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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
fast-paced
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Otro libro que me dicen que es muy bueno y que da mucho miedo. Miedo da bien poco, y no digo que sea malo, sino más bien que no es para mi.
Desde que lo empecé se me hizo pesada la escritura, no la he disfrutado nada, la trama me parece un poco sosita y que no tiene nada destacable.
Últimamente no disfruto mucho de las lecturas que estoy haciendo, no sé si soy yo o que tengo que ir replanteándome lo que escojo, porque ya he leído tanto que no me sirve cualquier cosa.
Desde que lo empecé se me hizo pesada la escritura, no la he disfrutado nada, la trama me parece un poco sosita y que no tiene nada destacable.
Últimamente no disfruto mucho de las lecturas que estoy haciendo, no sé si soy yo o que tengo que ir replanteándome lo que escojo, porque ya he leído tanto que no me sirve cualquier cosa.
Gave up on audiobook at 24%. Main character, Jude, is an aging edgelord rocker who fucks goth chicks half his age and kicks his dogs. Yeah, I am going to give a shit about this character. Was rooting for the ghost for about a minute before I decided that I also didn't care about the ghost at all.
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Perfectly scary; I was deliciously tense the entire time. A terrifying ghost story.
(trigger warning: parental abuse.)
(trigger warning: parental abuse.)
For those of you who don’t know, Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son. This was my first Joe Hill novel, and I definitely plan on reading more.
The story follows an aging rock star, 54-year-old Judas Coyne who is a collector of macabre objects. So when he sees a notice on an auction site stating that they are selling their stepfather’s ghost to the highest bidder, how could he refuse? So for a thousand dollars, Jude becomes the proud owner of the dead man’s suit, which, the ad claimed, is haunted by a spirit.
So yeah, that didn’t work out so well for him.
When it arrives, Jude and his most recent girlfriend Georgia (whose real name is Mary Beth - he always nicknames is girlfriends from the state their from: Florida, Georgia, etc.) quickly learn that this suit isn’t some relic that you can tuck on the top shelf of a closet and ignore.
Nope. This is the real deal, and they soon learn that the ghost’s name is Craddock McDermott and he isn’t only impossible to get rid of, he is vengeful and extremely dangerous — and he is scary as hell.
The ghost soon begins messing with their minds and taking over their thoughts (turns out he was a sadistic hypnotist in life) all the while bringing that gleaming razor blade that he dangles on a chain from his bony hand ever closer. I found this part especially terrifying: how in the hell can you battle a ghost that has the ability to take over and control your mind?
From this point on the story moves with a spine-tingling urgency. Jude wants the ghost gone, and the ghost wants Jude — and anyone who interferes — dead.
It’s difficult to talk too much about this type of book without giving away the story. Let me just say that pretty much each chapter is a battle for survival and this fast-paced story grows more and more intense and more and more frightening and vivid. The tension continues to escalate as there is a desperate race to somehow stop this relentless ghost before it kills both Jude and Mary Beth. This is a haunting that goes to extremes.
The Heart-Shaped Box wasn’t just a scary ghost story. It also ended by being a deep and self-revelatory story for our characters and Hill took us on an amazing ride to do so.
A word of warning — this is by no means a cute little ghost story. The novel is a gritty, dark and sinister tale of revenge from beyond the grave with some gory bits even thrown in. The characters of Jude and Marybeth were flawed, real, and relatable and Craddock….well, Craddock was utterly chilling…spine-tinglingly so. So in this way, the book was an excellent characters study as well as a frightening ghost story.
All in all, I loved this engaging book though it scared the hell out of me. It had a clever plot, gripping twists and turns, beautiful prose and the ultimate creepy villain. This is the kind of book that makes you want to keep all the lights on.
This review was originally posted on my book review blog at rogersreads.com
The story follows an aging rock star, 54-year-old Judas Coyne who is a collector of macabre objects. So when he sees a notice on an auction site stating that they are selling their stepfather’s ghost to the highest bidder, how could he refuse? So for a thousand dollars, Jude becomes the proud owner of the dead man’s suit, which, the ad claimed, is haunted by a spirit.
So yeah, that didn’t work out so well for him.
When it arrives, Jude and his most recent girlfriend Georgia (whose real name is Mary Beth - he always nicknames is girlfriends from the state their from: Florida, Georgia, etc.) quickly learn that this suit isn’t some relic that you can tuck on the top shelf of a closet and ignore.
Nope. This is the real deal, and they soon learn that the ghost’s name is Craddock McDermott and he isn’t only impossible to get rid of, he is vengeful and extremely dangerous — and he is scary as hell.
The ghost soon begins messing with their minds and taking over their thoughts (turns out he was a sadistic hypnotist in life) all the while bringing that gleaming razor blade that he dangles on a chain from his bony hand ever closer. I found this part especially terrifying: how in the hell can you battle a ghost that has the ability to take over and control your mind?
From this point on the story moves with a spine-tingling urgency. Jude wants the ghost gone, and the ghost wants Jude — and anyone who interferes — dead.
It’s difficult to talk too much about this type of book without giving away the story. Let me just say that pretty much each chapter is a battle for survival and this fast-paced story grows more and more intense and more and more frightening and vivid. The tension continues to escalate as there is a desperate race to somehow stop this relentless ghost before it kills both Jude and Mary Beth. This is a haunting that goes to extremes.
The Heart-Shaped Box wasn’t just a scary ghost story. It also ended by being a deep and self-revelatory story for our characters and Hill took us on an amazing ride to do so.
A word of warning — this is by no means a cute little ghost story. The novel is a gritty, dark and sinister tale of revenge from beyond the grave with some gory bits even thrown in. The characters of Jude and Marybeth were flawed, real, and relatable and Craddock….well, Craddock was utterly chilling…spine-tinglingly so. So in this way, the book was an excellent characters study as well as a frightening ghost story.
All in all, I loved this engaging book though it scared the hell out of me. It had a clever plot, gripping twists and turns, beautiful prose and the ultimate creepy villain. This is the kind of book that makes you want to keep all the lights on.
This review was originally posted on my book review blog at rogersreads.com
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Pedophilia, Rape, Self harm, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Trafficking, Kidnapping, Religious bigotry, Stalking, Suicide attempt, Gaslighting, Sexual harassment
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Pedophilia, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual violence, Suicide, Suicide attempt
Semi-retired rocker Judas Coyne has an odd collection. He's drawn to the macabre. Some things he's purchased over the years, others were gifts from adoring fans. Things like a used hangman's noose and a snuff film. When given the opportunity to purchase a ghost at an online auction site Jude launched on the opportunity. A few days later the token of his purchase arrives. A old suit once worn by the deceased. The seller guarantees the ghost will come along with it.
It isn't long after that things begin to get creepy.
Turns out the ghost is well acquainted with Jude and he's not very happy with the aging metal head. A couple of encounters is all it takes for Jude and his young groupie/girlfriend Georgia to want to be rid of the ghost.
By now it's no secret that Joe Hill is Stephen King's son. Don't know if it was ever meant to be a secret, however, I can say that I greatly respect Joe for not using his father's name to get somewhere in the publishing world. He obviously wants to stand on his own two literary feet and with this debut novel he accomplishes just that.
Joe's writing is crisp and clean, lean and mean. Never is there a chance to go off on some tangent of flowery prose. Joe gets to the point fast and stays with it. Two people are being hunted down by a ghost who wants them dead and they must do whatever it takes to get away alive and rid themselves of the menace. I also love the Biblical tie-in with the lead character's name. Interesting for such a dark story. And yet, in the end it's not a dark story. It's about the same thing the Bible is. Redemption.
But how? You'll have to read Heart-Shaped Box to find out.
I'm looking forward to the next release by Joe Hill. His dad and others like him need to move over. Joe Hill's star is rising. And he just may be the Stephen King for a new generation.
It isn't long after that things begin to get creepy.
Turns out the ghost is well acquainted with Jude and he's not very happy with the aging metal head. A couple of encounters is all it takes for Jude and his young groupie/girlfriend Georgia to want to be rid of the ghost.
By now it's no secret that Joe Hill is Stephen King's son. Don't know if it was ever meant to be a secret, however, I can say that I greatly respect Joe for not using his father's name to get somewhere in the publishing world. He obviously wants to stand on his own two literary feet and with this debut novel he accomplishes just that.
Joe's writing is crisp and clean, lean and mean. Never is there a chance to go off on some tangent of flowery prose. Joe gets to the point fast and stays with it. Two people are being hunted down by a ghost who wants them dead and they must do whatever it takes to get away alive and rid themselves of the menace. I also love the Biblical tie-in with the lead character's name. Interesting for such a dark story. And yet, in the end it's not a dark story. It's about the same thing the Bible is. Redemption.
But how? You'll have to read Heart-Shaped Box to find out.
I'm looking forward to the next release by Joe Hill. His dad and others like him need to move over. Joe Hill's star is rising. And he just may be the Stephen King for a new generation.