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emkaysimms's review
4.0
WOW this book! At first, I was afraid it was going to be your typical haunted house story and be very predictable. But I was very wrong! Though the book was slow at times, this book was thrilling and I could not put it down. Every time I thought I had figured out what was happening, a new twist happened and I was totally thrown off. I would definitely recommend this book for fans of ghost stories!
readbyashleyd's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
5.0
I’m always in for a haunted house story and I absolutely loved this one. I absolutely blew through it, I really couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I really wasn’t expecting the ending either, it completely threw me and it’s always a bonus when a horror story can do that to me!
erinremen's review
4.0
An interesting, slightly terrifying story that follows a girl and her family who move into a very creepy old house and find that things are not exactly what they seem. Sounds. Smells. A face. A strange drawing. A diary that appears out of no where. Is the house haunted? Or does the house want them all dead? What is going on? While her family slowly changes, Alice desperately searches for the truth, reading every page whilst battling the voices in her head, terrified to fall asleep. At only slightly over 200 pages you can knock this one out in a few hours and enjoy a thrilling page turner that will leave you guessing until the bitter end.
kellyvandamme's review against another edition
5.0
This book. I don’t even know where to begin. It took me places I wasn’t expected to be taken. It looked like one thing but it turned out to be another, and I’m not sure, I’m very unsure really, what I can tell you, how I can explain to you what it was that made me love this book, without ruining the experience.
So let’s start at the beginning, which is a bit of dilapidated house in a remote area, it’s very large and it has the weirdest lay-out, because various owners have been building onto it throughout the years. There’s a bedroom with windows that look into another room instead of outside, there are hallways that double-back on themselves, it’s a very eerie place. The author says that the house is based on an actual house where he used to live as a teenager and that had such windows and hallways. Rumour had it that the place was haunted, but Mr Gillespie never spotted any ghosts, only felt the eeriness of it. With that knowledge the story came alive even more, even though everything else is fiction (or I sincerely hope so, anyway)
Moving into this house is a family of four and their cat. We see what happens through the eyes of Alice. It was Alice’s dad who fell in love with the house, finding it unique, in contrast to all the little tickytacky boxes on the hillside that all look just the same (oh come on, you did watch Weeds, right?!). Alice can see its charm, but her mother and older brother are less than enthusiastic. But then things start coming apart at the seams (of course they do, what did you expect?!) and this loving family starts falling apart. There is so much creepy stuff going on. There’s a child’s drawing of a family and their dog on the wall and suddenly the little dog figure is crossed out and everyone denies having done it. Alice is afraid that the family on the wall represents her own, and when she goes searching frantically for her cat, she can’t find him… The situation deteriorates rapidly. Alice’s dad is less the goofy good-spirited man she’s always know and much more of a snarling bully and I had visions of The Shining, hoping there wouldn’t be any “here’s Johnny” moments because I loved Alice and if something had to happen to her, I didn’t want it to be done to her by her dad! When the snow starts to fall, the family is effectively cut off from the rest of the world and Alice becomes more and more obsessed with the diary she’s found that belongs to Mary, the girl who lived in the house before. Something happened to Mary and Alice is desperate to find out what because she just knows that what happened to Mary in the past is having an impact on Alice’s own family in the present.
One By One starts out as an eerie, atmospheric ghost story. Even when I was reading it in broad daylight, it still gave me goose bumps: although my body was sitting in the sun, my mind was dwelling in a dark and spooky house in the middle of nowhere. The author has a way with words, you’re carried into the story and you feel like you’re a character, a very useless and highly voyeuristic one at that, I admit, but still, it feels like you’re there. Towards the ending, it lost some of its spooky atmosphere and gained a more horroresque feel when the story took a turn I wasn’t expecting at all and I got a glimpse of a very disturbed mind. The ending is calm and understated and got to me in an entirely different manner.
This was my first Gillespie novel, but it will most definitely not be my last! Recommended for #Spooktober and any other month of the year!
So let’s start at the beginning, which is a bit of dilapidated house in a remote area, it’s very large and it has the weirdest lay-out, because various owners have been building onto it throughout the years. There’s a bedroom with windows that look into another room instead of outside, there are hallways that double-back on themselves, it’s a very eerie place. The author says that the house is based on an actual house where he used to live as a teenager and that had such windows and hallways. Rumour had it that the place was haunted, but Mr Gillespie never spotted any ghosts, only felt the eeriness of it. With that knowledge the story came alive even more, even though everything else is fiction (or I sincerely hope so, anyway)
Moving into this house is a family of four and their cat. We see what happens through the eyes of Alice. It was Alice’s dad who fell in love with the house, finding it unique, in contrast to all the little tickytacky boxes on the hillside that all look just the same (oh come on, you did watch Weeds, right?!). Alice can see its charm, but her mother and older brother are less than enthusiastic. But then things start coming apart at the seams (of course they do, what did you expect?!) and this loving family starts falling apart. There is so much creepy stuff going on. There’s a child’s drawing of a family and their dog on the wall and suddenly the little dog figure is crossed out and everyone denies having done it. Alice is afraid that the family on the wall represents her own, and when she goes searching frantically for her cat, she can’t find him… The situation deteriorates rapidly. Alice’s dad is less the goofy good-spirited man she’s always know and much more of a snarling bully and I had visions of The Shining, hoping there wouldn’t be any “here’s Johnny” moments because I loved Alice and if something had to happen to her, I didn’t want it to be done to her by her dad! When the snow starts to fall, the family is effectively cut off from the rest of the world and Alice becomes more and more obsessed with the diary she’s found that belongs to Mary, the girl who lived in the house before. Something happened to Mary and Alice is desperate to find out what because she just knows that what happened to Mary in the past is having an impact on Alice’s own family in the present.
One By One starts out as an eerie, atmospheric ghost story. Even when I was reading it in broad daylight, it still gave me goose bumps: although my body was sitting in the sun, my mind was dwelling in a dark and spooky house in the middle of nowhere. The author has a way with words, you’re carried into the story and you feel like you’re a character, a very useless and highly voyeuristic one at that, I admit, but still, it feels like you’re there. Towards the ending, it lost some of its spooky atmosphere and gained a more horroresque feel when the story took a turn I wasn’t expecting at all and I got a glimpse of a very disturbed mind. The ending is calm and understated and got to me in an entirely different manner.
This was my first Gillespie novel, but it will most definitely not be my last! Recommended for #Spooktober and any other month of the year!
alandd's review against another edition
3.0
A bittersweet reading. The story and the characters were good ideas, but some of the family members were plain and simple when they could have been way much more complex, and some of the scenes were unrealistic (who would let their daughter have the diary of a dead girl? Or leave that same daughter alone in the house after a strong discussion, in the middle of the night, after shich she almost killed herself by accident?)
The beggining was a a bit slow, but there were some parts that created such an atmosphere that I got totally into the reading, and the ending was way too unexpected. The author blurred the line between paranormal and mystery way to well, now all that is needed is a bit more of experience so future stories have a better developement, but a really good reading in the end.
The beggining was a a bit slow, but there were some parts that created such an atmosphere that I got totally into the reading, and the ending was way too unexpected. The author blurred the line between paranormal and mystery way to well, now all that is needed is a bit more of experience so future stories have a better developement, but a really good reading in the end.
alyram4's review against another edition
4.0
A really well done dark fiction/thriller novel! I don't get to read enough of these, but this one was pretty good! It has a very 00s thriller feel to it. Think Amityville, Insidious, or Sinister. Character development is pretty spot on, though there were times where I felt extremely disconnected from our MC. However, I found that the story alone makes up for these few instanced.
Short review, but I really do think this may be one to check out if you were looking to try a new thriller novel.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
Short review, but I really do think this may be one to check out if you were looking to try a new thriller novel.
ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
cafeyre's review against another edition
4.0
Alice is a ten years old girl who together with her parents and older brother moves to the new house. The house is bigger, older, surrounded by forest and completely different than her old house. No one besides the father is pleased about moving in there. They were happy with the old house but as the father wanted to change something in their lives to fix the situation they are in, everyone agreed with him. Alice has a hard time to settle down and call this place her house. Her only reason to try is her father who is very excited about it.
First days are going by quiet and without any problems until they find an old drawing on the wall. The drawing portraits a family that looks just like her: mother, father, son, and daughter. The only difference is a dog on the picture since they have a cat. They decide to leave it be as it must be a drawing done by the old family’s children. The game changes when after few days of absence their cat is found dead and they found a recent painted black X on the dog.
Parents don’t want to believe their kids that none of them has done it just to scare the rest of the family. Alice, on the other hand, starts to suspect that something needs to be wrong with the house. One day she finds a book in her room that appeared from nowhere, which turns out to be a diary of the girl that was living here before their family. It wasn’t the weirdest thing that happened in this house. The real nightmare begins when her family members start disappearing one by one.
My thoughts:
I honestly thought it will be the same story as all the horror movies I watched and that’s how it looked to be for the more than half of the book. The family moves to the haunted house and weird things start to happen. Nope, I am sorry to say that but it’s not a story like this and I am very happy about it. The story kept me in the dart ¾ of the book and surprised me more than I expected.
Let’s start with the characters. Alice, the youngest and the protagonist in the book, is kind of a loner who most of the time daydream. She is closed for most of the people but tries to open more on her family. Her parents aren’t perfect, but they love their kids and tries to give them a life they deserve. Her father starts to act differently because of the stress that is a result of all the things that happens in the house. I think it’s only because he wanted to fix their family, give them a new start and a better life. With the time it turned out to be harder than he thought. Her brother Dean is an easy-going teenager who seems to care only about himself but with the time we can see that he cares a lot about his little sister and parents. However, her mother Debra is one of my favorite characters. I don’t know even why she just made me like her in the beginning and it stayed this way.
The story isn’t the most unique one however the ending was more than original. It was brilliant. I fell for it and couldn’t stop reading the last 50 pages when the main action happened. For these 50 pages, I am more than happy that I requested this book and finally read it. Exactly for this ending you need to read this book right away when it will be published. If you like mystery and horror books you will enjoy it.
As I don’t have much time during the day, I mostly read this book at night. It wasn’t the best choice of the time of the day for this book. I was running to the bathroom before going to sleep because I suddenly was afraid that something is around and will kill me. Don’t get me wrong, I love horrors but when you read a good one, it just stays in my mind and I can’t even look in the mirror because I am scared something will be behind me. As funny and scary it is for me, I still love to get into this late-night dark mood.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for providing me this copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book a lot and I can’t wait to read more books written by D.W. Gillespie.
First days are going by quiet and without any problems until they find an old drawing on the wall. The drawing portraits a family that looks just like her: mother, father, son, and daughter. The only difference is a dog on the picture since they have a cat. They decide to leave it be as it must be a drawing done by the old family’s children. The game changes when after few days of absence their cat is found dead and they found a recent painted black X on the dog.
Parents don’t want to believe their kids that none of them has done it just to scare the rest of the family. Alice, on the other hand, starts to suspect that something needs to be wrong with the house. One day she finds a book in her room that appeared from nowhere, which turns out to be a diary of the girl that was living here before their family. It wasn’t the weirdest thing that happened in this house. The real nightmare begins when her family members start disappearing one by one.
My thoughts:
I honestly thought it will be the same story as all the horror movies I watched and that’s how it looked to be for the more than half of the book. The family moves to the haunted house and weird things start to happen. Nope, I am sorry to say that but it’s not a story like this and I am very happy about it. The story kept me in the dart ¾ of the book and surprised me more than I expected.
Let’s start with the characters. Alice, the youngest and the protagonist in the book, is kind of a loner who most of the time daydream. She is closed for most of the people but tries to open more on her family. Her parents aren’t perfect, but they love their kids and tries to give them a life they deserve. Her father starts to act differently because of the stress that is a result of all the things that happens in the house. I think it’s only because he wanted to fix their family, give them a new start and a better life. With the time it turned out to be harder than he thought. Her brother Dean is an easy-going teenager who seems to care only about himself but with the time we can see that he cares a lot about his little sister and parents. However, her mother Debra is one of my favorite characters. I don’t know even why she just made me like her in the beginning and it stayed this way.
The story isn’t the most unique one however the ending was more than original. It was brilliant. I fell for it and couldn’t stop reading the last 50 pages when the main action happened. For these 50 pages, I am more than happy that I requested this book and finally read it. Exactly for this ending you need to read this book right away when it will be published. If you like mystery and horror books you will enjoy it.
As I don’t have much time during the day, I mostly read this book at night. It wasn’t the best choice of the time of the day for this book. I was running to the bathroom before going to sleep because I suddenly was afraid that something is around and will kill me. Don’t get me wrong, I love horrors but when you read a good one, it just stays in my mind and I can’t even look in the mirror because I am scared something will be behind me. As funny and scary it is for me, I still love to get into this late-night dark mood.
I would like to thank NetGalley and Flame Tree Press for providing me this copy in exchange for an honest review. I enjoyed this book a lot and I can’t wait to read more books written by D.W. Gillespie.
nat1577's review against another edition
5.0
This book was amazing - I loved its storyline, it's characterisation, and - best of all - I found it genuinely scary in several moments. I haven't found a horror novel scary in a very long time, so this was refreshing to find. It's draws out the tension and suspense so well - and while things don't happen quite as frequently as they might in other horror books, everything creepy moment that was included had its purpose and tied in perfectly with the final reveal.
I also love that this was written from the perspective of a 10 year old. It did take me a bit of time to get used to it, but once I did, I thought it did a great job at adding to that overall sense of tension. Unlike a lot of haunted house novels where you're wondering why everyone doesn't just get the hell out the second things start happening, this actually makes sense. Alice, the main character, is only a child, and any decision to move away would ultimately be up to her parents. And while things definitely start happening, a lot of them actually can be brushed off as coincidences or things that the kids are doing from the parents' perspectives. Alice's age really added this sense of desperation and hopelessness, especially when things progress and she no longer has the support of her family. She doesn't have the resources or experience as someone older than her would have, and you really start questioning how she's going to get herself out of this.
I really loved the characterisation in this. Alice was great, and I really loved her relationship with her family - particularly her relationship with her brother. I thought they were written very realistically, in a way that reminded me of my brother and I when we were younger. The first half of the book does progress a bit slowly but I didn't mind too much since it gave plenty of time to develop the characters. The only character I really had issues with were her dad - I thought I had an idea of what was going on with him, but after the final reveal later in the novel, I don't really know why he was acting the way he did.
In terms of the ending, it definitely wasn't what I was expecting but I did like it. I thought that the story built up that moment really well. It might bother some people since it definitely is a bit of a divergence from what the story seemed to be leading to, but I didn't mind it. Overall I thought this story was great and I read it in one go. I would definitely recommend it.
I also love that this was written from the perspective of a 10 year old. It did take me a bit of time to get used to it, but once I did, I thought it did a great job at adding to that overall sense of tension. Unlike a lot of haunted house novels where you're wondering why everyone doesn't just get the hell out the second things start happening, this actually makes sense. Alice, the main character, is only a child, and any decision to move away would ultimately be up to her parents. And while things definitely start happening, a lot of them actually can be brushed off as coincidences or things that the kids are doing from the parents' perspectives. Alice's age really added this sense of desperation and hopelessness, especially when things progress and she no longer has the support of her family. She doesn't have the resources or experience as someone older than her would have, and you really start questioning how she's going to get herself out of this.
I really loved the characterisation in this. Alice was great, and I really loved her relationship with her family - particularly her relationship with her brother. I thought they were written very realistically, in a way that reminded me of my brother and I when we were younger. The first half of the book does progress a bit slowly but I didn't mind too much since it gave plenty of time to develop the characters. The only character I really had issues with were her dad - I thought I had an idea of what was going on with him, but after the final reveal later in the novel, I don't really know why he was acting the way he did.
In terms of the ending, it definitely wasn't what I was expecting but I did like it. I thought that the story built up that moment really well. It might bother some people since it definitely is a bit of a divergence from what the story seemed to be leading to, but I didn't mind it. Overall I thought this story was great and I read it in one go. I would definitely recommend it.
johnlynchbooks's review
5.0
D.W. Gillespie has surprised the hell out of me with his latest novel, One by One. It’s wonderfully written horror that takes a simple idea and manages to make it both terrifying and surprising.
The story starts out simple enough. Down on their luck, the Easton family sells their home in order to begin again in a fixer-upper against the wishes of essentially everyone BUT dad. They move in, and despite dad’s best efforts, the house just feels off to everyone else. Even our protagonist, 10 year old Alice, who’s on board with the home after an initial walkthrough, has a feeling that something isn’t quite right. Gillespie does a wonderful job setting the atmosphere. As a kid, I moved around quite often, and so I could easily picture myself in Alice’s shoes, stuck adjusting to a strange new home that just isn’t right. Alice discovers a creepy painting and before she knows it, the new residents start disappearing. The book moves steadily along, setting a tense mood and creepy atmosphere. On two different occasions I thought I had the story figured out, only to reach the climax and find out that I was completely wrong. The book was exceptionally well written throughout and I breezed through it in one day. The mystery of the house was intriguing, and following the story as seen by a 10 year old really helped with the immersion. I loved the time I spent in the Easton’s home, and when I got to the conclusion, I was hit by another surprise, this time with Gillespie ending the book on an emotionally deep note that I just didn’t expect.
One by One, By D.W. Gillespie is one hell of a read. As Alice explores the house, you can feel how creepy it is. It’s almost like you’re right there with her. Gillespie does a wonderful job pulling you into the novel, taking you on a journey that will keep you guessing as to what is actually going on right up until the final reveal, before finally slapping you with an emotionally deep outcome that you weren’t prepared for. I finished the book in less than 24 hours and highly recommend it to anyone.
5/5 stars
The story starts out simple enough. Down on their luck, the Easton family sells their home in order to begin again in a fixer-upper against the wishes of essentially everyone BUT dad. They move in, and despite dad’s best efforts, the house just feels off to everyone else. Even our protagonist, 10 year old Alice, who’s on board with the home after an initial walkthrough, has a feeling that something isn’t quite right. Gillespie does a wonderful job setting the atmosphere. As a kid, I moved around quite often, and so I could easily picture myself in Alice’s shoes, stuck adjusting to a strange new home that just isn’t right. Alice discovers a creepy painting and before she knows it, the new residents start disappearing. The book moves steadily along, setting a tense mood and creepy atmosphere. On two different occasions I thought I had the story figured out, only to reach the climax and find out that I was completely wrong. The book was exceptionally well written throughout and I breezed through it in one day. The mystery of the house was intriguing, and following the story as seen by a 10 year old really helped with the immersion. I loved the time I spent in the Easton’s home, and when I got to the conclusion, I was hit by another surprise, this time with Gillespie ending the book on an emotionally deep note that I just didn’t expect.
One by One, By D.W. Gillespie is one hell of a read. As Alice explores the house, you can feel how creepy it is. It’s almost like you’re right there with her. Gillespie does a wonderful job pulling you into the novel, taking you on a journey that will keep you guessing as to what is actually going on right up until the final reveal, before finally slapping you with an emotionally deep outcome that you weren’t prepared for. I finished the book in less than 24 hours and highly recommend it to anyone.
5/5 stars
chevygirl's review against another edition
4.0
Very good book. It read really slow and the good stuff didn't really happen until half way through, but once it did, I couldn't put it down!