shellycampbellauthor's review against another edition
4.0
Slattery Falls will make you wish you were part of a ghost-hunting crew
Brennan’s debut is written with such clean and uncluttered lines, it’s easy to fall into the story he weaves. The narrator, Travis, seems like an easy-going guy, the kind you instantly trust and relate to. By the time he, Josh, and Elsie team up to explore a notorious haunted house that the nearby town of Slattery Falls would sooner everyone forgets, you’ll find yourself wishing you were part of the crew of friends who’ve known each other long enough to tackle ghost-hunting with an unshakable trust in each other. Looking forward to reading more from Brennan Lafaro.
Brennan’s debut is written with such clean and uncluttered lines, it’s easy to fall into the story he weaves. The narrator, Travis, seems like an easy-going guy, the kind you instantly trust and relate to. By the time he, Josh, and Elsie team up to explore a notorious haunted house that the nearby town of Slattery Falls would sooner everyone forgets, you’ll find yourself wishing you were part of the crew of friends who’ve known each other long enough to tackle ghost-hunting with an unshakable trust in each other. Looking forward to reading more from Brennan Lafaro.
spookshow's review against another edition
5.0
You can find this review and all my others over at www.readbookrepeat.wordpress.com
Three friends from college who are enthusiastic ghost hunters travel across the New England country side searching for the next haunted house they can investigate. Eventually their long journey sees them landing in Slattery Falls, a small old town that lives in fear in the shadow of one of it's most esteemed properties - The Week's House. The house sits empty, at least, that's what the townsfolk say, but once the three friends find themselves within it's walls they realise how wrong the townsfolk are. Soon the hunters become the hunted, an evil lurks within the Weeks house that refuses to give up it's grip. Will this case turn out to be the last one? And if so, will they make it out alive?
I picked up this super short read as it was chosen as one of the monthly reads for a horror group that I'm in on Goodreads. Because it was short, I figured why the hell not, and boy am I glad that I did! I'm always on the lookout for good horror, no matter the length, and this one did not disappoint, don't let it's small size fool you, it definitely packs a punch.
We first meet two of the three friends when they start investigating haunted houses in college, soon the two becomes three and ghost hunting becomes their thing. Once we're given a brief rundown on where the whole story began, we leap forward around 10 odd years to the three friends as adults. Having not hunted for a while, two are surprised when the third calls claiming possible answers to an incident that happened all those years ago. Unable to let sleeping dogs lie, the agree to one last hunt, what they don't expect is the gravity of what this means.
This is a classic style haunted house and it is done brilliantly. LaFaro uses the terror of the unseen and the building of such strong atmosphere to unsettle the reader in a master stroke, if I do say so myself. I was reading this book at night, in bed, and I regretted that choice terribly. It sent chills up my spine and creeped me out so successfully I thought I was bound to have bad dreams.
His ability to endear the three characters to the reader in such a short page count absolutely astounded me. From the get go I just knew that I cared about these characters and their plight, and worried for their safety on their exhibitions. Being able to make characters deep enough and real enough to make me care about them in such a short amount of story always impresses me and shows me just how adept the author is at their craft.
This story was so well thought out an executed that I honestly don't know what else to say. LaFaro's ability to create an atmosphere that left the reader feeling claustrophobic and isolated, and really put them into the characters shoes is up there with some of the best horror I have read. The way the author tied the story together and sewed in all those loose little threads was brilliant and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
I cannot recommend this short story enough. If you love haunted house horror definitely give this one a go, it will not disappoint.
Three friends from college who are enthusiastic ghost hunters travel across the New England country side searching for the next haunted house they can investigate. Eventually their long journey sees them landing in Slattery Falls, a small old town that lives in fear in the shadow of one of it's most esteemed properties - The Week's House. The house sits empty, at least, that's what the townsfolk say, but once the three friends find themselves within it's walls they realise how wrong the townsfolk are. Soon the hunters become the hunted, an evil lurks within the Weeks house that refuses to give up it's grip. Will this case turn out to be the last one? And if so, will they make it out alive?
I picked up this super short read as it was chosen as one of the monthly reads for a horror group that I'm in on Goodreads. Because it was short, I figured why the hell not, and boy am I glad that I did! I'm always on the lookout for good horror, no matter the length, and this one did not disappoint, don't let it's small size fool you, it definitely packs a punch.
We first meet two of the three friends when they start investigating haunted houses in college, soon the two becomes three and ghost hunting becomes their thing. Once we're given a brief rundown on where the whole story began, we leap forward around 10 odd years to the three friends as adults. Having not hunted for a while, two are surprised when the third calls claiming possible answers to an incident that happened all those years ago. Unable to let sleeping dogs lie, the agree to one last hunt, what they don't expect is the gravity of what this means.
This is a classic style haunted house and it is done brilliantly. LaFaro uses the terror of the unseen and the building of such strong atmosphere to unsettle the reader in a master stroke, if I do say so myself. I was reading this book at night, in bed, and I regretted that choice terribly. It sent chills up my spine and creeped me out so successfully I thought I was bound to have bad dreams.
His ability to endear the three characters to the reader in such a short page count absolutely astounded me. From the get go I just knew that I cared about these characters and their plight, and worried for their safety on their exhibitions. Being able to make characters deep enough and real enough to make me care about them in such a short amount of story always impresses me and shows me just how adept the author is at their craft.
This story was so well thought out an executed that I honestly don't know what else to say. LaFaro's ability to create an atmosphere that left the reader feeling claustrophobic and isolated, and really put them into the characters shoes is up there with some of the best horror I have read. The way the author tied the story together and sewed in all those loose little threads was brilliant and I thoroughly enjoyed reading this.
I cannot recommend this short story enough. If you love haunted house horror definitely give this one a go, it will not disappoint.
cemeterygates's review
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? No
2.0
thewilliamsterling's review
adventurous
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
LaFaro has an easy to read style which propels readers quickly to some top notch, creepy, dont-go-in-the-basement-scares as characters explore haunted houses and unravel a deeper mystery
probably_reading_right_now's review
4.0
This was a really good paranormal story! It was like a mix between one of those ghost hunter shows and like if a camp fire story or urban legend were actually true or came to life. It was a short story and a really quick read, but got a lot done and made a lot happen in such a short amount of pages. This would be great if you needed something really quick to read.
erikaedits's review
4.0
Great haunted house/ghost hunter novella! Definitely add this to your TBR pile.
ebees's review
3.0
Slattery Falls is a book about a trio of college students who visit the haunted sites of New England to hunt ghosts as a hobby. This concept is awesome and is what got me first excited about this book. At this point, I've read so many haunted house books that they can blur together as one giant glob of decades-old ghosts and creaking foundations. So, I was ready for amateur ghost hunters to shake it up.
There are three different ghost hunting adventures we get to join with the trio, and there are two very different parts to the book: the first part shows us the formation of the trio as well as two distinct ghost hunting adventures, and the second part shows us the trio years later facing their most dangerous ghost. The first two honestly felt a little more realistic, which is weird to say as a non-believer of ghosts, but they reminded me more of stories I've heard from people who say they've witnessed a haunting rather than the sort of prankster ghosts we often see (banging and opening drawers/doors, jump scares, blankets ripped off beds, etc.).
The third ghost hunting adventure didn't seem to fit the vibe I had with the first two adventures though. It was a little jarring and I didn't really like it in this book. But, I think it would have been really cool as a multi-ending visual novel or adventure game. Hear me out! Spoiler ahoy~
Anyway, this was a fun read and I'm looking forward to reading more of Brennan LaFaro in the future.
There are three different ghost hunting adventures we get to join with the trio, and there are two very different parts to the book: the first part shows us the formation of the trio as well as two distinct ghost hunting adventures, and the second part shows us the trio years later facing their most dangerous ghost. The first two honestly felt a little more realistic, which is weird to say as a non-believer of ghosts, but they reminded me more of stories I've heard from people who say they've witnessed a haunting rather than the sort of prankster ghosts we often see (banging and opening drawers/doors, jump scares, blankets ripped off beds, etc.).
The third ghost hunting adventure didn't seem to fit the vibe I had with the first two adventures though. It was a little jarring and I didn't really like it in this book. But, I think it would have been really cool as a multi-ending visual novel or adventure game. Hear me out! Spoiler ahoy~
Spoiler
The villain is pretty damn sick, he's not just an ancient ghostie, he's a monster. Like, Pennywise consuming children over the course of centuries to survive monster. And he has the ability to warp and shape his environment, creating a labyrinth he totally controls underneath the haunted house. He was like if Pennywise (IT) and AM (I Have No Mouth And I Must Scream) had fused together into a mega monster. Imagine being Travis on a dangerous mission with your wife and your best friend, trying to keep them safe while you follow them into the caverns. The monster gives you choices to make, do you go down the stairs or do you go through the ectoplasm pool? I just thought it would have been so much fun to explore the underground and see other potential endings, what would have happened if we took the stairs instead of the pool? Which choices would lead to the best/worst outcome? It could be done like I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream which is more of a point-and-click or even with like a RPG maker where you move around to interact with the environmentAnyway, this was a fun read and I'm looking forward to reading more of Brennan LaFaro in the future.