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A review by fearnerd
Gothic by Philip Fracassi
3.0
What drew me to Philip Fracassi's new book Gothic is that fantastically evil cover. And the premise behind the book ain't bad either. A struggling horror novelist Tyson Parks is trying to write another bestseller, and he just can't manage to do it until his longtime partner Sarah surprises him on his birthday with a new desk. But what they don't know is that the desk once served as the altar for satanic rituals and feeds off its users.
Cool story, cool cover, but the execution just didn't live up to the promise for me. For one, our main protagonist Tyson feels underdeveloped. We get an idea of his struggles, but I never felt sympathetic to his plight. And once the desk gets its shoots in him and drives him to detestable actions, I like him even less. Side characters Sarah and Tyson's daughter Violet are underutilized and not well-voiced.
There's also another character trying to acquire the desk so that she can rid the world of its evil. She's entirely boring. I didn't enjoy the altar backstory her narrative provides. However, she fits into the book's most shocking moment. It was a welcome jolt to a lackluster journey thus far.
⭐️⭐️
Cool story, cool cover, but the execution just didn't live up to the promise for me. For one, our main protagonist Tyson feels underdeveloped. We get an idea of his struggles, but I never felt sympathetic to his plight. And once the desk gets its shoots in him and drives him to detestable actions, I like him even less. Side characters Sarah and Tyson's daughter Violet are underutilized and not well-voiced.
There's also another character trying to acquire the desk so that she can rid the world of its evil. She's entirely boring. I didn't enjoy the altar backstory her narrative provides. However, she fits into the book's most shocking moment. It was a welcome jolt to a lackluster journey thus far.
⭐️⭐️