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3.44 AVERAGE
3.44 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
reflective
sad
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
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
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The premise is very cool and it starts off strong, but slowly devolves into something borderline unbelievable. I could see the author trying to do something with trauma and its effects, but it didn’t quite work for me. The horror elements and ‘scares’ were strong and did freak me out a bit. This book wasn’t for me, but I can see why folks like it.
(Also - I haven’t read a book written by a man about women in a while and I wasn’t a big fan…)
(Also - I haven’t read a book written by a man about women in a while and I wasn’t a big fan…)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Child abuse, Suicide
I'm a bit of a horror movie obsessive, and it's like this book was written for me. This book is to horror cinema what Grady Hendrix's My Best Friend's Exorcism is to, like, Phil Collins and the Extreme Teen Bible: nostalgic, consciously derivative, and still somehow fresh.
It pulls inspiration from the alleged curses that plagued real-life films like Poltergeist and twists them in a way that manages to explore real emotions and trauma.
The protagonist Laura was the child star of a "cursed" horror movie called the Guesthouse. Eight members of the cast and crew died sudden, mysterious deaths that seemed to echo those in the film. When she is pressured into writing an article about an attempt to remake the movie, creepy shit starts happening all over again.
The book itself is steeped in creepy pop culture references and tropes. Despite the many loving clichés, every time I thought I saw a twist coming, I was wrong.
When this book comes out, I'm buying a copy and it's going on a shelf next to my ratty, thrifted copy of the Psychotropic Video Guide. Where it belongs.
It pulls inspiration from the alleged curses that plagued real-life films like Poltergeist and twists them in a way that manages to explore real emotions and trauma.
The protagonist Laura was the child star of a "cursed" horror movie called the Guesthouse. Eight members of the cast and crew died sudden, mysterious deaths that seemed to echo those in the film. When she is pressured into writing an article about an attempt to remake the movie, creepy shit starts happening all over again.
The book itself is steeped in creepy pop culture references and tropes. Despite the many loving clichés, every time I thought I saw a twist coming, I was wrong.
When this book comes out, I'm buying a copy and it's going on a shelf next to my ratty, thrifted copy of the Psychotropic Video Guide. Where it belongs.
dark
slow-paced
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I liked this book, but it didn't wow me until the end. From the climax of the story on was excellent! The Needle Man was creepy and I liked Beverly, but I never warmed up to Laura or Amy. They were kind of annoying most of the time. The mixed media elements between the chapters were fun, although some of them seemed like unnecessary filler. Overall, this was a fun homage to slasher flicks with an unpredictable ending. I look forward to seeing what Josh Winning comes up with next.
It was so poorly written and unbelievable. Couldn’t force myself to finish,
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes