dyslexic_book_lover's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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
litwrite's review against another edition
2.0
What I thought was going to be a haunted house tale by the synopsis for the book took a weird left turn into the Science-fiction category. This in itself is not a bad thing, however, the problem is that the twist is so clearly broadcasted that I already knew how the book was going to end when I was less than halfway through.
This is unfortunate because when the characters were in the house it was actually quite scary and claustrophobic, and seemed quite promising. I wouldn't discount Crouch completely, I think his writing style is competent and easy to read and he has potential, but this book wasn't a shining moment for me.
This is unfortunate because when the characters were in the house it was actually quite scary and claustrophobic, and seemed quite promising. I wouldn't discount Crouch completely, I think his writing style is competent and easy to read and he has potential, but this book wasn't a shining moment for me.
storyman's review
3.0
Eerie is a self-published horror/haunted house novel by the Crouch brothers Blake and Jake. The story starts with a father and two motherless siblings, Grant and Paige, in a harrowing car crash where they all survive, but gain mental scars in the process. Their father is reduced to a shell, living in a care home.
The story swiftly moves into their adulthood where the siblings are now estranged. Grant is a Seattle detective looking for two missing men. Searching reunites him with his sister, now living in a brownstone and making her living from high-class prostitution. He immediately sees that something, apart from her living, is not right with her. Her skin is sallow, her eyes sunken, and she fears his presence. Does she have anything to do with the men’s disappearance?
The book reminds me of Chris Allinotte’s Turn Around short story in his Gathering Darkness collection, where something you cannot directly see follows you everywhere, driving you to madness. Similarly, here something lurks in Paige’s bedroom, sitting in her peripheral vision without ever revealing itself. The authors do a great job of raising neck hairs with this thing, making you read on to find out what it is, and what it wants with the men she services in her room.
You would think the siblings should leave, but it induces intense pain in them if they try, thus trapping them in the house, and the reader with them for the most part. The claustrophobia doesn’t grate like you might expect, but you might find yourself wanting a bit of fresh air. The horror intensifies when Grant invites an old friend, Don, who specialises in allaying people’s fears. Outraged at the invitation, Paige nevertheless agrees to let the man go up to her room, hoping he’s right about her fears being groundless. A few alarming noises later Grant charges up the stairs to see his old friend slash his throat as a result of what he has just experienced. Must be some beast you’re thinking.
The horror contrasts nicely with the siblings’ dialogue, their present tension explained by snippets of information about their past – about how they evaded social services and lived by themselves as kids; how he wanted to protect her and how she resented every second of his care. Now they’re thrown together into this hell, they have to care for each other and deal with the moral issue of protecting themselves by inviting more of Paige’s clients, their pain reducing as the monster does what it needs to the men.
So, a cracking read… spoiled by an ending that might have most readers grinding their teeth in frustration. I guessed much of what the monster is about half way through, and that got me reading right through. I thought it could be interesting, like a riff on the Urscumug in Mythago Wood. However, what actually happens flaws the whole thing. This could depend on your perspective – it is sort of spiritual – but I couldn’t help think “Selfish, selfish, selfish.” It fails to give a satisfactory reason for Don killing himself. This, along with the undercooked romance between Grant and his police partner doesn’t help, undermining what could have been a little corker of a novel.
Overall, I enjoyed reading most of this, but that ending is so disappointing.
The story swiftly moves into their adulthood where the siblings are now estranged. Grant is a Seattle detective looking for two missing men. Searching reunites him with his sister, now living in a brownstone and making her living from high-class prostitution. He immediately sees that something, apart from her living, is not right with her. Her skin is sallow, her eyes sunken, and she fears his presence. Does she have anything to do with the men’s disappearance?
The book reminds me of Chris Allinotte’s Turn Around short story in his Gathering Darkness collection, where something you cannot directly see follows you everywhere, driving you to madness. Similarly, here something lurks in Paige’s bedroom, sitting in her peripheral vision without ever revealing itself. The authors do a great job of raising neck hairs with this thing, making you read on to find out what it is, and what it wants with the men she services in her room.
You would think the siblings should leave, but it induces intense pain in them if they try, thus trapping them in the house, and the reader with them for the most part. The claustrophobia doesn’t grate like you might expect, but you might find yourself wanting a bit of fresh air. The horror intensifies when Grant invites an old friend, Don, who specialises in allaying people’s fears. Outraged at the invitation, Paige nevertheless agrees to let the man go up to her room, hoping he’s right about her fears being groundless. A few alarming noises later Grant charges up the stairs to see his old friend slash his throat as a result of what he has just experienced. Must be some beast you’re thinking.
The horror contrasts nicely with the siblings’ dialogue, their present tension explained by snippets of information about their past – about how they evaded social services and lived by themselves as kids; how he wanted to protect her and how she resented every second of his care. Now they’re thrown together into this hell, they have to care for each other and deal with the moral issue of protecting themselves by inviting more of Paige’s clients, their pain reducing as the monster does what it needs to the men.
So, a cracking read… spoiled by an ending that might have most readers grinding their teeth in frustration. I guessed much of what the monster is about half way through, and that got me reading right through. I thought it could be interesting, like a riff on the Urscumug in Mythago Wood. However, what actually happens flaws the whole thing. This could depend on your perspective – it is sort of spiritual – but I couldn’t help think “Selfish, selfish, selfish.” It fails to give a satisfactory reason for Don killing himself. This, along with the undercooked romance between Grant and his police partner doesn’t help, undermining what could have been a little corker of a novel.
Overall, I enjoyed reading most of this, but that ending is so disappointing.
dharaiter's review
4.0
It kept me hooked but it wasn't as appetizing and satisfying as Blake Crouch's other works.
librarypatronus's review against another edition
2.0
I don’t even know what this was. I don’t know what I read. Just so disappointing
debi246's review against another edition
3.0
It was an okay beach read … but a little silly at the end.
eddieawesomeg's review
5.0
Great book that felt like a play!
I've always liked Crouch and this collaboration with his brother really worked well. It's different from anything I've read in the past.
I've always liked Crouch and this collaboration with his brother really worked well. It's different from anything I've read in the past.
chrysalissa's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.0
piratescribe's review
2.0
I was recommended this book from a Goodreads forum for good horror novels; so, after seeing how many stars it has on Goodreads and Amazon, I was excited to get my hands on a copy. I did my usual "Let's read a couple of chapters and see if it grabs me," and before I realized it, I was 1/3 done. (It's a fast read.) But by that point, I had to really think whether I wanted to even continue. I read that much in one evening, and so far there's only one book I've ever read that I've intentionally stopped reading, so I figured I'd shoot through this one just to see what happens.
I didn't realize it when I got it, but EERIE is a self-published novel. After the first couple of pages, I got a feeling and checked the publishing page and discovered that detail. It certainly could have used an editor! The writing was mediocre at best, and littered with illogical actions and embarrassing gaffes. For example (not a big spolier), a character's hands get soaked in blood. Then, he sits down with his head in his hands, thinking about what just happened. His head should be smeared with blood now, right? He talks to someone who takes a while to notice the blood on his hands--evidently no blood on his head. Gaffes like that that would have been caught by beta readers at least, if not an editor.
Then, the ending. It felt like the authors wrote without a plan until they got themselves stuck with how to end it. Then, came up with an ending that sort of explained everything that happened before... but very, very poorly. It's not that it's just a twist -- twists are OK. But this was pulled out of their...hat, and run through a deus ex machina machine. Nothing that happens in the last quarter of the novel matches up with what went on before. It was a cheat. And the final ending, the fate of some of the characters, make no logical sense at all regarding why what happened did. There's holes and questions abound. Not your standard, "Ooh, that's ambiguous--I need to think about that" way that's a good thought-provoking ending, but in a "WTF?!" sort of way.
(Here's what bugs me: As a self-published author myself, and huge supporter of independent publishing, I agree that what is vital to the legitimacy of independent publishing is good editing, quality control. Which is why I workshopped my novel, got beta readers, edited the heck out of it. But this EERIE book reads like it hadn't, and yet, has 4/5 stars! (Not to mention the success of the "50 Shades" books and Amanda Hocking.) Makes you wonder if the naysaying of the defenders of the status quo, the established system, is irrelevant when obviously poor novels like these can still be so popular.)
I didn't realize it when I got it, but EERIE is a self-published novel. After the first couple of pages, I got a feeling and checked the publishing page and discovered that detail. It certainly could have used an editor! The writing was mediocre at best, and littered with illogical actions and embarrassing gaffes. For example (not a big spolier), a character's hands get soaked in blood. Then, he sits down with his head in his hands, thinking about what just happened. His head should be smeared with blood now, right? He talks to someone who takes a while to notice the blood on his hands--evidently no blood on his head. Gaffes like that that would have been caught by beta readers at least, if not an editor.
Then, the ending. It felt like the authors wrote without a plan until they got themselves stuck with how to end it. Then, came up with an ending that sort of explained everything that happened before... but very, very poorly. It's not that it's just a twist -- twists are OK. But this was pulled out of their...hat, and run through a deus ex machina machine. Nothing that happens in the last quarter of the novel matches up with what went on before. It was a cheat. And the final ending, the fate of some of the characters, make no logical sense at all regarding why what happened did. There's holes and questions abound. Not your standard, "Ooh, that's ambiguous--I need to think about that" way that's a good thought-provoking ending, but in a "WTF?!" sort of way.
(Here's what bugs me: As a self-published author myself, and huge supporter of independent publishing, I agree that what is vital to the legitimacy of independent publishing is good editing, quality control. Which is why I workshopped my novel, got beta readers, edited the heck out of it. But this EERIE book reads like it hadn't, and yet, has 4/5 stars! (Not to mention the success of the "50 Shades" books and Amanda Hocking.) Makes you wonder if the naysaying of the defenders of the status quo, the established system, is irrelevant when obviously poor novels like these can still be so popular.)