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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
This book grabbed ahold of me and wouldn’t let go. I finished it in one day.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
The best I've read from Hill thus far. Just a simple ghost story with a noirish twist, told effectively and efficiently.
I DID NOT like this. Far too long. The concept was intriguing, but it was poorly executed.
One of the creepiest books I have read this year. Like afraid to turn out the light and go to sleep, creepy. Needless to say, I loved it.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child abuse, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault
i liked it a lot, as far as scary books go it didn’t make me feel very fearful but jude’s character grew on me over time and i really loved him by the end of the book. i think it’s just the way he cared for his dogs. you know a dude is good deep down when he treats his dogs better than most people.
I'm not normally one for this kind of thing, but I enjoyed it! Quite creepy though perhaps it drags a little!
I'm not generally a fan of horror books--not willing to sift through the chaff like I am with horror movies--but there are a few that stand out. The Ruins was one, and this is another.
Joe Hill is Stephen King's son, but Hill's writing is much better. King chooses a setting that I think is inherently scary (rural Maine), but Hill builds characters and paces plots well. The character choice in this book is particularly interesting--an aging metal star and the goth girls he's lived with over the years. A ghost comes into it, one that I found particularly scary because it doesn't just haunt you, it gets inside your head and uses your own psychology to try to get you to kill yourself (and others). And while I was sincerely terrified at parts, the character study was the most fascinating. The main character actually grows and changes (unusual for a horror book, I think). The ghost becomes a stand-in for his father, and he deals with a lot of issues from his childhood--which becomes a little too literal at the end when the ghost actually enters his father's body and reanimates it, but I'll cut him a little slack.
Especial kudos to the part at the beginning where I thought "Oh, my god, they're actually all going to die. There's no way they can get out of this. How the hell can they all die in the first quarter of the book?" Anyone who can immerse you that fully in an experience (and make them come out of it in a really believable manner, by the way) deserves a lot of praise.
Joe Hill is Stephen King's son, but Hill's writing is much better. King chooses a setting that I think is inherently scary (rural Maine), but Hill builds characters and paces plots well. The character choice in this book is particularly interesting--an aging metal star and the goth girls he's lived with over the years. A ghost comes into it, one that I found particularly scary because it doesn't just haunt you, it gets inside your head and uses your own psychology to try to get you to kill yourself (and others). And while I was sincerely terrified at parts, the character study was the most fascinating. The main character actually grows and changes (unusual for a horror book, I think). The ghost becomes a stand-in for his father, and he deals with a lot of issues from his childhood--which becomes a little too literal at the end when the ghost actually enters his father's body and reanimates it, but I'll cut him a little slack.
Especial kudos to the part at the beginning where I thought "Oh, my god, they're actually all going to die. There's no way they can get out of this. How the hell can they all die in the first quarter of the book?" Anyone who can immerse you that fully in an experience (and make them come out of it in a really believable manner, by the way) deserves a lot of praise.