Reviews with content warning for Violence - Devil House

Reviews tagging 'Violence'

Devil House by John Darnielle

44 reviews

mebejules's review against another edition

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dark mysterious slow-paced

4.0

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haveagoodday's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

It’s a mystery but also a critique on true crime, and about authorial responsibility and how we treat victims and perpetrators of crimes when we write about them, as well as the crimes themselves. If you don’t read or watch true crime usually, the critiques and self awareness might not shine through but it is still a very well written book. Very stylish.

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sage_bee's review against another edition

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dark emotional reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

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dyla's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad tense slow-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

2.0

The storytelling was very disjointed, and the ending was unsatisfying. There were two to three sections/chapters that I felt were incredibly impactful, and I’m glad I read those, but the book as a whole is a lot less enjoyable than the cover art.

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raebeiss's review against another edition

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3.25

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whofilets's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

1.0

Read by the author, in a slow and detached voice. Jumps around with narrators and situations. I was invested though, and wanted to find out the mystery of the killer... In the end it was a total letdown. I would have been happier if it ended a couple chapters early

and the main writer-character just had to wrestle with his actions after being called out by the victims family member, and never knowing who the 'real killer' was.

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swivelhead's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? No

5.0

I LOVE this book! Most of the negative reviews for this seem to be from folks who were expecting a straight true crime story, which this book is not. This is more a meta-commentary about storytelling using the fictional investigation of a true crime author as the conceit to drive things forward.

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samuelachillese's review against another edition

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4.0

This is an interesting meta narrative about true crime, truth, and media spectacle. Interesting commentary about whose lives are grievable societally and what makes a compelling true crime story, and how "true" that compelling story has to be. John Darnielle is a deeply talented writer which is clear in both his songwriting and novel writing, and that shines through in the rich description, as well as the heartbreaking letter in the latter half of the book.

One critique of Devil House I have is that it's a very male-centric book that's very concerned with male friendship and the many forms it takes. Not bad necessarily, but outside of a few key moments, the book does seem to take place in a world largely without women. The women who appear aren't poorly written or written in a misogynistic way, but I wish there was more of them.

I didn't find the twist at the end fully satisfying for a variety of reasons, but I'm still going to be chewing on this for a while and it's a worthwhile read.

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ymer's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.5

i really enjoyed this book. i also really enjoyed house of leaves, which is kind of the only thing i can compare it to. this is not a linear story that feeds itself to you, it requires a little effort to engage with (a bit like complex jazz music that doesn't immediately make you want to dance but is fascinating enough to keep listening.) it rewards you.

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kthealey's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

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