A review by sophiareadswaytoomuch
Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix

challenging dark funny 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

3.5

Honestly, I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. I’ve read a couple of other books by this author and they didn’t really hit the mark for me, where this one did. I really loved the commitment to the book format- the similarity to an IKEA catalogue is maintained all the way through, up to and including the authors note. I thought it was a nice touch, and it helped to keep the tongue-in-cheek aspect as the book got a bit darker in places.

 This book also succeeded in making me feel both scared and uncomfortable, which is a first for this author. Definitely check the content warnings: I went into this blind and damn. There ended up being a few things I would have appreciated a heads up about. 

I ended up really enjoying the development of the Amy and Basil, two of the main characters. While not super likeable at times, they were definitely fun to read about, and I appreciated their character arcs. 
Overall a fun, fast paced story with a solid cast of characters, decent amount of spook factor, and generally an interesting take on the haunted house genre.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings