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A review by motherhorror
Grim Root by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam
3.0
What I LOVED about this book:
-Short chapters and accessible, breezy storytelling
-Poking holes in the fake narrative of reality tv shows like The Bachelor
-The back & forth POVs
-The character development and the way Sabrina & Linda were very distinct with their own voice & behavior. I loved the antagonist, Deja as well
-Horror centered around a reality TV show like The Bachelor, is brilliant. Lots of opportunities for connecting with readers who are familiar with shows like that and poking fun at it, I loved that!
What didn’t quite work:
-The sex scenes were great, at first, but then I felt like there were too many
-Once the show moves locations and they’re at the haunted house, I was hoping the focus would shift to the supernatural or paranormal—center on the horror but it stayed pretty zeroed in on the relationship dynamics (like Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw)
-The middle gets bogged down a little with some repetition and circular situations/circumstances
-I didn’t quite understand the backstory of the house and the connection to one of the characters—I feel like the origin story of the house needed its own story within a story segment
-I was obsessed with the first & second act, the execution on the back half just wasn’t quite there but I will 1,000% recommend this book for niche reading lists and specific tropes and read more by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam!
-Short chapters and accessible, breezy storytelling
-Poking holes in the fake narrative of reality tv shows like The Bachelor
-The back & forth POVs
-The character development and the way Sabrina & Linda were very distinct with their own voice & behavior. I loved the antagonist, Deja as well
-Horror centered around a reality TV show like The Bachelor, is brilliant. Lots of opportunities for connecting with readers who are familiar with shows like that and poking fun at it, I loved that!
What didn’t quite work:
-The sex scenes were great, at first, but then I felt like there were too many
-Once the show moves locations and they’re at the haunted house, I was hoping the focus would shift to the supernatural or paranormal—center on the horror but it stayed pretty zeroed in on the relationship dynamics (like Nothing But Blackened Teeth by Cassandra Khaw)
-The middle gets bogged down a little with some repetition and circular situations/circumstances
-I didn’t quite understand the backstory of the house and the connection to one of the characters—I feel like the origin story of the house needed its own story within a story segment
-I was obsessed with the first & second act, the execution on the back half just wasn’t quite there but I will 1,000% recommend this book for niche reading lists and specific tropes and read more by Bonnie Jo Stufflebeam!