Reviews

House of Small Shadows by Adam L.G. Nevill

iceroadtrucker's review

4.0

Let me just start by saying that this book creeped me out on a deep level; but, I really loved it.

That being said, I don't think I have ever been this annoyed by a main character. I honestly just didn't like Catherine, she was seriously BEYOND stupid. I actually shouted "Are you kidding me?!" And "COME ON." several times while reading. That's the only reason I knocked my review down from 5 stars to 4.

The plot and storyline were fabulous : deeply dark and disturbing, definitely unique and horrifying! A great, fast-paced, and mind-bending read.

danoontje's review against another edition

3.0

I had high hopes for this entry of Nevill, cause I highly enjoyed his other work 'Apparment 16'. But I am very conflicted about this book. The story to me was very dragged out in the beginning and near the end of the book. We were given too much backstory about Catherine very early on in the story without really having build a connection with her yet. Which made me think whether I was reading a horror book or some drama about a random womans past I dont yet care for. The plot points of the story were all layed out but never really got anywhere and felt like they were all just disregarded at the end. Like what about the plays, marionettes, or the village people? Except for a few plottwists near the end almost none of these questions were answered. The only good thing I have to say about this book and for me its only redeeming quality were the scary scenes, especially in the middle part of the book, were actually pretty frightening to me. For me the eery and spooky things in and around the house, the plays, marionettes and the village people were done so well that made me not want to dnf this book. Although I think Nevill didn't really knew where to go with this story, in both House of small shadows as Apparment 16, he knows to draw attention with his horrifying and scary scenes and captivate me. And that is a quality that alof of other recent horror media dont quite fulfill me with anymore.

pekoegal's review

1.0

The author should have just picked one "spooky thing" and stuck with it. I just finished this book and still have no idea what actually happened at the end.

foofers1622's review against another edition

4.0

I read this book for my libraries horror book club.

I'm shocked this has such low ratings on Goodreads. [a:Adam Nevill|3381686|Adam Nevill|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1465841875p2/3381686.jpg] is one of my favorite horror authors and this book really shows how great he is with describing terrifying scenes. I already didn't like dolls and Marionette puppets so this book just pushed this fear over the edge. Also, Edith really is what nightmares or made of.

beastreader's review against another edition

5.0

First off the cover for this book is very well done. It is creepy. Second, where have I been? Why am I just now discovering Mr. Adam Nevill. I love a good scary book if written nicely. My favorite type of movies besides action movies are scary ones. I am not talking the campy ones featuring the "D" list actors where someone gets killed off in the first 5 minutes of the movie or where the pretty girl is topless. I am talking about the Alfred Hitchcock movies. I can remember watching a marathon of Vincent Price movies. Mr. Price is a favorite of mine.

Ok, so back to the book. Right from the get go, there was this eerie feeling that you almost feel like someone is watching you as you read this book. So there was not really any big surprises in this book. I quickly figured out from the get go about what was going to happen, however I just did not know how the reveal would happen. Charlotte was kind of mousy but she grew stronger as the story played on. The whole time I was reading this book all I could think was how cool this book would be as a movie. The House of Small Shadows is a chilling, eerie, must read!

ponyonmyboat15's review against another edition

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

2.5

mellabella's review against another edition

2.0

This book starts out promising. But quickly becomes odd. Catherine was bullied at her last job by a woman named Tara. It led her to an act of violence. She had a troubled childhood. She was adopted. But, her parents weren't the problem. She was bullied at school. Oh, and Catherine's mental health is in question. She goes into strange fugues. She works with an older man named Leonard now. He seems to be a nice fatherly type. Why are People In Books sometimes written as though they don't have a clue? If I get bad vibes, the woman of the house speaks to me rudely, and a housekeeper puts a note in my hand telling me to "Never come back". I'm never going back. But, Catherine goes back to a place named Red House anyway. To appraise and catalog creepy, and disgusting items. This is on the heels of her boyfriend (Mike) breaking up with her. I could care less by the middle of the book. Catherine was annoying and all the oddities were getting to me. But, I kept reading. Why would she be forced to sleep at Red House? Why would she have to be fitted for clothes? What exactly was going on? The only excitement came when we learn that Mike left her for Tara. The ending was slightly interesting. Other than that, no scares and barely any creepy moments.

bushbabyninja's review against another edition

mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.5

carolpk's review against another edition

3.0

Maniacal!

"A mind made strange with inebriation in oppressive darkness could see anything it wanted.:

My lights will burn tonight. My dreams may nightmares be.

carolpk's review

3.0

Maniacal!

quoted from the text:

"A mind made strange with inebriation in oppressive darkness could see anything it wanted."

My lights will burn tonight. My dreams may nightmares be.

And if you are one who suffers from Pupaphobia I'd tread carefully here!