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lizsurber's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
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? No
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Cursing, Murder, Stalking, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Sexual content, Death, Gore, Infidelity, Sexism, Violence, and Alcohol
Moderate: Forced institutionalization, Suicide, and Death of parent
yvo_about_books's review
3.0
Finished reading: October 17th 2023
"For the first time in her life, Maria felt the realization come crashing down on her that she was wrong. There were things in existence that couldn't be explained."
*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me by Netgalley and Storm Publishing in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***
I've enjoyed Helen Phifer's writing in the past, so I couldn't resist adding this reprint of the first book of a paranormal thriller series to my TBR. The blurb sounded like it was going to be perfect for spooky season, and I've been looking forward to dive in... I'm not sure if it was the reading slump talking, but unfortunately I did end up having mixed thoughts instead. I'm not saying it's a bad read, but some elements worked better for me than others.
I can't deny that I still love the premise of The Haunting On West 10th Street. The brutal murders, the satanic ritual, the house with a bad vibe... It all has so much potential, and the paranormal horror element is most definitely very much present in this book. Things can get pretty graphic, and the descriptions of both the house and the horrors inside were well done and really set the right atmosphere. The dual timeline helped add more suspense and tension as well, as you slowly learned more about what happened in 1952 that seemed to have started it all. For that reason alone I could appreciate both timelines almost equally, which doesn't happen often.
BUT. And here is where it mainly went wrong for me with this story. Sadly, there is a lot of focus on the romance in the plot, and we have to contend with not only TWO love triangles but also a cheating element. To say that I strongly dislike both tropes is an understatement, and their appearance really put a damper on things. I personally feel this story would have worked so much better without the romance; I felt like it undermined the impact of the rest of the story. A strictly friendly banter between Maria and her partner would have added so much more than the whole pining vibe.
I also can't say that I was a fan of the main characters in general. There was just something about Maria that made it quite hard to warm up to her, and I felt like her character lacked fleshing out. The same goes for the rest of the characters for that matter; there were a lot of cliches involved and not enough dept in general. It's a shame, because as a result I didn't really care too much about what happened to them, and I wasn't as invested in the outcome as expected.
In short, there were things I enjoyed in The Haunting On West 10th Street, but there were also elements that made it harder to properly enjoy this paranormal thriller. The romance kind of spoiled things for me, and the pace itself wasn't as fast as expected. The paranormal horror element was well developed, but as a whole I don't think I will be continuing this series.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Toxic relationship, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Death, Violence, Blood, Body horror, Confinement, Cursing, Forced institutionalization, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, and Stalking
fanboyriot's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Read For:
Mystery
Demons
Detectives
Creepy Vibes
Good Settings
I really didn’t think I missed mystery/thrillers as much as I did, but this was so refreshing to read. The world-building was done really well, the author brought the setting to life and was able to bring in the creepy vibes with the plot. I liked how the author was able to bring the supernatural to life without taking it away from the mundane world of a detective as well.
I will say not all the characters were a hit for me, some of the background and/or the side characters fell a little flat. However, everyone fell into the plot of the story rather well, each person having their role in the book.
The Narrator (Stephanie Canon) did such a good job bringing this book to life. The different voices for each character and the voice acting brought the emotion out with any line she said.
Thank you to the author, Dreamscape Select, Storm Publishing, and NetGalley for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review. It was a really nice mystery.
Narrator: Stephanie Canon
Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ (4/5)
Release Date: 16, October 2023
POV: Switching, Third Person
Spice: n/a
Rep: Mental illness
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Murder, Stalking, and Violence
Moderate: Blood, Grief, Body horror, Cursing, Gore, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Infidelity and Sexual content
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