booknerd93's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
sssmoser's review against another edition
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
๐๐ฎ๐ญ๐ก๐จ๐ซ: Chris Sorensen
๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ: Peter and Hannah Larson move into an old farmhouse that had been owned by Peter's father in the small town where he grew up. Immediately the house seems off to Peter, and he begins to see increasingly frightening visions and lose chunks of time that cause him to investigate whether his new house is haunted.ย
๐๐๐ ๐๐ฌ: 276
๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐: Horror
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐: Yes!
๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ ๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ญ: Yes, barely
๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐: current
๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฐ: โญโญโญโญ
This was a pretty standard haunted house story with a lot of the familiar tropes, but it was done very well. The book is short, so it takes no time for Peter to start losing his grip on reality. The one surprising aspect that separates it from other haunted house stories I've read, is the solidity of the marriage between the two main characters. They're already dealing with trauma before the book starts, but throughout the book there is no doubt that they are in it together and Hannah provides a great foil for Peter's increasingly manic and worrisome behavior.
๐๐ฅ๐จ๐ญ: Peter and Hannah Larson move into an old farmhouse that had been owned by Peter's father in the small town where he grew up. Immediately the house seems off to Peter, and he begins to see increasingly frightening visions and lose chunks of time that cause him to investigate whether his new house is haunted.ย
๐๐๐ ๐๐ฌ: 276
๐๐๐ง๐ซ๐: Horror
๐๐จ๐ซ๐ญ๐ก ๐ ๐ซ๐๐๐: Yes!
๐๐๐๐ก๐๐๐ฅ ๐ญ๐๐ฌ๐ญ: Yes, barely
๐๐ข๐ฆ๐ ๐ฉ๐๐ซ๐ข๐จ๐: current
๐๐๐ฏ๐ข๐๐ฐ: โญโญโญโญ
This was a pretty standard haunted house story with a lot of the familiar tropes, but it was done very well. The book is short, so it takes no time for Peter to start losing his grip on reality. The one surprising aspect that separates it from other haunted house stories I've read, is the solidity of the marriage between the two main characters. They're already dealing with trauma before the book starts, but throughout the book there is no doubt that they are in it together and Hannah provides a great foil for Peter's increasingly manic and worrisome behavior.
sammaywin's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Dementia, Cancer, Grief, Death of parent, Child death, Terminal illness, and Physical abuse
Minor: Self harm and Suicide attempt
kermit_the_wrong's review against another edition
dark
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Close to being a 3.0, but the ending kinda threw me off.ย
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Physical abuse, Child death, Child abuse, Death of parent, Gore, Murder, Animal death, Body horror, Death, Grief, Cancer, and Dementia
Moderate: Alcohol and Infidelity
andreacaro's review against another edition
3.0
Trigger warnings for gratuitous animal torture/death, child abuse, cancer, murder of a child by a parent, etc.
Idk how to feel about this one, really. It wasn't exactly scary and a lot of the triggering things in this book were completely unnecessary.
Idk how to feel about this one, really. It wasn't exactly scary and a lot of the triggering things in this book were completely unnecessary.
raforall's review against another edition
4.0
On the blog and in my Reader's Shelf Column in the 10/1/18 issue of Library Journal: http://raforallhorror.blogspot.com/2018/10/31-days-of-horror-day-2-my-annual.html
Three Words That Describe This Book: oppressive atmosphere, family secrets, perfectly paced
Family ties also frame the first novel by well known and award winning audiobook narrator Chris Sorensen, THE NIGHTMARE ROOM. Audiobook narrator Peter and his wife need to escape their own personal tragedy, so they head back to Peterโs hometown, to care for his ailing father and move into an old farmhouse that Peter didnโt even know his father owned. When Peter heads to the basement to set up his studio, he awakens a malevolent force within the home. What follows is a perfectly paced, well plotted and compelling haunted house tale filled with oppressive atmosphere, sympathetic and detailed characters, and only a touch of gore. Readers will compulsively turn the pages watching Peter confront demons both supernatural and real in order to save his family. This is a perfect suggestion for fans of haunted house stories, and there is a promised sequel already in the works.
Three Words That Describe This Book: oppressive atmosphere, family secrets, perfectly paced
Family ties also frame the first novel by well known and award winning audiobook narrator Chris Sorensen, THE NIGHTMARE ROOM. Audiobook narrator Peter and his wife need to escape their own personal tragedy, so they head back to Peterโs hometown, to care for his ailing father and move into an old farmhouse that Peter didnโt even know his father owned. When Peter heads to the basement to set up his studio, he awakens a malevolent force within the home. What follows is a perfectly paced, well plotted and compelling haunted house tale filled with oppressive atmosphere, sympathetic and detailed characters, and only a touch of gore. Readers will compulsively turn the pages watching Peter confront demons both supernatural and real in order to save his family. This is a perfect suggestion for fans of haunted house stories, and there is a promised sequel already in the works.
blair_wolff's review against another edition
dark
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? No
3.0
word_wandering's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5