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zapkode's review against another edition
5.0
{My thoughts} – The cover of this book truly intrigued me. There’s a nice little surprise under the dust jacket, that you don’t usually find on hard covered books as well. When I first looked at the cover I was thinking that I was gonna be reading a horror book. I mean, at first glance it certainly seems like one. However, that isn’t all that this little gem is made up of, which makes it all the more brilliant in my opinion.
When you first open the book you will notice that the page numbers are written in blue, so are the e-mails, text messages, written letters and all the illustrations have a fair amount of blue in them as well. They blue helps to pull you into the story of the book even more so then you’d think it would be able to at first.
This book is one of those types that actually has a story written inside of a story, with a story that is being explained from the past. I really enjoy books like this because they help to keep the reader engaged as well as invested in the book.
It’s content rating comes from it having some minor curse words within the pages, in the illustrations also show a gun and a knife. I feel it is important for parents to know these things if they are considering letting their younger child read the book.
I really think that anyone that enjoys a little bit of horror with a bit of mystery involved will totally love this book. Let us not forget the added little comic spaced out between the pages! It helped to pull the entire story together nicely and helped to make it a brilliantly written book.
When you first open the book you will notice that the page numbers are written in blue, so are the e-mails, text messages, written letters and all the illustrations have a fair amount of blue in them as well. They blue helps to pull you into the story of the book even more so then you’d think it would be able to at first.
This book is one of those types that actually has a story written inside of a story, with a story that is being explained from the past. I really enjoy books like this because they help to keep the reader engaged as well as invested in the book.
It’s content rating comes from it having some minor curse words within the pages, in the illustrations also show a gun and a knife. I feel it is important for parents to know these things if they are considering letting their younger child read the book.
I really think that anyone that enjoys a little bit of horror with a bit of mystery involved will totally love this book. Let us not forget the added little comic spaced out between the pages! It helped to pull the entire story together nicely and helped to make it a brilliantly written book.
that_glitter_chick_'s review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
3.75
This is a fun suspenseful haunted house story. The inlay of comic portions adds so much to the story!
sailorsoftgirl's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
brogancha's review against another edition
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Racism, Murder, and Misogyny
Minor: Violence and Injury/Injury detail
allibug26's review against another edition
2.0
I was really looking forward to reading this, but I felt pretty disappointed. The storyline itself is good, but the writing was often tacky and unnatural. I felt confused about why 75% of the times that the villain is mentioned, he’s always referred to as a “jerk.” Oddly repetitive and makes it sound like he’s just mean, rather than a dangerous threat.
mhmissey's review against another edition
5.0
really liked the book in a book, also a nice perspective on Katrina and the aftermath for young adults
lisawreading's review against another edition
4.0
Similarly to her work in the terrific I Am Princess X, in The Agony House author Cherie Priest tells a gripping story with comic book illustrations mixed in to tell a piece of the tale. When Denise discovers the hidden comic book in the creepy attic of her new house (which she bluntly refers to as a "craphole" at all times), the book seems to be a clue to the unexplainable events happening to the family as they try to make the old place livable once again.
Denise is a great main character -- clearly very smart, devoted to her family, but unhappy with being dragged away from her friends back in Houston and forced to live in this awful house. As she settles in and gets to know some of the teens in her neighborhood, we get a picture of the devastation left by the Storm (as they refer to it), even after so many years. The book deals with issues around economic hardship, gentrification, and privilege, not in a preachy way, but by showing the struggles and resentments of the characters and the new understandings they need to reach in order to get along. The social lessons here feel organic and important to the story, and I appreciated seeing the characters come to terms with one another in all sorts of interesting ways.
I'd place The Agony House somewhere between middle grade and young adult fiction. The main characters are high school seniors, but the events and the narrative would be fine for younger readers, middle school or above, so long as they're okay with ghosts and spookiness. I really enjoyed the comic book pages and how they relate to the main story, and thought it was all very cleverly put together. As an adult reader, I saw the plot resolution twist coming pretty early on, but that didn't lessen the satisfaction of seeing it all work out, and I think it'll be a great surprise for readers in the target audience.
Denise is a great main character -- clearly very smart, devoted to her family, but unhappy with being dragged away from her friends back in Houston and forced to live in this awful house. As she settles in and gets to know some of the teens in her neighborhood, we get a picture of the devastation left by the Storm (as they refer to it), even after so many years. The book deals with issues around economic hardship, gentrification, and privilege, not in a preachy way, but by showing the struggles and resentments of the characters and the new understandings they need to reach in order to get along. The social lessons here feel organic and important to the story, and I appreciated seeing the characters come to terms with one another in all sorts of interesting ways.
I'd place The Agony House somewhere between middle grade and young adult fiction. The main characters are high school seniors, but the events and the narrative would be fine for younger readers, middle school or above, so long as they're okay with ghosts and spookiness. I really enjoyed the comic book pages and how they relate to the main story, and thought it was all very cleverly put together. As an adult reader, I saw the plot resolution twist coming pretty early on, but that didn't lessen the satisfaction of seeing it all work out, and I think it'll be a great surprise for readers in the target audience.
esthergreenwoodx's review against another edition
2.0
Meh. I didn't like it. It's very plainly and simply written, so it ends up closer to middle grade than YA even though the main character Denise is going into her senior year (which might make it more appealing to a reluctant reader, but it didn't work for me). The 3rd person narration doesn't work. The premise of an author dying mysteriously in your new house and leaving a comic behind is super cool, but this is a ghost story that barely talks about ghosts. It's more about how Denise's family is barely making ends meet, repeated ad nauseum (I know how living paycheck to paycheck can fill your entire life up with anxiety over money, but reading about it on almost every single page just bogs the story down). Peppered in are some weird interactions where Denise feels sorry for herself because she's white; the discussions around issues like gentrification, race, and class aren't executed well.