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bites_of_books's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
informative
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
No one is more surprised than myself at the fact that I ended up giving this book 4.5 stars.
This book starts with Louise receiving a call from her brother, Mark, saying that their parents have both died in a car accident. Louise now has to leave her 5 year old daughter in San Francisco with her ex while she goes back to Charleston to help with the funeral arrangements for her parents. From the start we know that Louise and Mark do not get along, they only interact when they have to and this time there are a lot of emotions that make every interaction they have be tense and with 90% probability of pettiness and overreactions. That was very hard to read at first, until we start peeling back the layers that make these characters.
At around 50% I was not sure about this book, I could see what might happen and I was still unsure if I was on board. For a 13 hour audiobook, this could be a very difficult ask, but what made me continue listening was the way that Hendrix was telling this story. We keep getting small but impactful scenes that don't have a clear explanation but has hints to what might be happening. The length of the book was also what made me keep listening, what else could possibly happen at this point? We have had already some really scary and creepy scenes involving taxidermy squirrels and puppets, TVs being randomly turned on, sounds in an "empty" house, so how are the main characters going to find the truth and resolve the story?
The resolution to the story was what drastically pulled the rating up to 4.5 stars for me, there's a theme of multigenerational inheritance that goes beyond the physical, family secrets that will always come to light eventually, and also that fight between what we believe is reality, spirituality, and beyond. It reminded me of how a family home that has housed multiple generations always holds secrets, from the benign of "oh didn't know grandpa used to go out dancing" to more sinister secrets, and those are part of the legacy of that family.
I don't think this book is for everyone, it's a long book that requires one to push through very tense and difficult conversations between seemingly unlikeable characters. I can't say that I ended up loving these characters but I grew to understand where they were coming from, and that's huge!
I'd recommend this book if you like horror books that have deeper and nuanced conversations about grief, inheritance, sibling relationships, motherhood, and if you enjoy puppet horror, you'll love this. It gets campy and silly at times, but that's part of the charm of puppet horror so I felt like it was appropriate when it happened. Also, if you do listen to the audiobook, the narrator does a great job in giving certain characters unforgettable voices, which was key to keeping the tone of the book where it needed to be.
This book starts with Louise receiving a call from her brother, Mark, saying that their parents have both died in a car accident. Louise now has to leave her 5 year old daughter in San Francisco with her ex while she goes back to Charleston to help with the funeral arrangements for her parents. From the start we know that Louise and Mark do not get along, they only interact when they have to and this time there are a lot of emotions that make every interaction they have be tense and with 90% probability of pettiness and overreactions. That was very hard to read at first, until we start peeling back the layers that make these characters.
At around 50% I was not sure about this book, I could see what might happen and I was still unsure if I was on board. For a 13 hour audiobook, this could be a very difficult ask, but what made me continue listening was the way that Hendrix was telling this story. We keep getting small but impactful scenes that don't have a clear explanation but has hints to what might be happening. The length of the book was also what made me keep listening, what else could possibly happen at this point? We have had already some really scary and creepy scenes involving taxidermy squirrels and puppets, TVs being randomly turned on, sounds in an "empty" house, so how are the main characters going to find the truth and resolve the story?
The resolution to the story was what drastically pulled the rating up to 4.5 stars for me, there's a theme of multigenerational inheritance that goes beyond the physical, family secrets that will always come to light eventually, and also that fight between what we believe is reality, spirituality, and beyond. It reminded me of how a family home that has housed multiple generations always holds secrets, from the benign of "oh didn't know grandpa used to go out dancing" to more sinister secrets, and those are part of the legacy of that family.
I don't think this book is for everyone, it's a long book that requires one to push through very tense and difficult conversations between seemingly unlikeable characters. I can't say that I ended up loving these characters but I grew to understand where they were coming from, and that's huge!
I'd recommend this book if you like horror books that have deeper and nuanced conversations about grief, inheritance, sibling relationships, motherhood, and if you enjoy puppet horror, you'll love this. It gets campy and silly at times, but that's part of the charm of puppet horror so I felt like it was appropriate when it happened. Also, if you do listen to the audiobook, the narrator does a great job in giving certain characters unforgettable voices, which was key to keeping the tone of the book where it needed to be.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Gaslighting, Body horror, Blood, Death, Grief, Murder, Toxic relationship, Violence, and Death of parent
alittleliterary's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Panic attacks/disorders, Gore, Death, Blood, Mental illness, Medical trauma, Injury/Injury detail, Fire/Fire injury, Car accident, Body horror, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Murder, and Grief
arireadsitall's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Grady Hendrix is actually insane and I love it! This one started a bit slow but then the chaos begins! You definitely need to have an imagination to truly appreciate the crazy. This is not for the ones that think most thrillers are scary and just trust me on that
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Child death
Moderate: Alcoholism
ruthypoo2's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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
5.0
I loved it… I loved it! I’d categorize this story as bonkers with a lot of creepy haunted house bits, dysfunctional family tension, fight action, the trauma of carrying immense guilt, and the power of love. The two main characters, siblings Louise and Mark, are brought together following the sudden deaths of their parents. Though estranged for years, they understand it's their responsibility to deal with the house and its contents, which involves coming face-to-face with old injuries as well as their mother's extensive collection of dolls and puppets.
There are a number of secondary characters that play important roles, primarily the members of Louise and Mark's family that live close to their parents and in a lot of ways understand where the family has skeletons hidden in the closet. But they are a consistent and reliable source of support for the sister and brother, bringing in reinforcements when needed, and in this story, the emotional and physical hits just keep on coming with no relief in sight.
Not so soon," Louise thought. "I can't handle another one so soon." But she didn't have a choice. She would have to handle whatever happened. There was no such thing as too much. There was just more and more, and her limits didn't matter. Life didn't care. She could only hang on.
While Louise and Mark could be supremely frustrating individuals, I ended up liking them both. I loved their family and all the peripheral characters too, especially one named Barb. There's also one puppet in particular that plays a key role in the story and its name is Pupkin. I became a huge fan of that little SOB, Pupkin. In my opinion, the ending of the story worked and was able to tie up everything properly.
I don’t think Grady Hendrix gets the credit he deserves for building realistic characters with complex personalities. This book is now one of my favorites from Hendrix, along with The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, which, if you haven’t read it, is a great tale of the importance of female friendship and support, IMO. Hendrix, like Stephen King, does a wonderful job of character building and putting ordinary people into extraordinary (often supernatural) circumstances where they have to reach deep within to find the strength and bravery to defend themselves and others. I love these kinds of heroes!
I may have enjoyed this story more than some others because I listened to the audiobook and the narrators, Mikhaila Aaseng and Jay Aaseng, were very good. The characters go through a variety of emotions and bouts of terror that the narrators translated well. And the narration gave Pupkin a voice and personality that made him come across as a multi-dimensional entity.
There are a number of secondary characters that play important roles, primarily the members of Louise and Mark's family that live close to their parents and in a lot of ways understand where the family has skeletons hidden in the closet. But they are a consistent and reliable source of support for the sister and brother, bringing in reinforcements when needed, and in this story, the emotional and physical hits just keep on coming with no relief in sight.
Not so soon," Louise thought. "I can't handle another one so soon." But she didn't have a choice. She would have to handle whatever happened. There was no such thing as too much. There was just more and more, and her limits didn't matter. Life didn't care. She could only hang on.
While Louise and Mark could be supremely frustrating individuals, I ended up liking them both. I loved their family and all the peripheral characters too, especially one named Barb. There's also one puppet in particular that plays a key role in the story and its name is Pupkin. I became a huge fan of that little SOB, Pupkin. In my opinion, the ending of the story worked and was able to tie up everything properly.
I don’t think Grady Hendrix gets the credit he deserves for building realistic characters with complex personalities. This book is now one of my favorites from Hendrix, along with The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, which, if you haven’t read it, is a great tale of the importance of female friendship and support, IMO. Hendrix, like Stephen King, does a wonderful job of character building and putting ordinary people into extraordinary (often supernatural) circumstances where they have to reach deep within to find the strength and bravery to defend themselves and others. I love these kinds of heroes!
I may have enjoyed this story more than some others because I listened to the audiobook and the narrators, Mikhaila Aaseng and Jay Aaseng, were very good. The characters go through a variety of emotions and bouts of terror that the narrators translated well. And the narration gave Pupkin a voice and personality that made him come across as a multi-dimensional entity.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Injury/Injury detail, Alcohol, Violence, Death of parent, Car accident, and Child death
Minor: Animal death and Murder
toofondofbooks_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
I think this was pretty good, probably my second favorite Grady Hendrix that I've read so far. I think what really took it over the edge was the sibling dynamic and the themes of grief of several types throughout. It became less about the horror of it all and more about the humanity of our main characters, even when the horror became just a little absurd. I think the only reason this isn't a 5 star for me is just that I think there are some aspects that could've been explained better in the narrative. I still have some questions that are annoying me. Overall though, a decent read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Violence, Animal cruelty, Murder, Body horror, Blood, Gaslighting, Death of parent, Child death, Excrement, Grief, Child abuse, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Injury/Injury detail, and Mental illness
Moderate: Pregnancy
itsalina's review against another edition
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Death, Gore, Grief, Torture, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Abandonment, Emotional abuse, Murder, and Child death
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and Gun violence
amphytrite's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-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
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence and Death
Minor: Cursing, Blood, and Car accident
jayjm94's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
I read this 415 page book in one sitting. It was everything I love about Grady Hendrix— there is plenty of reflection, but it is mainly scary messed up stuff happening and men being absolutely awful to women. This is as good as a scary puppet book gets; it’s full of camp, gore and family secrets. I don’t think it dragged a bit. So much fun!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Gaslighting, Child death, Gore, and Death of parent
Moderate: Pregnancy, Murder, Excrement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Addiction, Body horror, and Abandonment
Minor: Excrement and Animal death
rilynnwrites's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.0
I love Grady Hendrix’s other books, but this one wasn’t for me. I can’t help but feel this book was a little unpolished, and when it comes to plot, would have been a good short story instead of the long-winded struggle it was. I couldn’t suspend my belief enough when it came to these characters and the choices they made.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Violence, Body horror, Car accident, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Murder, Blood, and Death
another_dahlia's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
1.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Death, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Death of parent, and Murder
Minor: Grief