mrymreads's review against another edition
4.0
4/5
The plot was incredibly creepy and despite reading some reviews about how boring Catherine is as a main character, I think she’s a realistic portrayal of how an individual would behave in the environment of the Red House. She believes herself to be a rational person and she comes so close to simply just leaving the house so many times and yet the allure of the house makes her stay and these decisions to stay only make her more psychologically tormented. Nevill also constructs many chilling moments in the Red House that stayed with me. For example, the image of Edith in the bathtub was horrific and the crouching figure at the end of Catherine’s bed caught me so off guard that I couldn’t sleep that night lol. The twists with Catherine’s character were interesting but the ending was too ambiguous for me unfortunately.
The plot was incredibly creepy and despite reading some reviews about how boring Catherine is as a main character, I think she’s a realistic portrayal of how an individual would behave in the environment of the Red House. She believes herself to be a rational person and she comes so close to simply just leaving the house so many times and yet the allure of the house makes her stay and these decisions to stay only make her more psychologically tormented. Nevill also constructs many chilling moments in the Red House that stayed with me. For example, the image of Edith in the bathtub was horrific and the crouching figure at the end of Catherine’s bed caught me so off guard that I couldn’t sleep that night lol. The twists with Catherine’s character were interesting but the ending was too ambiguous for me unfortunately.
vampjoey's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
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
3.0
rjdey's review against another edition
dark
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
mike_brough's review against another edition
4.0
Good atmosphere but it all got very confusing towards the end
kpombiere's review against another edition
3.0
It's like what would happen if you took an '80s UK horror paperback and made it into a modern A24 indie horror movie.
macandgeese's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? No
2.5
jesperado's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
matosapa's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
pikapikate's review against another edition
slow-paced
3.5
I really enjoyed this book up until the last third of the book. It took a turn I wasn’t really expecting, but not necessarily in a good way.
The other two-thirds of the book were extremely atmospheric. It is definitely slow and akin to gothic horror, so if you prefer something more fast-paced this may not be the best choice.
There were some really creepy themes, as well as unreliable narrators, which I love. However, it had some parts that were just weird - and not in a good, creepy way.
Overall, I enjoyed it for the most part, I just was a bit let down by the ending.
The other two-thirds of the book were extremely atmospheric. It is definitely slow and akin to gothic horror, so if you prefer something more fast-paced this may not be the best choice.
There were some really creepy themes, as well as unreliable narrators, which I love. However, it had some parts that were just weird - and not in a good, creepy way.
Overall, I enjoyed it for the most part, I just was a bit let down by the ending.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death and Ableism
Moderate: Violence and Gore
witheringghoul's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0