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seetaylorwrite's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
4.5/5 stars. I wish GR had 1/2 star options.
“Every house has a story to tell. Baneberry Hall is no different. Its story—the real one—might still be there. Why we left. Why my father felt compelled to lie about it. What I actually experienced there. All of it might be hiding within its walls, waiting for me to find it.”
It’s very rare that I read a horror book that genuinely spooks me. However, Riley Sager has managed to do just that with this book. And that twist at the ending. Phew. I truly didn't see that coming.
The entire book is spent with Maggie Holt trying to differentiate between the facts in the book her father wrote, The House of Horrors, and what truly happened to her family during the 20 days they lived at Baneberry Hall, named for the lethal baneberries that surround the estate. When strange things that Maggie cannot explain, even though she doesn’t believe in the supernatural or the events of her father’s tell-all, she starts to question what truly happened on the night of July 15th, 25 years ago.
What happens next is shocking and the perfect set up for this horror novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
“Every house has a story to tell. Baneberry Hall is no different. Its story—the real one—might still be there. Why we left. Why my father felt compelled to lie about it. What I actually experienced there. All of it might be hiding within its walls, waiting for me to find it.”
It’s very rare that I read a horror book that genuinely spooks me. However, Riley Sager has managed to do just that with this book. And that twist at the ending. Phew. I truly didn't see that coming.
The entire book is spent with Maggie Holt trying to differentiate between the facts in the book her father wrote, The House of Horrors, and what truly happened to her family during the 20 days they lived at Baneberry Hall, named for the lethal baneberries that surround the estate. When strange things that Maggie cannot explain, even though she doesn’t believe in the supernatural or the events of her father’s tell-all, she starts to question what truly happened on the night of July 15th, 25 years ago.
What happens next is shocking and the perfect set up for this horror novel. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this book!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Dementia, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
julianh's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-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
3.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death of parent
Minor: Dementia
midnightgremlin's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Suicide, Dementia, Death of parent, and Murder
violetsonata93's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
5.0
This was such a fun read! A perfect book for fall, with twists and turns and spookiness and family drama, kept me guessing until the very end. I loved it.
Content Warnings
Minor: Death, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Dementia, Murder, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
kaylasbookgram's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
When I read Lock Every Door I wasn’t super impressed with Riley Sager but decided to give his books another chance and I’m so glad I did!
This book was amazing! Kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time & had a surprise ending I should’ve seen coming but definitely didn’t. And I’m always here for a surprise ending! This is a haunted house type book which made me nervous because I don’t believe in ghost and the last “ghost” story I read I wasn’t a fan of but Sager definitely wrote this one magnificently and had me shaking in my seat! I highly recommend this one if you haven’t read it yet.
This book was amazing! Kept me on the edge of my seat the entire time & had a surprise ending I should’ve seen coming but definitely didn’t. And I’m always here for a surprise ending! This is a haunted house type book which made me nervous because I don’t believe in ghost and the last “ghost” story I read I wasn’t a fan of but Sager definitely wrote this one magnificently and had me shaking in my seat! I highly recommend this one if you haven’t read it yet.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship, Child death, Death, Suicide, Dementia, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, and Alcohol
shereadsmysteries's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Suicide, Dementia, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Grief
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Gaslighting, and Alcohol
mm_1996's review
mysterious
fast-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
1.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cancer, Child death, Suicide, Blood, Dementia, Grief, and Murder
inkdrinkermal's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
I wanted this to be more than it was. I wanted it to be scarier, have more ghosts, more twists, more anticipation and unease
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Suicide, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Dementia
hapalyn's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Cursing, Death, Dementia, Murder, Gaslighting, and Injury/Injury detail
serendiptii's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I have been looking for a book like this ever since I watched the Haunting of Hill House.
This was everything I was looking for in a haunted house book. I am SUCH a fan.
All the twists were neatly dealt with, I could not see them coming and all loose ends tied up really well. Just when you think it ended, there's another thing waiting for you at the turn. It felt like I was travelling up a mountain with (scary) hairpin bend roads.
The one thing that I still haven't found the explanation for is the chandelier lighting up every so often. I am sure it is all fiction in House of Horrors (but also wasn't addressed) but during Maggie's time, I believe that it is a wiring issue, but I am still not convinced because it never gets addressed beyond that. The only reason I found it worth mentioning is because there is a lit up chandelier right on the cover and I'm still really curious.
Just brilliant writing all around, I loved it so much, quick read from Page 1. I started it 2 days ago and tried to take it slow cuz I was enjoying it so much and wouldn't read at night because I get scared easy (only at night!) and I finished 60% of the book in one day. Phew. Only a great author can give you a fast-paced read and a 2 in 1 horror novel.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cancer, Child death, Death, Suicide, Dementia, and Murder