chaptersofchase 's review for:

A History of Fear by Luke Dumas

3.0

dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Thank you, Atria Books, for the gifted copy of A History of Fear {partner}

Genre: Horror
Format: 📖
Pub Date: 12.6.2022
Star Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆

"The Devil found me at the dodgy end of Leith Walk, having lured me by use of guile and the pretense of employment, the thing I needed more than anything."

I started reading The History of Fear in my never-ending quest to find something that actually creeps me out. Maybe there's something wrong with me, but History of Fear didn't seem all that scary; there were unsettling elements to the story, BUT to me, it just seemed like a tragic story.

The underlying tone of the story seemingly deals more with mental health as we learn about the MC's past and his contact abuse and neglect as a child at the hand of his extremely religious parents. This leads me to my next point 👇🏼

The book was too detail-oriented. It almost became repetitive at some points. The majority of the chapters focused on the upbringing of the MC, Grayson Hale. I wanted more information about his time in Scotland, and if none could be provided, then the novel could've been cut shorter.

I also understand that Grayson is meant to come across as intelligent and well-educated (thus leading to the shocking nature of the crime). Still, the chapters from his perspective were almost excruciating to read due to their formality.

🎧 Would make a great audiobook
🤷🏽‍♀️ More disturbing than scary
🤪 Detail oriented
🎩 Formality of the MC was over the top

For a debut novel, I was impressed with the author's ability to tell a story, and I look forward to reading what he writes next. I understand that my review is in the minority, so you should take my opinion with a grain of salt and give History of Fear a try to see what you think.

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