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rwilhoyte's review against another edition
4.0
I waver between giving this 3.5 stars and 4 stars but I think two things make it deserve 4 stars: R.C. Bray's narration which helps to maintain tone throughout and the fact that I can't decide if this would've been a more solid 4 star read for me if I had read it in print. Yeah, those two things are contradictory, but here's my problem: I never lost the feeling that this story feels like a novel and a sequel short story mashed together.
The novel is told in two time lines. In 1983, Audra Snow, a lonely, depressed senator's daughter, is seduced into joining a cult led by the attractive Jeffrey Halcomb. We know from the beginning that this will end tragically for her and the other members of the cult. What we don't know is how and this time line shows us those events.
The second time line features Lucas, a true crime writer struggling to figure out his next big hit while his marriage is crumbling and his daughter, Virginia, is succumbing to teenage angst. He receives a letter from Jeffrey Halcomb in state prison saying that Halcomb will grant him an exclusive interview if Lucas agrees to move into the scene of Halcomb's crime. Lucas agrees and, almost immediately, weird shit ensues. Furniture is stacked and moved, Lucas and Virginia see people moving about outside and in the house and the past seems to bleed into the present. But Lucas barely notices at first while he is hyperfocused on his new book. It is only after Halcomb abruptly backs out of the interview that Lucas starts to notice. He eventually gets freaked enough to want to leave, culminating in a final showdown.
The premise for this book at first really reminded me of the movie Sinister, right down to the prison guard character who is also a fan and agrees to help with Lucas' investigation after Halcomb bails. I love Sinister so that actually drew me into the book. Then the story of Audra joining the cult seemed to take center stage and the spooky stuff backs off. The cult story is tense and actually really good. Halcomb walks that line of seductive and dangerous. You can sympathize with Audra. But then that story gets interrupted by Lucas' story and, until the two plots start bleeding into one another, the transitions are a bit jarring. This is part of the reason why I think print might be the way to go with this book, even though R.C. Bray is awesome. There are also some news stories and police reports included that interrupt the main action and flow of the novel. I found myself sympathizing with Lucas less because his problems seem to be of his own making. There is a lot of stuff in that part of the story about how his workaholic behavior affects his daughter but I think Virginia needed more fleshing out beyond "moody Hot Topic goth teen".
All of the spooky events happen in Lucas' timeline, which feels less developed, so I'd categorize this less as a ghost story than as a cult story with supernatural elements. I was expecting more of a ghost story.
The novel is told in two time lines. In 1983, Audra Snow, a lonely, depressed senator's daughter, is seduced into joining a cult led by the attractive Jeffrey Halcomb. We know from the beginning that this will end tragically for her and the other members of the cult. What we don't know is how and this time line shows us those events.
The second time line features Lucas, a true crime writer struggling to figure out his next big hit while his marriage is crumbling and his daughter, Virginia, is succumbing to teenage angst. He receives a letter from Jeffrey Halcomb in state prison saying that Halcomb will grant him an exclusive interview if Lucas agrees to move into the scene of Halcomb's crime. Lucas agrees and, almost immediately, weird shit ensues. Furniture is stacked and moved, Lucas and Virginia see people moving about outside and in the house and the past seems to bleed into the present. But Lucas barely notices at first while he is hyperfocused on his new book. It is only after Halcomb abruptly backs out of the interview that Lucas starts to notice. He eventually gets freaked enough to want to leave, culminating in a final showdown.
The premise for this book at first really reminded me of the movie Sinister, right down to the prison guard character who is also a fan and agrees to help with Lucas' investigation after Halcomb bails. I love Sinister so that actually drew me into the book. Then the story of Audra joining the cult seemed to take center stage and the spooky stuff backs off. The cult story is tense and actually really good. Halcomb walks that line of seductive and dangerous. You can sympathize with Audra. But then that story gets interrupted by Lucas' story and, until the two plots start bleeding into one another, the transitions are a bit jarring. This is part of the reason why I think print might be the way to go with this book, even though R.C. Bray is awesome. There are also some news stories and police reports included that interrupt the main action and flow of the novel. I found myself sympathizing with Lucas less because his problems seem to be of his own making. There is a lot of stuff in that part of the story about how his workaholic behavior affects his daughter but I think Virginia needed more fleshing out beyond "moody Hot Topic goth teen".
All of the spooky events happen in Lucas' timeline, which feels less developed, so I'd categorize this less as a ghost story than as a cult story with supernatural elements. I was expecting more of a ghost story.
explicitmoxley's review
dark
tense
slow-paced
2.5
It was an interesting premise and a fun (if predictable) plot, but I found the prose style amateurish and trite. I especially disliked the “tell, don’t show” climax that seems to be popping up in a lot of recent horror, where the author explains the thematic revelations to us through internal monologue just to make sure we got it.
jnaeraeshele's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
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
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Blood, and Murder
vacantbones's review
4.0
*Really* enjoyed the creep-out factor being served up in Within These Walls - cults, paranormal shenanigans, and the starvation for love that drives you to the brink of insanity. What else could a girl ask for?
The writing here is excellent, but I will say that the length of the book is interesting. I felt like some of the aspects of the cult's sacrifice and the modern day haunted house story needed to be fleshed out a bit more, while other aspects of the book could've been cut down.
I'm intrigued now and will be seeking out more of this author's work.
The writing here is excellent, but I will say that the length of the book is interesting. I felt like some of the aspects of the cult's sacrifice and the modern day haunted house story needed to be fleshed out a bit more, while other aspects of the book could've been cut down.
I'm intrigued now and will be seeking out more of this author's work.
skyed88's review
dark
emotional
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
I don’t know what it is about this author, but I love her. Every book I’ve read from her so far ends and the endings are never happy. Brother 10/10 in fucked up. This was long winded at time but it did not disappoint
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Toxic relationship, Murder, and Gaslighting
acelesteee's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
4.0
mo0nsugar's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
She could have gone a little deeper with a lot of the concepts, but it was a good, fairly spooky read.
Wish we'd gotten a little more of an investigation to flesh out the cult stuff.
Wish we'd gotten a little more of an investigation to flesh out the cult stuff.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Confinement, Mental illness, Suicidal thoughts, Blood, Suicide attempt, Murder, and Pregnancy
Minor: Infidelity
bfox788's review
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
helena_kupers's review
2.0
It took me a quite a while to get into the story, the characters were all annoying and rather problematic and the plot really fell short. I really liked the concept of this book but it could have been executed a lot better in my opinion.