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april_infinite's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.75
david_agranoff's review
5.0
I read an early draft of this novel. To me this is Gina's best novel. It takes alot of traditional horror tropes and spins them in lots of fresh ways. I know this book is expensive but it is a fantastic horror novel.
euzie's review
3.0
This is one of those 3 1/2 star books.
There was good and bad, a little from column a and a little from column b.
First the good. I got sucked in, the story moved along at a near perfect pace for the most part and as a BIG fan of Shirley Jackson, the stylistic homage was just lovely (I assume it was on purpose, so benefit of the doubt there)
The characters were well drawn out, the dynamic in the house was excellent. It was creepy and as a ghost story all I can say is bravo.
Now the bad.
There were a few lines that seemed so clunkily written i could have screamed. "she switched off the internet and turned on her Microsoft Word program" - ouch.
But that was a small quibble, my main gripe is the ending. Without giving anything away I felt the main ending was rushed and a bit "oh, was that... ah ok?" BUT THE EPILOGUE!! It's almost like she had 2 endings and couldn't work out how to have them both, so it seemed tacked on and rushed. which was a real shame indeed.
Overall though, I still really enjoyed most of it.
There was good and bad, a little from column a and a little from column b.
First the good. I got sucked in, the story moved along at a near perfect pace for the most part and as a BIG fan of Shirley Jackson, the stylistic homage was just lovely (I assume it was on purpose, so benefit of the doubt there)
The characters were well drawn out, the dynamic in the house was excellent. It was creepy and as a ghost story all I can say is bravo.
Now the bad.
There were a few lines that seemed so clunkily written i could have screamed. "she switched off the internet and turned on her Microsoft Word program" - ouch.
But that was a small quibble, my main gripe is the ending. Without giving anything away I felt the main ending was rushed and a bit "oh, was that... ah ok?" BUT THE EPILOGUE!! It's almost like she had 2 endings and couldn't work out how to have them both, so it seemed tacked on and rushed. which was a real shame indeed.
Overall though, I still really enjoyed most of it.
jess_zf's review
4.0
This book was recommended by a friend was a nice, dark surprise with a bit of a sense of humor. I can now call myself terrified of small town Washington. And wind storms.
kkehoe's review
3.0
A fantastic first three quarters of a haunting ghost story/mystery that suddenly seems to fall apart and become a muddled mess in the home stretch. I was tempted to go only two stars once I'd finished, but have to stay at three based on how much I really did like the earlier parts.
sarahconnor89757's review
3.0
Mundane for the genre but Ranalli made me so interested in the characters I hardly noticed.
doomfiction's review
5.0
I was first introduced to Gina Ranalli's work through the Bizarro Starter kit. I read and really enjoyed her book SUICIDE GIRLS IN THE AFTERLIFE, so naturally I was very excited to dig into HOUSE OF FALLEN TREES.
HoFT surprised me. I wasn't expecting such a timeless horror story. SUICIDE GIRLS, while excellent in its own right, was told in a completely different voice, a different style. It seemed new, the author had a young, but solid voice - very 'punk,' for lack of a better word. The voice in HoFT is more like Richard Matheson, a classic tale told in a classic voice.
I don't want to give you any details, as there are many surprises throughout the book that I don't want to spoil for anyone who hasn't read it yet. I'll only say this - there were several moments when my skin was crawling. This is a creepy book, my friends. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good scary story.
I can't wait until payday. I'm going to order a buttload of books by Gina Ranalli... and I suggest you do the same.
HoFT surprised me. I wasn't expecting such a timeless horror story. SUICIDE GIRLS, while excellent in its own right, was told in a completely different voice, a different style. It seemed new, the author had a young, but solid voice - very 'punk,' for lack of a better word. The voice in HoFT is more like Richard Matheson, a classic tale told in a classic voice.
I don't want to give you any details, as there are many surprises throughout the book that I don't want to spoil for anyone who hasn't read it yet. I'll only say this - there were several moments when my skin was crawling. This is a creepy book, my friends. I highly recommend it for anyone who enjoys a good scary story.
I can't wait until payday. I'm going to order a buttload of books by Gina Ranalli... and I suggest you do the same.
silverdire's review
3.0
I really liked House of Fallen Trees... until the book just sort of stopped. I'm not sure how else to describe it. Mystery, spookiness, lots of momentum and then full-stop. A lot of books have the opposite problem but I really wish this author would have drawn the story out further. I wanted more interaction between the protagonist and her brother's SO and friend. I also wanted to get to know the house better. Plus, for obviously being part of the plot, the forest barely played a part other than the storm. It seemed like a huge waste of a setting to me.
exorcismofemilyreed's review
1.0
"Two men have the carcass."
I read House of Fallen Trees for book club with a few friends. I've had good luck with Grindhouse books, and the cover and synopsis for this book are awesome, so I had really been looking forward to it.
I was thrown off by the writing very early on. It seemed much more juvenile than I expected, yet the book did not seem to be directed toward a YA audience. I feel like there is potential for decent storytelling here, but this book was bogged down with unnecessary details and silly similes. It was distracting. Every time that I felt a little bit invested in the story, something would happen like saying the main character was going to mate with sleep when it was time for bed. It just didn't feel refined enough to work as a complete book.
The story starts off in an interesting way, but it heads in a nonsensical direction. I didn't really find the answers to the mysteries in this story to be satisfactory - I think the synopsis left big shoes to fill, and the different elements of this plot did not mesh well together.
The characters seem like different people in each chapter, and it was difficult to take the main character seriously. She was quite bland, and it wasn't very fun to be with her for an entire book.
I have another book from this author that I'm going to try one day. There were parts of this book that were promising, so I haven't given up hope completely. Hopefully I have better luck with a different title.
I read House of Fallen Trees for book club with a few friends. I've had good luck with Grindhouse books, and the cover and synopsis for this book are awesome, so I had really been looking forward to it.
I was thrown off by the writing very early on. It seemed much more juvenile than I expected, yet the book did not seem to be directed toward a YA audience. I feel like there is potential for decent storytelling here, but this book was bogged down with unnecessary details and silly similes. It was distracting. Every time that I felt a little bit invested in the story, something would happen like saying the main character was going to mate with sleep when it was time for bed. It just didn't feel refined enough to work as a complete book.
The story starts off in an interesting way, but it heads in a nonsensical direction. I didn't really find the answers to the mysteries in this story to be satisfactory - I think the synopsis left big shoes to fill, and the different elements of this plot did not mesh well together.
The characters seem like different people in each chapter, and it was difficult to take the main character seriously. She was quite bland, and it wasn't very fun to be with her for an entire book.
I have another book from this author that I'm going to try one day. There were parts of this book that were promising, so I haven't given up hope completely. Hopefully I have better luck with a different title.
lauriereadslohf's review
2.0
Well, I am sad to say that this book didn't work for me. I was very excited to start it and LOVED the gorgeous cover but I didn't enjoy this story. It was very dream-like and that's fine if I am invested in the main character but Karen didn't come alive for me. She was very bland and slightly annoying and though she tried to come across as a bad ass bitch she ran screaming to the menfolk whenever something scary occurred and that was annoying. Many people love and adore this story but I had some issues that I cannot ignore. Here are a few of them:
*An unclear timeline. Someone's lover dies (goes missing?) 6 months previous and this someone later says he's been trying to have sexy times with another guy for the past 6 months. WTF? That makes you a creepy jerk with no loyalty or feelings!
*Unrealistic and sometimes cringy dialogue. "Don't flatter yourself bi-boy" #NoJustNo
*Inconsistent characterization. One character is described as the quickest to laugh and 4 pages later he's a "gloomy Gus". Make Up Your Mind.
*It wasn't scary (to me).
*There was too much tedious telling and not enough showing.
*A lack of well done atmosphere. I should've felt a chill but I didn't.
*A character states animals do not have feelings. Screw you, Rory! Animals do too have feelings #SorryNotSorry
I'm giving it two stars because the dog Dusty lives. And you can yell at me for revealing that but if you are a dog person you NEED to know!
I wish I could write a positive review but I have to be honest.
*An unclear timeline. Someone's lover dies (goes missing?) 6 months previous and this someone later says he's been trying to have sexy times with another guy for the past 6 months. WTF? That makes you a creepy jerk with no loyalty or feelings!
*Unrealistic and sometimes cringy dialogue. "Don't flatter yourself bi-boy" #NoJustNo
*Inconsistent characterization. One character is described as the quickest to laugh and 4 pages later he's a "gloomy Gus". Make Up Your Mind.
*It wasn't scary (to me).
*There was too much tedious telling and not enough showing.
*A lack of well done atmosphere. I should've felt a chill but I didn't.
*A character states animals do not have feelings. Screw you, Rory! Animals do too have feelings #SorryNotSorry
I'm giving it two stars because the dog Dusty lives. And you can yell at me for revealing that but if you are a dog person you NEED to know!
I wish I could write a positive review but I have to be honest.