Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The September House by Carissa Orlando

240 reviews

kit_icarus8's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Death of parent, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Injury/Injury detail

jennxreviews's review against another edition

dark emotional fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

I didn't know if this was supposed to be horrific or hilarious, it turned out to be a roller coaster. When you think you know what's going on something will happen that will knock you down. 
Triggers for domestic abuse, alcoholism, child abuse. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Self harm, Sexism, Torture, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Dementia, Kidnapping, Grief, Cannibalism, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Gaslighting, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

ashanderson's review

dark tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

This book... Let's start with the big positive. I enjoyed Carissa Orlando's writing style which is what kept me reading through (at least) the first half of the book. It was easy to breeze through ten or more pages without realizing you moved through it so quickly. The content in that first half, though, was a lot of what in the H-E-double hockey sticks did I just read. Those WTH moments had me putting down The September House so often, even though I enjoyed Orlando's writing. The rather random information mixed with no action or movement in that first half of the book didn't keep my attention long enough to not jump back and forth to other books.

Once I decided that I needed to just finish this read to move on to something else in my TBR, I got hooked and read the last half of the book in just a couple reading sessions. It's a rollercoaster for sure. Without giving away spoilers, I loved all the twists and turns at the end of the book, and I truly mean at the end of the book.

I can partially understand Orlando's choices for revealing information at the times she did, but I think if I had more to details on the characters or history of the house to answer a few of my questions a little sooner, I would've been more eager to read The September House straight through without bouncing to other reads. As it sits, I'd recommend this book to other horror readers because I truly enjoyed Orlando's writing style and the ending of the book was wild, but I would say be prepared for a slow start and fast paced ending.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Gore, Blood, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Alcoholism and Animal death

majanthehun's review

dark tense fast-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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Toxic relationship, Blood, and Vomit

synclaire's review

challenging dark inspiring mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Gore, Self harm, Blood, Vomit, Murder, and Gaslighting

prizazz's review against another edition

challenging emotional funny lighthearted mysterious reflective sad tense

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated

5.0

The author hits you pretty hard over the head with her point but I’m not mad about it. It is a classic haunted house narrative where the house is also a character while also reflecting on the challenges of home ownership and what people have to go through to have secure housing.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Child death, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Suicide, Torture, Violence, Blood, Grief, Cannibalism, and Death of parent

rally_reviews's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

4.0

I felt I knew the mystery the whole time but the characters whether dead or alive were very interesting. Everyone that came in contact with this women and this house did not go away untouched. I was drawn into the story. I felt it was well written. I did wish they did not draw it out so much but, I feel that way often. The little surprises towards the end were interesting. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, and Blood

hookerkitty's review

challenging dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated

5.0

Hands down the best book I read all year *chef’s kiss*

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Murder, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Moderate: Torture and Death of parent

Minor: Child death, Confinement, Suicide, Vomit, Kidnapping, and Cannibalism

persephonefoxx's review against another edition

dark mysterious 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

5.0

“The walls of the house were bleeding again.This sort of thing could be expected; it was, after all, September.”

This book asks the question, ‘what happens when the person living in a haunted house accepts the horrors around them’ in a spectacular balance of humour, horror, and heavy themes. The September House is at its core, a story about the lengths you take to survive which sees the titular setting serving as both literal and metaphorical. 

I adored this book. It feels like a unique and complex mix of genres ranging from dark comedy, horror, physiological thriller, and mystery - with multiple characters almost finding themselves experiencing the plot as if they were in a different genre to each other. 

And while I clued in to the twists early on, I was enthralled the whole way through. 

As with all horror, I highly recommend checking trigger warnings. While this story has an air of humour, it does cover some darker themes. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Domestic abuse, Gore, and Blood

Moderate: Alcoholism, Child death, Mental illness, and Vomit

Minor: Self harm and Suicide

meagan123's review

dark emotional sad 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

3.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Alcoholism, Animal death, Child abuse, Child death, Cursing, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Physical abuse, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail

Minor: Self harm, Suicide, Dementia, and Gaslighting