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calliek927's review against another edition
3.0
Not my favorite Grady Hendrix book... It felt more like a drawn out drama with a tiny bit of humor sprinkled in, but not what I like about his other stories.
I will continue to read his books, as this one is the only one that didn't earn at least 4 stars, in my opinion. This one just seemed to miss the mark for me.
I will continue to read his books, as this one is the only one that didn't earn at least 4 stars, in my opinion. This one just seemed to miss the mark for me.
luminous's review against another edition
2.0
I wanted to love this. But it didn't know what it wanted to be. The title and setup imply some humor, but there is very little humor. The characters are so flat I could not tell several of them apart. There is a horrific SA that comes so out of nowhere that it doesn't hit as horror, but more as exploitation. The wiring style feels like plodding down a road. You'll get to your destination eventually, but there is little that is interesting to see along the way.
The southern neighborhood dealing with unknown horror vibe was better done in The House Next Door.
Good things:
The Nazi obsessed son had potential to be a kind of funny subplot. It also hearkens back to King's Apt Pupil.
GREAT villain. Creative take on the vampire. The most fleshed out (haha) character in the book. Perfectly creepy and so great at manipulation and gaslighting.
Lots of interesting excursions and plot points. The mother in law, especially her story; the attic - which was for my money legitimately scary, creepy, and squicky in the best way; etc
Bad things:
Hendrix writes mostly in third person limited, but lazily slips into omniscient whenever convenient.
When the MC gains 11 pounds over three years, he writes as if she's gained 111.
When the MC describes her own teenage daughter's breasts, she describes them like a man would and it breaks immersion.
Way too long. Almost DNF'd several times in the first 30% because it was slow and uninteresting. It picked up, then had a 3 way time skip, and I was invested after that.
Lots of boring and overly repetitive plot points.
The southern neighborhood dealing with unknown horror vibe was better done in The House Next Door.
Good things:
The Nazi obsessed son had potential to be a kind of funny subplot. It also hearkens back to King's Apt Pupil.
GREAT villain. Creative take on the vampire. The most fleshed out (haha) character in the book. Perfectly creepy and so great at manipulation and gaslighting.
Lots of interesting excursions and plot points. The mother in law, especially her story; the attic - which was for my money legitimately scary, creepy, and squicky in the best way; etc
Bad things:
Hendrix writes mostly in third person limited, but lazily slips into omniscient whenever convenient.
When the MC gains 11 pounds over three years, he writes as if she's gained 111.
When the MC describes her own teenage daughter's breasts, she describes them like a man would and it breaks immersion.
Way too long. Almost DNF'd several times in the first 30% because it was slow and uninteresting. It picked up, then had a 3 way time skip, and I was invested after that.
Lots of boring and overly repetitive plot points.
calliejaneg's review against another edition
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
rachxedge's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
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? Yes
4.0
deldridgee's review against another edition
4.0
4.5/read in 1 day! i’m not a horror fan of movies or books but i do like a good true crime podcast. this book is great for someone who wants to go a little outside their comfort genre. it has a central message of togetherness and the “horror” is secondary. there’s a few big things to be wary but just look up the trigger warnings they are not bad at all.
nadiamg_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
dianashadel's review against another edition
3.0
A bit too gruesome for me at times, and now that I realize a man wrote it I think that’s what was missing for me. The female relationships weren’t quite convincing to me. Just “ok” and mildly entertaining, wont be recommending it to friends to read.
itsmegatito's review against another edition
4.0
My introduction to Grady Hendrix books and I couldn’t be happier. I love a good vampire story and this one did not disappointed. This book made me laugh, nervous, mad and I love it for it. I’m only removing one star because I wish somehow the end also included some sort of accountability for all of these men’s behaviors. Instead they just got to just keep on living happy in their ignorance.
zeemonster's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5