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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
QUICK TAKE
Horrid by Katrina Leno is a unique, genre-bending novel that explores elements of grief, mental illness, and the dark side in all of us. Each page will have you wondering, is Jane really going crazy, or is what is happening to her something more sinister?
TELL ME MORE
I am a huge horror fanatic, so when my best friend gave me Horrid by Katrina Leno to read I couldn’t have been more excited. A horror novel with classic spooky elements like a haunted house and family secrets? Yes please! Going into reading this novel I knew that it was directed at a young adult audience so I knew it would be tamer than I usually seek in my horror novels, but I still couldn’t wait to read it. Leno crafted a story that not only includes classic spooky horror elements but addresses mental illness. This just about made my affections for her as a writer go through the roof. Her story kept the reader wondering whether Jane was experiencing a horror experience or mental illness – or both – and I appreciated the element of surprise she included.
Horrid follows Jane and her mother Ruth following the death of her father as they return to Ruth’s childhood home. Throughout the novel, Jane’s mental state is addressed as she begins to uncover more and more of her family’s past, and experiences some psychotic features that keep the reader wondering whether what she is experiencing is a psychotic episode or a classic haunting experience. Leno winds classic young adult themes such as fitting in to a new school and making friends with the unique struggles of mental illness and living in a haunted house to create a one of a kind novel that kept me interested until the very end.
My only struggle with this novel was that the majority of the horror elements were bunched into the last few pages of the book and it felt a bit rushed. The climax of the novel came around the end of the novel as well, and the ending seemed to come abruptly. I wish that the horror elements had been more evenly spaced and some of the events explained more thoroughly, but I do understand the author’s reasoning for piling the horror events up towards the end due to Jane’s progressing unstable mental state.
Horrid is an excellent first horror novel should you be looking to get into the genre. It is tame enough and provides the reader with enough relief to power on through without too much of a scare. If you are a fan of young adult novels you will also love Leno’s take on mental illness and grief. While this novel didn’t become one of my favorite horror novels, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of classic spooky horror! You are in for a few hours to a few days of enjoyment.
Horrid by Katrina Leno is a unique, genre-bending novel that explores elements of grief, mental illness, and the dark side in all of us. Each page will have you wondering, is Jane really going crazy, or is what is happening to her something more sinister?
TELL ME MORE
I am a huge horror fanatic, so when my best friend gave me Horrid by Katrina Leno to read I couldn’t have been more excited. A horror novel with classic spooky elements like a haunted house and family secrets? Yes please! Going into reading this novel I knew that it was directed at a young adult audience so I knew it would be tamer than I usually seek in my horror novels, but I still couldn’t wait to read it. Leno crafted a story that not only includes classic spooky horror elements but addresses mental illness. This just about made my affections for her as a writer go through the roof. Her story kept the reader wondering whether Jane was experiencing a horror experience or mental illness – or both – and I appreciated the element of surprise she included.
Horrid follows Jane and her mother Ruth following the death of her father as they return to Ruth’s childhood home. Throughout the novel, Jane’s mental state is addressed as she begins to uncover more and more of her family’s past, and experiences some psychotic features that keep the reader wondering whether what she is experiencing is a psychotic episode or a classic haunting experience. Leno winds classic young adult themes such as fitting in to a new school and making friends with the unique struggles of mental illness and living in a haunted house to create a one of a kind novel that kept me interested until the very end.
My only struggle with this novel was that the majority of the horror elements were bunched into the last few pages of the book and it felt a bit rushed. The climax of the novel came around the end of the novel as well, and the ending seemed to come abruptly. I wish that the horror elements had been more evenly spaced and some of the events explained more thoroughly, but I do understand the author’s reasoning for piling the horror events up towards the end due to Jane’s progressing unstable mental state.
Horrid is an excellent first horror novel should you be looking to get into the genre. It is tame enough and provides the reader with enough relief to power on through without too much of a scare. If you are a fan of young adult novels you will also love Leno’s take on mental illness and grief. While this novel didn’t become one of my favorite horror novels, I enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who is a fan of classic spooky horror! You are in for a few hours to a few days of enjoyment.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This is a weird one to rate.
The story reminded me a lot of Sharp Objects in the best ways and the whole concept is deliciously creepy BUT
I will die on the hill that not all YA needs a teenage protagonist with high school problems and a crush/love interest.
Horror especially needs to slowly build up an atmosphere of unease and only the beginning and the end really did that for me.
I still flew through it and it did grip me, it just had so much more potential!
The story reminded me a lot of Sharp Objects in the best ways and the whole concept is deliciously creepy BUT
I will die on the hill that not all YA needs a teenage protagonist with high school problems and a crush/love interest.
Horror especially needs to slowly build up an atmosphere of unease and only the beginning and the end really did that for me.
I still flew through it and it did grip me, it just had so much more potential!
This book rocks. I always shy away from the young adult fiction section of the library and this is a great reminder not to. 5 stars - would eat (iykyk)
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Average for a thriller/horror. The plot was good, entertaining to almost the end.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this opened with many of the normal YA horror tropes but then it got weirder and more immersive. the ending was incredibly clever and unapologetically not a happy ending. I think I’d read it again.
dark
tense
slow-paced