Scan barcode
stuffhanreads's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Rating: 4 Stars
”Life doesn’t care what you want, other people don’t care what you want. All that matters is what you do.”
What can I even begin to say about ‘Horrorstor’? As a big fan of Hendrixs’ other works ‘My Best Friend’s Exorcism’ and The Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires’, I had very high hopes for this book and I wasn’t disappointed. While it’s considered less “scary” for some readers, I found it to be on par with his other two books. It featured just enough campy weirdness, especially since the book features an Ikea-style knockoff store called Orsk, right down to the floorplan and the style of furniture name.
Horrorstor follows Amy, a relatively impoverished 24 year old who works at Orsk’s Cleveland branch. After bad interactions with her store’s deputy manager Basil, Amy and her fellow employee Ruth Anne stay behind to work a “special” overnight shift. But perhaps there’s more to this store than meets the eye.
”It’s complicated. But pain and fear have a way of simplifying things.”
I truly enjoyed reading this book, so much so that I finished it in a few hours, something I’ve found difficult recently. Hendrix’s way of writing just sucks you in and you simply cannot stop reading until you find out what happens next. A relatively short book in comparison to others I’ve read, Horrorstor still packs a punch. With a variety of creepy goings on, gore and death, this book should be enough for any new or old horror fan.
”For her, the world was divided into two kinds of jobs: those where you had to stand up, and those where you could sit down. If you were standing up, you were paid hourly. If you were sitting down, you were salaried.”
”Life doesn’t care what you want, other people don’t care what you want. All that matters is what you do.”
What can I even begin to say about ‘Horrorstor’? As a big fan of Hendrixs’ other works ‘My Best Friend’s Exorcism’ and The Southern Bookclub’s Guide to Slaying Vampires’, I had very high hopes for this book and I wasn’t disappointed. While it’s considered less “scary” for some readers, I found it to be on par with his other two books. It featured just enough campy weirdness, especially since the book features an Ikea-style knockoff store called Orsk, right down to the floorplan and the style of furniture name.
Horrorstor follows Amy, a relatively impoverished 24 year old who works at Orsk’s Cleveland branch. After bad interactions with her store’s deputy manager Basil, Amy and her fellow employee Ruth Anne stay behind to work a “special” overnight shift. But perhaps there’s more to this store than meets the eye.
”It’s complicated. But pain and fear have a way of simplifying things.”
I truly enjoyed reading this book, so much so that I finished it in a few hours, something I’ve found difficult recently. Hendrix’s way of writing just sucks you in and you simply cannot stop reading until you find out what happens next. A relatively short book in comparison to others I’ve read, Horrorstor still packs a punch. With a variety of creepy goings on, gore and death, this book should be enough for any new or old horror fan.
”For her, the world was divided into two kinds of jobs: those where you had to stand up, and those where you could sit down. If you were standing up, you were paid hourly. If you were sitting down, you were salaried.”
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Torture, Excrement, Confinement, and Blood
Minor: Suicide
kellyofcali's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It was fine, entertaining enough, but kind of felt sometimes run of the mill horror and sometime gratuitous violence. I guess it was kind of a slasher novel, but then tried to be more sometimes? I did enjoy the design of the book, like an IKEA catalogue!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder, Confinement, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Physical abuse, Torture, Violence, Blood, Forced institutionalization, and Gore
Minor: Sexual content
maddiearthur's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Torture, Confinement, Kidnapping, Trafficking, Death, Murder, Body horror, Physical abuse, Slavery, Blood, Gore, and Injury/Injury detail
disguisedposer's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Confinement, Mental illness, Body horror, Gore, Blood, Death, Medical content, Torture, and Violence
ebleb's review against another edition
challenging
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Read it very quickly until the last quarter of the book, but that's my fault not the books. Enjoyed the first half of the book much more, fun to read something in a genre I'm not used to!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Blood, Torture, and Death
jscoot22's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Body horror, Grief, Blood, Confinement, Gore, and Torture
kchen138's review against another edition
dark
funny
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
You can definitely see the growth in Hendrix’s writing. Amy is like a lot of his main characters, headstrong, flawed, middling luck, but reasonable. I would’ve loved to see more of her humor/personality come through in the middle of the book rather than the semi-one note of fear/disbelief in what’s happening.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Murder, Blood, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Panic attacks/disorders
foldingthepage_kayleigh's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Like The Office or Superstore but make it fantastical horror. There were scenes that grossed me out so much I was physically gagging. There was also lots of humour, but I found that zapped out by the end. Strong start and middle, but I definitely lost interest by the end. Liked this more than The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires and I might check out more by him in the future after this one.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Vomit, Body horror, Violence, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Torture
thee_eclectic_eccentric's review against another edition
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Medical trauma, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Physical abuse, Violence, and Blood
Minor: Sexual content
whatkierareads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide attempt, Blood, Confinement, Death, Violence, Gore, and Grief