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4.01 AVERAGE
4.01 AVERAGE
Thoroughly enjoyed this read.
I’m not usually one for horror/thriller type books but read this as a book club selection and was pleasantly surprised. The more I read the more gripped I became and the twists and turns just kept coming.
I highly recommend this book, especially if it means stepping outside of your comfort zone.
I’m not usually one for horror/thriller type books but read this as a book club selection and was pleasantly surprised. The more I read the more gripped I became and the twists and turns just kept coming.
I highly recommend this book, especially if it means stepping outside of your comfort zone.
dark
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
RIP roaring ghost story with a twisty end. Liked. Will look out for more from this author
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Solid 3 star read
Overall, this book was a very fun and entertaining horror novel that provided most of what your average horror/mystery/thriller reader would want – easy to recommend to most readers.
However, if you consider yourself a horror fan/enthusiast this may not be right for you. I personally prefer to consume horror stories in visual formats and have only read a handful of horror novels - which were primarily King. So, my experience is limited in terms of written horror storytelling. But I was very excited to read this when it came up as a potential book club choice, but I’d say it was a bit of a letdown.
Mild Spoilers ahead***
Pros:
-it was a fun and enjoyable read and aside from a few instances, I would go so far as to call this a ‘light’ horror read – at least it felt this way on audiobook
-the description of the environment and the gothic feel of the house was quite well done and I am a sucker for stories about old gothic mansions with rumors of hauntings and/or prior deaths
-very interesting ending with great twists, multiple reveals, and several red herrings – I was genuinely shocked by the killer and had not really given that character much thought
Cons:
-I did not need it to be a hardcore horror story, but my favorite thing about the horror genre (and I suspect most fans would agree) is the deeper meanings and layers beneath the murders and ghost stories. This often includes commentary on the human psyche, death and loss, and sometimes even wider social topics. Think the exploration of loss in Pet Sematary or the stages of grief in Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House. The absence of these deeper layers in the book made it feel incomplete and like the story would not stick with me the way Hill House has.
-the characters really fell flat and did not feel like well-written human beings, but rather one-dimensional people who just existed for the sake of moving the plot forward. This made them, especially Maggie, difficult to like and made her chapters feel boring
-for a big chunk of the book, except the ending, it felt like a sub-par copy of the events in Hill House, I kept having the thought, “wait that’s just like ____ on the show”
TLDR
A pretty good read if you want a quick thrill but not up to snuff for true horror fans. Whether you liked this book or not- if you haven’t seen Hill House yet, go watch immediately!!
Overall, this book was a very fun and entertaining horror novel that provided most of what your average horror/mystery/thriller reader would want – easy to recommend to most readers.
However, if you consider yourself a horror fan/enthusiast this may not be right for you. I personally prefer to consume horror stories in visual formats and have only read a handful of horror novels - which were primarily King. So, my experience is limited in terms of written horror storytelling. But I was very excited to read this when it came up as a potential book club choice, but I’d say it was a bit of a letdown.
Mild Spoilers ahead***
Pros:
-it was a fun and enjoyable read and aside from a few instances, I would go so far as to call this a ‘light’ horror read – at least it felt this way on audiobook
-the description of the environment and the gothic feel of the house was quite well done and I am a sucker for stories about old gothic mansions with rumors of hauntings and/or prior deaths
-very interesting ending with great twists, multiple reveals, and several red herrings – I was genuinely shocked by the killer and had not really given that character much thought
Cons:
-I did not need it to be a hardcore horror story, but my favorite thing about the horror genre (and I suspect most fans would agree) is the deeper meanings and layers beneath the murders and ghost stories. This often includes commentary on the human psyche, death and loss, and sometimes even wider social topics. Think the exploration of loss in Pet Sematary or the stages of grief in Netflix’s The Haunting of Hill House. The absence of these deeper layers in the book made it feel incomplete and like the story would not stick with me the way Hill House has.
-the characters really fell flat and did not feel like well-written human beings, but rather one-dimensional people who just existed for the sake of moving the plot forward. This made them, especially Maggie, difficult to like and made her chapters feel boring
-for a big chunk of the book, except the ending, it felt like a sub-par copy of the events in Hill House, I kept having the thought, “wait that’s just like ____ on the show”
TLDR
A pretty good read if you want a quick thrill but not up to snuff for true horror fans. Whether you liked this book or not- if you haven’t seen Hill House yet, go watch immediately!!
mysterious
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
Was a page turner- however, as an avid horror fan, I was able to piece together parts of the plot. Nonetheless… the storytelling was fantastic and there were definitely some spine tingling moments!
4.5 ⭐ What do you get when you throw 'Amityville Horror', 'Poltergeist' and 'Sinister' in a blender? This f***ing gem. Admittedly, I was nervous at the start, thinking it was just going to the a 'Amityville' knockoff, but it's so much more than that. I had so much fun reading it and trying to figure it all out. I felt genuinely freaked out a few times as well, which is not easy to do. A few too many twists the last 50 pages, but that conclusion was great.
mysterious
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:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Riley Sager with another twist after twist read. Straight up, before you read ANY Riley Sager novel, his books are all paranormal psychological thrillers. There's ALWAYS going to be a paranormal element so know that before you dive in.
This had such a unique POV with dual timelines, one being present day and the other being the past but in book form because our MC's dad wrote a book about the experience they had in the home they purchased that was haunted.
Maggie is convinced the book her father wrote is all a lie. She was super young when her family moved into what is know as the House of Horrors to the beloved fans of the novel her father wrote - but she's convinced none of it is true.
What she doesn't know is that she's not wrong, but she also isn't even close to on the right path for what the truth is. What she uncovers when returning to her family's haunted manor is way more than she every bargained for.
Loved this book, great read. Really had all my gears spinning.
This had such a unique POV with dual timelines, one being present day and the other being the past but in book form because our MC's dad wrote a book about the experience they had in the home they purchased that was haunted.
Maggie is convinced the book her father wrote is all a lie. She was super young when her family moved into what is know as the House of Horrors to the beloved fans of the novel her father wrote - but she's convinced none of it is true.
What she doesn't know is that she's not wrong, but she also isn't even close to on the right path for what the truth is. What she uncovers when returning to her family's haunted manor is way more than she every bargained for.
Loved this book, great read. Really had all my gears spinning.