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I found myself rooting for Anna, it feels like the haunted nature of the book is a direct reflection on the main character. - I honestly didn’t get that till the last 20% of the book which I thought was super neat.
I felt for Anna, being stuck with these ppl as family would drive anyone to be an emotional unavailable person. If you are told you are the problem your whole life it does something to you.
This book will not be for everyone, especially people that are very close to their families.
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Gaslighting
Moderate: Sexual violence, Violence, Abortion
The pacing was the most glaring problem. It felt way off. By the second page, we’re told the house is creepy. There’s no build up, unsettled feelings, or feeling of dread that I think makes a great horror book. It reads fast in some places and incredibly slow in others. The ending (which I actually loved) felt rushed
I also felt like Thorne wrote like, “and this thing was super creepy” rather than just letting the reader feel creeped out. Like, don’t TELL me it’s creepy, SHOW me it’s creepy through ~*fEeLiNgS*~. It reads like she isn’t confident in her ability to set the tone…or maybe she is just bad at that, I haven’t read anything else by her to compare
I don’t have this much family drama (even though I am for sure the black sheep) so maybe I’m just lucky that I don’t get it, but the animosity Anna’s family felt towards her felt very unrealistic. Like, they unnecessarily blamed things on her that anyone with a clear head could see were in no way her fault…?
This is just a stylistic preference, not a fault of Thorne’s writing, but I don’t think I like books written in third person
Overall, it wasn’t BAD—I don’t regret reading it, but I had very high hopes for this and I am left disappointed
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Animal death, Body horror, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Violence, Vomit, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol
Moderate: Self harm, Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Child death, Cursing, Infertility, Suicidal thoughts, Abortion, Pregnancy
Graphic: Adult/minor relationship, Body horror, Child death, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Murder, Alcohol
“Keep Cursed and Carry On”
It’s hard to even explain to you how much I love this book. I will be the first to admit that I don’t think this book will be for everyone. This book is about toxic family relationships with a touch of the supernatural.
It is also largely a character study of our main character Anna as she navigates the relationships in her life and the perceptions her loved ones place on her (even when faced with increasingly spooky situations). If you don’t like Anna early on in your reading I would say put down the book.
This book is the ideal read when faced with stressful family interactions and for many could be a good way to process their frustrations. We see Anna process what’s happening to her with humor, with tact, and with a growing sense of her own worth. The real horror in this book is these family dynamics and the supernatural simply amps them up and feeds on what is already present which may not be what everyone is expecting from a haunted house book 🏚️
I feel like the horror worked very well as it gave you a chance as the reader to see the story from all angles and to see what it means to step away from these family dynamics and in a way that amped up the sense of dread.
Graphic: Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Alcohol
Moderate: Sexual content, Abortion, Sexual harassment
Minor: Animal death, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Sexual content, Suicide, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Body horror, Mental illness, Suicide, Abortion, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting
Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal cruelty, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Self harm, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Abortion, Gaslighting, Abandonment
Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood
Moderate: Alcoholism, Alcohol
Anna is such a badass. Initially, I was unsure of whether I liked her or not, but as the story went on and the narrative unfolded I realised she was so villainised.
I am glad there was a relatively happy ending to it.
I’m not saying it’s a happy tale throughout though. In fact, if you get squirmish I would not recommend this! Content warnings included below.
4 out of 5 stars for me, thank you ✨
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Self harm, Toxic relationship, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Injury/Injury detail
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child death, Cursing, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Misogyny, Pedophilia, Sexual assault, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Murder, Gaslighting, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail