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A review by abookwormwithwine
The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
The House of Ashes by Stuart Neville is an incredibly hard book for me to review, and I want you to think about that when you look at my rating and what I say about it. I think it will blow a lot of readers away to the point of giving it a higher rating than I did, so if you think it sounds good or you are already a fan of Neville, then you should probably read it. For me, having never read this author before and not remembering what the book was about, it came as quite a shock. I don't think I was fully in the mood for it when I started, but by the time I got about halfway, I was definitely feeling it. It is an incredibly dark and sinister read that deals with different types of violence and abuse mixed in with a supernatural quality. I think the beginning will pull a lot of people in, and it's definitely something that grabbed me right away.
There were quite a few parts of The House of Ashes that broke my heart, and this is definitely a mystery wrapped up in an emotional read. The story is told from a handful of different viewpoints, with the main ones being Mary and Sara. We get a nice mixture of both past and present, and I really liked the way both Mary and Sara's stories ended up tying together. I was also a big fan of the audiobook which is narrated by Caroline Lennon. I can't even begin to imagine the difficulties that go into reading a book like this, and Lennon handled it beautifully. I could feel all of the emotions and that made this even more of a heavy read. Neville's writing was incredibly impressive, and I will definitely be reading everything else he writes.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
There were quite a few parts of The House of Ashes that broke my heart, and this is definitely a mystery wrapped up in an emotional read. The story is told from a handful of different viewpoints, with the main ones being Mary and Sara. We get a nice mixture of both past and present, and I really liked the way both Mary and Sara's stories ended up tying together. I was also a big fan of the audiobook which is narrated by Caroline Lennon. I can't even begin to imagine the difficulties that go into reading a book like this, and Lennon handled it beautifully. I could feel all of the emotions and that made this even more of a heavy read. Neville's writing was incredibly impressive, and I will definitely be reading everything else he writes.
I received a complimentary digital copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Physical abuse and Murder
Minor: Sexual assault