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3.65 AVERAGE
3.65 AVERAGE
Cross-posted from my blog where there's more information on where I got my copy and links and everything. https://lainahastoomuchsparetime.wordpress.com/2024/11/04/things-ive-read-recently-168-audiobooks-galore/
I’m in my audiobook era and this was available at the library so I decided to try it. This is the first Grady Hendrix book I’ve read and it was okay. I really enjoyed the premise of Cursed Ikea and thought the book used it pretty well, but it wasn’t my favourite thing I’ve read. Kinda middle of the road for me. I’ve heard a lot more about his other books, though, so I’m still interested in trying more, but this one was just kinda mid.
Representation: One character is Black, but it’s kinda token at best.
Content notes: There was one scene with a description of snot that almost made me throw up. So gross. There’s also like torture and stuff but the snot scene sticks with me and makes me gag to think about so. Warning on that.
I’m in my audiobook era and this was available at the library so I decided to try it. This is the first Grady Hendrix book I’ve read and it was okay. I really enjoyed the premise of Cursed Ikea and thought the book used it pretty well, but it wasn’t my favourite thing I’ve read. Kinda middle of the road for me. I’ve heard a lot more about his other books, though, so I’m still interested in trying more, but this one was just kinda mid.
Representation: One character is Black, but it’s kinda token at best.
Content notes: There was one scene with a description of snot that almost made me throw up. So gross. There’s also like torture and stuff but the snot scene sticks with me and makes me gag to think about so. Warning on that.
When I was a kid I'd wanted to write a horror novel that took place in a Walmart. This novel has satisfied my retail horror need, and it's even more relatable now that I've actually worked in retail.
This is a very quick read that isn't very deep. It's not very scary, but I also read it in one sitting on a sunny spring day. The format is interesting since it's designed to look like an Ikea catalogue. It's also pretty funny, and the main character's sarcasm matches that of most retail employees.
This is a very quick read that isn't very deep. It's not very scary, but I also read it in one sitting on a sunny spring day. The format is interesting since it's designed to look like an Ikea catalogue. It's also pretty funny, and the main character's sarcasm matches that of most retail employees.
So, this is my second novel of Hendrix. I enjoyed the vast majority of the novel, although the ending was not to my liking... (this is the second time I say this about this author).
So, basically in this novel we follow Amy as she is going to work toikea orsk. We get to know a bit of her daily life and her struggles outside the company that we all share. Work to pay the bills, sometimes just to survive and the vast majority on a job we don't like.
We are introduced to a bunch other characters, each one as different as the other. You get the hard boss that wants to do everything by the book, the old woman who enjoys working and everyone loves her, you get the bearded guy or the hot girl (don't know if she is hot).
As the day almost is finish, the boss asks our main protagonist and the old woman to stay with him during the night because strange stuff has been happening and he wants to learn what is going on. The old woman has nothing better to do and our main protagonist really really needs the money.
From this moment on, the book starts to speed up in terms of story and the chapters become shorter , while the pacing gets faster. By the end the author throws some curve balls that I didn't enjoy that much to be honest.
So, what we have here in the book.. first of all the book is presented physicially as a Ikea show book that you receive at home or you can grab on a story. As you turn the pages you get some interesting stuff regarding employees information or ORSK rules and contracts and such. Each chapter is a different utensil/object. At the beginning they make sense , like a couch, chair or table but as the story starts being weird the objects start to be really weird to plain torture devices.
We get it Grady. You hate Ikea and other big corporations that makes people zombies (is in the first page). We understand you got a problem with authority and such... to be honest this are just things I got but it's not overwhelming or preachy. They are just stuff you get as you read the novel. If this was a 10 star rating I would 7. So 4?
So, basically in this novel we follow Amy as she is going to work to
We are introduced to a bunch other characters, each one as different as the other. You get the hard boss that wants to do everything by the book, the old woman who enjoys working and everyone loves her, you get the bearded guy or the hot girl (don't know if she is hot).
As the day almost is finish, the boss asks our main protagonist and the old woman to stay with him during the night because strange stuff has been happening and he wants to learn what is going on. The old woman has nothing better to do and our main protagonist really really needs the money.
From this moment on, the book starts to speed up in terms of story and the chapters become shorter , while the pacing gets faster. By the end the author throws some curve balls that I didn't enjoy that much to be honest.
So, what we have here in the book.. first of all the book is presented physicially as a Ikea show book that you receive at home or you can grab on a story. As you turn the pages you get some interesting stuff regarding employees information or ORSK rules and contracts and such. Each chapter is a different utensil/object. At the beginning they make sense , like a couch, chair or table but as the story starts being weird the objects start to be really weird to plain torture devices.
We get it Grady. You hate Ikea and other big corporations that makes people zombies (is in the first page). We understand you got a problem with authority and such... to be honest this are just things I got but it's not overwhelming or preachy. They are just stuff you get as you read the novel. If this was a 10 star rating I would 7. So 4?
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Loved it! Very relatable in the start with the mindless corporate culture and shallow irritating coworkers. Anyone who ever had a minimum wage job feels sympathy for our trapped-in-a-dead-end job main character Amy. Ramps up the action pretty quickly with some fake-outs before jumping onto the hauntings. Loved the gruesome descriptions.
dark
funny
tense
medium-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
“There was a prison here, and we build a new prison on its ruins”
Grady Hendrix’s Horrorstör took a fantastic concept, what if your the traditional haunted house story took place in Ikea, and delivers it with a well done execution.
Horrorstör itself is a beautifully designed book taking inspiration from the catalogs you’d find from Ikea. Each chapter begins with a sketch of a piece of furniture and a description reminiscent of what you’d find in a store catalog, including a vaguely Scandinavian sounding name. I couldn’t help but be reminded of House of Leaves where part of your enjoyment comes from the act of reading in itself, taking time to enjoy the thematic design of the overall layout and design choices.
Horrorstör incorporates multiple concepts to help create a truly unique horror. The most prevalent of these being the experience of being in the trenches of a retail job and the monotony of existance in corporate America. This is best exemplified by the reoccurring touches of the corporate culture of Orsk, the books fictional stand in for Ikea, in which managers will spout off quotes from the employee handbook and founders biography as if they are a sort of gospel.
Also present through out the novel is satirical humor wether it be the corporate culture present at Orsk or the absurdity of the world of ghost hunting.
Grady Hendrix’s Horrorstör took a fantastic concept, what if your the traditional haunted house story took place in Ikea, and delivers it with a well done execution.
Horrorstör itself is a beautifully designed book taking inspiration from the catalogs you’d find from Ikea. Each chapter begins with a sketch of a piece of furniture and a description reminiscent of what you’d find in a store catalog, including a vaguely Scandinavian sounding name. I couldn’t help but be reminded of House of Leaves where part of your enjoyment comes from the act of reading in itself, taking time to enjoy the thematic design of the overall layout and design choices.
Horrorstör incorporates multiple concepts to help create a truly unique horror. The most prevalent of these being the experience of being in the trenches of a retail job and the monotony of existance in corporate America. This is best exemplified by the reoccurring touches of the corporate culture of Orsk, the books fictional stand in for Ikea, in which managers will spout off quotes from the employee handbook and founders biography as if they are a sort of gospel.
Also present through out the novel is satirical humor wether it be the corporate culture present at Orsk or the absurdity of the world of ghost hunting.
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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:
Complicated
It would have been a dream to read this in an IKEA while eating one of their meatballs. Unfortunately, I was in my living room with a seltzer. Although I occasionally also got as lost as Amy, the overall story was fun and haunting. I liked how Hendrix drew parallels between big-box stores and prisons. My favorite part was seeing Basil's employee notes to understand how he truly felt about Amy and the other characters - this was definitely when I started rooting for Basil to survive until the end. Keeping Trinity and Matt (and maybe Ruth Anne?) trapped in this other dimension was f***ked. Great read.