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A review by gracefulally
The House of Tongues by James Dashner
4.0
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I read this book because the author, who I follow on Twitter (which I check once a month, maybe), happened to post a link to BookSirens.com asking people to read the book and leave a review on Amazon. Let me tell you some things I knew before I decided to read the book. 1) I love books. I have been told since I was in grade school that I need to read "happier" books. 2) This book's premise was a slay for me. A crime thriller with the promise of a play on historical facts with characters that are set in several different generations. I was ready. 3) James Dashner wrote the Maze Runner series, which I have read and enjoyed. And he's an NYT best-selling author! 4) I would be receiving an ACR copy. Things I didn't know before I decided to read the book. 1) That it's been optioned for a TV show. 2) The bewildering effort it would take me to sit down and write this review because not everything I have to say is glowing.
Now, let's get to the review.
I think I should warn you about some not-spoiler things before I get to the meat of the book. The ACR copy had some errors that I hope were fixed in the final edit. Things were spelled wrong (or a homophone was used) and there were a few actual typos and once a doorknob became a doorbell. Additionally, it was not clear who the narrator was until the third or fourth chapter but I believe that was intentional and it becomes more apparent later on in the story exactly when in their life the narrator is speaking from so be prepared for some trickery on the reader's mind in that sense. There was one moment where something is said in response to a person having "the balls" to do something that could be considered transphobic, which absolutely can be tossed up to the age and upbringing of the character who had the response.
That aside, let's get to the things that I liked about the book.
I liked the length of the book. I managed to consume it over the course of a workweek as I wound down each day before bed. There was a moment in the beginning when I wondered if I was going to like this book and where it was going, but by the end, I was annoyed I fell asleep with only 10% left to read because a big answer had yet to be revealed and I wanted to know what happened and if I was right in my suspicions about the reveal. I enjoyed the author's sometimes successful and sometimes not attempts to describe different sensations in scenes. There were some that were so spot-on (typically, the sounds) that I could conjure the sensation in my mind. It made the book and characters more palatable, particularly the narrator. I especially enjoyed guessing at what different things meant and was never disappointed that I was right or wrong. There were also a few big twists thrown in that I was not prepared for so that made it more engaging for me. I enjoyed that the characters were likable but not perfect or villainous but not irredeemable. So, in another word, they were human. They made me laugh, they made me yell, and I was so proud of some and yet, profoundly disappointed in others. There was never a moment that I felt like a person couldn't be like one of the characters.
And now for some critical feelings that I have about the book.
The book was too short. I know I said I liked the length, but that doesn't mean there wasn't more story to be shown. The first half of the book was at a good pace, but in the second half, I felt that the author was rushing to get everything in but leaving out the potential in some arcs and plot details that could have been explored. For a crime thriller about a serial killer, I wanted more explanation for the killings than what was given because I feel the explanation given wasn't well-rounded and only explained the title, House of Tongues, in a literal sense without giving up the details on why the antagonist was driven to be a serial killer, why they chose their method of kills, and furthermore, how does any of this have an actual tie-in to the historical tidbits we got about the antagonist and protagonist. For a book with no slated sequel, this really felt like a book that was setting up a potential series. At the very least, I would love to see the protagonists of this book or the next generation of protagonists handling the continuation of the story. Perhaps then we learn more about the historical parts of this book. Heck, maybe we get a book that is set in those days of yore. The ending was also too abrupt for my tastes, which is also why I believe there should be a sequel and/or prequel. There were things that weren't explained which were frustrating and I was prepared to complain about them more, but then I saw that the book has been optioned for a TV show, which would be a great way to give more life to this book.
All in all, I'm glad I read it and I plan on purchasing the actual Kindle copy to support the author. It is my hope that this will not be a one-off and we will see more of David, Andrea, and the fam.
I read this book because the author, who I follow on Twitter (which I check once a month, maybe), happened to post a link to BookSirens.com asking people to read the book and leave a review on Amazon. Let me tell you some things I knew before I decided to read the book. 1) I love books. I have been told since I was in grade school that I need to read "happier" books. 2) This book's premise was a slay for me. A crime thriller with the promise of a play on historical facts with characters that are set in several different generations. I was ready. 3) James Dashner wrote the Maze Runner series, which I have read and enjoyed. And he's an NYT best-selling author! 4) I would be receiving an ACR copy. Things I didn't know before I decided to read the book. 1) That it's been optioned for a TV show. 2) The bewildering effort it would take me to sit down and write this review because not everything I have to say is glowing.
Now, let's get to the review.
I think I should warn you about some not-spoiler things before I get to the meat of the book. The ACR copy had some errors that I hope were fixed in the final edit. Things were spelled wrong (or a homophone was used) and there were a few actual typos and once a doorknob became a doorbell. Additionally, it was not clear who the narrator was until the third or fourth chapter but I believe that was intentional and it becomes more apparent later on in the story exactly when in their life the narrator is speaking from so be prepared for some trickery on the reader's mind in that sense. There was one moment where something is said in response to a person having "the balls" to do something that could be considered transphobic, which absolutely can be tossed up to the age and upbringing of the character who had the response.
That aside, let's get to the things that I liked about the book.
I liked the length of the book. I managed to consume it over the course of a workweek as I wound down each day before bed. There was a moment in the beginning when I wondered if I was going to like this book and where it was going, but by the end, I was annoyed I fell asleep with only 10% left to read because a big answer had yet to be revealed and I wanted to know what happened and if I was right in my suspicions about the reveal. I enjoyed the author's sometimes successful and sometimes not attempts to describe different sensations in scenes. There were some that were so spot-on (typically, the sounds) that I could conjure the sensation in my mind. It made the book and characters more palatable, particularly the narrator. I especially enjoyed guessing at what different things meant and was never disappointed that I was right or wrong. There were also a few big twists thrown in that I was not prepared for so that made it more engaging for me. I enjoyed that the characters were likable but not perfect or villainous but not irredeemable. So, in another word, they were human. They made me laugh, they made me yell, and I was so proud of some and yet, profoundly disappointed in others. There was never a moment that I felt like a person couldn't be like one of the characters.
And now for some critical feelings that I have about the book.
The book was too short. I know I said I liked the length, but that doesn't mean there wasn't more story to be shown. The first half of the book was at a good pace, but in the second half, I felt that the author was rushing to get everything in but leaving out the potential in some arcs and plot details that could have been explored. For a crime thriller about a serial killer, I wanted more explanation for the killings than what was given because I feel the explanation given wasn't well-rounded and only explained the title, House of Tongues, in a literal sense without giving up the details on why the antagonist was driven to be a serial killer, why they chose their method of kills, and furthermore, how does any of this have an actual tie-in to the historical tidbits we got about the antagonist and protagonist. For a book with no slated sequel, this really felt like a book that was setting up a potential series. At the very least, I would love to see the protagonists of this book or the next generation of protagonists handling the continuation of the story. Perhaps then we learn more about the historical parts of this book. Heck, maybe we get a book that is set in those days of yore. The ending was also too abrupt for my tastes, which is also why I believe there should be a sequel and/or prequel. There were things that weren't explained which were frustrating and I was prepared to complain about them more, but then I saw that the book has been optioned for a TV show, which would be a great way to give more life to this book.
All in all, I'm glad I read it and I plan on purchasing the actual Kindle copy to support the author. It is my hope that this will not be a one-off and we will see more of David, Andrea, and the fam.