The design and UX isn't done, Rob and Abbie, okkurrrr! 😌
omair's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
Which is my main contention with the book. The characters spend so much of it in a stubborn, hubris driven interpersonal conflict that it is hard to like any of them for me. To go so many years without seeing your family and to continuously only treat them as if they are the same people they were all those years ago with zero possibility of growing is not a problem with them, it is a problem with you.
I was interested early on, but
Maybe if you like either or both of the main characters, the book would become much more interesting. I did not, so instead,
For a title about a haunted house,
Which I can get over... if the puppet was actually memorable, or frightening, or in any way a strong villain in itself. It is not.
Honestly, I should've gone with the DNF about 2/3 of the way through when the first "ending" was reached. I would've missed
Like Mark's driving, I really feel Grady should just slow down and pick the right lane.
Those are huge departures from everything else in the story and make a complete mess of the rules of your world. To me, that's where most horror dies its fastest death. Ghosts, zombies, evil puppets, magic, whatever fantastical elements are part of your world - and they are totally valid to have - have to have developed and consistent co-existence with our real world. There has to be some guiding principles, laws, to abide by. Without that, your world will fall flat and lose me from the audience. For anyone else like me, walk away from this book and fast.
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Animal death and Child abuse
bg_oseman_fan's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Graphic: Grief, Gore, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Death, and Blood
Moderate: Gun violence, Car accident, Fire/Fire injury, Toxic relationship, Child death, and Medical content
Minor: Child abuse, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Self harm
apoppyinthewind's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
So yeah, if horror series like Puppet Master and Chucky freaked you out you'll certainly find this story creepy. Be forewarned there is some eye stuff and body mutilation. And a fuck ton of grief and trauma over losing a parent/parents.
If you've ever had to go through an estate process you may relate hard to Louise's exhaustion and sorrow. At least I did and I think the author accurately captured the experience. My only complaints are: One, I felt like it dragged a bit near the end when Louise's daughter Poppy became a larger part of the story and two, while Mark's background reveal was interesting (and makes me want to know more about radical puppets) it felt disconnected from the story especially with the big reveal at the end. Like, what happened to Louise & Poppy makes sense with the reveal but Mark's made less sense once you know the real reason all these things happened.
Still, I'd recommend it especially if you already like Hendrix's other books.
Graphic: Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Blood, and Violence
Moderate: Animal death, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Grief, Vomit, Toxic relationship, Alcohol, Alcoholism, Car accident, Child death, Death, and Medical content
Minor: Gun violence
murmurations_x's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Our biggest takeaway from reading this book is.... I'm a Grady Hendrix girly.
I really wasn't expecting to love this story
Hendrix is one of the few horror authors that I actually enjoy how they write women. Louise was likeable, unlikable and very real and Mark was definitely my favourite character of the book and I loved how his backstory is given to us from his own POV. I really enjoyed reading about them both coming back together as siblings to face their family trauma and defeat the entity of the story. Also worth a mention is I loved how the move was broken up by the stages of grief, super clever!
Hendrix does what Hendrix does best in this book which is write a funny, campy, tropey horror story that has elements of some pretty intense body horror. A perfect read for October, definitely recommend.Â
Graphic: Car accident, Gore, Blood, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, Child death, Death of parent, Child abuse, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Murder, Cursing, Self harm, Gaslighting, Medical content, and Stalking
Minor: Pregnancy and Alcohol
juliana18's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Violence, Injury/Injury detail, Body horror, and Child abuse
Moderate: Child death
raulle's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Graphic: Death, Self harm, Child abuse, and Death of parent
Moderate: Gore
ashtheaudiomancer's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Knocked off half a star bc I'm in the process of trying to move out of my family home and this probably wasn't the best time to read it because of that, but it's not the book's fault.
Graphic: Grief, Child abuse, Child death, and Death of parent
Moderate: Mental illness
Not sure where in the content warnings to put "creepy puppets doing violence to various characters of all ages," but that's kind of the whole plot, so just be aware of that.ninahuynh's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
Graphic: Gore, Animal death, Body horror, Blood, Child death, Child abuse, Cursing, Violence, Death of parent, Death, Emotional abuse, Gun violence, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Self harm, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Fire/Fire injury and Murder
creepycrawlybookworm's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Grief, Gore, Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Car accident, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, and Medical trauma
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Child abuse, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Alcohol, Child death, Pregnancy, Confinement, Death of parent, and Cursing
faduma's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Blood, Drug use, Gaslighting, Panic attacks/disorders, Violence, Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Alcohol, Gore, Death, Death of parent, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Child abuse, Torture, Animal cruelty, Body shaming, Physical abuse, Addiction, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, and Forced institutionalization