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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
dark
reflective
sad
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
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
I just couldn't get into, at all. Slow pace, there's a ghost, a post off sister, and revenge. All things I would love in a book but this one for me was just flat, boring, didn't care at all for the MC
vacation book #1. i am still pretty "meh" on hill's writing and storytelling, but he's a decent beach read.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
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
dark
tense
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
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:
No
Heart-Shaped Box is a supernatural thriller with an intriguing premise: an aging rock star purchases a haunted suit online, only to find himself stalked by a relentless, vengeful ghost, filled with eerie imagery, unsettling moments, and a protagonist who, while flawed, is compelling enough to follow through the chaos.
That said, while the book is well-written and has a few standout horror sequences, it didn’t fully land for me. The suspense is consistent, but it never quite reached the level of dread or psychological depth I was hoping for. The plot unfolds in a mostly predictable way, and while there are some emotional beats, they didn’t hit as hard as I wanted. I also found that some of the horror elements felt more like action-thriller sequences rather than deeply chilling moments, which might work for some readers but left me a little underwhelmed.
Overall, Heart-Shaped Box is a decent read with good writing and a creative premise by Joe Hill, but it didn’t quite grip me the way I wanted. Maybe it’s just the genre not clicking with me lately, but while I can see why others might love this book, it wasn’t a standout for me.
That said, while the book is well-written and has a few standout horror sequences, it didn’t fully land for me. The suspense is consistent, but it never quite reached the level of dread or psychological depth I was hoping for. The plot unfolds in a mostly predictable way, and while there are some emotional beats, they didn’t hit as hard as I wanted. I also found that some of the horror elements felt more like action-thriller sequences rather than deeply chilling moments, which might work for some readers but left me a little underwhelmed.
Overall, Heart-Shaped Box is a decent read with good writing and a creative premise by Joe Hill, but it didn’t quite grip me the way I wanted. Maybe it’s just the genre not clicking with me lately, but while I can see why others might love this book, it wasn’t a standout for me.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
I went into this blind, without any idea what it was about (but Res liked it, so I'd give it a try). I should probably give it more than three stars -- it's far closer to 4, but I'm not sure of that yet. We'll see after the book's had some time to settle into my brain some. (Vague spoilers below.)
Joe Hill writes himself some good character. I loved how clearly everyone was drawn and how so much of who and what everyone was was shown in their words and actions. The skewed POV of the narrator was perfect for that and all that was really nicely done.
I loved the hook of buying a ghost and the twist he spun on it. I loved that the ghost story itself was so turned upside-down. It felt fresh, which rocks for a ghost story. *g*
I also enjoyed that much of the first third felt influenced by Mark Danielewski's House of Leaves, which is a terrifying and brilliant novel.
I loved the description of the scenery changing as they reached the Deep South, and I appreciated that the women characters were interesting, strong, and had some depth of character.
There are three gay men/boys and they have a 100% mortality rate. The two main female characters are both technically of the "hooker with a heart of gold" variety, although they're a lot deeper than that makes them sound. There's one black guy (a doctor, with one scene). There's a great supernatural hook and a scary bad guy. There are cool cars and at least one car chase -- so all the usual Hollywood tropes, good and bad, are there. I wonder when the movie's going to come out.
The only thing I hated was how the flashbacks were in italics, but the dialogue within those flashbacks was in plain roman. There was no reason to style it like that and it bugged the hell out of me -- to the point of yanking me out of the story.
My other gripe was with the ending. I bought some of his life after the story's climax, but not all of it. (I know enough about the music industry and the fame machine to make me go 'buh?') Otherwise, the story trailed off into fragments of happily-ever-after, which really (bothered me and) seemed to belong to an entirely different novel. Frustrating.
But overall it was nicely harrowing and about as scary as I can comfortably handle. :D
Joe Hill writes himself some good character. I loved how clearly everyone was drawn and how so much of who and what everyone was was shown in their words and actions. The skewed POV of the narrator was perfect for that and all that was really nicely done.
I loved the hook of buying a ghost and the twist he spun on it. I loved that the ghost story itself was so turned upside-down. It felt fresh, which rocks for a ghost story. *g*
I also enjoyed that much of the first third felt influenced by Mark Danielewski's House of Leaves, which is a terrifying and brilliant novel.
I loved the description of the scenery changing as they reached the Deep South, and I appreciated that the women characters were interesting, strong, and had some depth of character.
There are three gay men/boys and they have a 100% mortality rate. The two main female characters are both technically of the "hooker with a heart of gold" variety, although they're a lot deeper than that makes them sound. There's one black guy (a doctor, with one scene). There's a great supernatural hook and a scary bad guy. There are cool cars and at least one car chase -- so all the usual Hollywood tropes, good and bad, are there. I wonder when the movie's going to come out.
The only thing I hated was how the flashbacks were in italics, but the dialogue within those flashbacks was in plain roman. There was no reason to style it like that and it bugged the hell out of me -- to the point of yanking me out of the story.
My other gripe was with the ending. I bought some of his life after the story's climax, but not all of it. (I know enough about the music industry and the fame machine to make me go 'buh?') Otherwise, the story trailed off into fragments of happily-ever-after, which really (bothered me and) seemed to belong to an entirely different novel. Frustrating.
But overall it was nicely harrowing and about as scary as I can comfortably handle. :D
DNF@p139 (36%)
First, didn't realize this was written by Stephen King's son, wouldn't have bought the book in 2011 if I had known. Second, this book is incredibly dated with its references to MySpace and My Chemical Romance, whom the author must have no clue about, based on an inaccurate description that could've been alleviated with a simple AskJeeves search.
This was about a gross post-fame aging Rockstar and his current live-in groupie whom he addresses by the state she's from, a pattern he maintains so he can fulfill the perverse Rockstar facade. Think sellout era Corey Taylor mixed with Ozzie and there ya go.
I wasn't having a decent time with it, but I got to the part where the groupie is masturbating to a racist-described snuff film while holding a gun to her head and had to call it quits shortly after.
The rotten apple doesn't fall far from the perverted tree.
First, didn't realize this was written by Stephen King's son, wouldn't have bought the book in 2011 if I had known. Second, this book is incredibly dated with its references to MySpace and My Chemical Romance, whom the author must have no clue about, based on an inaccurate description that could've been alleviated with a simple AskJeeves search.
This was about a gross post-fame aging Rockstar and his current live-in groupie whom he addresses by the state she's from, a pattern he maintains so he can fulfill the perverse Rockstar facade. Think sellout era Corey Taylor mixed with Ozzie and there ya go.
I wasn't having a decent time with it, but I got to the part where the groupie is masturbating to a racist-described snuff film while holding a gun to her head and had to call it quits shortly after.
The rotten apple doesn't fall far from the perverted tree.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Violence