Reviews - Heart-Shaped Box

2.99k reviews for:

Heart-Shaped Box

Joe Hill

3.68 AVERAGE

catondukeys's review against another edition

3.0

Good story, but dark and violent.

numberlessdreams's review against another edition

4.0

I really enjoyed this book. At first, the basic idea sounds a bit hokey: an aging rocker buys a haunted suit online. But the story kept delivering more and more chills, even when I couldn't see how it could get creepier. And the story gets more and more involved, sucking you in deeper. The ending did cross a line for me--the supernatural element got a bit too powerful--which is why the book doesn't get 5 stars. Otherwise, I thought it was wonderfully written, and the audio book is very professionally narrated.

jami_n_snyder89's review against another edition

4.0

Really enjoyed this one for the most past. Joe Hill definitely inherited his father’s talent. The story itself was creepy but also intriguing. I honestly didn’t know how it would end and I was surprised that our two main characters actually made it, their growth also surprised me. Definitely hated the main character for most of the book, which I think was the point…. But he was written well.

kelleycailin's review against another edition

4.25

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: Yes

theroadphotos's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

austinalexander's review against another edition

4.5

dark emotional mysterious medium-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

skayre's review against another edition

4.0

I'm trying a new format for my reviews that I'm hoping will allow me to put my thoughts in order!

PWOGSCO review for Heart-Shaped Box

Plot
Interesting ghost story for the modern age. A jaded rock musician with an interest in the occult buys a ghost on an online bidding. There are quite a few twists and turns that made me want to keep on reading. This is a horror book with some cool and disturbing moments but I wouldn't consider it scary.

World Building
Heart-Shaped box takes place in our world. All the supernatural elements make sense and are consistent within the story.

Grammar and Orthography
The sentence structure was clear and I couldn't find any misspellings at all which is very rare!

Style
I found the style confident and efficient, reminiscent of Stephen King (although that might be my knowledge of their relationship coloring my impressions!). The pace was punchy but I didn't stumble upon any construction or turn of phrase that I found especially witty or memorable. I think this plays to the strengths of the book - it the style was too elaborate it would lose the down-to-earth quality that is such an integral part of it.

Characterization
This was for me the strongest point of the book. Jude, the main character, is far from your typical protagonist. He's flawed, selfish and sometimes impatient to the point of violence, but in a way that makes sense given his upbringing and career. He learns quite a bit about himself over the course of the story and undergoes a very personal journey.

Overall
Heart-Shaped box was an easy and satisfying read. I went in for the horror aspect but stayed for the plot developments. I can see myself reading other books by Joe Hill in the future.