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lauryn_amber26's review against another edition
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? No
2.0
notesquotesscarletmotes's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-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
4.0
A Head Full of Ghosts was good, scary fun. I loved all the nods to other horror genre works (some of which I caught and a lot of which I'm sure I didn't), and especially enjoyed the House of Leaves references as I just read that for the first time last year.
Tremblay builds an engaging story that draws you in, shifts, morphs into something new, something other, and keeps pulling you deeper in search of the truth or something like it.
Tremblay builds an engaging story that draws you in, shifts, morphs into something new, something other, and keeps pulling you deeper in search of the truth or something like it.
armadilloguy's review against another edition
3.0
A really clever book and the combination of a typical possession story and the true horrors of reality TV is quite a fresh take. For me the book is a bit caught between genres. It works better as a drama, as it is not scary or ambiguous enough to work as a horror story. That probably makes it a good recommendation for people who normally don't read horror but crave something adjacent.
notatrace280's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-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
4.0
melissareads's review against another edition
dark
tense
fast-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? Yes
4.5
ummebby's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
spookystitch8's review against another edition
dark
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.0
remjunior's review against another edition
4.0
I really enjoyed this book and have a feeling that Paul Tremblay will continue to write insightful, dark fiction. At its most basic level, this is an exorcism story. But when you really get down to it, it is a story about a family dealing with all of their problems, spurred by the deteriorating mental and physical health of the oldest child.
And that's the scariest part--the reality of two parents not knowing how to help their child. It is terrifying and if Tremblay isn't a parent, he certainly nailed down the fear and anxiety of the unknown. Put that together with the story actually being told from a child's perspective makes this what I would consider a horror novel.
I didn't love the entire blog post sequence and it felt like a Gone Girl attempt gone wrong. I feel like there was enough subtelty in the rest of the story that these portions felt out of place.
I will definitely be reading more from Tremblay.
And that's the scariest part--the reality of two parents not knowing how to help their child. It is terrifying and if Tremblay isn't a parent, he certainly nailed down the fear and anxiety of the unknown. Put that together with the story actually being told from a child's perspective makes this what I would consider a horror novel.
I didn't love the entire blog post sequence and it felt like a Gone Girl attempt gone wrong. I feel like there was enough subtelty in the rest of the story that these portions felt out of place.
I will definitely be reading more from Tremblay.