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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
unique & creepingly scary
i literally could not stop reading this once i started. i loved the style and how tense everything was and how it slipped into my mind and wouldn’t let me do anything else without wondering what was going to happen next in the story. definitely read this one if you are into horror or thrillers at all.
i literally could not stop reading this once i started. i loved the style and how tense everything was and how it slipped into my mind and wouldn’t let me do anything else without wondering what was going to happen next in the story. definitely read this one if you are into horror or thrillers at all.
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-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
dark
mysterious
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
This was my second book by Ania Ahlborn, a haunted house with a cult history. I could not wait to read this! For reference, Brother served as my introduction to her work and it hooked me. She develops and invests you in these tragic, damaged characters giving you no choice but to follow their fates to the end. Their shortcomings or situations completely relatable and common. It makes her villains especially cruel as they prey on them and slowly pull the rest of them apart.
The book weaves together the characters, past and present, drawing parallels or highlighting differences in their encounters with Jeffrey Halcomb. One of my favorite tropes is cult so the concepts are not new to me, but I liked how they were delivered, keeping me turning the pages and making my guesses to the end. Ahlborn has quickly become one of my favorite horror authors and I cannot wait to read more of her books.
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-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
Content Warnings
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Violence, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, Gaslighting
Okay, maybe a hot take, but i ate this UP. I hated Vee most of the time but holy crap i was not expecting the ending to actually happen the way it did. I feel like there’s a lot of unanswered questions i have about Halcomb and his whole deal but i think that might have been the point. I was honestly hooked on this, although it admittedly took a minute for me to get into. I love me a good cult story and this did not disappoint. Awesome read.
I mostly loved this all the way through. It was so long but didn't feel like it and the story had me throughly pulled in. One thing I have decided though is that I just do not like Ania's endings. I constantly feel like I'm being punished for getting invested. This might have been a 5 star book for me if not for how it wrapped up.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
slow-paced
The beginning was slow, it started to pick up and get really interesting but the ending felt flat. It left a lot unanswered which I understand why some of that would happen, but it was almost too much unanswered to make it really enjoyable. I understand that cult leaders are able to make people trust them unquestionably but for some, it seemed like that trust happened way too fast and we weren't given enough detail to understand how or why.
Lucas had like four weeks right? How did Virginia get sucked in so willingly in such a short amount of time with nothing to persuade her other than the ghosts/energy of the house? Echo wasn't around for THAT long. Why didn't Maggie drink with the rest of the group, but instead waited a few weeks after the event? So much build up for that ending is just a let down.
That's why I'm only giving it 2.5... it wasn't terrible and I was enjoying the spookiness of everything but so much build up for how it ended was disappointing and I don't know that I'd really recommend this to anyone.
That's why I'm only giving it 2.5... it wasn't terrible and I was enjoying the spookiness of everything but so much build up for how it ended was disappointing and I don't know that I'd really recommend this to anyone.