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melodyseestrees's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Parts of this story really dragged or they really rushed. The ending was arguably the strongest part of the story and also the most enjoyably paced. Other parts felt like the supernatural element was breaking its own rules. The nastiness can infect anyone who leaves a piece of them in this specific location. But it only infected about five characters including one person who was nowhere near anyone else. That one person got more infected than anybody else and murdered someone tangentially connected to the main characters. Thankfully the dog either did not die or the death was not described, which is a rare mercy in horror fiction. The horses also did not experience any on-page tragedy. There are references to needing chicken blood and paper made from the vagina of an animal.
There was a dark spot that I didn't appreciate reading. It was where a character faked, and later admitted to doing so, a sexual assault between themselves and an antagonist solely to get one of the main characters to act with violence. I just don't think "fake sexual assault" is a scene that is needed in literature published after the 1990's.
This story is somewhat effective in the 'gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss' nature of horror stories.You spend most of the story wondering if the Big Bad got Corey and you find out in chapter 33 that Corey committed suicide to prevent the Big Bad from getting what they wanted. "With all his strength, Corey Toussaint Hill won his last fight.
Two sets of characters have whirlwind relationships that end, of course, tragically. It feels a bit cheap and scripted to do it twice in the story and I am a bit resentful of how one of the relationships is ended. The ending of that relationship is action-packed but very quick Myles is watching over Angela while she does a ritual and tries to defend her against Tariq. Myles is shot once in the body and finished off with a gunshot to the head, presumably. It was a cheap way to include a "strip the main character of all hope" moment.
The last two chapters threw me for a loop at first. The ending is Angela's ancestors giving her a miracle. It is not stated what the miracle is but the final chapters show Corey, Sean, and Angela breaking the curse and banishing the Big Bad. Then the party on July 4th proceeds as planned, with fireworks, dancing, and merriment. Angela decides that she no longer has feelings for Tariq and will proceed with the divorce. Angela and Myles promise to keep in touch. Therefore the miracle is making it so the violence from the Big Bad never happened. It is a unique way to wrap up a story and one that can often feel very cheap. With this specific story it felt welcome. It almost felt like walking into your childhood home, but the one of your memories and not the actual building. These last two chapters were the most effective for me as a reader.
There was a dark spot that I didn't appreciate reading. It was where a character faked, and later admitted to doing so, a sexual assault between themselves and an antagonist solely to get one of the main characters to act with violence. I just don't think "fake sexual assault" is a scene that is needed in literature published after the 1990's.
This story is somewhat effective in the 'gaslight, gatekeep, girlboss' nature of horror stories.
Two sets of characters have whirlwind relationships that end, of course, tragically. It feels a bit cheap and scripted to do it twice in the story and I am a bit resentful of how one of the relationships is ended. The ending of that relationship is action-packed but very quick
The last two chapters threw me for a loop at first.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Child death, Death, and Murder
Moderate: Sexual assault, Animal cruelty, Addiction, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, and Gun violence
Minor: Adult/minor relationship, Dementia, Car accident, Animal death, Sexual content, Drug use, Infidelity, and Bullying
halbo's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Sexual violence, Blood, Sexual assault, Abandonment, Toxic relationship, Stalking, Sexual content, Racism, Murder, Suicide, Violence, Sexism, Body horror, Racial slurs, and Infidelity
Moderate: Blood and Addiction
biblioghoul's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Death, Racism, Suicide, Violence, Death of parent, and Child death
Minor: Car accident and Infidelity
evavroslin's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
If you haven't read "The Good House" by Tananarive Due, though it was released originally in 2004, I urge readers to pick up a copy STAT. It is Black horror from one of the most brilliant voices in the field, as well as a professor who teaches Black horror at UCLA in a course, The Sunken Place. It is so much more than a haunted house story. There are ancestors who reach out to descendants to warn them about family curses and danger, love lost and regained, as well as the tragedy of losing a son in a violent manner. The protagonist, Angela, is dealing with so much overwhelming emotion, trying to get to the root of the circumstances of her son's brutal death, for which she will have to return to the house where it happened, a house she has avoided for the past two years because of extreme trauma. What she finds when she arrives is so much worse than anything she could have imagined.
Everything about this book is stellar--the incorporation of Haitian vodou in Angela's Toussaint family background, their origins in New Orleans, the signs that pointed her grandmother, Marie, to go to a specific house on the other coast of the country, the family curse, and so much more. The plot kept me turning the pages, feverishly trying to find out what would happen next. There were moments I shouted "No!" when I was reading, and praying for the safety of the main characters. The characterization was excellent, particularly the chapters of Angela's son, Corey, and showing the reader what he was going through mentally when he discovered parts of his family history unknown to him before, what he did with it, the consequences, and so much more. Due also nailed the teenager's dialogue. Angela is a strong woman but she is also fraying at the edges and has been for a long time. Her family's past was hidden from her purposely, as she was kept in the dark, something that comes back to haunt her in a huge way. As she races to discover what she must do to set things right, the plot goes into a frenzy of some of the best horror out there.
I hope that this work will be adapted as a film or television series, because it is absolutely one of Due's masterpieces in her voluminous body of work. Along with her short story collection, The Good House is my favourite of her amazing works.
Everything about this book is stellar--the incorporation of Haitian vodou in Angela's Toussaint family background, their origins in New Orleans, the signs that pointed her grandmother, Marie, to go to a specific house on the other coast of the country, the family curse, and so much more. The plot kept me turning the pages, feverishly trying to find out what would happen next. There were moments I shouted "No!" when I was reading, and praying for the safety of the main characters. The characterization was excellent, particularly the chapters of Angela's son, Corey, and showing the reader what he was going through mentally when he discovered parts of his family history unknown to him before, what he did with it, the consequences, and so much more. Due also nailed the teenager's dialogue. Angela is a strong woman but she is also fraying at the edges and has been for a long time. Her family's past was hidden from her purposely, as she was kept in the dark, something that comes back to haunt her in a huge way. As she races to discover what she must do to set things right, the plot goes into a frenzy of some of the best horror out there.
I hope that this work will be adapted as a film or television series, because it is absolutely one of Due's masterpieces in her voluminous body of work. Along with her short story collection, The Good House is my favourite of her amazing works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Violence, Racism, Racial slurs, Physical abuse, Murder, Mental illness, Infidelity, Gun violence, Grief, Forced institutionalization, Emotional abuse, Death, Child death, and Blood
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