bexcain's reviews
471 reviews

Listen, I really enjoyed the first book and I did enjoy this one but wow did it take us a while to get to the ending. I felt like we were stuck in the middle for quite a while there.

I can’t say much as it’s a sequel but I’m still excited to see how the series concludes and the fate of these characters.

The ending also - wow!

The House that Horror Built by Christina Henry

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I picked up this book a while ago but had it earmarked for a potential spooky season read, I’m glad I left it until then, books with these themes just hit different in October.

It had a creepy, unsettling atmosphere - a perfect spooky season read in that regard. Christina Henry is very easy to read and the pacing in this book works well up until the ending where it all feels a bit rushed. I loved the meta culture references and tropes throughout this one.

For the plot, it was original but the ending didn’t match up to the first two thirds of build up in my opinion. I feel like the conclusion was twisted but I was left wanting more from it. I wouldn’t say it runs on multiple timelines but does have very short flashbacks to Harry and Castillo’s pasts. It’s set around the Covid-19 pandemic but is only referenced very briefly in a few points so I wouldn’t let that put you off.

Characters were a blend of intriguing and annoying. I was empathetic towards the protagonist but didn’t feel very invested in what happened to her, was more favourable of her son. The movie crew were most interesting as you’re trying to guess the part they have to play in the unfolding situation.

There’s an interesting discussion layered in here about what makes a monster or who is the real monster, is it a creature, a spirit, is it a teenage girl taking a deep interest in horror culture, controlling uber-religious parents, a dad who abandoned his son, a son who defied his famous dad and became uncontrollable or a work-obsessed reclusive father?!?

Overall I’m giving this one 3.5 stars, it was a fast-paced enjoyable horror. Good for spooky season and although it wasn’t the most satisfying ending I’d still read more works from this author and I have quite the backlist to work through.

Where Sleeping Girls Lie by Faridah Àbíké-Íyímídé

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

After loving ace of spades I was highly anticipating the follow up release and the second published work by this author.

Unfortunately, this read just wasn’t on par with the previous one. The author highlighted in the intro how hard it is to write a second book and I can just imagine, especially, when your debut was so highly regarded.

I think for me I just wasn’t invested enough in the plot or characters, the main mystery happens quite early on and I didn’t feel the peak of intrigue as to what happened when it initially occurred and it never really built throughout the book either. We start to unravel what happened quite late on in the book and that just led to a dragging feeling in the middle. I wasn’t crazy on the reveal as to what had actually been happening either.

This book deals with some pretty heavy topics and I think it handles them with care, very much reflecting on how institutions and media have historically made so many errors and bringing those to light through the lense of the victims and people impacted.

I thought the theme of friendship was really strong and found myself enjoying the scenes where the group were together the most. ‘What a sad little life, Jane’ always a favourite quote of mine and love pop culture references in my books.

Overall this was middle of the road for me but I’d still 100% read other releases from this author.

My Throat an Open Grave by Tori Bovalino

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.5

Rewitched by Lucy Jane Wood

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hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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bexcain's reviews 471 reviews

bexcain's reviews
471 reviews