Reviews with content warning for Child death - Home Before Dark

Not as scary as I thought, or hoped, it would be.

First things first, I really liked the storyline of <i>The Book of Horrors</i>. This is what kept me reading, what got me eager and made me want to read more and more. Maggie's POV, not so much. I thought her parts dragged quite a bit and lacked excitement. It wasn't necessarily boring, just eh. Didn't really care too much for it.

Then there's the ending of this book. Honestly, in my opinion it was a bit of a mess. I didn't see it coming, but it was too chaotic and just a bit too over the top for my taste. Less is more.

All in al an okay read, a good way to start off spooky-reading season!

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my_book_trolley's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious 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

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thisbookisbananas's review against another edition

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challenging dark 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? It's complicated

3.25

Home Before Dark is the 2nd Riley Sager book I’ve read. Funny enough, it’s been on my physical TBR since 2020! This book started out as an interesting take on a haunted house story. However, the twists at the end though just didn’t really work for me. Maybe I just didn’t pick up the right book of his? I find his writing very engaging, atmospheric, and entertaining. I think I will pick up another book by this author.

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rhgrimes's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

4.0

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kaneebli's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-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

3.5

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queerreaderchaos's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix

3.75

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haileyhardcover's review against another edition

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adventurous challenging dark mysterious sad tense medium-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

5.0

If there’s one thing about me, it’s that I LOVE a ghost story. Give me haunted houses or give me death… so I can haunt them myself!

Home Before Dark tells the story of the Holt family and Baneberry Hall half through Maggie’s perspective in modern day, and half through the chapters of the book her father wrote. I loved that element - that I got to read a horror book (a horror memoir?) inside of a horror book. Each of the three Sager books I’ve read so far have jumped between timelines, but this was by far my favorite execution! The House of Horror chapters were actually my favorite part of the book, and I would’ve gladly read just that as a standalone; but it wouldn’t be a Riley Sager book without twists and turns and big reveals and UFF, these ones are good. No spoilers, but I definitely recommend you give this one a read if you like mysteries, haunted houses, complex family relationships, or like the feeling of being a little freaked out by every creek and groan your house makes.

This is my third Riley Sager book of the year, and the second one that I’ve read in a single day. He has without a doubt become one of my favorites! Hoping I can read one or two more before the year is out.

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