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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
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:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Murder
Honestly, I’m extremely disappointed. There were way way way too many similarities to The Haunting of Hill House (the show, as I haven’t read the book). It seems as though Riley watched Hill House, and decided to spin the story to “what if the ghosts weren’t actually there?” As well, the ending was extremely bland. It wasn’t what I was expecting but it wasn’t a very big shock either. It was more depressing than creepy or shocking.
So much more than a typical haunting Home Before Dark had an interesting twist. Maggie and her parents Ewan and Jess Holt move into Baneberry Hall, a large, dilapidated Victorian estate in Vermont unusually under-priced. This story may remind you of another famous haunting as the Holts only spent 3 weeks in the home before fleeing in the middle of the night in terror. Sound familiar…
Maggie remembers nothing of her time at the estate, and after the ordeal Maggie’s father, Ewan writes a book (House of Horrors) about the ordeal turning a large profit for the family and making them infamous as he details the paranormal activity, riveling that other famous house haunting.
Maggie became the girl that sees and talks to ghosts and as a result of all the trauma, Maggie’s parents divorced. Maggie only learned of what really happened in those 3-weeks after reading her father’s book at the age of 12. She thought it was all a big lie.
Maggie is all grown up and has created quite a life for herself restoring old homes and flipping them for a profit. Ewan (Maggie’s father) has passed away and left the home to her in his will. This surprises Maggie because to her understanding her father sold the home shortly after they fled. She has not been back since.
Her mother has advised against her returning to Baneberry Hall and tells Maggie to just sell the home, but Maggie knows she can turn a better profit, by fixing it up just enough to sell. So, she does exactly what her mother has advised her against, and she returns.
Maggie has a deadline to flip the home. Get in, assess the damage, hire a crew, and get the bare-bones repairs done quickly. Soon after she moves back into the home (sleeping in her childhood bedroom) to start the necessary repairs, strange things start to unfold around her she gets more than she bargained for.
Memories from the past, the arguments, old mementos, and skeletons in the walls are a bit more than what Maggie has bargained for. She slowly starts to remember as fragments of her time spent at Baneberry become clear.
A murder, Mr. Pennyman, and strange occurrences would make this an experience that Maggie, will never forget.
I enjoyed this book, a house haunting with a “real” twist.
Maggie remembers nothing of her time at the estate, and after the ordeal Maggie’s father, Ewan writes a book (House of Horrors) about the ordeal turning a large profit for the family and making them infamous as he details the paranormal activity, riveling that other famous house haunting.
Maggie became the girl that sees and talks to ghosts and as a result of all the trauma, Maggie’s parents divorced. Maggie only learned of what really happened in those 3-weeks after reading her father’s book at the age of 12. She thought it was all a big lie.
Maggie is all grown up and has created quite a life for herself restoring old homes and flipping them for a profit. Ewan (Maggie’s father) has passed away and left the home to her in his will. This surprises Maggie because to her understanding her father sold the home shortly after they fled. She has not been back since.
Her mother has advised against her returning to Baneberry Hall and tells Maggie to just sell the home, but Maggie knows she can turn a better profit, by fixing it up just enough to sell. So, she does exactly what her mother has advised her against, and she returns.
Maggie has a deadline to flip the home. Get in, assess the damage, hire a crew, and get the bare-bones repairs done quickly. Soon after she moves back into the home (sleeping in her childhood bedroom) to start the necessary repairs, strange things start to unfold around her she gets more than she bargained for.
Memories from the past, the arguments, old mementos, and skeletons in the walls are a bit more than what Maggie has bargained for. She slowly starts to remember as fragments of her time spent at Baneberry become clear.
A murder, Mr. Pennyman, and strange occurrences would make this an experience that Maggie, will never forget.
I enjoyed this book, a house haunting with a “real” twist.
Ok, Riley Sager is officially an auto-buy author for me!
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
N/A
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Well written in that I had the same suspicions as the heroine without realizing it and thus followed her journey, and had a hard time putting it down.
A haunted house with a sordid history and creepy things happening like a record player starting to play music on its own and lights that turn on by themselves? Yes, sign me up!
This was such an enjoyable read. It delivered all the chills and thrills I was seeking. As always Sager can hook me within the first few sentences and I've fallen headfirst into whatever fictional world he's created.
Additionally, I like the book within a book aspect and found it super fun. I also really liked the main character Maggie and her quest to uncover what really happened the night her family left. And the ending was perfect. I had my suspicions and they were confirmed.
All in all, this is a solid spooky little read.
Check out my full review on my blog: https://www.kathleenhaagenson.com/home-before-dark-by-riley-sager/
This was such an enjoyable read. It delivered all the chills and thrills I was seeking. As always Sager can hook me within the first few sentences and I've fallen headfirst into whatever fictional world he's created.
Additionally, I like the book within a book aspect and found it super fun. I also really liked the main character Maggie and her quest to uncover what really happened the night her family left. And the ending was perfect. I had my suspicions and they were confirmed.
All in all, this is a solid spooky little read.
Check out my full review on my blog: https://www.kathleenhaagenson.com/home-before-dark-by-riley-sager/
Could not put this down. So creepy & different than what I expected. Fantastic read. I had some issues with the plot & title it was a good one.
This book started off really well. I was very intrigued and excited by the premise. But after a little over half way through, I got bored. I finished the book hoping that the ending would pay off but it fell flat for me. I felt like the twist was a little much. For me, books don't have to be believable for me to enjoy them but when it's over the top, it's just too much.
This story follows, Maggie, who at the age of 5 moved into a seemingly haunted house. And just like Amityville Horror style, the family ran with nothing but the clothes on their back from the house after just 20 days, vowing never to return. The father later wrote a book called, House of Horrors, which told the story about their house history and their experience. His book became a best seller and the family's story became almost infamous. But Maggie had no memory of her time at the house and when the father dies and leaves the house to Maggie, she goes back to get the truth of what happened all those years ago. She finds out the truth and then some.
This story follows, Maggie, who at the age of 5 moved into a seemingly haunted house. And just like Amityville Horror style, the family ran with nothing but the clothes on their back from the house after just 20 days, vowing never to return. The father later wrote a book called, House of Horrors, which told the story about their house history and their experience. His book became a best seller and the family's story became almost infamous. But Maggie had no memory of her time at the house and when the father dies and leaves the house to Maggie, she goes back to get the truth of what happened all those years ago. She finds out the truth and then some.