Reviews with content warning for Gore - The September House

Reviews tagging 'Gore'

The September House by Carissa Orlando

302 reviews

frances_frances's review

dark emotional mysterious tense 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

5.0

MINOR SPOILERS
Overall really enjoyed this book but was a bit disappointed by the very end, satisfied me enough to give it 5 stars
- Margaret was a really interesting character and narrator, I liked how we slowly learn the horrific realities of her marriage, felt realistic to how a DV survivor would tell their story
- Interesting how Margaret handles the horror of her home in the same way she handled the horror of her marriage
- The writing was really sharp and hooked me right away
- Felt like a fresh, original take on haunted house stories
- Didn't like the ending after the climax, felt way too neat and tidy, way mushier than it should have been, tone totally out of place compared to the rest of the book

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magikorbert's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.75

ultimately, i'm satisfied with this story. howver, the tropes and cliches it relies on up until a certain point really grind my fricken gears. its so frustrating, it makes you want to put that shit down and not pick it up again. also, maybe this is harsh, but catherine is so severely unlikeable. obviously she has many issues but she says fucking terrible things to her mom that, for a 30 year old woman, are so damn out of line.

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fortmeines's review against another edition

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dark emotional funny slow-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? Yes

4.25

This was a great read. It started out more as a light comedy with horror elements, then slowly got darker and sadder as you progressed through the book and understood the main character more. There were times when I would get annoyed with the characters and their actions (or lack thereof), but the book lets you understand why they were the way they were. The ending was a little cliche, but it was entertaining and vindicating nonetheless.

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snsimms22's review

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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whyintheheck's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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siobhanward's review

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I know this one was divisive for a lot of folks, but I really liked it. Honestly, with the cost of houses, I'd seriously consider staying in one that was incredibly haunted. I can deal with bleeding walls for a month if it means home ownership.

Anyway, that aside, this was really creepy. I wish there had been more time given to why the hauntings were happening, since the explanation felt kind of rushed during a really climactic moment. However, I'll give Orlando points back because I really like how she ended the book and have to admit that I didn't see it coming.

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selendrea's review

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dark emotional funny hopeful tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

I went into this book with barely any knowledge of the plot, and I'm so glad I did. I thought I could predict what would happen, but this was far from the truth. The September House is more than a simplistic haunted house tale - the far scarier monsters are not the incorporeal, mutilated forms of the deceased, but the monsters that are alive. The heart of this story isn't the ghosts, the gore, the nightmares. It's family - albeit an imperfect family, but one that you end up rooting for. As a fiery daughter similar to Katherine in some ways, I loved how well fleshed out the mother-daughter relationship was.

Orlando does a brilliant job bringing the main character, Margaret, to life. She is motivated, funny, tired, and so incredibly loving. She simultaneously feels like a realistic person, but also one who is difficult to fully understand, which is purposeful. As we fall deeper and deeper into Margaret's story, her characterization and reasons behind her behavior become illuminated, and the pacing of these reveals felt perfectly spaced out.

I also want to commend Orlando on balancing horrifying elements with such refreshing use of dark humor. There were several moments in this book that made me chuckle out loud and receive a glance from my husband on the couch. I genuinely had a dream inspired by a scene in this book, that's how strongly the imagery impacted me.

The only thing that detracted from this novel for me was a lack of subtlety. I believe Orlando could have folded in the allegory between

Margaret standing up to Master Vale versus Margaret never standing up to her abusive husband

in a less obvious way. It was as if the author didn't trust the reader to catch on to the parallels, which became a bit frustrating. I absolutely adore how the book explored

the psychological profile of a woman in an abusive marriage (if I just follow the rules, I can survive),

but I truly think with a bit more subtlety and room to breathe, I would have felt more satisfied at the end when all the puzzle pieces came together.

Nonetheless, I think The September House is an incredibly fun and successful novel. If you enjoy traditional haunted house stories with a psychological twist, you won't regret giving this one a chance!

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