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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Note to self: yes I know people keep saying how awesome the author’s books are, but you’ve read two now and this was the better one and at best it’s mediocre. No more!
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Lou is a former famous true-crime writer who has fallen off the best seller list. So when he gets to interview a killer who has refused to talk to anyone in the press he can't pass it up. You know that saying if it's too good to be true, then it probably is. See the catch is he has to live in the house where the murders happened with his daughter Virginia..
At first you think oh it just a haunted house story but the descriptions make you get goosebumps. Nothing is gory but it is definitely frightening. It is easy for you to picture the creepy ghost reflected in the washroom mirror, the creaky rooms of the old house, or the abandoned orchard. This unsettling book fills you with dread. The ending is pretty intense, in my opinion. Something I've read in books or seen in some movies, but very well done.
At first you think oh it just a haunted house story but the descriptions make you get goosebumps. Nothing is gory but it is definitely frightening. It is easy for you to picture the creepy ghost reflected in the washroom mirror, the creaky rooms of the old house, or the abandoned orchard. This unsettling book fills you with dread. The ending is pretty intense, in my opinion. Something I've read in books or seen in some movies, but very well done.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
"I've taken a liking to your method...your ability to bring the past to life--to resurrect it, if you will."
A cult leader, Jeffrey Halcomb, sends washed-up true-crime writer, Lucas Graham, a letter stating that he would speak for the first time in 30 years but only to him and only if he arrives in 4 weeks and only if he stays in the house that was the scene of the crime. So said true-crime writer packs his stuff and his 12-year-old daughter and moves from NYC to Washington. Just like that. Unfortunately, Graham fails to remember that people like Halcomb rarely tell the truth and definitely can't be trusted.
Lucas and his daughter, Jeanie, move into the house of death and strange things immediately begin happening. One minute everything looks fine, the next minute, it looks like the 80s threw up all over the living room. There are strange voices, people running around the backyard, and a creepy-ass hippie neighbor that is a bit too interested in her new neighbors. Are thrill-seekers breaking in? Or is the house haunted by the horrific events of that night 30 years ago?
The story flips back and forth between the present and the events of Halcomb's cult in 1983. Halcomb and his cult have multiple similarities to Manson and his family. There was a stabbing death of a couple in their home (LaBianca murders). And while the family committed suicide during their big event rather than kill others, there is also the murder of the pregnant woman and her baby, like the Sharon Tate murder. Plus all the talk of family and love and the disaffected youth.
I felt very sorry for Lucas as well as Jeanie. Lucas can't help but run off to this opportunity, despite all the obvious pitfalls. And poor Jeanie, sitting in her room 3000 miles from her friends, desperately reaching out all the while the house is reaching out to her. Audra/Avis was also extremely sympathetic. Of course, that made her easy prey for the likes of Jeffrey...
This was excellent. I had to literally force myself to put the book down several times. We have a cult leader, ghosts, a haunted house, and all kind of weird stuff occurring. I actually had another book by Ania Ahlborn on my to-buy list, but when I found this one, I thought I'd try it. What a ride!
Definitely a 5 star book.
A cult leader, Jeffrey Halcomb, sends washed-up true-crime writer, Lucas Graham, a letter stating that he would speak for the first time in 30 years but only to him and only if he arrives in 4 weeks and only if he stays in the house that was the scene of the crime. So said true-crime writer packs his stuff and his 12-year-old daughter and moves from NYC to Washington. Just like that. Unfortunately, Graham fails to remember that people like Halcomb rarely tell the truth and definitely can't be trusted.
Lucas and his daughter, Jeanie, move into the house of death and strange things immediately begin happening. One minute everything looks fine, the next minute, it looks like the 80s threw up all over the living room. There are strange voices, people running around the backyard, and a creepy-ass hippie neighbor that is a bit too interested in her new neighbors. Are thrill-seekers breaking in? Or is the house haunted by the horrific events of that night 30 years ago?
The story flips back and forth between the present and the events of Halcomb's cult in 1983. Halcomb and his cult have multiple similarities to Manson and his family. There was a stabbing death of a couple in their home (LaBianca murders). And while the family committed suicide during their big event rather than kill others, there is also the murder of the pregnant woman and her baby, like the Sharon Tate murder. Plus all the talk of family and love and the disaffected youth.
I felt very sorry for Lucas as well as Jeanie. Lucas can't help but run off to this opportunity, despite all the obvious pitfalls. And poor Jeanie, sitting in her room 3000 miles from her friends, desperately reaching out all the while the house is reaching out to her. Audra/Avis was also extremely sympathetic. Of course, that made her easy prey for the likes of Jeffrey...
This was excellent. I had to literally force myself to put the book down several times. We have a cult leader, ghosts, a haunted house, and all kind of weird stuff occurring. I actually had another book by Ania Ahlborn on my to-buy list, but when I found this one, I thought I'd try it. What a ride!
Definitely a 5 star book.
A really well-done and not over-done cult-inspired haunted house horror novel that was engaging and genuinely creeped me out at times.
dark
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well, this was a book. And I read it.
I love Ania Ahlborn. I love her writing style, I find her consistently at the top of my TBR pile, and I’d describe her as a favorite author of mine without a doubt. This particular story, though, wasn’t my personal preference. It’s my own fault, though, because I knew what it was from the very first moment—it’s a supernatural horror/thriller. Supernatural. Ghosts. Paranormal activity. The search for eternal life. I knew that’s what the book was about, I knew I didn’t love those aspects, and I read it anyway. My rating doesn’t at all reflect the quality of the writing, it’s just a reflection of my personal enjoyment.
The story did focus on one of my favorite horror/thriller topics—cults. I love cult stories. LOVE them. I ate up that part of the story, but the rest of this book was a little bizarre for me.
I love Ania Ahlborn. I love her writing style, I find her consistently at the top of my TBR pile, and I’d describe her as a favorite author of mine without a doubt. This particular story, though, wasn’t my personal preference. It’s my own fault, though, because I knew what it was from the very first moment—it’s a supernatural horror/thriller. Supernatural. Ghosts. Paranormal activity. The search for eternal life. I knew that’s what the book was about, I knew I didn’t love those aspects, and I read it anyway. My rating doesn’t at all reflect the quality of the writing, it’s just a reflection of my personal enjoyment.
The story did focus on one of my favorite horror/thriller topics—cults. I love cult stories. LOVE them. I ate up that part of the story, but the rest of this book was a little bizarre for me.