Published by Oblivion Publishing Genres: Horror
Format: ARC, eBook
Format: ARC, eBook
“Does anyone else feel like we’re trapped in some demented version of Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory?” Haunted House? A house that falls from the sky. This is no Hill House (The Haunting of Hill House). In the beginning I was getting vibes of Under the Dome mixed with Annihilation but nope, it just didn’t work for me. The characters (Jackson, Scarlett, Hannah, Tommy) are in their late twenties and feel as if they could easily be teenagers. The story jumps around from the present to the past and back and forth. Nope, did not work for me either. I did not feel that the back and forth was necessary. I am in the minority here but felt that the book wasn’t creepy – weird yes, imaginative, yes, but nothing stood out or wowed me. Nothing, except for the cover – the cover is pretty amazing. The character of Vincent did some channeling of Dobby (from Harry Potter) in the “it’s good to have friends” vibe. He became the most interesting character for me in the later parts of the book. Jackson also was a winner. I felt the rest were a little flat and could have used some oomph. The premise is good, I will give it that. A house falls from the sky and that is freaky, obviously people are intrigued, and it becomes a media frenzy, but then people just go on with their lives. I would think there would be more hoopla and more daily disruptions to their lives. Nope, let’s just all go have some milkshakes and guilt trip each other. Some dirt on the friends: Scarlett left town, leaving her friends behind. Hannah has not recovered from the death of her Mother. Tommy had an injury that ruined his chances of being a professional baseball player. Jackson is a bartender renting from his father and dreaming of a better life. When Scarlett comes back to town, the friends reconnect but time and distance has strained things. Then there is a contest, those who win get to go inside, spend a night inside the house and win a million dollars (hence the Willy Wonka reference). So, it’s all for one and one for all with the four friends. They go inside but will they come out? If you have not figured it out already, this did not work for me. I had high hopes for this one and moved it up on my list. While reading this book, I felt as if I was reading an entirely different book than everyone else. But we cannot love them all. This one just was not for me. I love a good scary read, but this fell flat for me. I want a heart pounding, hiding under the covers with a flashlight, looking under the bed and in the closets kinda scary. So not a good fit for me, but there are reviewers who are enjoying this book. Check out their reviews and the book synopsis and decide for yourself. I do appreciate the imagination and creativity involved in creating the house. Speaking of which, I wanted more of the house’s history. Yes, we do get some, but I would have loved a little more. Plus, the first half was slow for me, things didn’t really pick up for me until around the 60% mark but that still wasn’t enough to save this book for me. Again, there are reviewers who are enjoying this book so check out their reviews. I received a copy of this book from Oblivion Publishing and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All the thoughts and opinions are my own. |