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3.58 AVERAGE
3.58 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
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
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
A strong premise that just took too long to get anywhere or to build any real sense of horror or suspense.
I loved the pieces of the story - the Charles Manson-esque cult, the washed up true crime writer, and the mysterious bargain the killer behind bars has created to give away his story. It was the piecing together of these separate parts, and the addition of some others like the failing marriage, the cheating wife, and the various prison employees, that made this book drag.
I'm a weenie who is easily creeped out. This book failed to creep me out. There was way too much time spent rehashing emotions and not enough murderous ghosts. When it finally gets to the good ghosty stuff, it makes no damn sense. At all.
Also, wtf was with the number of times characters canted their head. I've never heard of someone canting their head, but EVERY character seems to do it at least once in this book. I'm assuming she means tilting. Everyone in this book has a weak neck I guess.
The number of pop culture references will date this book quickly. The ending was bleh. Wouldn't recommend and wish I would have quit on this book rather than make myself slog to the disjointed, nonsensical end.
I loved the pieces of the story - the Charles Manson-esque cult, the washed up true crime writer, and the mysterious bargain the killer behind bars has created to give away his story. It was the piecing together of these separate parts, and the addition of some others like the failing marriage, the cheating wife, and the various prison employees, that made this book drag.
I'm a weenie who is easily creeped out. This book failed to creep me out. There was way too much time spent rehashing emotions and not enough murderous ghosts. When it finally gets to the good ghosty stuff, it makes no damn sense. At all.
Also, wtf was with the number of times characters canted their head. I've never heard of someone canting their head, but EVERY character seems to do it at least once in this book. I'm assuming she means tilting. Everyone in this book has a weak neck I guess.
The number of pop culture references will date this book quickly. The ending was bleh. Wouldn't recommend and wish I would have quit on this book rather than make myself slog to the disjointed, nonsensical end.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
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
NOOOOOOO
The momentum was so good. Everything was building up and I could not stop reading. But the ending. Oh my gosh, the ending. And the stuff that happened after that momentum was built up. I just can't. It was so anticlimactic. I feel like it could have been a five-star book if I didn't have such different expectations.
The momentum was so good. Everything was building up and I could not stop reading. But the ending. Oh my gosh, the ending. And the stuff that happened after that momentum was built up. I just can't. It was so anticlimactic. I feel like it could have been a five-star book if I didn't have such different expectations.
[Note: I received a copy of this book for review from the publisher via NetGalley.]
Ania Ahlborn’s latest, Within These Walls, might be the best horror book of 2015 thus far. Well written, and filled with depth of character and authorial confidence, it’s certainly among the best of the trio of Ahlborn’s releases that I’ve read (although her next novel, Brother, due out in September sounds like it could pose some stiff competition).
Taking center stage here is Lucas Graham, a washed-up true crime novelist whose marriage is on its last legs, and his angst-fueled twelve year old daughter, Virginia. Graham receives an offer from inmate Jeff Halcomb to pen the definitive account of a cult murder-suicide that occurred in Washington in 1983. The catch – because isn’t there always a catch? – is that Lucas has to move into the home where the grisly murders occurred. Graham convinces himself this is a fair trade, and one that might not only salvage his career but win back the love of his wife.
What follows is a complex but consistently engaging story of familial detachment, a charismatic cult leader and his sad followers, and a haunted house that hides the secrets of its past. The main narrative is fueled by a series of flashbacks to 1983, which thankfully never feel misplaced nor pose as a distraction that threaten to derail the steady pacing of the novel, along with excerpts from news broadcasts, police reports, and write-ups from paranormal investigators. Each of these elements provide necessary background and serve to enrich the core of this story, while Ahlborn entwines various threads of her narrative into a stunningly dark and brave finale that left me jarred.
If you’ve not yet read any of Ahlborn’s work, now is the time! Or, if you’re a fan of Stephen King, grab a copy and sit a while with this one; I think you’ll feel at home with it. Within These Walls is a gritty, haunting, and atmospheric read, and one that I expect to be a contender on a lot of Best Of lists by year’s end.
Ania Ahlborn’s latest, Within These Walls, might be the best horror book of 2015 thus far. Well written, and filled with depth of character and authorial confidence, it’s certainly among the best of the trio of Ahlborn’s releases that I’ve read (although her next novel, Brother, due out in September sounds like it could pose some stiff competition).
Taking center stage here is Lucas Graham, a washed-up true crime novelist whose marriage is on its last legs, and his angst-fueled twelve year old daughter, Virginia. Graham receives an offer from inmate Jeff Halcomb to pen the definitive account of a cult murder-suicide that occurred in Washington in 1983. The catch – because isn’t there always a catch? – is that Lucas has to move into the home where the grisly murders occurred. Graham convinces himself this is a fair trade, and one that might not only salvage his career but win back the love of his wife.
What follows is a complex but consistently engaging story of familial detachment, a charismatic cult leader and his sad followers, and a haunted house that hides the secrets of its past. The main narrative is fueled by a series of flashbacks to 1983, which thankfully never feel misplaced nor pose as a distraction that threaten to derail the steady pacing of the novel, along with excerpts from news broadcasts, police reports, and write-ups from paranormal investigators. Each of these elements provide necessary background and serve to enrich the core of this story, while Ahlborn entwines various threads of her narrative into a stunningly dark and brave finale that left me jarred.
If you’ve not yet read any of Ahlborn’s work, now is the time! Or, if you’re a fan of Stephen King, grab a copy and sit a while with this one; I think you’ll feel at home with it. Within These Walls is a gritty, haunting, and atmospheric read, and one that I expect to be a contender on a lot of Best Of lists by year’s end.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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