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3.92 AVERAGE
3.92 AVERAGE
spooky
This was a beautifully written story. The descriptions were so vivid I felt like I was watching a movie. Loved it!
This was a beautifully written story. The descriptions were so vivid I felt like I was watching a movie. Loved it!
it was fine. just fine.
and then it wasn't.
it wasn't until the ultimate climax, and proceeding ending that made me feel something about this book.
SPOILERS FROM HERE
Nora and her unborn child have fairly strong plot armor. you mean to tell me that they survive a car crash that totaled the car, and she falls face first on the stairs and subsequently rolls the rest of the way down, specifically noting that her stomach makes impact more than once, and nothing affects the fetus? bullshit.
and then the actual ending: we watch a powerful demon perform it's spectacle of evil, including killing the priest and then transforming into a massive flaming behemoth, picking up Daniel by the mouth, be taken down by a flashlight with a cross taped onto it ???? and then all of a sudden Merle and Luke's ghosts both appear, they complete the exorcism with said flashlight, and then seal the gateway with a quick prayer and a splash of holy water?????? why was this not done in the first place???? these ghosts received no new instructions or directions to complete these, so why did they let the entire family go through this trauma, rather than finish the job themselves? especially when this could have been completed before either of them perished????
i felt no strong opinions towards this book at first. it was just kind of...there. the ending just really let me down with its underwhelming simplicity.
and then it wasn't.
it wasn't until the ultimate climax, and proceeding ending that made me feel something about this book.
SPOILERS FROM HERE
Nora and her unborn child have fairly strong plot armor. you mean to tell me that they survive a car crash that totaled the car, and she falls face first on the stairs and subsequently rolls the rest of the way down, specifically noting that her stomach makes impact more than once, and nothing affects the fetus? bullshit.
and then the actual ending: we watch a powerful demon perform it's spectacle of evil, including killing the priest and then transforming into a massive flaming behemoth, picking up Daniel by the mouth, be taken down by a flashlight with a cross taped onto it ???? and then all of a sudden Merle and Luke's ghosts both appear, they complete the exorcism with said flashlight, and then seal the gateway with a quick prayer and a splash of holy water?????? why was this not done in the first place???? these ghosts received no new instructions or directions to complete these, so why did they let the entire family go through this trauma, rather than finish the job themselves? especially when this could have been completed before either of them perished????
i felt no strong opinions towards this book at first. it was just kind of...there. the ending just really let me down with its underwhelming simplicity.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
The story itself was fantastic. I spent the entire time yelling at the Hill family to LEAVE ALREADY!!! I mean, really. Who buys the house of a known exorcist who dies in a mysterious fire? It doesn’t matter how good of a bargain it is! Great characters, interesting story, and that ending. Dang! But there were enough grammatical errors and poorly edited portions of the book that it was incredibly distracting.
dark
tense
medium-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
This was such a good, creepy horror novel! It was atmospheric and I liked the tension that built throughout the book. I was surprised at how it creeped up on me throughout the days I read it. It's by far not the scariest thing I have read, but the overall imagery was good, and I found myself having a diffiult time putting it down.
The characters could get annoying at times, and I found the dialogue rough around the edges. Many of the parts are not believeable, but I also typically don't go into stories in this trope needing it to feel that way. It's cheesy in an unapologetic way, and I didn't find that to be a downfall in this instance.
The ending felt very, very rushed, which is where it fell flat for me. We have all this buildup, all this excitement, all this anticipation for the big ending. It felt like an afterthought unfortunately, when I have a feeling it could have been extraordinary. And then the epilogue I just did not care for at all, and while I know there is a sequel, probably won't read it for that reason. I know this one gets mixed reviews and it is not perfect, but you may enjoy it if you like a good haunted house/religious horror that is on the "lighter side" for scares.
This was such a fun read, I was hooked and the only reason this wasn’t a 5 star is entirely personal preference. I didn’t like the epilogue/ second ending. I get it but I would have preferred it to end happily. The book had so many horror tropes and fun bits that I kind of just wish it ended completely happily, no loose ends!
I enjoyed the characters a lot, loved their family dynamic. Merle, Luke, Buck- all incredible. The comeback- ICONIC. I really loved that so it’s a high 4 star!
I enjoyed the characters a lot, loved their family dynamic. Merle, Luke, Buck- all incredible. The comeback- ICONIC. I really loved that so it’s a high 4 star!
challenging
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
taylor swift 2023 reading challenge
⤑ red: a book with a red cover
it's red. argue with a wall
⤑ red: a book with a red cover
it's red. argue with a wall