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praetor's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Animal death, Gore, and Death
Moderate: Sexual content and Sexual assault
nickfrantisek's review against another edition
4.0
This one kept me listening like a mad woman trying to figure out how it ends. It was campy, creepy, and just a bit Gothic and it worked SO well.
themadmaiden's review against another edition
3.0
A bit of an average haunting/creepy thing in the house story. Nothing really stood out. Sometimes the characters were dumb so the plot could continue, sometimes it was magical mind control.
I'm not sure, I just didn't really feel all that much about the story. It was okay, average. Not horrible but not really doing anything incredibly interesting.
I'm not sure, I just didn't really feel all that much about the story. It was okay, average. Not horrible but not really doing anything incredibly interesting.
theartolater's review against another edition
4.0
This book was like a weird old horror movie in all the best ways. Family buys an old house, and the old house has… something in the basement that is causing a lot of issues. It slowly drives a man mad, and the book chronicles the decline of his family and himself as the thing in the basement gains power. There’s not much more to it than that – it is a b-movie of a book in every conceivable way, and while it’s not going to win any awards, it was an absolutely fun ride that I could really get behind.
idk_indigo's review against another edition
after the 3rd time of tom inserting his penis into jenny’s vagina 0.5 seconds after they started kissing, with absolutely no foreplay to speak of, i got sick of it
gay's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
rsosolen's review against another edition
3.0
This book is not that scary, but you can see in the influence of Cronenberg’s body horror. It is more comparable to a Twilight Zone episode than a horror.
The main characters are not likeable, which is okay. You are not supposed to like the all the characters, and I did enjoy Tom's decent. I also found I disliked the characters more as they were being more influenced by the thing in the basement, but we don't get enough about this thing at all.
The writing is good overall, though weaker at the beginning. The first chapter is painful to read as it goes into annoying detail about how cool and hip Tom and Jenny are and how PAINFUL it is they have to move to Jersey and get real jobs and stop drinking. THE HORROR!!! The real horror here is painting millennials as self absorbed alcoholics with peter pan complexes. IT ALSO REALLY BOTHERED ME THAT JENNY DRANK ALCOHOL THROUGHOUT HER PREGNANCY. That is just never okay, and never healthy....
I did find that I could not put it down, because I wanted to know what happened. I just wish it gave us more of the thing in the basement, and Tom's development in direct relationship to it. At one point there is a mention in retrospect of Tom feeding it. It would have been fun to build this more into the plot. Did he have to steal neighbours cats? Was there an increase in missing pets? That would add some creep to this novel.
We also don't get enough about the thing in the basement, and its developing relationship with Tom. We also don't get why it is also changing Jenny. The writing skips through time, which is fine, but it focuses more on boring aspects like dinner with the in-laws and then just says Tom went into the basement....then he comes out and blah blah. There is also a weird part in the end where they give a very detailed background of a minor character, which makes me want to call the editor and tell them they missed a spot. The only other annoyance was describing eyebrows as beetling. It is not clever, especially when you do it often.
The main characters are not likeable, which is okay. You are not supposed to like the all the characters, and I did enjoy Tom's decent. I also found I disliked the characters more as they were being more influenced by the thing in the basement, but we don't get enough about this thing at all.
The writing is good overall, though weaker at the beginning. The first chapter is painful to read as it goes into annoying detail about how cool and hip Tom and Jenny are and how PAINFUL it is they have to move to Jersey and get real jobs and stop drinking. THE HORROR!!! The real horror here is painting millennials as self absorbed alcoholics with peter pan complexes. IT ALSO REALLY BOTHERED ME THAT JENNY DRANK ALCOHOL THROUGHOUT HER PREGNANCY. That is just never okay, and never healthy....
I did find that I could not put it down, because I wanted to know what happened. I just wish it gave us more of the thing in the basement, and Tom's development in direct relationship to it. At one point there is a mention in retrospect of Tom feeding it. It would have been fun to build this more into the plot. Did he have to steal neighbours cats? Was there an increase in missing pets? That would add some creep to this novel.
We also don't get enough about the thing in the basement, and its developing relationship with Tom. We also don't get why it is also changing Jenny. The writing skips through time, which is fine, but it focuses more on boring aspects like dinner with the in-laws and then just says Tom went into the basement....then he comes out and blah blah. There is also a weird part in the end where they give a very detailed background of a minor character, which makes me want to call the editor and tell them they missed a spot. The only other annoyance was describing eyebrows as beetling. It is not clever, especially when you do it often.
mftaylor's review
3.0
This was a fun read. Would rate it 3.5 stars.
Although written in 2018 it reads like scary books from my earlier years. A throwback to 80's scary books and movies.
Tom and Jenny Decker need to find an apartment fast as they can, as they can no longer afford where they currently live due to huge rent increases. Tom is a bartender and aspiring painter while Jenny is a personal trainer. Money is tight and they are desperate, so it seems too good to be true when a house becomes available. You know what they say about "too good to be true", don't go in the basement, lol.
Although written in 2018 it reads like scary books from my earlier years. A throwback to 80's scary books and movies.
Tom and Jenny Decker need to find an apartment fast as they can, as they can no longer afford where they currently live due to huge rent increases. Tom is a bartender and aspiring painter while Jenny is a personal trainer. Money is tight and they are desperate, so it seems too good to be true when a house becomes available. You know what they say about "too good to be true", don't go in the basement, lol.
readswithdogs's review
4.0
A different type of haunted house story!
Creepy, gross and realistically portrayed I enjoyed this book! Definitely more sci-fi feeling than horror scary, but that's alright to me.
Creepy, gross and realistically portrayed I enjoyed this book! Definitely more sci-fi feeling than horror scary, but that's alright to me.
findingmontauk1's review against another edition
4.0
The Chrysalis was a fun book to read! My initial interest in the book stemmed from reading the synopsis and seeing the tagline on the cover, DON'T GO IN THE BASEMENT. I had expected a lot more horror than I got, and even read a few reviews that considered this sci-fi and not horror at all. While I agree that it is not as MUCH horror as I wanted, it is still horror (horror light? horror adjacent?) and I do not really think it is sci-fi by any means.
I really enjoyed the protagonist's descent into madness based on the basement/what's in the basement. It was reminiscent of Jack Torrance from The Shining in some ways, and it made for an unpredictable character to read about!
If anything, I want to know more about the house, its past, the previous owners, the basement, the thing in the basement, etc. I don't feel like we got enough of that which could have helped with the element of horror.
Overall this was a great read and I give it 4 out of 5 stars! Thanks to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!
I really enjoyed the protagonist's descent into madness based on the basement/what's in the basement. It was reminiscent of Jack Torrance from The Shining in some ways, and it made for an unpredictable character to read about!
If anything, I want to know more about the house, its past, the previous owners, the basement, the thing in the basement, etc. I don't feel like we got enough of that which could have helped with the element of horror.
Overall this was a great read and I give it 4 out of 5 stars! Thanks to the publisher for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review!