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whatellisreadnext's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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
4.0
๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ฏ ๐ด๐ฐ๐ฎ๐ฆ๐ฃ๐ฐ๐ฅ๐บ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ด ๐ข ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ด ๐ณ๐ฆ๐ข๐ญ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ ๐ช๐ฏ ๐ช๐ต? ๐๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ด๐ต๐ฐ๐ณ๐บ; ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ต๐ฆ๐ญ๐ญ๐ฆ๐ณ; ๐ธ๐ฉ๐ข๐ต ๐ฉ๐ข๐ฑ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฏ๐ด ๐ต๐ฐ ๐ต๐ฉ๐ฆ ๐ฑ๐ฆ๐ฐ๐ฑ๐ญ๐ฆ?
We follow Chandler, a true crime writer, who has just started his latest project, moving into a house that the locals call 'The Devil House'.
I may sound like a broken record if you follow my stories, but the first thing I want to say about this book is that it isn't a haunted house novel, and I'm so glad I knew this going into it initially. This is a study on true crime and how it affects the people left behind.
I personally thought this was brilliant, it was weird and messed up and surprisingly emotional towards the end. It went to so many places I didn't think it would, and I found myself so engrossed in this story even though whilst reading I wasn't entirely sure it had a point, I just enjoyed being in it. And when it came to the ending, I felt full on bamboozled in the best way.
The only reason this didn't get a 5 star rating was because it took a lot of brain power at times and was pretty dense writing wise. It just didn't have that effortless 5 star feeling, but it came pretty damn close. I think if you enjoy all things macabre, you'll definitely enjoy Devil House.
Thanks so much to @scribe_uk for the gifted copy!
We follow Chandler, a true crime writer, who has just started his latest project, moving into a house that the locals call 'The Devil House'.
I may sound like a broken record if you follow my stories, but the first thing I want to say about this book is that it isn't a haunted house novel, and I'm so glad I knew this going into it initially. This is a study on true crime and how it affects the people left behind.
I personally thought this was brilliant, it was weird and messed up and surprisingly emotional towards the end. It went to so many places I didn't think it would, and I found myself so engrossed in this story even though whilst reading I wasn't entirely sure it had a point, I just enjoyed being in it. And when it came to the ending, I felt full on bamboozled in the best way.
The only reason this didn't get a 5 star rating was because it took a lot of brain power at times and was pretty dense writing wise. It just didn't have that effortless 5 star feeling, but it came pretty damn close. I think if you enjoy all things macabre, you'll definitely enjoy Devil House.
Thanks so much to @scribe_uk for the gifted copy!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Vomit, Murder, and Blood
davidrb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Probably not that good, but it means the world to me. I think maybe it got written for me to read right now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Gore, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Child abuse, Mental illness, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Grief, Alcohol, Death, Drug use, Injury/Injury detail, and Murder
columbo's review against another edition
mysterious
reflective
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Child death, and Murder
Moderate: Cursing, Emotional abuse, Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, and Physical abuse
Minor: Vomit
mmccombs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
4.5
I might have to come back to this rating and review because honestly I donโt know how to! This was not what I expected but thatโs not a bad thing, I think itโs just a story I will have to turn around in my mind a few more times before I have clear thoughts. The format was so interesting, I could tell that Darnielle was enjoying himself which makes for a fun read! I was maybe a little confused about the old English and the knight stories in there, but it made for compelling through lines about storytelling and โtruthโ and place as it relates to history. I really liked this one but am also still trying to figure it out I think??
โWhat happens when somebody tells a story that has real people in it? What happens to the story; what happens to the teller; what happens to the people?โ
โWhat happens when somebody tells a story that has real people in it? What happens to the story; what happens to the teller; what happens to the people?โ
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, and Violence
middumullu's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
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? It's complicated
3.0
Very slow read, was close to not finishing it a couple of times, and it took me a while to get used to the different passages and stories alternating throughout the book. Less of a horror story than a look at writing about true crime.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Murder
Moderate: Child abuse
Minor: Child death and Rape
Graphic descriptions of murder in the second section of the book.
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