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3.3 AVERAGE
3.3 AVERAGE
mysterious
slow-paced
dark
sad
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
adventurous
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Bro is so annoying just go make a YouTube channel or something
Content Warnings
Moderate: Sexual assault
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book would’ve been much better if the author didn’t feel it was necessary to share every minute detailed possible regarding the house and other going on. There were also repeated conversations throughout the book that were unnecessary. The ending was unexpected, but it didn’t really enhance the score that I was already planning on giving because the end wasn’t worth the slog.
dark
tense
medium-paced
8 chapters into this book and the author is still explaining the house intricacies in detail while two friends have angst-driven banter. I enjoy a good slow burn, but this was excruciatingly tedious and boring. I did NOT finish it because nothing has happened in the eight chapters I've already read. 25% of the book and nothing except descriptions. One of the worst "scary" stories I've ever tried to read.
I guessed the twist immediately and it made me lose interest
Ok I was locked into this book right away. The penultimate haunted house story! I really loved all the classic horror movie references. The premise is a little basic: a skeptical horror author plans to write his next book while spending 13 nights in the allegedly haunted Rotterdam Mansion, but it really worked for me! Getting the unsettling history of the house and the origins of the horrifying room names really creeped me out. The meta commentary and breaking the fourth wall with the reader was actually really fun! I loved the idea that the house is victim to the crimes that happen inside them.
Spoilers Spoilers Spoilers
The plot gets messy, quickly. The protagonist, Felix, planned to invite his best friend Thomas to stay with him and confront the event that broke apart their friendship. Felix suspected that his wife cheated on him with Thomas on a drunken night and Felix needs to know the truth in order to heal his fragile ego. Felix quickly spirals into a drunken toxic rage and destroys Rotter house. Felix was by no means intended to be a completely likable narrator but the author pulled off his arc super well! The book leans hard into horror tropes: a missing friend who doesn’t realize time has passed, blatant The Shiningreferences, and a lingering question of whether the hauntings are real or is Felix just losing his mind. The twist that everyone was dead all along wasn’t shocking, but it somehow worked. Overall, the book delivers on classic haunted house horror in a fun, self-aware way.
Twelve Nights at Rotter House by J.W. Ocker is an excellent haunted house story! Absolutely perfect for the Halloween season of reading spooky books. Travel writer, Felix Allsey, is not your typical travel writer; he writes travelogues about haunted places. He seeks out the most haunted locations, inhabits the place, and writes books about his experiences. Felix thinks he has found the golden egg with Rotterdam Mansion, and that his writing career will skyrocket with success.
Felix gathers the essentials he will need for an extended stay at Rotter House. He establishes his usual rules of not leaving the house, avoiding outside contact, and sleeping during the day, so he can explore the residence at night when the ghosts are most active. For this project, Felix asks his best friend, Thomas, to stay with him. There is an unspoken tension between the two friends. You’ll have to read the book to learn about their sordid past.
Ocker is an outstanding writer. This book is extremely well written, especially regarding descriptive context of the house. I was able to conjure the most lucrative, abandoned mansion in my mind. I appreciated a twist to the story early on. It was nothing ultra shocking; I just thought it was a clever twist to the story and I like how Ocker held the detail back until it was necessary. The progression of the story kept me on the edge of my seat wondering about the history between Felix and Thomas.
Unquestionably, the story spiraled in ways I didn’t expect. As the ghostly encounters increased in intensity, I was curious how this book was going to end. It was...
I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog
Felix gathers the essentials he will need for an extended stay at Rotter House. He establishes his usual rules of not leaving the house, avoiding outside contact, and sleeping during the day, so he can explore the residence at night when the ghosts are most active. For this project, Felix asks his best friend, Thomas, to stay with him. There is an unspoken tension between the two friends. You’ll have to read the book to learn about their sordid past.
Ocker is an outstanding writer. This book is extremely well written, especially regarding descriptive context of the house. I was able to conjure the most lucrative, abandoned mansion in my mind. I appreciated a twist to the story early on. It was nothing ultra shocking; I just thought it was a clever twist to the story and I like how Ocker held the detail back until it was necessary. The progression of the story kept me on the edge of my seat wondering about the history between Felix and Thomas.
Unquestionably, the story spiraled in ways I didn’t expect. As the ghostly encounters increased in intensity, I was curious how this book was going to end. It was...
I have photos and additional information that I'm unable to include here. It can all be found on my blog, in the link below.
A Book And A Dog