Reviews

The Misery House by David Duane Kummer

stephanien's review

medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Loveable characters? Yes

3.0

 

The Misery House is the first book in a planned trilogy, and I thought this one set up the story quite well, even if it was a quite slow at times. And by slow, I mean it took a very long time to get to the house and even now, I won't even pretend I understand anything about it.  The author did have a very descriptive writing style that drew you into the lives of the characters, but upon looking back, that's exactly what the story was about, the lives of the characters. And while I don't mind descriptive writing, I would have liked to have seen more build up of the atmosphere, some more horror, some tension, but it was a bit lacking overall.

 

At this point, I'm still on the fence about the use of multiple POV in this book, at least from the whole family. I enjoyed learning about the Woods family and their different perspectives on things, and I definitely enjoyed the author's writing style when it came to the characters, but the way it was written left some gaps in the story line. Because of this writing style, it was left to the reader to assume the sheriff believed certain things because the characters said so, not because you actually got to witness his behaviour through the story. Or Malaki, we just assume he is this horrible person because of someone else's POV, but never really see anyone else's POV or hear his side of things.  I am not a fan of assumptive story telling as I would prefer to draw my own conclusions about characters, not be led around by the nose.  Now Malaki has this association with the house, we hear all these rumours about it through other characters, but where is the investigation or where are the dialogues about this behaviour? Nowhere.

 

I did enjoy this book quite a bit, but that doesn't mean I was oblivious to the plot holes.  The author has a great writing style that I enjoyed, he has a way of drawing you in, but he does make use of assumptions way too much. When Kaia's best friend Allison goes missing, a witness saw her in that creepy abandoned house, but the sheriff doesn't go looking for her asap? Why not? Why does he arrest someone else in the community instead? We don't even get to see that part of the story, it's all told through other characters and how angry they are.  And personally, it doesn't really make sense. As a reader, we are just told this is what happened, but the why is glossed over and we are expected to just accept it without motivation or cause.  Uh uh, not me.  And Kaia? The minute she got that text from Allison, why would she not report it or at least text her back?  And then get all upset because nothing is being done.  What?! The author was trying to build up suspense, but honestly, the scene with Nate and Naomi when they were cycling past the house is the way to go as that scene had me rushing through the pages.  Withholding info, never a good way to create tension or to create a way for someone to go investigating on their own.  

 

Verdict

The Misery House had a lot going for it, definitely enough that I will be grabbing the second book when it is released in June (The Silent Forest).  It does have a lot that I love in a haunted house book, and the author's writing style does draw you into the story and the characters' lives. There were a lot of gaps however, that were not explained or covered up through assumptions, and the ending definitely lowered my rating as the book simply...ended. And honestly, there is just so many times you can read about a character having an 'ick' feeling about something, but do nothing about it, before you start rolling your eyes. That being said, I am curious about that dang house, so I have to read book 2. 

chasityk's review

adventurous challenging mysterious tense medium-paced

3.0

book_leigh's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

This was a good, creepy novel. It’s told from multiple points of view, along with several points of view that only come in maybe once or twice. Primarily, this story is about the house on the hill that is known to be haunted, or that something lives in it and the effect it appears to have on the town and people. Sudden disappearances, fires, deaths...strange things are happening as well as a new family has come into this small town. It ends on a cliffhanger so be prepared to get book 2 so you can see how it resolves! 

myraj21's review

challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

When I saw this book revolves around a house I honestly thought it wasn’t going to be that creepy I haven’t slept properly for 3 days 

rachael_amber's review

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

3.25

3.25 stars. I received a free e-copy of this book via Voracious Readers in exchange for an honest review.
Very atmospheric novel, with great characters and a few twists and turns. I especially liked Kaia and I wish there had been more chapters with her. Malaki is also very intriguing and I can't work out his motives at all! I loved the haunted house vibe. A great read for spooky season!

lisa01's review

4.0

This is a enticing story and easily kept me flipping pages. I finished this in a couple days. I was anxious watching the percent of book left verses where the story was going. I wondered if it was going to reach 100 percent before the story ended. It was a close call!  I know this is only nook 1 in the series  and I am hoping the next one will give me some closure to unanswered questions. This one spends time getting deep into the characters and build the story with a lot of unknowns and suspense. I eagerly look forward to the next in the series. 

jemery07's review

adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

Within a small town where “outsiders” are quickly noticed and slowly accepted, the new people are obviously the first suspects when anything changes.But it’s not just the new people that seem off here, it’s also an entire area around an abandoned house. However people seem much more drawn to finding out about the every house than the new members of town.
Even married to a local man, Naomi knows what it’s like to be a “newcomer” and with her kids being born and raised there, they are often still seen as “different”. Torn between siding with his friends and supporting his wife, Cliff must make a decision. Naomi will not stand for people being treated he way she was and wants everyone to stay away from the abandoned house.
This book is un-put-down-able and I am eagerly waiting for the rest of the series.

faithfulgirl4's review

challenging dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

 

I love a good mystery/thriller/horror story and this one did not disappoint!

The Woods family lives in New Haven, a small family oriented town. The kind of town where everyone knows everyone and everything that happens there. Lots of farmland, historic homes, and nothing for teenagers to do except find trouble at the closest watering hole. I grew up in a place like this!

There's this house on a hill that is just plain weird. No one wants to go near it except for the kids taking stupid dares on a weekend night in the middle of a thunderstorm.

One day, a fire breaks out and two bodies are found. Then a girl goes missing. What else could go wrong? Oh, yes, there's a new family in town and anytime someone new moves in, they are automatically labeled as "suspicious".

This book ends in a cliffhanger, so if you don't like that kind of stuff, well....you're missing out. There are a lot of twists and turns in this book and a few mysterious characters that I must learn more about. The next book can't be dropped soon enough!

 

bilberrysweet's review

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

5.0

I love stories that are around creepy abandoned houses. Is the house haunted? What secrets do the old walls hold? The setting of New Haven is beautiful orchestrated and brings the reader onto the suffocating life a small town can bring. The setting brought the story to life in my reader's mind and kept me turning the pages until the end! Thoroughly enjoyed this story!!!

shannlynn's review

adventurous dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

5.0

I hadn’t read anything by this author before, and what a way to introduce themselves! The Misery House is definitely a psychological thriller you won’t want to put down. It twists and turns, making you change what you think the outcome will be (which you’ll never see coming anyway!) I love the flow, the characters, and the fact that it is told from multiple points of view. The only thing I didn’t like about this book was that there wasn’t more to read! But that just means I get to continue the adventure when the next book comes out, and you better believe I’m keeping an eye out for that one. I need to know what happens next!