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katiescho741's review against another edition
4.0
*I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book has strong Found Footage vibes. It reminded me a bit of the film Hell House LLC. I loved the scare attraction theme, and the description of the different types. I like stories that revolve around social media and internet fame too, so this was right up my street.
The story is told from different peoples perspectives, and I liked that there were some descriptions of what was going on in McKinley Manor, but some things were left to the imagination.
Gus comes through as a strong character, even though we don't hear from him. The ending was surprising, but it mostly worked.
A great, quick horror read. Great for anyone who wants something with a bit of gore, but nothing too extreme.
This book has strong Found Footage vibes. It reminded me a bit of the film Hell House LLC. I loved the scare attraction theme, and the description of the different types. I like stories that revolve around social media and internet fame too, so this was right up my street.
The story is told from different peoples perspectives, and I liked that there were some descriptions of what was going on in McKinley Manor, but some things were left to the imagination.
Gus comes through as a strong character, even though we don't hear from him. The ending was surprising, but it mostly worked.
A great, quick horror read. Great for anyone who wants something with a bit of gore, but nothing too extreme.
thebibliomaniac's review
dark
mysterious
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? Yes
2.75
margueriteturley's review
4.0
What a fantastic format, and a great fictional telling of a true story with a supernatural twist. Max Booth III pulls us into this strange world of extreme haunted houses and digs up the secrets surrounding them. A novella I could’ve sucked down in one sitting it was that compelling! He intrigued me so much I fell down a rabbit hole looking up the origin of this tale! Pick this one up, it won’t disappoint!!!
smalltowncreepy's review against another edition
dark
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
5.0
The Last Haunt is a quick and fun Halloween read. The style of story telling – like a series of interviews spliced together for a documentary – felt like a continuation of the recent documentary of the inspiration for the book - Monster Inside: America's Most Extreme Haunted House. Because of this, reading it felt a little surreal. It was so on the nose about the people involved, the location, and the happenings in the real haunt, I had to stay mindful of where the break between real world inspiration ended and the fiction began.
The horror comes in the parts that are inspired by the reality more than in the surreal ending. This blade cuts very close to the real world in that it would not be hard to see the fictional part (to a point) really happening.
Once we get past the real world inspiration and dive into the “what if” inspired deep end of the fiction pool that is The Last Haunt, things get weird fast. We’re treated to tantalizing tips and suggestions at the horror to come with each interview snippet. This kept me reading well past my bed time. I had to know what exactly happened to Gus, Trevor, and the others. Despite “knowing” what was to come, I was not prepared for the twist. It was fabulous!
On a final note: the cover art by Trevor Henderson is fantastic (no surprise given the artist). It does make me wonder which came first, the choice of the artist or the character in the book of the same name?
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. The Last Haunt by Max Booth III is a wonderful mind-bending short perfect for Halloween season.
The horror comes in the parts that are inspired by the reality more than in the surreal ending. This blade cuts very close to the real world in that it would not be hard to see the fictional part (to a point) really happening.
Once we get past the real world inspiration and dive into the “what if” inspired deep end of the fiction pool that is The Last Haunt, things get weird fast. We’re treated to tantalizing tips and suggestions at the horror to come with each interview snippet. This kept me reading well past my bed time. I had to know what exactly happened to Gus, Trevor, and the others. Despite “knowing” what was to come, I was not prepared for the twist. It was fabulous!
On a final note: the cover art by Trevor Henderson is fantastic (no surprise given the artist). It does make me wonder which came first, the choice of the artist or the character in the book of the same name?
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. The Last Haunt by Max Booth III is a wonderful mind-bending short perfect for Halloween season.
theresa_mysteries_and_mayhem's review
4.0
The Last Haunt by Max Booth III was an interesting book. Through reading it, I entered a world I was completely unaware existed - extreme haunted houses. This book is inspired by an actual extreme haunt and if you do a search, I imagine you'll find it rather quickly as I did. Or you may already know of it. Like the real place, the haunt featured in this story is surrounded by controversy.
The story is presented in three parts and is told in interview style, which makes it a very quick read and hard to put down. I was late getting back to work from reading breaks more than a few times because I just couldn't stop. I had to see what the next person had to say in their interview snippet!
Part One of the story gives the setup and background of the haunt and the man who runs it. You quickly get the idea that something horrible has happened there. The suspense builds until Part Two, which details the events of the night when the something horrible takes place.
And then we have Part Three - the aftermath of the something horrible! While the background and setup for the story were very similar to the real haunt, what takes place in the third part of the book takes great imagination. It all came together beautifully as it played out in my mind's eye. The descriptions, while some of them gruesome, were stunning. I won't go into detail because I don't want to give anything away and steal anyone's enjoyment of reading it for themselves. But trust me on this.
In conclusion, my knowledge of the world opened up a little by reading this book. I have no plans at all to run out to an extreme haunted house! But I'm glad I am now aware that they exist. I enjoyed they interview style of the book and I loved the artistry in the details of the concluding events. I can't say it was a fun story for me to read, but I still couldn't put it down. Job well done, Mr. Booth! I give The Last Haunt 4 stars.
I received a review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
The story is presented in three parts and is told in interview style, which makes it a very quick read and hard to put down. I was late getting back to work from reading breaks more than a few times because I just couldn't stop. I had to see what the next person had to say in their interview snippet!
Part One of the story gives the setup and background of the haunt and the man who runs it. You quickly get the idea that something horrible has happened there. The suspense builds until Part Two, which details the events of the night when the something horrible takes place.
And then we have Part Three - the aftermath of the something horrible! While the background and setup for the story were very similar to the real haunt, what takes place in the third part of the book takes great imagination. It all came together beautifully as it played out in my mind's eye. The descriptions, while some of them gruesome, were stunning. I won't go into detail because I don't want to give anything away and steal anyone's enjoyment of reading it for themselves. But trust me on this.
In conclusion, my knowledge of the world opened up a little by reading this book. I have no plans at all to run out to an extreme haunted house! But I'm glad I am now aware that they exist. I enjoyed they interview style of the book and I loved the artistry in the details of the concluding events. I can't say it was a fun story for me to read, but I still couldn't put it down. Job well done, Mr. Booth! I give The Last Haunt 4 stars.
I received a review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
friendlyneighboorhoodlibrarian's review
4.0
Written in one of my favorite styles (interviewer perspective), this one definitely kept me guessing. I liked the hinting around and the writing was very good!
poisoned_icecream's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
web_h3ad's review
dark
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? Yes
4.25
good quick read
babayagareads's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
Best for fans of Haunters or a less gore-y/slasher Clown in a Cornfield. I liked this and will be blurbing it on my insta. The multiple perspectives make this better to read in one or two sittings than over many days.
readerkat727's review
dark
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
3.0