah, their teenage daughter, sees a strange man watching her in the shower. But Jon dismisses his children and being upset, despite the fact that he is subsequently pushed down the stairs.
The next day after the funeral, Danni learns that her father attacked a local woman who came to his home a few years earlier. She warns Danni to get her family out of the house, as she saw something unexplained while being attacked. Despite Danni's misgivings and worry about her children, Jon goes into complete asshole mode. So the family goes back to the horrible house, where things take a really bad turn...
I didn't like this as much as the other Mountford books I've read, but it was enjoyable. But damn, did I hate the husband. I could understand encouraging his wife to go home and get some closure, but once we are told what happened in that house and why she left, I definitely hated him, even without the evil influence of the house. And then after what happens...
Overall, good, but not a great read.
Danni has packed her family into their SUV to make the 250-mile trip to her hometown for her father's funeral . She hasn't spoken to her father in 20 years, but Jon, her husband, thinks it will be good for her to face her past and go back home. For the record, I HATED Jon.
Immediately upon arriving, the solicitor that meets the family is acting weird. Alex, the couple's son, sees an old woman dressed in black standing behind her sister within 10 minutes of their arrival. Later that night, Leah, their teenage daughter, sees a strange man watching her in the shower. But Jon dismisses his children and being upset, despite the fact that he is subsequently pushed down the stairs.
The next day after the funeral, Danni learns that her father attacked a local woman who came to his home a few years earlier. She warns Danni to get her family out of the house, as she saw something unexplained while being attacked. Despite Danni's misgivings and worry about her children, Jon goes into complete asshole mode. So the family goes back to the horrible house, where things take a really bad turn...
I didn't like this as much as the other Mountford books I've read, but it was enjoyable. But damn, did I hate the husband. I could understand encouraging his wife to go home and get some closure, but once we are told what happened in that house and why she left, I definitely hated him, even without the evil influence of the house. And then after what happens...
Overall, good, but not a great read.
etakloknok's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
remiluna's review
2.0
It was alright. Writing was decent. And it's certainly a scary story. The problem is that it's very cliche. It falls back to typical horror tropes you've seen 100 times. But it was a quick read. So if you want something to briefly spook you in the middle of the night, pick this one up.