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3.53 AVERAGE
3.53 AVERAGE
I started out very much liking this book but it did not end well for me. Overall I thought that the story was hokey and left a lot to be desired. Essentially with all contributors of FTB disappearing and the last chapter showing Jessica as a ghost felt weak. I am giving a higher score of 3 because the length and shear amount of thought put into the novel is deserving of high marks but I didn't feel like the twist, that the house was actually in control, was all that unique.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Let me start off by saying I highly recommend this as an audiobook. While the voice acting leaves something to be desired in some spots, there's a cast of 5 actors who play the main characters, which really added to the found footage concept. I really enjoyed the added sound effects and music, and all together I can truly say this was a fun read.
In the end, I can really only say I walked away liking Jake, but the characters all had their moments and they were fun to hate when they were at their worst. I can appreciate the fact that all of them were deeply flawed, and the author wasn't afraid to dig into all of that.
That being said, I feel like the payoff was lacking. I was thrilled at their first ghost encounter, and loved everything to do with the well in the basement and the use of "As Above so Below". However, the last couple of chapters lost me. I wish that the characters had more time to get a good wrap up, or at least something really gripping happened that made my jaw drop. Instead, I got chapters of Claire rambling, and I found myself confused at the final messaging.
All in all, I do still recommend reading this book. It was fun all the way through, and it was a really interesting venture into a style of writing that you don't often see. Would definitely read again.
In the end, I can really only say I walked away liking Jake, but the characters all had their moments and they were fun to hate when they were at their worst. I can appreciate the fact that all of them were deeply flawed, and the author wasn't afraid to dig into all of that.
That being said, I feel like the payoff was lacking. I was thrilled at their first ghost encounter, and loved everything to do with the well in the basement and the use of "As Above so Below". However, the last couple of chapters lost me. I wish that the characters had more time to get a good wrap up, or at least something really gripping happened that made my jaw drop. Instead, I got chapters of Claire rambling, and I found myself confused at the final messaging.
All in all, I do still recommend reading this book. It was fun all the way through, and it was a really interesting venture into a style of writing that you don't often see. Would definitely read again.
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"The door changes everything."
Speaking as a massive fan of the found footage subgenre - from it's classics like Blair Witch to it's hidden gems like It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This or Noroi: The Curse to it's masterpieces like Hell House LLC to it's guilty pleasures like Grave Encounters - discovering this book's attempt to emulate them was an absolute delight. I was always going to like it, especially with the particular directions it seemed to be pointing towards.
So considering all that preface, it turns out to be rather easily summed up. The formatting was unique in a way that emphasizes varied character study over plot advancement, and once you click into this, it allows for a unique experience and a much better sense of why any given person will react certain ways. While some will find it repetitive, I quite liked it. In fact my only complaint is that I wished they went a bit further with it, as by the end a majority of the cast didn't feel like they had quite as much depth as they fought they did. Still, it's an interesting ensemble.
The pacing is great, knowing when to slowly build up tension, when to tease out ominous info, when to rest, and when to payoff. The ideas behind the scared were interesting, but I felt they could've been better executed - especially the overall reveal, which, as well as the ending, kind of jumps the shark with a few somersaults thrown in.
Overall it's a solid genre exercise that I felt could've been much better if they committed to the bit some more.
Speaking as a massive fan of the found footage subgenre - from it's classics like Blair Witch to it's hidden gems like It Doesn't Get Any Better Than This or Noroi: The Curse to it's masterpieces like Hell House LLC to it's guilty pleasures like Grave Encounters - discovering this book's attempt to emulate them was an absolute delight. I was always going to like it, especially with the particular directions it seemed to be pointing towards.
So considering all that preface, it turns out to be rather easily summed up. The formatting was unique in a way that emphasizes varied character study over plot advancement, and once you click into this, it allows for a unique experience and a much better sense of why any given person will react certain ways. While some will find it repetitive, I quite liked it. In fact my only complaint is that I wished they went a bit further with it, as by the end a majority of the cast didn't feel like they had quite as much depth as they fought they did. Still, it's an interesting ensemble.
The pacing is great, knowing when to slowly build up tension, when to tease out ominous info, when to rest, and when to payoff. The ideas behind the scared were interesting, but I felt they could've been better executed - especially the overall reveal, which, as well as the ending, kind of jumps the shark with a few somersaults thrown in.
Overall it's a solid genre exercise that I felt could've been much better if they committed to the bit some more.
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and links and everything. https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.wordpress.com/2025/06/16/things-ive-read-recently-182-a-bunch-of-meh-and-a-suprise/
This had such a good premise and I was really excited to read it, but ultimately I was just not that blown away by it. I just didn’t find it particularly scary, and, worse, I sort of started getting bored towards the end. It should have been terrifying, and there were some okay spooky moments, but it really started to drag.
This might have been better as an audiobook, and I tried to tandem read this as a physical book and an audiobook but apparently if I listen to an audiobook too fast I forget how to breathe so that didn’t work out, but the audiobook seemed good during the part I listened to. I just didn’t have time to listen to an audiobook right now and I wanted to read this.
Most of the characters are not fleshed out very well and I really wanted the backstory of the house fleshed out more. I wanted to know more about the experiments the scientists of Foundation House did, and it didn’t really go there. It is a very interesting format, being a “found footage” book where you’re reading journal entries, emails, and a lot of transcripts of filmed footage, but there just wasn’t quite enough for me. Check it out if you’re interested, still, but I was disappointed.
Representation: One character is Black.
Content notes: Medical experiment, some body horror, police violence, domestic abuse.
This had such a good premise and I was really excited to read it, but ultimately I was just not that blown away by it. I just didn’t find it particularly scary, and, worse, I sort of started getting bored towards the end. It should have been terrifying, and there were some okay spooky moments, but it really started to drag.
This might have been better as an audiobook, and I tried to tandem read this as a physical book and an audiobook but apparently if I listen to an audiobook too fast I forget how to breathe so that didn’t work out, but the audiobook seemed good during the part I listened to. I just didn’t have time to listen to an audiobook right now and I wanted to read this.
Most of the characters are not fleshed out very well and I really wanted the backstory of the house fleshed out more. I wanted to know more about the experiments the scientists of Foundation House did, and it didn’t really go there. It is a very interesting format, being a “found footage” book where you’re reading journal entries, emails, and a lot of transcripts of filmed footage, but there just wasn’t quite enough for me. Check it out if you’re interested, still, but I was disappointed.
Representation: One character is Black.
Content notes: Medical experiment, some body horror, police violence, domestic abuse.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Fun. Not too deep.
2.5 stars. It's like Scooby-Doo meets House of Leaves, but it's not as good as either.
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
If you liked House of Leaves, This feels like a love letter.
The writing style and the way they told the story was very intriguing.
I loved this book!
The writing style and the way they told the story was very intriguing.
I loved this book!
dark
emotional
reflective
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes