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A review by readbydusk
One by One by D.W. Gillespie
4.0
This book begins like a typical haunted house story where a family moves to an old, dilapidated house. The move is due to the father’s plan to shake up their lives so the rest of the family is pretty unhappy. Of course things start going haywire!
The book is from the POV of the daughter, 10-year-old Alice. She’s smart but prone to daydreams so when weird stuff happen her family dismisses her concerns. I liked that while Alice is shown to be naive in some ways due to her age, she catches on pretty quickly. I could feel her frustration at her family's disregard for her worries. I thought the portrayal of the parents' marriage feels real and raw, even uncomfortable. It really added to the tension in the house. The way the family dynamic is depicted makes it clear that they love each other but there's an underlying stress. It asks the question of whether they can survive the move - and whatever else is thrown at them.
The story takes some time to get going but once it does, it‘s intense! It goes to places I didn’t expect and brings up the horrors of family secrets and lasting trauma. There is a pretty gruesome animal death so take note if this bothers you. Overall, this is a solid horror story, a nice twist on the haunted house trope.
Thank you to the publisher for a review copy.
book blog | twitter | instagram
The book is from the POV of the daughter, 10-year-old Alice. She’s smart but prone to daydreams so when weird stuff happen her family dismisses her concerns. I liked that while Alice is shown to be naive in some ways due to her age, she catches on pretty quickly. I could feel her frustration at her family's disregard for her worries. I thought the portrayal of the parents' marriage feels real and raw, even uncomfortable. It really added to the tension in the house. The way the family dynamic is depicted makes it clear that they love each other but there's an underlying stress. It asks the question of whether they can survive the move - and whatever else is thrown at them.
The story takes some time to get going but once it does, it‘s intense! It goes to places I didn’t expect and brings up the horrors of family secrets and lasting trauma. There is a pretty gruesome animal death so take note if this bothers you. Overall, this is a solid horror story, a nice twist on the haunted house trope.
Thank you to the publisher for a review copy.
book blog | twitter | instagram