belpapepper's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
caitlinallmaier92's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
that_bookworm_guy's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
It took a while to get into this book, I was about 50 pages in wondering if this book was for me, but I stuck it out. Its definitely character heavy to begin with and it takes a little while to get used to the writing.
But a unique horror book that is so much deeper than a full contact escape room
But a unique horror book that is so much deeper than a full contact escape room
easavino's review against another edition
challenging
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
ae_olus's review against another edition
challenging
dark
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.5
blibana's review against another edition
challenging
dark
tense
slow-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
3.25
readwithbells's review against another edition
5.0
Holy shit. That ending brought me to tears.
This isn’t the horror you’re expecting, and don’t go into it with the idea of a gimmicky silly gory full contact haunted house story. This is not that book. Instead, James Han Mattson uses the backdrop of this weird haunted house in the period after the Rodney King riots to paint a very detailed picture of America’s relationship to racial fetishization and the commodification of fear. Through his big cast of characters, most of whom are villains, the real horror of this book begins to unfold. This is not the horror you think it is, but it is horror, make no mistake. There’s a twist (kind of) very near the end, it was at least a twist to me, and it absolutely gutted me.
I think this will stay with me for awhile.
This isn’t the horror you’re expecting, and don’t go into it with the idea of a gimmicky silly gory full contact haunted house story. This is not that book. Instead, James Han Mattson uses the backdrop of this weird haunted house in the period after the Rodney King riots to paint a very detailed picture of America’s relationship to racial fetishization and the commodification of fear. Through his big cast of characters, most of whom are villains, the real horror of this book begins to unfold. This is not the horror you think it is, but it is horror, make no mistake. There’s a twist (kind of) very near the end, it was at least a twist to me, and it absolutely gutted me.
I think this will stay with me for awhile.
the_sassy_bookworm's review against another edition
4.0
Enjoyed this one a lot overall. HATED the ending!