Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
Solid 3 star read.
A family moves into a new home to flip it, not knowing what horror awaits them. First of all, when a door is NAILED SHUT or sealed, it would send some warning bells to maybe not mess with it, right?? Apparently not. Like true main characters, of course they did. I loved the story, and the paranormal elements had my heart racing at times. It was eerie and unnerving, and you never knew which scenes were true vs. illusion.
Where this book fell short for me was the third person POV. It's just not a style I prefer to read. I like to hear the characters' thoughts. The ending was also a bit abrupt and left me with more questions than answers. It didn't quite tie anything together it just kind of dropped some new info and ended.
Would I recommend it to someone looking for a quick horror read? Sure, but it wouldn't be at the top of the list.
A family moves into a new home to flip it, not knowing what horror awaits them. First of all, when a door is NAILED SHUT or sealed, it would send some warning bells to maybe not mess with it, right?? Apparently not. Like true main characters, of course they did. I loved the story, and the paranormal elements had my heart racing at times. It was eerie and unnerving, and you never knew which scenes were true vs. illusion.
Where this book fell short for me was the third person POV. It's just not a style I prefer to read. I like to hear the characters' thoughts. The ending was also a bit abrupt and left me with more questions than answers. It didn't quite tie anything together it just kind of dropped some new info and ended.
Would I recommend it to someone looking for a quick horror read? Sure, but it wouldn't be at the top of the list.
This was a surprisingly good horror story from the 90’s. A good dose of nostalgia and scarier than expected. I was listening to this when I was home alone at night. When the door to the shed blew open in the wind I nearly had a heart attack. The wind started rattling everything around the house, I had to stop listening and go to bed.
A couple, with a teenage daughter and a new child on its way buy a country side property in order to flip it. They know nothing about the house, but the door in the cellar nailed shut in the pattern of a cross is of course suspicious. Something has been in awakened and it’s coming for them. Once you’ve been marked, leaving won’t help, as a dead contractor can attest to.
Scary and quaint, a classic horror story - needless to say, somewhat reminiscent of “the Exorcist”, but still original in its own right.
A couple, with a teenage daughter and a new child on its way buy a country side property in order to flip it. They know nothing about the house, but the door in the cellar nailed shut in the pattern of a cross is of course suspicious. Something has been in awakened and it’s coming for them. Once you’ve been marked, leaving won’t help, as a dead contractor can attest to.
Scary and quaint, a classic horror story - needless to say, somewhat reminiscent of “the Exorcist”, but still original in its own right.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Nick Roberts' The Exorcist House is an entertaining horror read that balances creepy atmosphere, fast-paced action, and a fair share of gore. While it may not be groundbreaking in terms of plot, it excels at building tension and delivering unsettling moments.
The writing effectively captures the eerie presence of the demon, making it easy to imagine the chilling scenarios described. It kept me glued to the pages, especially during its more intense scenes.
That said, the characters can be frustrating at times—some decisions felt cheesy or unrealistic, and conflicts were often resolved too easily, which diminished the weight of the challenges they faced.
The story’s biggest letdown, though, is the ending. After such a strong buildup of suspense and tension, the final confrontation with the demon feels rushed and underwhelming. The climactic showdown lacked the excitement and depth it deserved, making the resolution feel boring and flat. For all the tension created earlier in the book, the conclusion didn’t provide the payoff I wanted.
Despite its flaws, The Exorcist House is still worth picking up for fans of atmospheric horror. It’s a quick, engaging read with enough chills and thrills to satisfy—just don’t expect a mind-blowing or fully satisfying conclusion.
The writing effectively captures the eerie presence of the demon, making it easy to imagine the chilling scenarios described. It kept me glued to the pages, especially during its more intense scenes.
That said, the characters can be frustrating at times—some decisions felt cheesy or unrealistic, and conflicts were often resolved too easily, which diminished the weight of the challenges they faced.
The story’s biggest letdown, though, is the ending. After such a strong buildup of suspense and tension, the final confrontation with the demon feels rushed and underwhelming. The climactic showdown lacked the excitement and depth it deserved, making the resolution feel boring and flat. For all the tension created earlier in the book, the conclusion didn’t provide the payoff I wanted.
Despite its flaws, The Exorcist House is still worth picking up for fans of atmospheric horror. It’s a quick, engaging read with enough chills and thrills to satisfy—just don’t expect a mind-blowing or fully satisfying conclusion.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Murder
Moderate: Infidelity
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
- This book is good; I enjoyed reading it — it is definitely overhyped. Repeat: this is a good book and I enjoyed reading it, but its reputation far exceeds what it actually contains.
- That being said, there are a couple shocking scenes in this book. There’s one scene involving the daughter that I think is possibly a masterful example of horror and of the idea “this is what the characters don’t see” that really ramps up the horror in this story.
- Keeping all that in mind, the ending was very Rosemary’s Baby, and I’m not sure that it added anything except cliche to the conclusion of the story. This book would have benefited from an ambiguous ending, and it feels like that was what the author was going for, maybe, but it felt a little bit like a heavy handed cudgel of an ending for me.
I regret reading this at night lol. One of the few books I’ve read to genuinely creep me out and make me feel unsettled in the dark while reading. Some parts were meh but overall this was very enjoyable.
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
- More grotesque than spooky
- you can see the ending from a mile away
- Overall a good book but nothing special
3.5 rounded to 4
The exorcist's house may not be full of surprises, but it definitely does its job.
The story, like the prose, is pretty straightforward. That looks like a conscious decision of the author, and I do like it. In fact, I read this in 3-4 sittings, which is much faster than my usual pace.
Being straightforward has its advantages: the pace never really slows down from the beginning to the end, the action is easy to follow and there aren't many characters to follow: it's definitely a smooth read.
It does also come with some downsides. The characters are far from flat. They were lovable and we're what kept me attached to the story.
Yet, the plot doesn't add much to the possession trope, and I knew more or less from the beginning how it was going to end. The atmosphere is not really strong, and the horror only relies on the classics of possession.
Definitely enjoyable, but not as scary as they have traditionally performed on the screen.
It was definitely an enjoyable read and I'll check out more stuff by the author.
The exorcist's house may not be full of surprises, but it definitely does its job.
The story, like the prose, is pretty straightforward. That looks like a conscious decision of the author, and I do like it. In fact, I read this in 3-4 sittings, which is much faster than my usual pace.
Being straightforward has its advantages: the pace never really slows down from the beginning to the end, the action is easy to follow and there aren't many characters to follow: it's definitely a smooth read.
It does also come with some downsides. The characters are far from flat. They were lovable and we're what kept me attached to the story.
Yet, the plot doesn't add much to the possession trope, and I knew more or less from the beginning how it was going to end. The atmosphere is not really strong, and the horror only relies on the classics of possession.
Definitely enjoyable, but not as scary as they have traditionally performed on the screen.
It was definitely an enjoyable read and I'll check out more stuff by the author.
I found this book more annoying than anything. I only had two hours left on the audiobook but I just would rather not.