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pillywiggin's review against another edition
2.0
This was a good concept, but I would have enjoyed it more if the characters had been fleshed out more. I would have liked to have cared more about them, but I will probably read the next one in the series just to see if they improve.
kerasalwaysreading's review against another edition
3.0
I really, really wanted to like this book. There were some aspects that I did, in fact, enjoy. It was really, pretty scary in parts. Like, the kind of scary haunting-type stuff that you hope your brain doesn't conjure back up in the middle of the night. But, I am sorry; the characters are terrible. Not in a bad people kind of a way. Instead, they were poorly developed.
Husband and wife move with their young son to this quaint little town, into this HUGE house, that, to the wife, seems instantly spooky. The haunting starts happening pretty much immediately. But, no matter how much it is staring the husband in the face, he simply cannot accept that their new home is haunted. Aaaarrrgggghhhhhh!!! I cannot express how aggravating is man was. He was even quite a jerk about it at times. And the wife... She was borderline neglectful of this six year old child.
Husband and wife move with their young son to this quaint little town, into this HUGE house, that, to the wife, seems instantly spooky. The haunting starts happening pretty much immediately. But, no matter how much it is staring the husband in the face, he simply cannot accept that their new home is haunted. Aaaarrrgggghhhhhh!!! I cannot express how aggravating is man was. He was even quite a jerk about it at times. And the wife... She was borderline neglectful of this six year old child.
kerasalwaysreading's review
3.0
I really, really wanted to like this book. There were some aspects that I did, in fact, enjoy. It was really, pretty scary in parts. Like, the kind of scary haunting-type stuff that you hope your brain doesn't conjure back up in the middle of the night. But, I am sorry; the characters are terrible. Not in a bad people kind of a way. Instead, they were poorly developed.
Husband and wife move with their young son to this quaint little town, into this HUGE house, that, to the wife, seems instantly spooky. The haunting starts happening pretty much immediately. But, no matter how much it is staring the husband in the face, he simply cannot accept that their new home is haunted. Aaaarrrgggghhhhhh!!! I cannot express how aggravating is man was. He was even quite a jerk about it at times. And the wife... She was borderline neglectful of this six year old child.
Husband and wife move with their young son to this quaint little town, into this HUGE house, that, to the wife, seems instantly spooky. The haunting starts happening pretty much immediately. But, no matter how much it is staring the husband in the face, he simply cannot accept that their new home is haunted. Aaaarrrgggghhhhhh!!! I cannot express how aggravating is man was. He was even quite a jerk about it at times. And the wife... She was borderline neglectful of this six year old child.
momma_bear_906's review
4.0
This is my first experience with author C. Dennis Moore. And I have to say, he did not disappoint! The Third Floor starts out from the very beginning full of action and all things spooky. It starts out when Jack, his wife Liz, and son Joey move into the house in Angel Hill. The very day they move in the activity starts.
This book takes you through twists and turns, some of which I was able to piece together before the ending which neatly ties everything into a bow and (thankfully) doesn't leave questions unanswered. I'm always a little apprehensive when starting a book that's clearly part of a trilogy or saga and figure that the end is going to leave cliff hangers. This doesn't do that!
I did try reading it in the middle of the night, but the description is so realistic that I swore I started hearing bumps in my own house! haha.
This book takes you through twists and turns, some of which I was able to piece together before the ending which neatly ties everything into a bow and (thankfully) doesn't leave questions unanswered. I'm always a little apprehensive when starting a book that's clearly part of a trilogy or saga and figure that the end is going to leave cliff hangers. This doesn't do that!
I did try reading it in the middle of the night, but the description is so realistic that I swore I started hearing bumps in my own house! haha.
wordnerd's review
3.0
It was just okay.. I really enjoyed the storyline. The story didn't progress well. It kept switching between the different people in the story without any transition or warning. I'd would get halfway down the next paragraph and realize they were talking about someone else and have to go back. It was weird.
wellwortharead's review
5.0
If you love a good ghost story then this is a must read. The Third Floor is the best haunted house story I have had the pleasure to read in quite some time. In fact the entire town has a long history of strange and creepy occurrences which adds nicely to the spooky atmosphere of the story. Also includes an additional short story at the end which I would rate 5 stars as well.
uncanny_lynx's review
3.0
The Third Floor is a solid ghost story. It combines standard ghost story tropes with a few new ideas. The spooky atmosphere of the house is well achieved. The ending is particularly strong. Unfortunately, it wasn't until I approached the ending that I was really gripped by the book. Here's why:
First, while Liz and Joey were interesting and sympathetic, the character of Jack was exactly the opposite. In many ghost stories, one family member refuses to accept the evidence right before his or her eyes until the very last moment—usually the adult male. It's just too overdone, and the more the story progressed, the less I liked Jack. He seemed like more of a problem than a character.
Secondly, and more importantly, I had trouble with the writing style. Characters' impressions, thoughts, and emotions were often stated in a matter-of-fact way. The style of "tell, not show" leaves very little room for the reader's imagination, which meant I didn't feel invested in the story. I felt like it was being told at me rather than to me, which really doesn't work for a horror novel.
That said, the story itself is a great haunted house tale and presents some interesting ideas. I would say that it's worth a read.
First, while Liz and Joey were interesting and sympathetic, the character of Jack was exactly the opposite. In many ghost stories, one family member refuses to accept the evidence right before his or her eyes until the very last moment—usually the adult male. It's just too overdone, and the more the story progressed, the less I liked Jack. He seemed like more of a problem than a character.
Secondly, and more importantly, I had trouble with the writing style. Characters' impressions, thoughts, and emotions were often stated in a matter-of-fact way. The style of "tell, not show" leaves very little room for the reader's imagination, which meant I didn't feel invested in the story. I felt like it was being told at me rather than to me, which really doesn't work for a horror novel.
That said, the story itself is a great haunted house tale and presents some interesting ideas. I would say that it's worth a read.
charshorrorcorner's review
3.0
2.5* rounded up to 3.
I read this novel with my Shelfari horror group. We were disappointed.
It's pretty obvious this is a haunted house story. As such, it could be hard to impress my group because we are all seasoned horror fans and have lots of experience with haunted house books. This book just did not measure up.
A couple moves into a new home. A haunting ensues. Apparitions of young children, both a boy and a girl appear. There are feelings of being touched. There are screams and laughter heard. There are knockings and bangings heard. So far, so good-right? No. I've left out the things that seemed to have NO bearing on the story whatsoever, and there were quite a few of those. For instance-there is a naked old lady in a nearby house that makes a couple of appearances, why?
We are told all kinds of things about Jack's job and how one of his buyers always calls at the last minute. Why? Who cares? It had nothing to do with the haunting at all.
The husband, Jack, hears some stories about the house and the town where it's located, Angel Hill. Even though he insists it's all hooey, he goes out and buys a book about the town and its hauntings. He promptly hides it under the mattress where his hysterical wife won't find it and start freaking out. Why? Then he doesn't even read it!
I guess you can tell by this point that I wasn't impressed by this book. I will say that I enjoyed what the haunting actually turned out to be. I thought that part showed the author had a good idea...but I think he needs to learn how to trim out the extraneous stuff and hone in on the story.
I would have loved to learn more about the town of Angel Hill and why bad things kept happening there. I would have loved if Jack had opened that book and learned more about Angel Hill's history. That would have interested me much more than the details about Jack's job.
All in all, this was just barely an OK story. I can't really recommend it.
I read this novel with my Shelfari horror group. We were disappointed.
It's pretty obvious this is a haunted house story. As such, it could be hard to impress my group because we are all seasoned horror fans and have lots of experience with haunted house books. This book just did not measure up.
A couple moves into a new home. A haunting ensues. Apparitions of young children, both a boy and a girl appear. There are feelings of being touched. There are screams and laughter heard. There are knockings and bangings heard. So far, so good-right? No. I've left out the things that seemed to have NO bearing on the story whatsoever, and there were quite a few of those.
We are told all kinds of things about Jack's job and how one of his buyers always calls at the last minute. Why? Who cares? It had nothing to do with the haunting at all.
The husband, Jack, hears some stories about the house and the town where it's located, Angel Hill. Even though he insists it's all hooey, he goes out and buys a book about the town and its hauntings. He promptly hides it under the mattress where his hysterical wife won't find it and start freaking out. Why? Then he doesn't even read it!
I guess you can tell by this point that I wasn't impressed by this book. I will say that I enjoyed what the haunting actually turned out to be. I thought that part showed the author had a good idea...but I think he needs to learn how to trim out the extraneous stuff and hone in on the story.
I would have loved to learn more about the town of Angel Hill and why bad things kept happening there. I would have loved if Jack had opened that book and learned more about Angel Hill's history. That would have interested me much more than the details about Jack's job.
All in all, this was just barely an OK story. I can't really recommend it.
lucadonta's review
2.0
Had potential, and a few snippets of good horror, but overall I found the characters far too frustrating, and the plot slow moving even though it was a very quick read. Probably still worth a look if you like the genre, but don't expect anything drastically new.
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