You need to sign in or sign up before continuing.
Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
medium-paced
Absolutely Enthralling
Nick Roberts writes this novel in a way that fully engages the reader. The entire book, from the prologue to the credits, read in a way that it played like a movie through my mind. It did have a few of the typical tropes found in other horror books, however, the way Nick delivers them is smooth, fluid, and natural.
Usually with "haunted house"-type books, they come off as cheesy versus spooky - But not The Exorcist's House!!
The prologue starts with Merle Blatty's final moments of his life as an exorcist. Following his death, the farmhouse he had lived in goes up for sale. A small, but growing, family buys it and moves a couple states over to settle in. The Hill family - Daniel, his pregnant wife - Nora, along with their teenage daughter, Alice all move into their new house. While unpacking their stuff and settling in, Daniel sees that the basement door has been nailed shut. Upon further inspection, he sees that the nails are in the shape of a crucifix and decides that he just has to investigate. Scattered amongst the previous owner's left-behind belongings, Daniel finds a small door that is also quite difficult to open. He persists, and ultimately finds a cement room with nothing out of the ordinary inside... except for a well that's been sealed shut and adorned with a rosary and another crucifix. Daniel being Daniel decides to un-seal the well - and that's when all hell breaks loose for the Hill family. Literally.
This was undoubtedly a full 5-star read for me. I cannot wait to read more from this author!
Nick Roberts writes this novel in a way that fully engages the reader. The entire book, from the prologue to the credits, read in a way that it played like a movie through my mind. It did have a few of the typical tropes found in other horror books, however, the way Nick delivers them is smooth, fluid, and natural.
Usually with "haunted house"-type books, they come off as cheesy versus spooky - But not The Exorcist's House!!
The prologue starts with Merle Blatty's final moments of his life as an exorcist. Following his death, the farmhouse he had lived in goes up for sale. A small, but growing, family buys it and moves a couple states over to settle in. The Hill family - Daniel, his pregnant wife - Nora, along with their teenage daughter, Alice all move into their new house. While unpacking their stuff and settling in, Daniel sees that the basement door has been nailed shut. Upon further inspection, he sees that the nails are in the shape of a crucifix and decides that he just has to investigate. Scattered amongst the previous owner's left-behind belongings, Daniel finds a small door that is also quite difficult to open. He persists, and ultimately finds a cement room with nothing out of the ordinary inside... except for a well that's been sealed shut and adorned with a rosary and another crucifix. Daniel being Daniel decides to un-seal the well - and that's when all hell breaks loose for the Hill family. Literally.
This was undoubtedly a full 5-star read for me. I cannot wait to read more from this author!
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Could not get into it. Writing was lacking. Did not draw me in. Did not connect with any of the characters. DNF’d at 70%
I was turned off by the part where the ghost showed itself for the first time in the basement.
dark
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
I’ll say that some descriptions were very disturbing and it certainly does pick up in the end… but, for all the “scariest books I ever read” lists that included this near the top? The scariest part for me was just how dumb some of these characters’ decisions were.
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated