Reviews

The Grip of It by Jac Jemc

wintermomof4's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.75

brandyleigh_reads's review against another edition

5.0

There was something about the way this was written that just worked for me.

It was eerie but also not a lot going on at all. I like how ambiguous the ending was.

I will say it’s not your typically horror novel and would lean more literary fiction.

vanat's review against another edition

mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

This book read very similarly to Haunting of Hill House with the theme being dysfunctional families and significant mental health concerns that manifest themselves as haunts (or are they truely haunted?). Jemc did a good job at conveying emotion of characters. You could feel their confusion, desperation, and paranoia setting in against eachother. I felt like it was a great psychological horror where you are left as uncertain as the characters about what really took place throughout this couples time in their new house. 

vespurr's review against another edition

4.0

There were some things I just really loved about this book, but overall I'd say it felt...unfinished. I found it to be really spooky and atmospheric. There was a tense, claustrophobic feel to the story and I was very invested in the couple and their situation. However, I felt that there wasn't really any resolution or clarification to what was supposedly happening within the plot. I do get the impression that this was intentional by the author, but made the book seem overall less impactful to me. I don't feel that every single detail needs to be explained, but at the end of the story I ended up with an inkling that there were just too many loose threads. I enjoyed it a lot, but something is missing.

cpeters2384's review against another edition

DNF.
There has to be a sane reason for staying when EVERYONE knows something is wrong with the house. You’ve been given a financial out, nothing is holding you there except your pride. You’ve lost my empathy.

phantomgecko's review against another edition

challenging dark mysterious tense fast-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? No

3.0

A book about a haunted house that focuses on the mental trauma of the situation and not as much as the how and the why.

Your questions will not be answered. It's not about that.

I am reminded slightly of the movie Oculus (one of my favorites) just in the way

you can't be sure if it's real or not. Is the house actually haunted? Are these people just unwell? Like...probably they're being terrorized by the supernatural, but mayyyyyybe, just maybe it's in their heads.

And I love that for this book.

While the relationship obviously has some rough bits, this book depicts a married couple that actually cares about each other, which is nice to see.

Overall though, it just didn't do it for me. It's great, well written, interesting. I don't not recommend it, and I wouldn't buy it or read it again.

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Body horror, Forced institutionalization, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Self harm, and Suicide attempt

katieoppie's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

dhenry9113's review against another edition

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

inkyfingerspgs's review against another edition

2.0

I received an advance copy of this book with Indiespensable #66.

The first 2/3 of the book had me totally hooked. In fact, when I started reading it, I read through the first third in one sitting. The following day, I tore through the next third. I contemplated staying up that night to finish it. Then, it completely lost steam. I had to force myself through the last 40 or so pages.

In the beginning, I looked past the writing style (which was short, choppy, and repetitive in some places, long and rambling in others) because the story was so interesting and creepy. I felt unsettled while reading and I liked that feeling. However, as I continued reading, it seemed less and less likely that the writer was going to deliver any sort of satisfying ending and I found myself wondering if I would have begun the book at all if I had known it was going to build up to nowhere. Sure enough, there was no recognizable climax and the book ended hastily, leaving me with so many unanswered questions. I can tolerate a few loose ends at the conclusion of a book. There is nothing wrong with allowing the reader to imagine how some things turn out, but at the end of this book I felt like I had learned nothing about what was really going on in this house and with these characters.

I would not recommend this book. It gets two stars instead of one because the first 2/3 entertained me.

mlmiller's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.5

If you want a book where you are screaming in frustration at the characters, this is the book for you.