A review by princessleopard
The House Without A Summer by DeAnna Knippling
4.0
Preface: I received a free copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
This book was a bit of a first for me - I've always had a passing interest in Lovecraft-esque horror, but rarely actually dive into it. I took a chance, though, and I'm glad I did. This book was delightfully horrific and disturbing. For the most part, it's a very atmospheric, creeping sort of horror, but as the implications and possibilities continue to build, it becomes genuinely very tense. There's a sort of gloomy dread to it that's perfect for the setting - the infamous year without summer.
The characters are strong and likable. I really liked Marcus as a protagonist, but the main girl (Lucy, maybe?) was good too. I found myself rooting for them and fearing for their safety. Even most of the minor characters, though still not incredibly deep, were likable.
The horror elements were strong and ever-present, even when they weren't directly on-screen. The main villain felt a bit lackluster at times, but that's expected from this sort of thing. My one big gripe was that this story went the way most existential horror novels do in the end, where it became disjointed, unfocused, and a bit hard to understand...but, again, that's kinda the point.
Overall, I was very satisfied with this read, and would definitely recommend it to fans of the genre.
Actual rating: 4.5 stars
This book was a bit of a first for me - I've always had a passing interest in Lovecraft-esque horror, but rarely actually dive into it. I took a chance, though, and I'm glad I did. This book was delightfully horrific and disturbing. For the most part, it's a very atmospheric, creeping sort of horror, but as the implications and possibilities continue to build, it becomes genuinely very tense. There's a sort of gloomy dread to it that's perfect for the setting - the infamous year without summer.
The characters are strong and likable. I really liked Marcus as a protagonist, but the main girl (Lucy, maybe?) was good too. I found myself rooting for them and fearing for their safety. Even most of the minor characters, though still not incredibly deep, were likable.
The horror elements were strong and ever-present, even when they weren't directly on-screen. The main villain felt a bit lackluster at times, but that's expected from this sort of thing. My one big gripe was that this story went the way most existential horror novels do in the end, where it became disjointed, unfocused, and a bit hard to understand...but, again, that's kinda the point.
Overall, I was very satisfied with this read, and would definitely recommend it to fans of the genre.