Reviews tagging 'Murder'

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

7 reviews

itskenzcarter's review

dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

Ugggh. This book. What a whirlwind. It’s so different from the show. Both equally great, but the book just has something about it that I can’t quite describe. The writing was brilliant. Shirley Jackson is a fantastic author and knows how to paint a picture. But, because the book was so different from the show, it was hard to see where it was going. I couldn’t put it down and had to finish as soon as I started. This book focuses, primarily, on Nellie, more so than the actual haunting itself. However, it worked. It had a lower level of spookiness, but the parts that were spooky were so descriptive and vivid. It definitely makes your heart race at parts. I do think the book finished a little quicker than it could have. There could have been additional paranormal focuses. Other than that, I have no real negative thoughts about it. I highly recommend this book to anyone that wants something horror related. It dances on the psychological horror side of things. Now, if you are wanting to read this because of the show, please note, it’s vastly different. This book is amazing, and I think it should be on every horror fans shelf.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Abandonment, Grief, Death of parent, and Suicide

Moderate: Toxic relationship, Toxic friendship, and Murder

Minor: Alcohol and Emotional abuse

mattyvreads's review

dark mysterious tense fast-paced

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

4.75

I’m obsessed with this book. Shirley Jackson’s writing is impeccable. I love that the book feels so modern, despite being written in the late 50s. It is an impressive and utterly horrifying piece of literature.

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child death, Death, Confinement, Death of parent, and Mental illness

Moderate: Violence, Gaslighting, Murder, and Suicide

marialilypotter's review

dark emotional mysterious reflective sad tense fast-paced

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

5.0

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide

Minor: Murder

taleofabibliophile's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense slow-paced

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

2.75

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Toxic friendship, Toxic relationship, Blood, Mental illness, Suicide, Death, and Bullying

Moderate: Car accident and Death of parent

Minor: Child death and Murder

tmickey's review against another edition

dark mysterious reflective tense medium-paced

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

4.5

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide attempt and Suicide

Moderate: Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Mental illness, and Death of parent

Minor: Terminal illness, Murder, and Misogyny

michelles_book_nook's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

⚠️ TW: mentions of suicide, parental death, mental illness, murder ⚠️ This book is a perfect haunted house read for Halloween and is very much a classic for a reason. The Haunting of Hill House follows the story of a paranormal investigation carried out by Dr Montague and three guests, Eleanor, Theodora and Luke, in an ominous house well known for having a horrifying past and being evil by its local towns folk. But can a house really be evil or is it the people within? This book will have your skin covered in goosebumps and make you question every little noise in your home. I loved every second of this book! It was such a wild ride and I loved how it was told from Eleanor's pov but also portrayed her feelings and thoughts. The only reason I've knocked it down a star is because I didn't like all of the characters, especially Theodora who I found quite condescending and arrogant at times. Overall, I highly recommend reading this classic horror if you want to get the spooks ready for Halloween 🎃

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Suicide, Death of parent, Mental illness, and Murder

jojo_'s review

dark mysterious medium-paced

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

1.5

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood, Death, Death of parent, and Mental illness

Minor: Car accident, Murder, Suicide, and Violence