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matasatan's review
5.0
Oh my dear god. This book was brilliant, awesome and had all the ingredients for a story about ghost, haunted creepy house and family issues. I truly love everything!
oliviarosewr's review
dark
mysterious
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
4.25
gees_dark_library's review against another edition
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? Yes
3.0
I think this was just too overly descriptive and it felt like the MC just rambled a lot of the time. Considering the book is less than 300 pages… it’s not great that I felt like it got tedious.
There was one or two scenes that creeped me out such as the kid crawling and the woman with the crooked fingers who turned out to be the MC which was a nice surprise however this just wasn’t enough to save the story as a whole…
I think I’ll settle on a 3 for now.
There was one or two scenes that creeped me out
I think I’ll settle on a 3 for now.
marieren's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
weirdmoth's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
1.5
capnlinnius's review
5.0
I received an eARC from the publisher, through NetGalley.
Rated just shy of a 5! 4.5/5 but rounded up, because wow did I love the second half of this.
This was A Ride.
In short: Samantha grew up with her older sister Elizabeth and their mother in a haunted manor by a great swamp, living alongside the memories of those who lived there before them. As adults, both sisters find themselves moving back in temporarily for two different reasons. Elizabeth is eight months pregnant and is separating from her husband, and Samantha starts to see a new ghost in the house more and more frequently; that of a faceless boy committing cruel acts on animals, threatening the other residents, and entering into the room that has always, always remained locked.
Content warnings:
Although I admit that I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story, once I hit about 35% into it, the plot twist that grabbed me made it near impossible to put the book down after that. This felt far more like a strangely existential horror than a haunted house one, and it had some amazing House of Leaves-esque vibes, with house dimensions changing, unstable tears in the fabric of reality, and the suggestion of reality being not the shadow of what is true, but the shadow of the shadow of the shadow times infinity, and how inevitability seems to be the only constant.
In the end, I enjoyed this immensely, and the only reason it didn't hit a full 5 for me was that it felt a little unbalanced, with too much time spent on setting up the premise for my tastes. I will definitely keep an eye out for future releases from this author!
Rated just shy of a 5! 4.5/5 but rounded up, because wow did I love the second half of this.
This was A Ride.
In short: Samantha grew up with her older sister Elizabeth and their mother in a haunted manor by a great swamp, living alongside the memories of those who lived there before them. As adults, both sisters find themselves moving back in temporarily for two different reasons. Elizabeth is eight months pregnant and is separating from her husband, and Samantha starts to see a new ghost in the house more and more frequently; that of a faceless boy committing cruel acts on animals, threatening the other residents, and entering into the room that has always, always remained locked.
Content warnings:
Spoiler
Graphic depictions: A bird is tortured and killed, a suicide takes place, alcoholism (parent), domestic abuse. Alluded to: abuse of former slaves, sexual assault.Although I admit that I had a bit of a hard time getting into the story, once I hit about 35% into it, the plot twist that grabbed me made it near impossible to put the book down after that. This felt far more like a strangely existential horror than a haunted house one, and it had some amazing House of Leaves-esque vibes, with house dimensions changing, unstable tears in the fabric of reality, and the suggestion of reality being not the shadow of what is true, but the shadow of the shadow of the shadow times infinity, and how inevitability seems to be the only constant.
In the end, I enjoyed this immensely, and the only reason it didn't hit a full 5 for me was that it felt a little unbalanced, with too much time spent on setting up the premise for my tastes. I will definitely keep an eye out for future releases from this author!
tricapra's review
4.0
When the very-pregnant Elizabeth returns to her rotting ancestral home on the edge of the Great Dismal Swamp, she upends the lives of her reclusive, alcoholic mother and unstable sister, who herself moved back home after a vicious mugging that left her struggling with PTSD.
I went into this very blind, I liked the cover on Netgalley so I went ahead and requested it. By the time it arrived, I had completely forgotten any blurb that may have been included. This was absolutely for the best. A compelling gothic horror, Jo Kaplan had me uncomfortable and uneasy with where the story was heading. All the trappings of a gothic classic are here, the (very literally haunted) House as character, a woman on the brink of madness, engrossing prose. Definitely a page-turner, I'd recommend this not just for fans of gothics, but for general horror readers as well.
I went into this very blind, I liked the cover on Netgalley so I went ahead and requested it. By the time it arrived, I had completely forgotten any blurb that may have been included. This was absolutely for the best. A compelling gothic horror, Jo Kaplan had me uncomfortable and uneasy with where the story was heading. All the trappings of a gothic classic are here, the (very literally haunted) House as character, a woman on the brink of madness, engrossing prose. Definitely a page-turner, I'd recommend this not just for fans of gothics, but for general horror readers as well.
knittyreader's review
5.0
My excuses for the short review. Oh the joy of a broken arm! So much more time to read, so difficult to type when you can use only one hand ...
I know I repeat others by saying this book reminds me of The Haunting of Hill House, but it does. It gives the same heebie jeebies, by both the whole atmosphere and it being about so much more than ghosts. This book shines an eery light on family, home, grief and past, present and future. It is woven together into a magnificent story that gets under your skin.
I received a free copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
I know I repeat others by saying this book reminds me of The Haunting of Hill House, but it does. It gives the same heebie jeebies, by both the whole atmosphere and it being about so much more than ghosts. This book shines an eery light on family, home, grief and past, present and future. It is woven together into a magnificent story that gets under your skin.
I received a free copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.
books_unraveling's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
3.5
I’m not going to knock this book because it wasn’t my style. There were some really great things about this book, especially the descriptive writing and creepy elements. In the beginning, I was worried the writing style was just random ramblings, but toward the middle and end it shifted into better storytelling. I also liked the incredibly creepy haunted house that “replays” memories from the past. Also, how cool that it’s set in Virginia?
Content Warnings
Moderate: Suicide, Alcoholism, and Domestic abuse
Minor: Animal cruelty