nwellington's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/injury detail, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Death of parent and Child death
Minor: Vomit
bobbeym's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I was excited when I heard Grady Hendrix had a new book coming out this year and couldn't wait to read it. Oh my gosh. I don't know what I expected but it sure wasn't this!
The writing was compelling and intriguing, the imagery amazing. I felt like I was in the house experiencing everything Louise and Mark were going through. The character development was fantastic. It's rare that I read contemporary fiction that has such well fleshed out characters that actually grow throughout the course of the book.
With that said though, this book was one wild ride after another. Just when I thought I knew where it going, something threw me for a twist. It was like a written roller coaster that you're riding in the dark and you can't see anything ahead. However, if you a phobia about dolls, clowns, or puppets, you probably want to skip this book.
I give it a strong 4.5/5. Although I can honestly say I loved How to Sell a Haunted House and will recommended it to anyone and everyone that enjoys the genre, it's not something I think I could handle reading again which keeps it from being a solid 5 star read.
The writing was compelling and intriguing, the imagery amazing. I felt like I was in the house experiencing everything Louise and Mark were going through. The character development was fantastic. It's rare that I read contemporary fiction that has such well fleshed out characters that actually grow throughout the course of the book.
With that said though, this book was one wild ride after another. Just when I thought I knew where it going, something threw me for a twist. It was like a written roller coaster that you're riding in the dark and you can't see anything ahead. However, if you a phobia about dolls, clowns, or puppets, you probably want to skip this book.
I give it a strong 4.5/5. Although I can honestly say I loved How to Sell a Haunted House and will recommended it to anyone and everyone that enjoys the genre, it's not something I think I could handle reading again which keeps it from being a solid 5 star read.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Injury/injury detail and Gore
Moderate: Death of parent and Death
phobias - dolls, clowns, puppetsitsalina's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Blood, Torture, Body horror, Death, Death of parent, Violence, Injury/injury detail, and Grief
Moderate: Abandonment, Child death, Medical trauma, Toxic relationship, Emotional abuse, Medical content, and Murder
Minor: Gun violence and Fire/Fire injury
syellico's review
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Violence, Injury/injury detail, Body horror, Blood, Physical abuse, and Vomit
boomwormbrittany's review
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
How to Sell a Haunted House follows Louise whose parents die in the same night. When she is forced to go back home to help get the house ready for sale, horrifying things begin to happen.
Grady Hendrix reminded me that I hate puppets and dolls. This book mostly deals with puppets and dolls so it definitely freaked me out even thought I was reading it in the day time.
I thought this was a pretty good book. I am not a huge horror reader but I have heard a lot of good things about Grady Hendrix and his books before. I was interested in picking this up as the idea of a haunted house and how that takes possession of the things in that house. I thought that Grady Hendrix did a good job writing this story and telling it. I did really enjoy his writing style as it was easy to follow.
I thought the characters were just okay. I did find them both kind of annoying at different points in the story as they both were very stubborn and stuck in their ways. Once they started talking and seeing from each others point of views, it got better.
My favorite part of this book was the horror elements of it as they really had me freaking out while reading it. There is definitely some body gore scenes and the one with the needle will stick with me for a long time as it properly freaked me out.
I gave this four stars because it felt like there was a few things that were never really tied up or that were pushed to the back burner. The biggest one was their father who died with their mother in the car accident. He was mentioned briefly in the first part of the book then only brought up when it was convenient. It seemed the characters were more focused on the mother than their father who died as well. I feel like I was left with a few questions as to logistics and how some of this was explained at the end of the book to outside parties. It felt glossed over in favor of ending the story.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book and I am excited to read more horror and more Grady Hendrix in the future.
Grady Hendrix reminded me that I hate puppets and dolls. This book mostly deals with puppets and dolls so it definitely freaked me out even thought I was reading it in the day time.
I thought this was a pretty good book. I am not a huge horror reader but I have heard a lot of good things about Grady Hendrix and his books before. I was interested in picking this up as the idea of a haunted house and how that takes possession of the things in that house. I thought that Grady Hendrix did a good job writing this story and telling it. I did really enjoy his writing style as it was easy to follow.
I thought the characters were just okay. I did find them both kind of annoying at different points in the story as they both were very stubborn and stuck in their ways. Once they started talking and seeing from each others point of views, it got better.
My favorite part of this book was the horror elements of it as they really had me freaking out while reading it. There is definitely some body gore scenes and the one with the needle will stick with me for a long time as it properly freaked me out.
I gave this four stars because it felt like there was a few things that were never really tied up or that were pushed to the back burner. The biggest one was their father who died with their mother in the car accident. He was mentioned briefly in the first part of the book then only brought up when it was convenient. It seemed the characters were more focused on the mother than their father who died as well. I feel like I was left with a few questions as to logistics and how some of this was explained at the end of the book to outside parties. It felt glossed over in favor of ending the story.
Overall, I did really enjoy this book and I am excited to read more horror and more Grady Hendrix in the future.
Content Warnings
Minor: Child death and Death of parent
mefhreads's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The premise of haunted houses, and especially creepy dolls/puppets, is appealing however, the child in danger trope has always felt to me like a cheap shorthand for creating tension and anxiety. I would have been happier reading a story about a pair of siblings coming to terms with the death of their parents and the trauma families create/share. That being said, I enjoyed the plot twists and scenes of body horror. I am glad I read the book but do not see myself coming back to it in the future.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Injury/injury detail, Gore, and Grief
Moderate: Death of parent and Child death
megwilli's review
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent
kirtreads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
4.5
I read this book in one sitting. While I don’t think it comes close to Southern Book Club in terms of literary style, this was a really fun book to read. It was suspenseful, frightening and creepy right from the start. It was a great, spooky read despite some minor issues. Would really recommend!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Violence, Gore, Grief, Body horror, Medical trauma, Injury/injury detail, and Medical content
amphytrite's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/injury detail, Medical trauma, Murder, and Grief
Moderate: Gun violence and Death
Minor: Cursing, Blood, and Car accident
sylvestra's review
dark
emotional
funny
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Grief, and Injury/injury detail
Moderate: Car accident and Alcohol
Minor: Medical content and Self harm