A review by astrangewind
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? No
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

As an avid IKEA fan, I found the premise of Horrorstor to be captivating. Orsk is a perfect reflection of the home-goods-paradise-slash-capitalistic-hellscape that does resemble a panopticon, in some ways. 

There's a lot of subtle horror in this kind of labyrinthine store that Hendrix explores. For example,
Matt and Amy getting turned around in the showrooms, the fake doors opening impossibly into long concrete hallways, and the general eerieness of being in an empty store at night
. However, I wish the book remained this subtle. I wish I came out of it with a quiet, haunted feeling that follows me when I go to an IKEA-like store. Instead...
I got ghosts
. To his credit, Hendrix tried to humanize the more boring parts
such as the bit with the ectoplasm pouring out of Trinity's mouth
, but the whole trope of "structure is on top of a place where a bunch of people died" is a little bit lame. 

I did like the ending, though. Good character development, good creep factor. 
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