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abbybovenzii's review
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
liadanblue's review
5.0
This book was just what I needed to get me out of a reading slump. It’s captivating, full of twists and turns that I didn’t see coming, contains multiple povs (that I love), and it offers insight to not just the current lineup of characters but also the house itself and the ghosts involved. It’s reminiscent of all my favorite horror movies like A Haunting in Connecticut, Thirteen Ghosts and The Haunting of Hill House. So, if that’s the vibe you’re in to, you’ll love it.
datewithathriller's review
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
sharron_joy_reads's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
It’s 1876 and a medium calls forth five ghosts for a wealthy patron and all hell breaks loose in Brackenby House.
During The Suffering all are killed except for the medium who takes his own life after banishing the ghosts into the walls of the house.
In modern times, the medium’s ancestor, Kyle, is living in the rambling Victorian house with his university friends, Cassie, Tad, Lance and Pete, at All Hallows they reenact the seance with catastrophic consequences.
This reminded me so much of Thirteen Ghosts but without the theatrics, it is brutal and unflinching, descriptive and visceral. The ghosts and how they manifest, attaching to each housemate and preying on their deepest fears, are so well written and although there are multiple characters it is easy to remember them. The housemates and their friends are so likeable, flawed and human but you want them to succeed.
It was compelling, building up the suspense so that when the shocks hit, they were so good. A kaleidoscope of cruelty makes this a stunning debut, I hope the house has more to give!
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Violence, and Murder
authorvperry's review
4.0
The Suffering is an entertaining, ghost story. The characters and ghosts themselves are interesting. The story is exciting and keeps your interest throughout.
One thing that people will either love or hate is that this horror book does not have the mood and tone that most typically expect from horror. It takes away from the horror itself. I would suggest this to folks that enjoy horror that is more “*fun* and less *terrifying*.
One thing that people will either love or hate is that this horror book does not have the mood and tone that most typically expect from horror. It takes away from the horror itself. I would suggest this to folks that enjoy horror that is more “*fun* and less *terrifying*.
books_with_becki's review
dark
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
necole_bennett's review
mysterious
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? No
4.0
mikkareads's review
dark
mysterious
slow-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? No
4.0
In the grand halls of Brackenby House, where generations have tread, Kyle Birbeck and his friends find themselves entangled in a chilling tale. The mansion, renowned for a fateful séance orchestrated by Kyle's ancestor in 1876, bore witness to the haunting »Victorian Suffering Massacre«. Though dismissed as mere legend, whispers persist that five vengeful spirits have been haunting the very walls ever since. When the friends take the ill-fated decision to re-enact the séance on Halloween, it unleashes a terror beyond their wildest imaginings.
Released from their spectral prison, the ghosts now roam free, relentlessly tormenting the vulnerable housemates. They can only hope to survive their ordeal by banishing the unwelcome guests once and for all.
The plot is delightfully gothic, a classic haunted house story with a variety of ghostly antagonists. While it clearly bows to the staples of the genre and can thus be somewhat formulaic, the story also incorporates unique twists and interesting concepts.
The overall atmosphere is eerie and unsettling, with moderate levels of gore. Body horror is often hinted at instead of shown in detail, striking a good balance between psychological suspense and creepy moments. However, readers should approach it expecting a brooding, evocative ambiance, rather than fast-paced gory action.
The writing is immersive, conjuring a dense atmosphere and a persistent feeling of dread. While there are minor inconsistencies and unresolved plot points, my engagement with the story allowed me to overlook them and just enjoy the ride. However, veterans of the genre might find it too smooth and polished, lacking a certain oomph or gritty exposition.
To me, the characters come across as somewhat clichéd, prone to exasperatingly foolish decisions. The story railroads them to an ending that is predictable, if you're not a complete newbie to the haunted house trope.
Still, they are likeable and relatable enough, although they lack significant depth or development, dutifully serving their roles within the confines of the haunted house narrative.
Released from their spectral prison, the ghosts now roam free, relentlessly tormenting the vulnerable housemates. They can only hope to survive their ordeal by banishing the unwelcome guests once and for all.
The plot is delightfully gothic, a classic haunted house story with a variety of ghostly antagonists. While it clearly bows to the staples of the genre and can thus be somewhat formulaic, the story also incorporates unique twists and interesting concepts.
The overall atmosphere is eerie and unsettling, with moderate levels of gore. Body horror is often hinted at instead of shown in detail, striking a good balance between psychological suspense and creepy moments. However, readers should approach it expecting a brooding, evocative ambiance, rather than fast-paced gory action.
The writing is immersive, conjuring a dense atmosphere and a persistent feeling of dread. While there are minor inconsistencies and unresolved plot points, my engagement with the story allowed me to overlook them and just enjoy the ride. However, veterans of the genre might find it too smooth and polished, lacking a certain oomph or gritty exposition.
To me, the characters come across as somewhat clichéd, prone to exasperatingly foolish decisions. The story railroads them to an ending that is predictable, if you're not a complete newbie to the haunted house trope.
Still, they are likeable and relatable enough, although they lack significant depth or development, dutifully serving their roles within the confines of the haunted house narrative.
stephanien's review
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? N/A
3.5
The Suffering has everything that I love in a horror/paranormal novel; a spooky house with a chilling history, a seance that didn't quite work the way it was intended, ghosts, secrets, and so on. I enjoyed the overall story as it was interesting and the descriptions did manage to keep up a certain level of tension. I did like the ghosts as well the action surrounding them, but felt it got bogged down by the author using lack of communication and secrets to move a plot point along which just made me shake my head.
Kyle and his friends live in a Victorian house that has been in his family for a very long time. Despite the sordid background and the tragedy that occurred there, the five students are overjoyed to be living in something that is cheaper than the usual student accommodations, and decide to have a seance on Halloween. Okay, this I totally buy as college students do silly things all the time and even I played around with this kind of stuff when I was younger. Unfortunately, they do release something horrifying and five ghosts attach themselves to the five of them feeding off of their self-doubts. I did find this interesting in the beginning and liked what was happening, even if I didn't find it very terrifying. This could be my fault though as I went in thinking it would be scarier than it was, but it wasn't.
Things kind of went sideways for me about one-third into the book as I got tired of the lack of communication between the characters and the big secrets. Kyle wasn't very forthcoming with information and I just couldn't figure out why he wouldn't tell the others where he had been and why. And why would he not have brought back protection charms for the rest of them? And when things did start happening, why would you not call the police to check things out to make sure there were not pranks happening? And when things ramp up, do the kids try to split and run? No, not really. I would have been out of there in a flash.
While the author can write, and there were definitely some interesting moments, I don't feel like I really got to know the characters very well. To me, they were pretty bland and I wish the story had focused on one of them rather than all of them as it would have added depth to the story. I did like hearing about the ghosts, but the characters and their foolish decisions kind of pushed that to the background regularly and I found myself jolted out of the story. It made me focus on the plot holes and lack of character growth a bit more than I normally would have.
Verdict
The Suffering had a lot of potential and I did enjoy the story, especially the parts where the ghosts were involved. I did feel the characters were one-dimensional and bland, and their lack of communication and decision-making skills got on my nerves after a while. There really wasn't anything particularly spooky about this book, but there were a lot of fun elements, so I would definitely pick up another novel by this author in the future.