Take a photo of a barcode or cover
3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
I enjoyed this more than expected, it was a suspenseful, menacing ghost story. I don’t know if using deviant sex as a plot device is just in Hill’s DNA, but either way the apple doesn’t fall far. Definitely didn’t mind all the hard rock references.
I don’t know what I was expecting when I started this book, but my expectations were blown out of the water. Maybe I was planning on a nice ghost story with some mystery solving in the back pocket. What I got was psychological and body horror with a little slasher thrown in for flavor and plenty of different spices of paranormal dashed in as well. Such a well-rounded story that managed to have moments of sheer repulsion without ever deterring you to close the book.
Character development in Jude and Georgia is subtle and steadily increasing throughout. Granted, it’s never very deep, not changing them intrinsically, but it’s more of a step in the right direction of dealing with their past traumas in light of the current traumas they’re dealing with. Their relationship had all the groundwork, they just needed the reason to quit their bullshit and really apply themselves to it. To stop walking themselves off due to everything else that has happened.
In the last 50 or so pages, I was so unsettled and thoroughly disturbed that I wanted to close the book, but was afraid I would have nightmares or something, so I had to stay up until 2:30 am and finish it to have some closure.
You can definitely see where Joe Hill took cues and inspiration from his father, building on a very ample supply of groundwork. But he has his individual voice and tone that makes him distinct. He’s better at leaving space for you to fill, and the book was overall less dense. It made for a quick and intense read. This is my second Joe Hill novel, and I think it set me on a path to pick up even more of his work.
Character development in Jude and Georgia is subtle and steadily increasing throughout. Granted, it’s never very deep, not changing them intrinsically, but it’s more of a step in the right direction of dealing with their past traumas in light of the current traumas they’re dealing with. Their relationship had all the groundwork, they just needed the reason to quit their bullshit and really apply themselves to it. To stop walking themselves off due to everything else that has happened.
In the last 50 or so pages, I was so unsettled and thoroughly disturbed that I wanted to close the book, but was afraid I would have nightmares or something, so I had to stay up until 2:30 am and finish it to have some closure.
You can definitely see where Joe Hill took cues and inspiration from his father, building on a very ample supply of groundwork. But he has his individual voice and tone that makes him distinct. He’s better at leaving space for you to fill, and the book was overall less dense. It made for a quick and intense read. This is my second Joe Hill novel, and I think it set me on a path to pick up even more of his work.
Not as well written or enjoyable as N0S4A2, but does contain glimpses of the quality that made that later work so good. Some genuinely chilling moments, and decent character development throughout, make this a decent choice for horror fans looking for something quick to read.
Loved this book! Hill has a wonderful way of getting you more involved than you even realize, from the get go. It is just as entertaining as it is creepy. I highly recommend to any fans of Horror and rock n' roll.
This has the same recipe as Stephen King, but with a different taste. In a good way.
Wild!
I thought this was a great ride from start to finish. I wouldn't recommend starting this book late at night, because the first 150 pages or so are immensely compelling and I was unable to put it down.
The pacing slowed slightly late in the middle, but picked back up again toward the end of the novel. There were simply so many things going on and intertwined that I only felt the twinges of a repeating plot once or twice in the entire book.
I've yet to pick up a book by Joe Hill that isn't a hit, and can't wait to try out another one of his in the future!
I thought this was a great ride from start to finish. I wouldn't recommend starting this book late at night, because the first 150 pages or so are immensely compelling and I was unable to put it down.
The pacing slowed slightly late in the middle, but picked back up again toward the end of the novel. There were simply so many things going on and intertwined that I only felt the twinges of a repeating plot once or twice in the entire book.
I've yet to pick up a book by Joe Hill that isn't a hit, and can't wait to try out another one of his in the future!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Found the premise great. The book was boring.
3.5/5 I found Heart-Shaped Box inferior to Horns but still a solid horror novel. I wasn't a huge fan of the protagonist Judas Coin, but I thought the plot was interesting enough. The plot twist about midway through the book did surprise me and I did enjoy the ending. Hill is a good writer, but I did notice some similarities in form to Horns. This is not necessarily a criticism, but I hope as I continue to read through his novels that I don't continue to notice the same formula.
I first picked this book up many, many months ago, sucked in by the intriguing blurb and the general good things I'd heard. It then sat on my Kindle until a couple of weeks ago when we got the physical book into my workplace and I was reminded of its existence. I then found out Joe Hill is Stephen King's son and that cemented it. I was going to read this book.
Those of you who have read my Gerald's Game review will know that books don't scare me easily. While I am a complete wuss when it comes to horror movies, books have a harder job. I adore Stephen King but I would say that only one of his books has ever scared me. Maybe I should have been reading his son this whole time instead.
Heart-Shaped Box terrified me. It is ultimately a ghost story and it probably isn't as original as it seemed to me, but something about this elderly ghost relentless hunting down the main character and trying to drive him to suicide got into my head in the way few books do. This book has all the intensity of a Stephen King book but it is streamlined. There is little of the character and narrative quirks that plague King stories, and the result is a very extreme and relentless experience. I think the best part is you genuinely have no idea if the main character will survive or not. There is none of the security that comes from protagonist immunity and I love it for that.
I can't say much more about this book without spoilers sadly, but there are just a few more points I wanted to add. The characters are very complex and grey in their morality, and this is handled very well within the story. You don't dislike them by any means but you're not sure you always agree with them either. There is only one sexual moment that I can think of which makes this a great book to choose if the sex elements in horror stories normally bother you. Finally, the middle of the book does change the tone a little and not really for the better. However, it soon returns back to the scary atmosphere of the earlier sections and it does end very strongly.
If you are a fan of horror, I strongly urge you to pick this book up. It is one of the best examples of how to successfully create an atmosphere and I promise you won't regret it.
Those of you who have read my Gerald's Game review will know that books don't scare me easily. While I am a complete wuss when it comes to horror movies, books have a harder job. I adore Stephen King but I would say that only one of his books has ever scared me. Maybe I should have been reading his son this whole time instead.
Heart-Shaped Box terrified me. It is ultimately a ghost story and it probably isn't as original as it seemed to me, but something about this elderly ghost relentless hunting down the main character and trying to drive him to suicide got into my head in the way few books do. This book has all the intensity of a Stephen King book but it is streamlined. There is little of the character and narrative quirks that plague King stories, and the result is a very extreme and relentless experience. I think the best part is you genuinely have no idea if the main character will survive or not. There is none of the security that comes from protagonist immunity and I love it for that.
I can't say much more about this book without spoilers sadly, but there are just a few more points I wanted to add. The characters are very complex and grey in their morality, and this is handled very well within the story. You don't dislike them by any means but you're not sure you always agree with them either. There is only one sexual moment that I can think of which makes this a great book to choose if the sex elements in horror stories normally bother you. Finally, the middle of the book does change the tone a little and not really for the better. However, it soon returns back to the scary atmosphere of the earlier sections and it does end very strongly.
If you are a fan of horror, I strongly urge you to pick this book up. It is one of the best examples of how to successfully create an atmosphere and I promise you won't regret it.