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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Into These Walls by Ania Ahlborn
SUMMARY:
Lucas Graham, a struggling true-crime writer facing personal and professional turmoil, sees an opportunity for a comeback when he's offered exclusive access to death row inmate Jeffrey Halcomb, a notorious cult leader and mass murderer. Halcomb contacts Lucas personally, offering insights from his maximum-security cell. Lucas moves to a farmhouse in Washington State, where the cult's atrocities occurred, to delve into the story. However, he soon realizes he's not alone, as the spirits of Halcomb's followers haunt the house, seeking eternal life as promised by their leader.
MY THOUGHTS 💭
This book was so creepy & I loved it! It reminded me of the Jonestown Massacre and the Manson Family. I also loved the haunted house vibes. The main characters were kinda unlikable but the story was good enough that I didn’t mind that too much.
3 ⭐️
I love cults, I think they're so fascinating but this one DRAGGED for so long
I love cults, I think they're so fascinating but this one DRAGGED for so long
dark
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
For me, this book started strong but really fizzled out about 80% in.
The way I described this book to a friend of mine was “it’s like you’re watching a car crash in slow motion. You know something tragic is going to happen, but there’s nothing you can do to really stop it”
And I said that before finishing the book and…yeah. I can agree with that - for the most part
This is my third Ahlborn book, and probably my second favorite of the 3 I’ve read (Brother being my favorite)
I probably read this faster because the idea and story had me hooked pretty quick. The ending though, fell flat…and is why I took a solid point off because I really just…didn’t care for it
I’d recommend this if someone is wanting to read Ahlborn’s stuff, and maybe you’ll enjoy it more. It having a bleak ending, didn’t really bother me. It was more so the execution…
Ending spoilers
I don’t normally do a spoiler talk with my reviews flat out, but I really feel like the ending for this suffered for a couple of reasons. There was so much build up to Vee being a hypochondriac or possibly having a bad injury for the fall that happened earlier in the book. But nothing really ever came of it. I really thought something would have happened in the end regarding that information… I know Jeffrey has to be the Bad Ghost, but I really feel like there should have been something with her head injury…
And I said that before finishing the book and…yeah. I can agree with that - for the most part
This is my third Ahlborn book, and probably my second favorite of the 3 I’ve read (Brother being my favorite)
I probably read this faster because the idea and story had me hooked pretty quick. The ending though, fell flat…and is why I took a solid point off because I really just…didn’t care for it
I’d recommend this if someone is wanting to read Ahlborn’s stuff, and maybe you’ll enjoy it more. It having a bleak ending, didn’t really bother me. It was more so the execution…
Ending spoilers
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This took me awhile to read. Interesting ending!! But it made m very sad and anxious throughout, not particularly scared.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to throw myself out of my window with this ending. Cue Kurt’s Turn (yes, it does have to be the Glee version) to play full blast because truly, all that work and what did it get me?! Ugh.
1. Echo was so insanely obvious and it made me want to bonk Lucas on the head with one of his own books. You’re a true crime writer, come on. And btw, fuck her mom. Whatabitch.
2. What was the significance of the deadline??? Guy was straight up like “yes this is the deadline DON’T ASK ABOUT IT”. Like, was it just “oh that’s the day he’s coming back but shh, it’s a secret he’ll never tell Lucas 🤫”?!
3. Why did Halcomb want to impregnate someone just to kill the baby?? What was the point of going through all that just to kill the baby if there wasn’t a purpose? Was it a secret ceremony that the readers were supposed to make up a scene for? I don’t need everything spelled out for me but the significance of The Sacrament isn’t even typed. Genuinely felt like the reasoning was just miraculously left out of the book.
4. I love when someone talks about cult leaders as being handsome and charismatic and then we see them and they’re just NormalBob RoundPants. It’s always that way, they’re never anything special. And I’m to believe this guy is a a young Johnny Depp lookalike with magical powers without ever reading about it? Like you can say it all day long but that don’t make it true. We really aren’t shown the how and why of anything. It just happens. I can understand when it’s ghostly stuff because well, ghosts. But there was nothing in the flashbacks to allude to this man’s magical powers.
5. Fuck that ending. For multiple reasons. But mostly what was the point of Vee dying? It didn’t accomplish anything. I think it would have been better for Lucas to kill Echo and sacrifice himself to save Vee, Audra’s ghost (why was she missing?!) magically gets rid of Halcomb’s ghost, Vee mends her relationship with her mom, and eventually finishes her dad’s book for him when she grows up. Dedicating it to Lucas and Audra. Like that cheesy ending would have been better than what we got.
1. Echo was so insanely obvious and it made me want to bonk Lucas on the head with one of his own books. You’re a true crime writer, come on. And btw, fuck her mom. Whatabitch.
2. What was the significance of the deadline??? Guy was straight up like “yes this is the deadline DON’T ASK ABOUT IT”. Like, was it just “oh that’s the day he’s coming back but shh, it’s a secret he’ll never tell Lucas 🤫”?!
3. Why did Halcomb want to impregnate someone just to kill the baby?? What was the point of going through all that just to kill the baby if there wasn’t a purpose? Was it a secret ceremony that the readers were supposed to make up a scene for? I don’t need everything spelled out for me but the significance of The Sacrament isn’t even typed. Genuinely felt like the reasoning was just miraculously left out of the book.
4. I love when someone talks about cult leaders as being handsome and charismatic and then we see them and they’re just NormalBob RoundPants. It’s always that way, they’re never anything special. And I’m to believe this guy is a a young Johnny Depp lookalike with magical powers without ever reading about it? Like you can say it all day long but that don’t make it true. We really aren’t shown the how and why of anything. It just happens. I can understand when it’s ghostly stuff because well, ghosts. But there was nothing in the flashbacks to allude to this man’s magical powers.
5. Fuck that ending. For multiple reasons. But mostly what was the point of Vee dying? It didn’t accomplish anything. I think it would have been better for Lucas to kill Echo and sacrifice himself to save Vee, Audra’s ghost (why was she missing?!) magically gets rid of Halcomb’s ghost, Vee mends her relationship with her mom, and eventually finishes her dad’s book for him when she grows up. Dedicating it to Lucas and Audra. Like that cheesy ending would have been better than what we got.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Misogyny, Physical abuse, Suicide, Murder, Pregnancy
Moderate: Infidelity, Misogyny, Sexual assault
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Blood
Within these walls is a typical Ania Ahlborn venture - ghosts, possession, haunted houses and some bone-chilling moments. This book flew by and I could have easily read it in a couple of days if I wouldn't have been so busy this last week. This is a great summer spooky read that I recommend.