dadu's review
3.0
It felt like the author knew what he was going to write and stuck to it. There were no frills, no deviations from the course. He just told his story. What else could you ask for as a reader?
A Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends is already a compelling plot point for most readers. Having hosted Thanksgiving dinner myself this year, I could really relate to the situation and the characters. The story is told from a lot of the characters' perspectives, and it's done really well. We start off feeling tension at dinner, friends on the brink of divorce, and others hiding something. Adding both sets of parents and distant uncle, it's a recipe for disaster, but the meat of the story lies in how each character deals with the werewolf attack.
I'd give it a 5/5 for the story as a whole, but a 3/5 for me as a reader. Though the ending was great, I usually like to read more complex prose, and I got irritated when the author repeats the same word(s). But I understand why the writing style is that way - it's easy to read and accessible for all readers.
Pick this up if you want a break from your family dinner!
A Thanksgiving dinner with family and friends is already a compelling plot point for most readers. Having hosted Thanksgiving dinner myself this year, I could really relate to the situation and the characters. The story is told from a lot of the characters' perspectives, and it's done really well. We start off feeling tension at dinner, friends on the brink of divorce, and others hiding something. Adding both sets of parents and distant uncle, it's a recipe for disaster, but the meat of the story lies in how each character deals with the werewolf attack.
I'd give it a 5/5 for the story as a whole, but a 3/5 for me as a reader. Though the ending was great, I usually like to read more complex prose, and I got irritated when the author repeats the same word(s). But I understand why the writing style is that way - it's easy to read and accessible for all readers.
Pick this up if you want a break from your family dinner!
vwannamaker's review
4.0
I received this book as an ARC through Netgalley. Thank you for the early read.
I am giving this book a 4-star review. This book was not what I expected it to be. It was full of so much drama and murder. I loved it. Each character was very well written and had major backgrounds. I will recommend this book to everyone because it has an odd spin on a chaotic holiday that you may actually enjoy.
I am giving this book a 4-star review. This book was not what I expected it to be. It was full of so much drama and murder. I loved it. Each character was very well written and had major backgrounds. I will recommend this book to everyone because it has an odd spin on a chaotic holiday that you may actually enjoy.
gentlemanjeff's review
1.0
Joel McKay plays with the structure of his story in Wolf at the Door, scrabbling for character development well into the climax and resolution. While the first half resembled a crass joke and there were a couple of decapitations before most of the characters were developed at all, a clearly thoughtful ending demonstrates that the author made a genuine attempt at a meaningful story. In only 125 pages, though, frequent moments of comic relief make the whole thing more like satire than a straightforward horror story, and the story doesn't satirize anything--unless you count dysfunctional families and poor exposition. Maybe this would work as a graphic novel, but readers looking for anything beyond superficial descriptions (of either monsters or main characters) should try Stephen Graham Jones, Christopher Buehlman and Wayne Smith.
aliveinbooks's review
4.0
Perfect blend of humor and horror. Just when you think a shit show of a Thanksgiving dinner could not have gotten worse werewolves show up. I had an absolute blast reading this. It has the pinnacle of nightmare Thanksgiving dinners down to the creepy uncle, to gruesome horrifying deaths. A perfect quick read for any horror and werewolf fans!
nisforneville's review
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
If you want a creature feature set on Thanksgiving, then this book is for you.
While the characters are attending a Thanksgiving meal, a monster stalks the guests from outside the house. After a while, the monster breaches the house, and the guests are left fighting for their lives, all while not understanding what this monster is that they are fighting against.
There are a lot of characters to have to keep track of, and I felt no connection to any of them. Maybe they’re not meant to be liked?
Overall, this was a quick read, but it doesn’t make the top of the list for werewolf novels.
kirstycarson1's review
dark
tense
fast-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
5.0
coleyreads's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
tense
fast-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? It's complicated
4.0
What a fun read! I didn’t expect this funny, tense and snappy slasher story to be so good. Once I got my head around who all the characters were (would’ve like the brothers to have less similar names 😂), I enjoyed reading about the relationships, tensions and dynamics of this bunch of people. Really quick read and although not necessarily a scary story, great for spooky season.
Thank you the author, Birchwood Press and NetGalley for the copy!
Thank you the author, Birchwood Press and NetGalley for the copy!
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