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blogthatbook's review against another edition
4.0
I'm struggling with just how to write this review because I've never read a book quite like this before.
Like so many books I buy, it was the cover of this one that attracted me, I was also quite intrigued by the blurb. Then I discovered this story is based on the classic 'The Fall of the House of Usher' by Edgar Allan Poe, which I haven't read, and since I'm trying to stretch myself and read some of the more notable classics, I thought this might be an interesting read.
I'm not really into horror books, although I have read a few, and I'm always willing to try different things, this doesn't really fall into that category in my opinion. It is about a haunted house and there are spooky things going on but the majority of that is actually downplayed as we see everything through the eyes of Madeline, the main character, who is stronger than she realises and resists a lot of the horrors surrounding her.
Bethany Griffin does a fantastic job of giving her prose the feel of old world writing without resorting to the complex and often cumbersome wording of those classics. She also adds a great deal of interest by making her chapters incredibly short, anywhere from half a page to a maximum of four pages, and she jumps into different ages of the main character with each chapter change. This technique also allows the author to focus specifically on meaningful aspects of Madeline's life, resulting in the fact that there is no 'fat' in this book, every sentence is relevant.
The ending was not what I was expecting, but I have to say I think it was more satisfying, in the context of the book, than the obvious 'happy ever after'.
I really enjoyed this read, although it's hard to use the word enjoy, simply because of the horrendous life having to be endured by Madeline, but it was utterly intriguing, mainly down to the way the author constructed the story through the book's layout. This was definitely a memorable experience.
Like so many books I buy, it was the cover of this one that attracted me, I was also quite intrigued by the blurb. Then I discovered this story is based on the classic 'The Fall of the House of Usher' by Edgar Allan Poe, which I haven't read, and since I'm trying to stretch myself and read some of the more notable classics, I thought this might be an interesting read.
I'm not really into horror books, although I have read a few, and I'm always willing to try different things, this doesn't really fall into that category in my opinion. It is about a haunted house and there are spooky things going on but the majority of that is actually downplayed as we see everything through the eyes of Madeline, the main character, who is stronger than she realises and resists a lot of the horrors surrounding her.
Bethany Griffin does a fantastic job of giving her prose the feel of old world writing without resorting to the complex and often cumbersome wording of those classics. She also adds a great deal of interest by making her chapters incredibly short, anywhere from half a page to a maximum of four pages, and she jumps into different ages of the main character with each chapter change. This technique also allows the author to focus specifically on meaningful aspects of Madeline's life, resulting in the fact that there is no 'fat' in this book, every sentence is relevant.
The ending was not what I was expecting, but I have to say I think it was more satisfying, in the context of the book, than the obvious 'happy ever after'.
I really enjoyed this read, although it's hard to use the word enjoy, simply because of the horrendous life having to be endured by Madeline, but it was utterly intriguing, mainly down to the way the author constructed the story through the book's layout. This was definitely a memorable experience.
lovebeingfelicia's review against another edition
5.0
I loved this book! It's well written, if you can follow, and if you can, it is such an amazing book! So creepy! So good! I'm trembling as I write this review! A must read for all the YA lovers!
sandygx260's review against another edition
2.0
Reading this book reminded me of playing ping pong sans the physical effort. Madeline is nine! Madeline is 12! Madeline is 17, Madeline is 13...
This novels overreaches and, while ambitious, falls apart much like the creepy House of Usher. The telling is too fractured, too scattered to hold the reader's interest. The ricocheting structure made sure I never forgot I read a book. Despite the abundance of atmosphere and anxiety, I never sank into the dark flow.
It's s shame... without the scrambled pacing, this book might have been something intriguing.
I tried, I really tried to feel the terror and decay. I even took a few hours on a dreary Sunday to finish the book, thinking perhaps I needed to immerse myself in the story to make it work. Ultimately I reached the end, shrugged, and moved along to the next book.
Never a good sign.
This novels overreaches and, while ambitious, falls apart much like the creepy House of Usher. The telling is too fractured, too scattered to hold the reader's interest. The ricocheting structure made sure I never forgot I read a book. Despite the abundance of atmosphere and anxiety, I never sank into the dark flow.
It's s shame... without the scrambled pacing, this book might have been something intriguing.
I tried, I really tried to feel the terror and decay. I even took a few hours on a dreary Sunday to finish the book, thinking perhaps I needed to immerse myself in the story to make it work. Ultimately I reached the end, shrugged, and moved along to the next book.
Never a good sign.
brokenchell's review against another edition
5.0
This is a great take on The House Of Usher. I felt like Madeleine was my friend and was cheering for her through the whole book, praying and hoping she could find a way to break the House Of Usher curse. I think Mr. Poe would very much like this take on his story...
jeslyncat's review against another edition
3.0
I didn't love this. It was trying a little too hard to be creepy and there wasn't a lot of plot. Also, unlike Griffin's other phenomenal re-tellings, I didn't feel any connection to the Poe story until the last two pages.
deedralapray's review against another edition
5.0
I'm a huge Poe fan, so it isn't any wonder that I loved this book! The story of the Ushers is told in great detail in true Poe style! Fabulous!
pantsreads's review against another edition
3.0
betwixt_the_pages's review against another edition
4.0
Madeline Usher is doomed.
She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.
Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.
In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down? The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: creepy and horrifying story!; a "makes you ponder/question everything" ending; a lot of mystery; a horror-spun retelling
Please keep in mind I haven't actually READ Edgar Allan Poe's [bc:The Fall of the House of Usher|175516|The Fall of the House of Usher|Edgar Allan Poe|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387708966s/175516.jpg|15570703], and therefore am only basing my review on THIS rendition!
That being said: I didn't get the feeling, at any point in my reading, that I NEEDED to read Poe's original story before reading this; this novel seems to bridge the gap between the two stories with enough exposition and postulation to make it almost seamless. While there were some confusing instances in the writing, I think that had more to do with the way this was written than with incongruities or inconsistencies.
Starting this book...well, it was pretty horrifying. The things that Madeline and her twin, Roderick, go through during their time in the Usher house were just...I found myself biting my lip, or clenching my fingers together, to keep from fidgeting in agitation or anxiousness. Because there is a curse on the Ushers...but in this rendition of the story, the house itself is a BIG part of it. The house itself is alive.
The characters and their motivations are unclear at first; it takes a little getting-used-to to figure out that this story mostly follows Madeline/her life trapped in the house's walls. While we get glimpses of Roderick's life at school, they are through Madeline's eyes, and are only mere snippets.
The writing is very easy to get into, and the pages go really quickly. Each character introduced serves some purpose to the story, though not all of them stick around longer than a few days/weeks. In fact, many of them simply disappear... And the parents! Don't get me started here. I WAS confused, at one point--the twins are remembering a funeral, and they seem to both think it was one or the other parent's...but they each remember it being the OTHER parents from the other twin's memory. So I was left thinking...did the parents even die? Or did they just vanish into the depths of the house, like the ill-fated characters in Stephen King's [bc:The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red|32703|The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer My Life at Rose Red|Joyce Reardon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347342685s/32703.jpg|88830] or Mark Z. Danielewski's [bc:House of Leaves|24800|House of Leaves|Mark Z. Danielewski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403889034s/24800.jpg|856555]??? And if the parents really DID die....then who is it at the end, digging in the dirt, searching for I can only assume Madeline? Or was it perhaps the Doctor again, crazy in his obsession to cut open the dead and study their insides?
There weren't too many questions left unanswered aside from the one above, and I think the one above was left unanswered for a purpose. Like those horror movies that end on a questioning note, I think the last chapter of this book was written not only for the creepy factor, but to make readers think and come up with their own interpretations.
Overall, this was a REALLY enjoyable read for me! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who's read and enjoyed the books mentioned above; a real page-turner, gripping in story and creep factor. If you enjoy books that leave you thinking, that twist your fears inside out and leave you sleepless at night, this is for you!
She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.
Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.
In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down? The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Quick Reasons: creepy and horrifying story!; a "makes you ponder/question everything" ending; a lot of mystery; a horror-spun retelling
Please keep in mind I haven't actually READ Edgar Allan Poe's [bc:The Fall of the House of Usher|175516|The Fall of the House of Usher|Edgar Allan Poe|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1387708966s/175516.jpg|15570703], and therefore am only basing my review on THIS rendition!
That being said: I didn't get the feeling, at any point in my reading, that I NEEDED to read Poe's original story before reading this; this novel seems to bridge the gap between the two stories with enough exposition and postulation to make it almost seamless. While there were some confusing instances in the writing, I think that had more to do with the way this was written than with incongruities or inconsistencies.
Starting this book...well, it was pretty horrifying. The things that Madeline and her twin, Roderick, go through during their time in the Usher house were just...I found myself biting my lip, or clenching my fingers together, to keep from fidgeting in agitation or anxiousness. Because there is a curse on the Ushers...but in this rendition of the story, the house itself is a BIG part of it. The house itself is alive.
The characters and their motivations are unclear at first; it takes a little getting-used-to to figure out that this story mostly follows Madeline/her life trapped in the house's walls. While we get glimpses of Roderick's life at school, they are through Madeline's eyes, and are only mere snippets.
The writing is very easy to get into, and the pages go really quickly. Each character introduced serves some purpose to the story, though not all of them stick around longer than a few days/weeks. In fact, many of them simply disappear... And the parents! Don't get me started here. I WAS confused, at one point--the twins are remembering a funeral, and they seem to both think it was one or the other parent's...but they each remember it being the OTHER parents from the other twin's memory. So I was left thinking...did the parents even die? Or did they just vanish into the depths of the house, like the ill-fated characters in Stephen King's [bc:The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer: My Life at Rose Red|32703|The Diary of Ellen Rimbauer My Life at Rose Red|Joyce Reardon|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1347342685s/32703.jpg|88830] or Mark Z. Danielewski's [bc:House of Leaves|24800|House of Leaves|Mark Z. Danielewski|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1403889034s/24800.jpg|856555]??? And if the parents really DID die....then who is it at the end, digging in the dirt, searching for I can only assume Madeline? Or was it perhaps the Doctor again, crazy in his obsession to cut open the dead and study their insides?
There weren't too many questions left unanswered aside from the one above, and I think the one above was left unanswered for a purpose. Like those horror movies that end on a questioning note, I think the last chapter of this book was written not only for the creepy factor, but to make readers think and come up with their own interpretations.
Overall, this was a REALLY enjoyable read for me! I'd definitely recommend it to anyone who's read and enjoyed the books mentioned above; a real page-turner, gripping in story and creep factor. If you enjoy books that leave you thinking, that twist your fears inside out and leave you sleepless at night, this is for you!
laughlinesandliterature's review against another edition
3.0
*I received this book from Edelweiss, in exchange for an honest review*
The Fall was an interesting take on The Fall of the House of Usher. I really liked Madeline and her determination to survive. The book was well-written in a haunting voice, which definitely carried the mystery of the original Edgar Allan Poe story.
The characters were well-written, and I definitely enjoyed Madeline more than any of the others. The house being prescient really creeped me out, and I did end up getting really sucked into the whole story. The one thing that took me awhile to get used to was the flashbacks where the POV changes to a younger Madeline. It definitely added to the story, but it was a little off-putting.
The story did start dragging through the middle, it felt quite repetitive. I think it was supposed to help build up the end, but I wanted to scream “Get on with it!” However, the middle did start to show how evil the house could be. It really showed that the house took in people and twisted and consumed them for its own needs. It was incredibly disturbing, but very enthralling.
The ending was the high point of the story, it really showed the mysterious nature of the house. It was a great gothic novel like the others Bethany Griffin has written. She did a fantastic job setting the mood to be dark and dreary. I would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars, for its intriguing but disturbing nature.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2014/10/the-fall-by-bethany-griffin-review.html*
The Fall was an interesting take on The Fall of the House of Usher. I really liked Madeline and her determination to survive. The book was well-written in a haunting voice, which definitely carried the mystery of the original Edgar Allan Poe story.
The characters were well-written, and I definitely enjoyed Madeline more than any of the others. The house being prescient really creeped me out, and I did end up getting really sucked into the whole story. The one thing that took me awhile to get used to was the flashbacks where the POV changes to a younger Madeline. It definitely added to the story, but it was a little off-putting.
The story did start dragging through the middle, it felt quite repetitive. I think it was supposed to help build up the end, but I wanted to scream “Get on with it!” However, the middle did start to show how evil the house could be. It really showed that the house took in people and twisted and consumed them for its own needs. It was incredibly disturbing, but very enthralling.
The ending was the high point of the story, it really showed the mysterious nature of the house. It was a great gothic novel like the others Bethany Griffin has written. She did a fantastic job setting the mood to be dark and dreary. I would give it 3.5 out of 5 stars, for its intriguing but disturbing nature.
*This review was first posted to Moonlight Gleam Reviews http://moonlightgleam.com/2014/10/the-fall-by-bethany-griffin-review.html*
postitsandpens's review against another edition
2.0
I am the first to rave about my love for Bethany Griffin’s first book, Masque of the Red Death, which was a retelling of the short story by the same name. I hadn’t read the second one – own it, but haven’t read it – but knowing how well she did the gothic atmospheric thing in Masque, I was convinced that The Fall – a retelling of The Fall of the House of Usher – would be in the same vein. And I guess in a way it was; just like she did with Masque, the strength of this book came from her descriptions of the desolate land surrounding the crumbling and creepy House of Usher and the broken down shabbiness of the house itself. Unfortunately, that’s really all The Fall had going for it; I was pretty much disappointed in nearly every single other aspect from beginning to end.
To see my full review, please go here.
***
To see more of my reviews, please visit me @ Read and Reviewed!
To see my full review, please go here.
***
To see more of my reviews, please visit me @ Read and Reviewed!