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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Riley Sager does it again y’all! I read this book in the middle of the day and I was very thoroughly creeped out. It was fun to imagine the picture he paints of Baneberry Hall and there’s just one mystery after the other. It goes from past to present POVs, her fathers account when they lived there and then her account as an adult. You can really feel just how much it has affected their lives, Maggie especially with how estranged she feels and how even though Maggie doesn’t believe in anything her father said, she really wants to understand what’s happened. Even I found myself questioning reality. Are ghosts real? Are they all crazy?
[3.5] This is my 6th Sager book....and I feel like this is my least favorite. I wish I would have saved this for October...I.E. spooky season. I didn't realize the paranormal elements in this , however, I love how Sager weaves together paranormal...and realistic very well. I think this was was good to listen to as an audio book.
The dual timelines, with one of them being essentially an excerpt from a book was a really cool way to tell the story. I had a good time with this, I just thought the resolution was REALLY rushed. The last half of the book went by 10 times quicker than the beginning.
The dual timelines, with one of them being essentially an excerpt from a book was a really cool way to tell the story. I had a good time with this, I just thought the resolution was REALLY rushed. The last half of the book went by 10 times quicker than the beginning.
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I was a big fan of Sager's The Only One Left so I was so excited to read this one too. I was not disappointed. This was a near-perfect read for me. It was unclear what was true and what was false, there were so many questions that all got a satisfying answer, and the unreliability of the narrator's story added another layer to be unwound. Sager's writing keeps the story moving and the tension heightened. There was also a connective tissue in the story related to parents and how their decisions carry through and affect their children, which I think gave it a depth that I don't recall The Only One Left having as clearly. Anyway, all in all, what a thoroughly enjoyable read!
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really do like Riley sagers books and how every ending is guaranteed at least two major twists so you never really know what’s coming.. fun to read and theorize and having never guessed right yet I guess he’s just that good at surprising me.
Riley Sager quickly became one of my favorite authors, and is an "auto-buy" author for me, meaning I'll read anything he writes. I LOVE books about haunted houses, so after reading the description for Home Before Dark, I COULD NOT wait to get my hands on this one!
I loved that the book was told in present day chapters as our main character Maggie prepared to fix up and sell the house her family fled in the middle of the night several years prior, interspersed with chapters from "The Book" that was written by Maggie's father detailing the events that caused them to flee in the middle of the night. His haunted house story made headlines, and Maggie resents bring dragged into the narrative. She doesn't remember the events detailed in the book, and doesn't believe in ghosts...or does she? When odd things start happening in the house again, she can't help but wonder if maybe she's been wrong all along.
I wasn't sure which way the book was going to go - if it would turn out to be supernatural, or if it would ultimately have a rational ending, and I won't give that away for you here - you'll have to read to find out - but I loved the story and trying to decide one way or the other! Home Before Dark is right up there with Final Girls as my favorite Sager book to date!
If you're a fan of the book/show, The Haunting of Hill House, I think this will appeal to you! The creepy victorian mansion and unexplained happenings were reminiscent of Hill House, and I loved every second of it! I rated this one 5 stars, and am already dying to read whatever Sager writes next!
I'd like to thank Dutton Publishing for my copy of the book. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review.
I loved that the book was told in present day chapters as our main character Maggie prepared to fix up and sell the house her family fled in the middle of the night several years prior, interspersed with chapters from "The Book" that was written by Maggie's father detailing the events that caused them to flee in the middle of the night. His haunted house story made headlines, and Maggie resents bring dragged into the narrative. She doesn't remember the events detailed in the book, and doesn't believe in ghosts...or does she? When odd things start happening in the house again, she can't help but wonder if maybe she's been wrong all along.
I wasn't sure which way the book was going to go - if it would turn out to be supernatural, or if it would ultimately have a rational ending, and I won't give that away for you here - you'll have to read to find out - but I loved the story and trying to decide one way or the other! Home Before Dark is right up there with Final Girls as my favorite Sager book to date!
If you're a fan of the book/show, The Haunting of Hill House, I think this will appeal to you! The creepy victorian mansion and unexplained happenings were reminiscent of Hill House, and I loved every second of it! I rated this one 5 stars, and am already dying to read whatever Sager writes next!
I'd like to thank Dutton Publishing for my copy of the book. It was my pleasure to provide an honest review.
4.25 stars, rounded down. A seemingly haunted house in Vermont is the perfect setting for me! I also loved the “book in a book” providing narratives for different timelines. A few too many twists at the end but all in all a spooky and FUN read.
I quite simply could not put this book down it was so good???? Every single twist and turn had me literally dropping my jaw (again, literally) - I truly did not see any of them coming. I’m a big fan of the atmosphere Riley Sager is able to create in his books, I truly felt like I was there in spooky AF Baneberry Hall!!
I read The Only One Left also by Riley Sager last year and I felt like there were some bits in the middle that dragged on a bit, but I did not have the same issues with the pacing in this book. Truly loved every bit of it from start to finish.
I read The Only One Left also by Riley Sager last year and I felt like there were some bits in the middle that dragged on a bit, but I did not have the same issues with the pacing in this book. Truly loved every bit of it from start to finish.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes