Scan barcode
rodsreads's review
4.0
I want to thank D.W. Gillespie, Flame Tree Press, and NetGalley for the advance copy.
Let me start by saying that this was my first time reading D.W. Gillespie.
You know the thrill that comes with reading an author that is new to you:
Will I like the writing style?
Will I DNF it?
Will the author become a new favorite?
Well, I can certainly tell you that I loved Gillespie's writing. And I'm looking forward to reading more of his works.
Now let's get down to business.
Here's the Synopsys:
"The Easton family has just moved into their new fixer-upper, a beautiful old house that they bought at a steal, and Alice, the youngest of the family, is excited to explore the strange, new place. Her excitement turns to growing dread as she discovers a picture hidden under the old wallpaper, a child’s drawing of a family just like hers.
Soon after, members of the family begin to disappear, each victim marked on the child’s drawing with a dark black X. It’s up to her to unlock the grim mystery of the house before she becomes the next victim."
"One by One" is the kind of book that is hard to review without spoiling the fun. For that reason, I won't go into much of the details.
A family moves to an old house and strange things start happening?
Yes, please!
The minute I saw it on NetGalley, I knew I needed to read it.
The story had me hooked from the get-go. And the fact that it reads like a movie helped to keep me furiously turning pages.
We follow Frank, Debra, Dean, and Alice. As they "try" to settle in their new home. But unfortunately—for them, not us—things start to go south after Alice discovers an old painting behind the wallpaper in her room.
The book starts off as your typical haunted house story. The descriptions of the house are very well done. I could feel the atmosphere growing tense as the story progressed.
But not everything is at it seems.
Alice finds herself more and more invested in the mystery that surrounds her family, and the old house.
What happened to the previous owners? Is there a dark past attached to the house?
And this is where I'll stop.
The only thing that prevented a 5-star rating was the lack of character development. We get just enough to make it work. Don't get me wrong, it does work!
Although I was able to maintain a connection with our protagonist, I can't say the same about other characters.
Overall, I feel like "One by One" was a nice read!
Let me start by saying that this was my first time reading D.W. Gillespie.
You know the thrill that comes with reading an author that is new to you:
Will I like the writing style?
Will I DNF it?
Will the author become a new favorite?
Well, I can certainly tell you that I loved Gillespie's writing. And I'm looking forward to reading more of his works.
Now let's get down to business.
Here's the Synopsys:
"The Easton family has just moved into their new fixer-upper, a beautiful old house that they bought at a steal, and Alice, the youngest of the family, is excited to explore the strange, new place. Her excitement turns to growing dread as she discovers a picture hidden under the old wallpaper, a child’s drawing of a family just like hers.
Soon after, members of the family begin to disappear, each victim marked on the child’s drawing with a dark black X. It’s up to her to unlock the grim mystery of the house before she becomes the next victim."
"One by One" is the kind of book that is hard to review without spoiling the fun. For that reason, I won't go into much of the details.
A family moves to an old house and strange things start happening?
Yes, please!
The minute I saw it on NetGalley, I knew I needed to read it.
The story had me hooked from the get-go. And the fact that it reads like a movie helped to keep me furiously turning pages.
We follow Frank, Debra, Dean, and Alice. As they "try" to settle in their new home. But unfortunately—for them, not us—things start to go south after Alice discovers an old painting behind the wallpaper in her room.
The book starts off as your typical haunted house story. The descriptions of the house are very well done. I could feel the atmosphere growing tense as the story progressed.
But not everything is at it seems.
Alice finds herself more and more invested in the mystery that surrounds her family, and the old house.
What happened to the previous owners? Is there a dark past attached to the house?
And this is where I'll stop.
The only thing that prevented a 5-star rating was the lack of character development. We get just enough to make it work. Don't get me wrong, it does work!
Although I was able to maintain a connection with our protagonist, I can't say the same about other characters.
Overall, I feel like "One by One" was a nice read!
_pineapple_e's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
motherhorror's review
3.0
I'm excited to post a side-by-side review of this book on the Night Worms blog September 2nd, 2019 with John Lynch of Steelrain Reviews. I was hoping we would both come away with diverse reading experiences and we did!
After the review is posted, I'll also share it here.
This book is available for preorder at Flame Tree Press and officially releases in September.
After the review is posted, I'll also share it here.
This book is available for preorder at Flame Tree Press and officially releases in September.
readswithdogs's review
5.0
This book surprised me! I was expecting a run-of-the-mill haunted house/creepy kid story and One by One definitely features a creepy kid, but the haunting is not typical.
The suspense built up slowly and the atmosphere got wicked tense the last 75% of the book. So tense that I stayed up later than I intended because I couldn't stop reading an had to know what would happen to Alice.
Alice is the main character of the book, also a ten-year girl who loves reading and references Pet Sematary in the story--which I loved. I love when characters in books read and talk about books they read because it makes them seem more real. Alice definitely felt real to me and her relationship with her brother also seemed real.
I don't want to give anything away, but there's a CreepyPasta twist to this story that creeped me the heck out! And a certain "dinner" scene near the end had me repulsed and shuddering. Takes a lot to get a physical reaction from me and this book did it. This was my first book by this author and I'm going to keep my eye out for more work by them in the future.
4.5 stars! Another great read from Flame Tree Press
The suspense built up slowly and the atmosphere got wicked tense the last 75% of the book. So tense that I stayed up later than I intended because I couldn't stop reading an had to know what would happen to Alice.
Alice is the main character of the book, also a ten-year girl who loves reading and references Pet Sematary in the story--which I loved. I love when characters in books read and talk about books they read because it makes them seem more real. Alice definitely felt real to me and her relationship with her brother also seemed real.
I don't want to give anything away, but there's a CreepyPasta twist to this story that creeped me the heck out! And a certain "dinner" scene near the end had me repulsed and shuddering. Takes a lot to get a physical reaction from me and this book did it. This was my first book by this author and I'm going to keep my eye out for more work by them in the future.
4.5 stars! Another great read from Flame Tree Press
entertaininglynerdy's review
4.0
The start of this book actually kind of reminded me of Amityville horror. I loved the movie so obviously I love one by one. I'm glad there's actually a kick ass kid in this book. If the book wasn't horror then I would recommend kids to read it so they can realize that just because they're small doesn't make them incapable. This book is creepy good!
annarella's review
5.0
This is one of those book you cannot read at nighttime if you want to be able to sleep.
It's creepy, well written and it kept me hooked till the last page.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.
It's creepy, well written and it kept me hooked till the last page.
Highly recommended!
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.
sparethebs's review
5.0
Thank you so much Netgalley, Flame Tree Press and D.W. Gillespie for allowing me to read this in exchange of an honest review.
WOW!! This has to be the most atmospheric book I've ever read. The descriptions of the house were so real and spooky I felt my heart race every time someone walked down the darkened halls or walked up the rickety staircase. When the snow storm came in, I found myself reaching for my favorite throw blanket and cuddling up...not sure for warmth or security!
Frank, Debra, Dean and Alice moved into fixer upper that was just another one of Frank's "great" ideas. Debra (mom), was never to happy with his decision but went along with it. Dean (typical teenage son), was more interested in video games than helping out with the new move. Alice (young daughter), who was very curious about everything and thankfully never gave up until she had answers.
As the days go by, members of the family as well as the pet cat start disappearing. Everyone becomes suspicious of each other and the family starts changing. Alice finds a mysterious diary on her bed stand table and seeks the truth as to whats really going on with her family and this house.
Loved this book and can't wait to read more D.W. Gillespie!
WOW!! This has to be the most atmospheric book I've ever read. The descriptions of the house were so real and spooky I felt my heart race every time someone walked down the darkened halls or walked up the rickety staircase. When the snow storm came in, I found myself reaching for my favorite throw blanket and cuddling up...not sure for warmth or security!
Frank, Debra, Dean and Alice moved into fixer upper that was just another one of Frank's "great" ideas. Debra (mom), was never to happy with his decision but went along with it. Dean (typical teenage son), was more interested in video games than helping out with the new move. Alice (young daughter), who was very curious about everything and thankfully never gave up until she had answers.
As the days go by, members of the family as well as the pet cat start disappearing. Everyone becomes suspicious of each other and the family starts changing. Alice finds a mysterious diary on her bed stand table and seeks the truth as to whats really going on with her family and this house.
Loved this book and can't wait to read more D.W. Gillespie!
michaelknipp's review
3.0
One by One is the story of a family trying to maintain itself in the context of a new and mysterious house. Told from the perspective of the 10 year old daughter, Alice, you experience the family dynamic and the curiosity of their new home through her eyes and interpretations. The misunderstandings, musings, and imagination of a young child tint every event of the story which colors the entire narrative with additional clarity or muddiness as Alice agonizes over her familial relationships and tries to come to terms with who she is as a person and where she belongs.
The tension builds when Alice discovers a drawing of a family, like hers, behind some old wallpaper. Her overactive imagination gets the best of her as she analyzes the potential implications of the similarities to her brother and parents and the crude picture on the wall. When “X”’s begin to appear over characters in the picture and family members inexplicably vanish, Alice’s theories seem less crazy after all.
The premise was immediately compelling and the story remained interesting throughout. Unfortunately, as the mystery began to unravel during the climax of the story, a lot of the tension seemed to release a bit too early. Ultimately, the answers provided by the plot twist weren’t quite as satisfying as the tale might have implicated in its early portions. I still felt compelled to finish the story and my interest never fully waned, but I was left merely satisfied than fully awestruck.
Thanks to Netgalley, Flame Tree Press, and D.W. Gillespie in exchange for an honest review.
The tension builds when Alice discovers a drawing of a family, like hers, behind some old wallpaper. Her overactive imagination gets the best of her as she analyzes the potential implications of the similarities to her brother and parents and the crude picture on the wall. When “X”’s begin to appear over characters in the picture and family members inexplicably vanish, Alice’s theories seem less crazy after all.
The premise was immediately compelling and the story remained interesting throughout. Unfortunately, as the mystery began to unravel during the climax of the story, a lot of the tension seemed to release a bit too early. Ultimately, the answers provided by the plot twist weren’t quite as satisfying as the tale might have implicated in its early portions. I still felt compelled to finish the story and my interest never fully waned, but I was left merely satisfied than fully awestruck.
Thanks to Netgalley, Flame Tree Press, and D.W. Gillespie in exchange for an honest review.
More...