briarsreviews's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
5.0
The Adamson Family by Lee Allen Howard is a spooky thrill ride packed with mysteries and drama!
I am a big fan of the spooks! I love horror, spooky things, Halloween, and all of that jazz. You might not realize that if you follow me since my reads are typically romance, but horror and thrills are MY JAM. So of course I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to pick up The Adamson Family! A spooky book being requested for me to read?! That spoke to my soul.
The Adamson Family follows Ren, a fifteen-year-old, living quite the interesting life. His Mom was institutionalized and the stigma is troublesome. And now, his sister Calista seems to be following in his Mom's footsteps and is going off the rails. To boot, there's a creepy, old house down the road that Ren decides he needs to stay in. What else do you do when you're fifteen years old, your family is falling apart, and there's nothing fun to do in your town? While staying there, Ren meets another young teen who is hiding out and befriends him. And suddenly, secrets start coming out left and right... Can Ren manage the secrets, family struggles, and just be a regular teen?
There's lots of mystery in this book. Is the house's lore about the family true? Is his sister truly following in his Mom's footsteps? Is there something darker going on than he realizes? Add in lots of spooks and pinches of horror, you've got one killer book. I was glued to this book and binging it, knowing full well I needed to see how this book was going to end. And MAN, does it really knock you out with that ending. Chef's kiss!
I loved this book. I highly recommend this quick read if you love horror.
Five out of five stars.
I received a free copy of this book from the author, Lee Allen Howard, in exchange for an honest review.
I am a big fan of the spooks! I love horror, spooky things, Halloween, and all of that jazz. You might not realize that if you follow me since my reads are typically romance, but horror and thrills are MY JAM. So of course I was thrilled when I had the opportunity to pick up The Adamson Family! A spooky book being requested for me to read?! That spoke to my soul.
The Adamson Family follows Ren, a fifteen-year-old, living quite the interesting life. His Mom was institutionalized and the stigma is troublesome. And now, his sister Calista seems to be following in his Mom's footsteps and is going off the rails. To boot, there's a creepy, old house down the road that Ren decides he needs to stay in. What else do you do when you're fifteen years old, your family is falling apart, and there's nothing fun to do in your town? While staying there, Ren meets another young teen who is hiding out and befriends him. And suddenly, secrets start coming out left and right... Can Ren manage the secrets, family struggles, and just be a regular teen?
There's lots of mystery in this book. Is the house's lore about the family true? Is his sister truly following in his Mom's footsteps? Is there something darker going on than he realizes? Add in lots of spooks and pinches of horror, you've got one killer book. I was glued to this book and binging it, knowing full well I needed to see how this book was going to end. And MAN, does it really knock you out with that ending. Chef's kiss!
I loved this book. I highly recommend this quick read if you love horror.
Five out of five stars.
I received a free copy of this book from the author, Lee Allen Howard, in exchange for an honest review.
condygurl's review
3.0
I want to give this book more than 3 stars but I simply didn't cross into the "I really liked this book" or the "It was amazing" category.
The characters are okay. Ren is a likeable boy, and his sister Calista has some major issues, which I believe if she had help from a psychiatrist she would learn to deal with those issues from her childhood.
There are a few references of what the mother did to Calista when she was young that could be triggering to some. There is a strong undercurrent of blaming alcohol for the problems. Which isn't entirely true from my perspective. Mental illness is of course mentioned frequently.
It was an okay book, but I really didn't find it that enticing, and it definitely wouldn't cross into the horror field because it wasn't scary at all. Haunted house aside.
All in all a 3 star read.
The characters are okay. Ren is a likeable boy, and his sister Calista has some major issues, which I believe if she had help from a psychiatrist she would learn to deal with those issues from her childhood.
There are a few references of what the mother did to Calista when she was young that could be triggering to some. There is a strong undercurrent of blaming alcohol for the problems. Which isn't entirely true from my perspective. Mental illness is of course mentioned frequently.
It was an okay book, but I really didn't find it that enticing, and it definitely wouldn't cross into the horror field because it wasn't scary at all. Haunted house aside.
All in all a 3 star read.
More...