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3.75 AVERAGE
3.75 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
I really liked this book. It was a quick and easy read and yet the author still had an uncanny way of really setting the scene for the reader. The book didn't downright scare me like I had hoped but it did give me the creeps. I think this would make a good movie if they stick to the story, choose good actors and the right special effects. I kept going back and didn't want to stop reading. One night while dozing off I forced myself to stop reading because, though I wanted to continue, it was getting to a very creepy part and I wanted to be totally lucid for it. I would recommend this book and will be reading other books from this author and hopefully will find another equally scary tale.
WARNING: I HAVE A HARD TIME EXPLAINING MYSELF SO PLEASE BEAR WITH ME IM TRYING MY BEST! <3
I made the mistake of not checking the trigger warnings before reading this book and I would heavily recommend everybody do the same. I can safely say that if I looked at the TW’s I would not have read this book and my review would not exist, but here we are. The ones that bothered me a lot was the death of a child and two animals. I would like state that I am a fan of horror and that’s a large percentage of what I’ve been reading the past 6 months since getting back into this hobby. However, this didn’t feel like horror, it felt like a bad excuse for it. This is the first book I’ve ever read from this author and it will be my last since I saw that most of them are alike.
The mother, Aimee, is allowing her husband to go out every couple of weeks to play with his shitty band and every time she put up a valid argument he would make her smile and he was miraculously forgiven. I think the fuck not! I would have left my husband for his lack of support and back bone to tell his friend no. She deserved better. I do acknowledge that your partner shouldn’t “allow” you to do anything, but he should’ve had his priorities straight especially since he knew what was happening all along.
The father, Jack, was a shitty and selfish person. He deserted his family in their time of need. I understand my partner having a passion, but to go when our daughter was just sick? How pathetic and heartless could you be. Read the room and stay just ONE TIME. He even admitted that it would not have been a big deal if he cancelled but he still went. Jack also knew this demon was with him all this time (see chapter where wife found secret pictures of the demon is every photo) and he still decided to have a whole ass family. I will give him some grace since the demon did not allow him to speak about it, but he should not have started a family knowing what was forever with him.
The father’s best friend, I don’t remember his name, kept booking shows for a friend who had larger commitments. Dude is a shit friend and that’s all I have to say about that.
The wife’s mother, Patricia, a high and mighty religious woman who just wanted what’s best for her daughter. Honestly, she was so right for judging this stranger with seemingly no past who married her daughter. This mother knew best and was trying to protect her family, rightfully so.
As for the writing style, I was not really a fan of that either. I found myself skipping paragraphs of wordy details that did not add to the story, but I did this after I was already thinking about DNFing so it was just me being annoyed and I’m sure other readers would appreciate the details. Before being bothered, I enjoyed the details myself. What I found repetitive in the story was the characters expecting something to go terribly wrong and it never did. This was repeated at least five times throughout the book and it always went like, “when she opens that box there should be 100 bats inside that will fly out and eat her face off, but it didn’t happen.” Can you see how that could get annoying fast? The way the story was pieced together was a bit confusing too, the different perspectives of each character was not organized, they just kept jumping around.
And another thing that’s hard for me to explain and I’m not sure why I feel like this, but this book came off to me as a way for a the author to be as gross and inhumane as possible, but in a “haha there’s no chance that anyone can beat this” way. I felt like this whole entire book was written so she could write about this families tragic demise and not because they actually cared about the story and filling in any of the plot holes. She just wanted to describe the gruesome deaths about a child and animals. The author also didn’t finish what she started. What about the back alley shops on Bourbon Street? Maybe a reading could’ve helped. Why did the demon all of a sudden target the family? And the man who called him “chief” told him he was getting close to the answer, but the father ignored it. We were given all these questions but no answers that would have otherwise made the story more fulfilling.
The book started off on a good foot and I’m positive it will capture every readers attention, but, unfortunately, I could no longer enjoy it after being perturbed by details any other readers would just brush off. If you loved this book please tell me why, maybe your insight will change my mind. Oh, and if you disagree with any of my thoughts, please tell me about that too! I understand things better when others put them into a different perspective.
I made the mistake of not checking the trigger warnings before reading this book and I would heavily recommend everybody do the same. I can safely say that if I looked at the TW’s I would not have read this book and my review would not exist, but here we are. The ones that bothered me a lot was the death of a child and two animals. I would like state that I am a fan of horror and that’s a large percentage of what I’ve been reading the past 6 months since getting back into this hobby. However, this didn’t feel like horror, it felt like a bad excuse for it. This is the first book I’ve ever read from this author and it will be my last since I saw that most of them are alike.
The mother, Aimee, is allowing her husband to go out every couple of weeks to play with his shitty band and every time she put up a valid argument he would make her smile and he was miraculously forgiven. I think the fuck not! I would have left my husband for his lack of support and back bone to tell his friend no. She deserved better. I do acknowledge that your partner shouldn’t “allow” you to do anything, but he should’ve had his priorities straight especially since he knew what was happening all along.
The father, Jack, was a shitty and selfish person. He deserted his family in their time of need. I understand my partner having a passion, but to go when our daughter was just sick? How pathetic and heartless could you be. Read the room and stay just ONE TIME. He even admitted that it would not have been a big deal if he cancelled but he still went. Jack also knew this demon was with him all this time (see chapter where wife found secret pictures of the demon is every photo) and he still decided to have a whole ass family. I will give him some grace since the demon did not allow him to speak about it, but he should not have started a family knowing what was forever with him.
The father’s best friend, I don’t remember his name, kept booking shows for a friend who had larger commitments. Dude is a shit friend and that’s all I have to say about that.
The wife’s mother, Patricia, a high and mighty religious woman who just wanted what’s best for her daughter. Honestly, she was so right for judging this stranger with seemingly no past who married her daughter. This mother knew best and was trying to protect her family, rightfully so.
As for the writing style, I was not really a fan of that either. I found myself skipping paragraphs of wordy details that did not add to the story, but I did this after I was already thinking about DNFing so it was just me being annoyed and I’m sure other readers would appreciate the details. Before being bothered, I enjoyed the details myself. What I found repetitive in the story was the characters expecting something to go terribly wrong and it never did. This was repeated at least five times throughout the book and it always went like, “when she opens that box there should be 100 bats inside that will fly out and eat her face off, but it didn’t happen.” Can you see how that could get annoying fast? The way the story was pieced together was a bit confusing too, the different perspectives of each character was not organized, they just kept jumping around.
And another thing that’s hard for me to explain and I’m not sure why I feel like this, but this book came off to me as a way for a the author to be as gross and inhumane as possible, but in a “haha there’s no chance that anyone can beat this” way. I felt like this whole entire book was written so she could write about this families tragic demise and not because they actually cared about the story and filling in any of the plot holes. She just wanted to describe the gruesome deaths about a child and animals. The author also didn’t finish what she started. What about the back alley shops on Bourbon Street? Maybe a reading could’ve helped. Why did the demon all of a sudden target the family? And the man who called him “chief” told him he was getting close to the answer, but the father ignored it. We were given all these questions but no answers that would have otherwise made the story more fulfilling.
The book started off on a good foot and I’m positive it will capture every readers attention, but, unfortunately, I could no longer enjoy it after being perturbed by details any other readers would just brush off. If you loved this book please tell me why, maybe your insight will change my mind. Oh, and if you disagree with any of my thoughts, please tell me about that too! I understand things better when others put them into a different perspective.
*CONTAINS SPOILER*
Where do I begin? I was gifted this book and the first few chapters seemed really interesting. However, after the accident and Charlie started becoming "sick" the book for me rapidly went down hill. I felt a sense of anger towards Jack as he sat quietly and watched Charlie unravel knowing what was going on with her. He never at any point told his wife, said something, or acted in some form to protect her. Even when there was no shadow of a doubt what was plaguing his daughter he didn't fight for her.
Sign after sign, tense moment after another, as his family falls to the hands of evil....he sat and held all of his knowledge within. Frustrating! This is where I felt the author could have really spun a tale of good vs bad, the love of a father vs the evil that takes his child, but instead what we did get was a man resolved in the fact that his child is lost and basically he can not win the battle.
The full story of Jack and what really happened in that secret cemetery never really unfolded. As a reader I just got glimpses, what happened in there? did he sell his soul? what was he promised or given? why was he allowed some much time before the demon appeared outside of Jacks's assumptions?
I am not a lazy reader and can fill in the blanks but I am a greedy one and desire more. What did the demon tell Charlie before he took over? when did it happen? how? This could have been a superb tale, you can tell by certain aspects in the book but it for me, fell flat.
In the end, when Jack decides to return home....you hope for this epic battle, but what you receive is not necessarily a plot twist or even exciting. From the time Charlie is possessed there is a sense of build up, to something epic...it's already been made known that the entity that has her is about mayhem and death. So what she does for me wasn't surprising...what surprised me was that even at this moment with all his internal conversations when opportunity to end the battle so to speak he does nothing. I'm a parent and I understand the reasons why not but as he said, Charlie was gone.
Sighs...good can't win all the time but it would have been better in this case if it broke even.
Although I gave this book 2 stars, I would still recommend it because it had potential and for what it is, quick read and interesting enough plot it's not the worst book I ever read.
Where do I begin? I was gifted this book and the first few chapters seemed really interesting. However, after the accident and Charlie started becoming "sick" the book for me rapidly went down hill. I felt a sense of anger towards Jack as he sat quietly and watched Charlie unravel knowing what was going on with her. He never at any point told his wife, said something, or acted in some form to protect her. Even when there was no shadow of a doubt what was plaguing his daughter he didn't fight for her.
Sign after sign, tense moment after another, as his family falls to the hands of evil....he sat and held all of his knowledge within. Frustrating! This is where I felt the author could have really spun a tale of good vs bad, the love of a father vs the evil that takes his child, but instead what we did get was a man resolved in the fact that his child is lost and basically he can not win the battle.
The full story of Jack and what really happened in that secret cemetery never really unfolded. As a reader I just got glimpses, what happened in there? did he sell his soul? what was he promised or given? why was he allowed some much time before the demon appeared outside of Jacks's assumptions?
I am not a lazy reader and can fill in the blanks but I am a greedy one and desire more. What did the demon tell Charlie before he took over? when did it happen? how? This could have been a superb tale, you can tell by certain aspects in the book but it for me, fell flat.
In the end, when Jack decides to return home....you hope for this epic battle, but what you receive is not necessarily a plot twist or even exciting. From the time Charlie is possessed there is a sense of build up, to something epic...it's already been made known that the entity that has her is about mayhem and death. So what she does for me wasn't surprising...what surprised me was that even at this moment with all his internal conversations when opportunity to end the battle so to speak he does nothing. I'm a parent and I understand the reasons why not but as he said, Charlie was gone.
Sighs...good can't win all the time but it would have been better in this case if it broke even.
Although I gave this book 2 stars, I would still recommend it because it had potential and for what it is, quick read and interesting enough plot it's not the worst book I ever read.
dark
tense
meh. didnt hate it. certainli didnt love it. 🤷♀️ kind of whatever all the way around.
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
N/A
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The progression of uncovering Jack’s past was both satisfying and rewarding. I felt like I hit a brick wall after the first scene with how fast is started compared to the pace of the story after. The paranormal actions never felt forced and excellently timed. Great for any thriller/paranormal reader.