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3.9 AVERAGE
3.9 AVERAGE
This book follows our main character Jamie Lawson who has been in a major rut and has been unable to move on with his life, following the death of his girlfriend a year earlier. He then learns that his uncle, a famous and quite wealthy horror author, has committed suicide and has bequeathed Jamie all of his possessions including a couple of million dollars and a big, creepy and spooky mansion, filled with macabre horror memorabilia.
From the cover, I thought that this might be a haunted house story, but it wasn’t. It was more about haunted objects, which made me think of the television show a few years back entitled Warehouse 13.
So Jamie inadvertently discovers that the events in his uncle’s horror books actually happened in real life. Now that might not seem all that surprising except that all of the events that took place in the books occurred after the books were written.
Jamie decides to dig a bit to see if he can discover further connections and learns that two items that are locked in glass cases appear to be linked with real-life deaths and might hold the key to figuring out why his uncle killed himself. As Jamie puts together more pieces of the puzzle, he begins to realize that the mystery may be even stranger than he’d initially thought and may, in fact, be paranormal in nature (hint: it is)
I’ve read a ton of haunted house novels, so I found the idea of haunted objects to be a refreshing change of pace from the usual haunted house trope (though I have to admit that I do have a soft spot for haunted house stories). I also really enjoyed the vivid and vibrant descriptions of the house and all of the spooky off-the-wall objects contained therein, which I felt added to the richness and the atmosphere of the story.
Though this novel is classified as a horror novel and it is a bit on the scary side, true horror fans may be tad disappointed. It’s true that the story is dark at times and definitely tells a suspenseful, spooky tale, but it does so in a more lighthearted way. As such, I felt that this novel might be better placed in the cozy mystery genre (or perhaps the cozy horror genre, if there is such a thing).
All in all, this was a twisty, wildly entertaining story with relentless pacing, rich, lifelike characters and a brilliant ending which made this novel a real page-turner for me. It’s a wonderfully mysterious thriller that I had a difficult time putting down right until the surprising and utterly satisfying conclusion. Recommended!
In the spirit of full disclosure, I won this book in a Goodreads drawing and was under no obligation to leave a review.
This review originally appeared on my book review blog at rogersreads.com
From the cover, I thought that this might be a haunted house story, but it wasn’t. It was more about haunted objects, which made me think of the television show a few years back entitled Warehouse 13.
So Jamie inadvertently discovers that the events in his uncle’s horror books actually happened in real life. Now that might not seem all that surprising except that all of the events that took place in the books occurred after the books were written.
Jamie decides to dig a bit to see if he can discover further connections and learns that two items that are locked in glass cases appear to be linked with real-life deaths and might hold the key to figuring out why his uncle killed himself. As Jamie puts together more pieces of the puzzle, he begins to realize that the mystery may be even stranger than he’d initially thought and may, in fact, be paranormal in nature (hint: it is)
I’ve read a ton of haunted house novels, so I found the idea of haunted objects to be a refreshing change of pace from the usual haunted house trope (though I have to admit that I do have a soft spot for haunted house stories). I also really enjoyed the vivid and vibrant descriptions of the house and all of the spooky off-the-wall objects contained therein, which I felt added to the richness and the atmosphere of the story.
Though this novel is classified as a horror novel and it is a bit on the scary side, true horror fans may be tad disappointed. It’s true that the story is dark at times and definitely tells a suspenseful, spooky tale, but it does so in a more lighthearted way. As such, I felt that this novel might be better placed in the cozy mystery genre (or perhaps the cozy horror genre, if there is such a thing).
All in all, this was a twisty, wildly entertaining story with relentless pacing, rich, lifelike characters and a brilliant ending which made this novel a real page-turner for me. It’s a wonderfully mysterious thriller that I had a difficult time putting down right until the surprising and utterly satisfying conclusion. Recommended!
In the spirit of full disclosure, I won this book in a Goodreads drawing and was under no obligation to leave a review.
This review originally appeared on my book review blog at rogersreads.com
What would you do if you could make anything you want become real? All you have to do is write out your request. Jaime faces this question after he inherits his uncles home and millions of dollars. His uncle was a successful horror writer that had committed suicide a short time ago and Jaime is trying to figure out the mystery of his death and why it surrounds his books. Already this sounds similar to the Goosebumps movie, that being said I was interested in the mystery and was trying to give multiple theories whilst I was reading it. I also like how relatable the characters were, even reading Jaime and Sarah’s scenes together were pretty cute. I definitely didn’t find this scary, but it was enjoyable and highly engaging. However, around the end it did get a little too goofy for me. Definitely not bad and it has some great stuff, but it’s not high on my list.
Very good
This is not a typical horror story, but it is an extremely well written piece of speculative fiction involving the blurring between fact and fiction as a writer's work comes to life, and trying to find a way to undo the damage.
This is not a typical horror story, but it is an extremely well written piece of speculative fiction involving the blurring between fact and fiction as a writer's work comes to life, and trying to find a way to undo the damage.
Very enjoyable story. I was hooked very early on, and didn’t want to put the book down (don’t pay attention to my reading dates - I wasn’t actually reading during most of that time!). The storyline and mystery were unique and captivating. I agree with previous reviews that the ending felt rushed (I could have easily read another 50+ pages), but I can accept the ending as is. I’m left wanting a little more, but that doesn’t detract from the story as a whole. I am excited to read more from this author, and definitely think this debut novel is a fantastic starting place.
"He was reserved on the outside but housed all sorts of demons within."
The Dreadful Objects was such a fun read. This book is about a guy who inherits his horror writer uncle's home following his death. I enjoyed the descriptions of the home, and I would love to live in the creepy old house with all the horror props.
The story is very mysterious, and even though it was a little slow, I was dying to find out the answers to the questions I had. I was not disappointed in the resolution, and the answers were worth a small wait.
The only reason this is a 4⭐ read instead of a 5⭐ is because after the slow burn story, the ending felt a little bit too rushed. That being said, I really liked the direction this story went in, I just wish certain aspects would have been fleshed out a little more. The storyline ended up being unexpected, which was refreshing, but I just wanted more information.
I really liked this book, and I can't wait to read more from Chris Cooper!
The Dreadful Objects was such a fun read. This book is about a guy who inherits his horror writer uncle's home following his death. I enjoyed the descriptions of the home, and I would love to live in the creepy old house with all the horror props.
The story is very mysterious, and even though it was a little slow, I was dying to find out the answers to the questions I had. I was not disappointed in the resolution, and the answers were worth a small wait.
The only reason this is a 4⭐ read instead of a 5⭐ is because after the slow burn story, the ending felt a little bit too rushed. That being said, I really liked the direction this story went in, I just wish certain aspects would have been fleshed out a little more. The storyline ended up being unexpected, which was refreshing, but I just wanted more information.
I really liked this book, and I can't wait to read more from Chris Cooper!
I won this book in a Goodreads giveaway and normally I am not the biggest fan of thrillers or horror but I LOVED this book. It was an adventure from beginning to end. The characters were so fun and developed so well throughout the novel, the events were so entrancing, I loved it so much. I can not give it enough praise. When I got to the end I just wanted more.
Very enjoyable story. I was hooked very early on, and didn’t want to put the book down (don’t pay attention to my reading dates - I wasn’t actually reading during most of that time!). The storyline and mystery were unique and captivating. I agree with previous reviews that the ending felt rushed (I could have easily read another 50+ pages), but I can accept the ending as is. I’m left wanting a little more, but that doesn’t detract from the story as a whole. I am excited to read more from this author, and definitely think this debut novel is a fantastic starting place.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for a review.
I wasn't sure what to expected in this book, but was pleasantly surprised to find an almost cozy, slightly eerie novel about mysterious circumstances. The characters took paths that I didn't expect and the story twisted repeatedly, but that kept it all very fun.
I would file this story under cozy Halloween reading. It isn't a genre I've experienced before, but I think it would be great for a mid-October fireside read, perhaps with a warm cider. It was easy reading and accessible. I think it might be good reading after Shirley Jackson and before Washington Irving as a nice pallet cleanser.
I wasn't sure what to expected in this book, but was pleasantly surprised to find an almost cozy, slightly eerie novel about mysterious circumstances. The characters took paths that I didn't expect and the story twisted repeatedly, but that kept it all very fun.
I would file this story under cozy Halloween reading. It isn't a genre I've experienced before, but I think it would be great for a mid-October fireside read, perhaps with a warm cider. It was easy reading and accessible. I think it might be good reading after Shirley Jackson and before Washington Irving as a nice pallet cleanser.
The Dreadful Objects is a blend of paranormal/suspense/horror/cozy mystery to me. And I love all those genres separately so you can only imagine how much I enjoyed this perfect blend. The protagonist of this story, TJ, receives a call from a stranger telling him that his uncle has passed away and that he is now the sole heir of all of the inheritance, estate, etc. TJ's uncle was a famous horror author who killed himself and shortly after TJ moves in to his uncle's home he finds himself caught in the middle of a paranormal mystery.
The writing is clean and purposeful and it was hard for me to have to put the book down for even a minute. The descriptions of the house give me ALL the spooky and cozy (yes, I am using those adjectives together) vibes and it just sounds like a really cool house in which to live.
This book is not your typical horror trope of a haunted house, but a house with haunted/haunting elements that form together as pieces of a larger paranormal puzzle. Readers who are tired of the same old spooky house story will feel relieved and refreshed to know this story is not like most.
This one gets 4.5 stars from me and I am eager to start reading something else by Chris Cooper! I recommend this to anyone who loves a good atmospheric blend of paranormal/horror/cozy mystery!
The writing is clean and purposeful and it was hard for me to have to put the book down for even a minute. The descriptions of the house give me ALL the spooky and cozy (yes, I am using those adjectives together) vibes and it just sounds like a really cool house in which to live.
This book is not your typical horror trope of a haunted house, but a house with haunted/haunting elements that form together as pieces of a larger paranormal puzzle. Readers who are tired of the same old spooky house story will feel relieved and refreshed to know this story is not like most.
This one gets 4.5 stars from me and I am eager to start reading something else by Chris Cooper! I recommend this to anyone who loves a good atmospheric blend of paranormal/horror/cozy mystery!
"He was reserved on the outside but housed all sorts of demons within."
The Dreadful Objects was such a fun read. This book is about a guy who inherits his horror writer uncle's home following his death. I enjoyed the descriptions of the home, and I would love to live in the creepy old house with all the horror props.
The story is very mysterious, and even though it was a little slow, I was dying to find out the answers to the questions I had. I was not disappointed in the resolution, and the answers were worth a small wait.
The only reason this is a 4⭐ read instead of a 5⭐ is because after the slow burn story, the ending felt a little bit too rushed. That being said, I really liked the direction this story went in, I just wish certain aspects would have been fleshed out a little more. The storyline ended up being unexpected, which was refreshing, but I just wanted more information.
I really liked this book, and I can't wait to read more from Chris Cooper!
The Dreadful Objects was such a fun read. This book is about a guy who inherits his horror writer uncle's home following his death. I enjoyed the descriptions of the home, and I would love to live in the creepy old house with all the horror props.
The story is very mysterious, and even though it was a little slow, I was dying to find out the answers to the questions I had. I was not disappointed in the resolution, and the answers were worth a small wait.
The only reason this is a 4⭐ read instead of a 5⭐ is because after the slow burn story, the ending felt a little bit too rushed. That being said, I really liked the direction this story went in, I just wish certain aspects would have been fleshed out a little more. The storyline ended up being unexpected, which was refreshing, but I just wanted more information.
I really liked this book, and I can't wait to read more from Chris Cooper!