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3.93 AVERAGE
3.93 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Really liked the first half of the book- I thought the tension of the family drama paired so well with the beauty of the landscape and the house, and the undercurrent of the haunting. Thought the last third or so went off the rails a fair bit, and it made the paranormal aspects of the book feel a little silly rather than scary.
Definitely an interesting read. So many elements I love in a book: Italian setting, messy family dynamics and a haunted/scary house.
This book has some notable writing that definitely scared me at times. I didn’t fully feel the tense family dynamics as I have with other books. But I feel this book shined more with the horror, scare and setting.
If you like Black Sheep and/or The September house and/or haunted house stories I think you’d like this. Especially with the Black Sheep book, these books could be cousins. (I think also if u didn’t like Black Sheep you could also love this because it’s different enough. No Satan in this book!)
This book has some notable writing that definitely scared me at times. I didn’t fully feel the tense family dynamics as I have with other books. But I feel this book shined more with the horror, scare and setting.
If you like Black Sheep and/or The September house and/or haunted house stories I think you’d like this. Especially with the Black Sheep book, these books could be cousins. (I think also if u didn’t like Black Sheep you could also love this because it’s different enough. No Satan in this book!)
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
6 stars. 14 stars. 72 stars. If you liked Midsommar, this is for you. If you wished White Lotus were more haunted and putrid, this is for you. Like The Da Vinci Code, but fucked up and with much more interesting characters and, you know, a vicious demon witch ghost. If you don’t like really ugly family dynamics or vivid descriptions of rotting food, this is not for you.
Never read a proper horror novel before and wondered how words on a page could be scary and now I’ll never wonder that again. Terrifying, tense, funny, gratifying, in equal measure.
I love Anna and I love this journey for her. Read this book in the dark and the quiet, and you won’t put it down.
Never read a proper horror novel before and wondered how words on a page could be scary and now I’ll never wonder that again. Terrifying, tense, funny, gratifying, in equal measure.
I love Anna and I love this journey for her. Read this book in the dark and the quiet, and you won’t put it down.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Let me start off by saying that haunted house stories aren't really my thing. That being said, I thought this book was spectacular -- It's creepy, it's thrilling, it freaked me out at a couple points, and Thorne does a great job at instilling a strong sense of dread for our final girl (who, I might say, is a pretty fuckin' awesome final girl).
I do kind of wish we learned the fate of the rest of the family members in the end, but I think it's ultimately a stronger choice to keep that in the dark. Ultimately though, I loved this book.
I do kind of wish we learned the fate of the rest of the family members in the end, but I think it's ultimately a stronger choice to keep that in the dark. Ultimately though, I loved this book.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
tense
medium-paced
In this book we follow Anna, who is the Black Sheep of the family, as they vacation in an Italian villa. The family is very toxic and unfairly blame Anna for things going wrong. The family gets more than they bargained for in the house. The first half was a bit slow, but the second half picked up. I wish there was more about the ghost and more encounters. It felt like the ghost story was second after the family drama. The end was satisfying.
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
3.25 ~ there’s unlikeable characters and then about 409 levels below unlikeable there’s this family. The book was entertaining but the whole dynamic did a full 180 and you get confused on why the first half characters were involved at all
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes