Reviews tagging 'Addiction'

How to Sell a Haunted House by Grady Hendrix

7 reviews

alexisgarcia's review against another edition

mysterious reflective tense slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

this was pretty good but a little too silly to really scare me. i’ve never thought dolls were scary so this didn’t get to me that much, i also thought the ending was kind of out of nowhere?? idk. i do love Hendrix’s writing though. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Blood, Death of parent, Ableism, Addiction, Alcohol, Animal death, Murder, Grief, Panic attacks/disorders, Animal cruelty, Alcoholism, Cursing, Gore, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Body horror, Death, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Toxic friendship, and Violence

faduma's review against another edition

adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense slow-paced

• 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

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Content Warnings

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

time_dabbler's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Gun violence, Physical abuse, Violence, Grief, Death, Body horror, Car accident, Injury/Injury detail, Addiction, Child abuse, Child death, Mental illness, Alcohol, Death of parent, Cursing, Alcoholism, and Blood

jayjm94's review against another edition

emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

I read this 415 page book in one sitting. It was everything I love about Grady Hendrix— there is plenty of reflection, but it is mainly scary messed up stuff happening and men being absolutely awful to women. This is as good as a scary puppet book gets; it’s full of camp, gore and family secrets. I don’t think it dragged a bit. So much fun!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Violence, Gaslighting, Child death, Gore, and Death of parent

Moderate: Pregnancy, Murder, Excrement, Blood, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Addiction, Body horror, and Abandonment

Minor: Excrement and Animal death

lunsbooks's review against another edition

dark emotional funny mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

Hendrix does not disappoint. Slow start but if you keep going the second half of the book is brilliant, and filled with great commentary on generational trauma and the impact of family secrets. It’s the author’s usual combination of horror, some comedy and great analysis of human behaviour and relations. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Death of parent and Body horror

Moderate: Blood, Car accident, Addiction, Alcoholism, and Child death

Minor: Animal death, Murder, Vomit, and Mental illness

librariangeorgia's review against another edition

dark tense medium-paced

• 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

4.0

Wow.

I went into this not expecting much from it after not enjoying THE FINAL GIRL SUPPORT GROUP. However, this book, was so much better - creepy but more interesting.

I was completely enraptured yet completely freaked out. The whole concept was just plain weird. It actually stressed me out and gave me a headache with all the hauntedness and weird puppet ghosts/demons/paranormal. I wasn't really a puppet fan but i definitely don't like them now.

Overall, a solid book but not one i'd be rushing to reread!

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Fatphobia, Animal death, Addiction, Violence, Death of parent, Injury/Injury detail, Child death, and Car accident

bambooboy's review against another edition

dark funny sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

One of Hendrix's great strengths in writing is his ability to both horrify and entertain. While reading this book I was on the edge of my seat, afraid to turn the page; all the while chuckling here and there at his whip-smart talent for dialogue. The characters are thoughtfully written, and their development over the course of the novel is organic and raw. Family secrets have a way of eroding as they drip down. Can these two siblings put aside their differences and rebuild the trust that was lost, before it's too late?

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Medical trauma, Violence, Medical content, and Toxic relationship

Moderate: Self harm, Addiction, Animal death, Child death, and Car accident

Minor: Vomit

MANY SPOILERS, any possibly triggering items I could remember under spoiler cut.

--A child dies by drowning; another child almost dies by drowning.
--Dolls, taxidermy squirrels, and puppets come to life.
--A needle is poked into an eyeball.
--A character thinks they are hallucinating/losing their mind.
--A hand is amputated by a chainsaw.
--There is an attempt to exorcise an assumed demon from a child and puppet.
--A child is possessed.
--A severely dysfunctional family is portrayed in detail.
--There is a traumatic car accident.
--A child is made to self-harm during a possession; technically a puppet is doing it, but it's on her hand.
--An intentional house fire kills two people.
--Implied pet death and consumption; you only see a collar and bones.
--Injuries and death from a car accident are described, though not in complete detail, and after the fact.