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A review by dr_dr_olshakes
How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix
dark
funny
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
My first Grady Hendrix that isn't at least 4 stars. I just cannot forgive how slow that first half was. It was an absolute grind to get through. It's rough when the MC doesn't accept the haunting, especially when it is literally attacking her, until the 50% mark. Also, while I normally don't mind if the characters are largely unlikable...this first half tested my limits.
All that said...he did it. Grady Hendrix really wrote a genuine, straight up, no irony, no shame, only a little tongue-in-cheek puppet book. He really said he was going to write a scary puppet book and then he did it. I got mad respect for that. This book, despite the first half, still had all of my favorite things about reading Hendrix. He has an incredible ability to both reveal in the shlockiest horror tropes with both sincerity and fun. He managed to make such tense scenes and high stakes out of one of the sillier horror premises.
Also, loved that Mark's whole thing started with "9/11 changed everything." 9/11 started his puppet downfall. Amazing.
All that said...he did it. Grady Hendrix really wrote a genuine, straight up, no irony, no shame, only a little tongue-in-cheek puppet book. He really said he was going to write a scary puppet book and then he did it. I got mad respect for that. This book, despite the first half, still had all of my favorite things about reading Hendrix. He has an incredible ability to both reveal in the shlockiest horror tropes with both sincerity and fun. He managed to make such tense scenes and high stakes out of one of the sillier horror premises.
Also, loved that Mark's whole thing started with "9/11 changed everything." 9/11 started his puppet downfall. Amazing.