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jacobblieu's review against another edition
this is a beautiful book about grief and recovery in the face of tragedy. it’s not a horror novel or something stephen king would’ve written - it’s just what it is. and it’s really good.
sausome's review against another edition
4.0
"We look at our world through holocaust eyes as Hiroshima flowers in our brainstem. Our Jack-the-Ripper hearts dissect every emotional pledge, as if counting on deception. We cannot see all that is at stake, because all is at stake."
tcameron's review against another edition
2.0
This could have been a better book. It was merely okay for what it was, but I felt that the characters were very flat and there was very little, if any, character growth throughout the story. And for a character who is initially established as being a bundle of nerves, Richard took the various goings-on of the hotel far too well. Also, the "theme of the season" just didn't work well for me. There was one major occurrence for each of the four seasons, which just felt forced. Overall it was okay, but it could have been a better read with more dynamic, responsive characters, and with an ending that would have felt more like something had really changed from the beginning of the book to the end.
trudilibrarian's review against another edition
2.0
I stumbled across this book at work the other day, and it called to me with a sweet siren song of potential. This edition comes replete with charcoal illustrations, ribbon bookmarks (always classy) and is published by Centipede Press -- centipede!! Eww! Awesome, right? Plus it's about a scary ass hotel. I'm thinking Overlook, I'm thinking [b:House of Leaves|24800|House of Leaves|Mark Z. Danielewski|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/books/1327889035s/24800.jpg|856555], Hill House, Hell House... well, it's none of these. The Deadfall Hotel has such potential, but it never really fires up all its engines and VROOOMS, you know? Some of the language is great. There are several moments where the atmosphere is suitably creepy. But it's just not enough to sustain over 300 pages.
Plus it's not really scary. It's very old-fashioned. Very English. Very childlike too. Not childish, but like a classic Grimm's fairy tale almost, complete with an eleven year old girl. Now, give the guts of this story to Neil Gaiman or Guillermo del Toro? Then you'd have something. I'd be all over that baby.
Charcoal drawings (Do not be fooled. They are awesome. This book is not)
janiemcpants's review against another edition
1.0
Has the author ever met a human woman?
I tried to power through the dull writing and even duller characters, but then I got to the part with the cats and I had to give up. DNF, unfortunately.
I tried to power through the dull writing and even duller characters, but then I got to the part with the cats and I had to give up. DNF, unfortunately.
a_bookish_monster's review against another edition
2.0
I've always enjoyed reading suspenseful, haunted, spooky stories in summer ever since I was a kid. I've continued the trend my entire life. Sadly, this year, I picked the wrong book to herald the summer solstice.
I started this book just before a camping trip and hoped to be huddled in our tent, reading feverishly late into the night as the sound of the wind played thought the pine needles and eerie coyote song wafted in the distance. I fell asleep almost every night without turning off my Kindle first. :O/
So many other reviewers say it much better than I will. Suffice it to say I was disappointed in this story. There was no central plot or crescendo and reading was akin to wandering aimlessly through a corn maze. Parts were disturbing (especially if you are deathly allergic to and generally distrust/dislike cats), but never truly mesmerizing and mostly just confusing.
I started this book just before a camping trip and hoped to be huddled in our tent, reading feverishly late into the night as the sound of the wind played thought the pine needles and eerie coyote song wafted in the distance. I fell asleep almost every night without turning off my Kindle first. :O/
So many other reviewers say it much better than I will. Suffice it to say I was disappointed in this story. There was no central plot or crescendo and reading was akin to wandering aimlessly through a corn maze. Parts were disturbing (especially if you are deathly allergic to and generally distrust/dislike cats), but never truly mesmerizing and mostly just confusing.
jamiedarlin's review against another edition
3.0
I picked this book up on a whim, drawn to it by its alluring cover and vague description.
As I read, I found myself hungering more for the history of the Deadfall Hotel. The story of Richard and Serena, while necessary, I suppose, was less interesting to me than the story of the Deadfall--of Jacob and its residents. In fact, I found Richard to be a rather irritating character. I rather hoped he'd befall one of the more mysterious disappearances some of his predecessors experienced.
There are so many compelling avenues SRT could take in telling a story about the Deadfall--I believe with this particular book, he simply chose the blandest of its histories. I do understand the theme of loss and healing, mind you. I just don't find it nearly as salient as the ghost story I really craved.
As I read, I found myself hungering more for the history of the Deadfall Hotel. The story of Richard and Serena, while necessary, I suppose, was less interesting to me than the story of the Deadfall--of Jacob and its residents. In fact, I found Richard to be a rather irritating character. I rather hoped he'd befall one of the more mysterious disappearances some of his predecessors experienced.
There are so many compelling avenues SRT could take in telling a story about the Deadfall--I believe with this particular book, he simply chose the blandest of its histories. I do understand the theme of loss and healing, mind you. I just don't find it nearly as salient as the ghost story I really craved.
verkisto's review against another edition
4.0
I stumbled backward into this book through Blood Kin, Tem's most recent novel. The book caught my eye at the bookstore, but I saw that the mighty praise I saw on the cover referred to Deadfall Hotel, Tem's previous novel, so I figured that might be the best place to start. I'm glad I did, because I found an eerie novel with an effective theme.
In the book, Richard Carter has recently lost his wife to a house fire, and he's been looking for work to support himself and his eleven year-old daughter. He stumbles across a place called the Deadfall Hotel, the proprieter of which is looking for a new manager. Richard applies and is accepted for hire, but he sowly realizes that the Deadfall Hotel has a unique clientele, one that can be dangerous to both Richard and his daughter Serena. That his daughter is also coming of age further complicates Richard's relationship with the hotel.
The heart of the novel, though, is the relationship between Richard and his daughter. Early on in the novel, Richard acknowledges that he is uncertain how to deal with her, and as she grows up and is exposed to the dangers of the hotel, he becomes even more uncertain. The hotel and its dangers represent the stages of Serena's growing up, along with the emotional uncertainty that comes along with it. It gave what could have been a standard horror novel more depth, and even made it feel more literary, more important. Given that this starts off with the impression that this is just going to be another horror novel, it was refreshing to see it take on this theme.
Another thing I really liked about this book was that I never understood how the hotel came to be. It's not necessary to know, but that mystery creates a curiosity that drives the acceptance of a lot of the otherworldly things that happen there. It's like you pay attention when something strange happens, because you figure you might be getting more information about the hotel. You never get the full picture, but more and more you find that the pieces are coming together.
I can see why this doesn't get higher ratings that it currently receives -- it's not exactly a page-turner, and the ending is somewhat of a mystery to me still -- but it's a shame that it's not rated better. It's a well told story with a very human element, and I'd like to see it get more support. Myself, I'm eager to see how Tem's recent novel will hold up against this.
In the book, Richard Carter has recently lost his wife to a house fire, and he's been looking for work to support himself and his eleven year-old daughter. He stumbles across a place called the Deadfall Hotel, the proprieter of which is looking for a new manager. Richard applies and is accepted for hire, but he sowly realizes that the Deadfall Hotel has a unique clientele, one that can be dangerous to both Richard and his daughter Serena. That his daughter is also coming of age further complicates Richard's relationship with the hotel.
The heart of the novel, though, is the relationship between Richard and his daughter. Early on in the novel, Richard acknowledges that he is uncertain how to deal with her, and as she grows up and is exposed to the dangers of the hotel, he becomes even more uncertain. The hotel and its dangers represent the stages of Serena's growing up, along with the emotional uncertainty that comes along with it. It gave what could have been a standard horror novel more depth, and even made it feel more literary, more important. Given that this starts off with the impression that this is just going to be another horror novel, it was refreshing to see it take on this theme.
Another thing I really liked about this book was that I never understood how the hotel came to be. It's not necessary to know, but that mystery creates a curiosity that drives the acceptance of a lot of the otherworldly things that happen there. It's like you pay attention when something strange happens, because you figure you might be getting more information about the hotel. You never get the full picture, but more and more you find that the pieces are coming together.
I can see why this doesn't get higher ratings that it currently receives -- it's not exactly a page-turner, and the ending is somewhat of a mystery to me still -- but it's a shame that it's not rated better. It's a well told story with a very human element, and I'd like to see it get more support. Myself, I'm eager to see how Tem's recent novel will hold up against this.