Tag: paranormal

Reviews

A House with Good Bones Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on A House with Good Bones Review

*BEWARE OF SPOILERS*

“Mom seems off.” Her brother’s words echo in Sam Montgomery’s ear as she turns onto the quiet North Carolina street where their mother lives alone. She brushes the thought away as she climbs the front steps. Sam’s excited for this rare extended visit, and looking forward to nights with just the two of them, drinking boxed wine, watching murder mystery shows, and guessing who the killer is long before the characters figure it out. But stepping inside, she quickly realizes home isn’t what it used to be. Gone is the warm, cluttered charm her mom is known for; now the walls are painted a sterile white. Her mom jumps at the smallest noises and looks over her shoulder even when she’s the only person in the room. And when Sam steps out back to clear her head, she finds a jar of teeth hidden beneath the magazine-worthy rose bushes, and vultures are circling the garden from above. To find out what’s got her mom so frightened in her own home, Sam will go digging for the truth. But some secrets are better left buried.

Sam seems to err on the side of caution when it comes to her mother and the weird things that are going on inside the house. Normally her and her mum have such an open and honest relationship from what she tells us so the fact that she didn’t outright say wtf is going on here mum kind of bugged me a little. I get that she is a scientist and is looking for the most logical explanation but there comes a point where you just have to believe what you are seeing.

I loved Gail’s character and Phil seemed to be an interesting love interest but I want to know more about them! How did Gail become a witch and what happened with Hermes that he decided to stay with her? How did the feud with Granmae start and how did she know how when to come when Granmae was resurrected by the roses? I’m just left with so many questions about these characters that I’m left feeling a unsatisfied.

I’m a little bit hit and miss with T. Kingfisher so far. I just feel as though her books don’t have enough substance. I’m not sure if this is considered a short story and not an actual novel but overall this felt a tad rushed to me and didn’t delve as far into these characters and the plot as I wanted it too. The concept is fantastic and I love all of the witchy elements and the familiars attached to them but I didn’t get enough time to form a connection.

⭐️2/5 stars liked the concept but I want more!

Reviews

How to Sell a Haunted House Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on How to Sell a Haunted House Review

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn’t want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn’t want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father’s academic career and her mother’s lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn’t want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world. Most of all, she doesn’t want to deal with her brother, Mark, who never left their hometown, gets fired from one job after another, and resents her success. Unfortunately, she’ll need his help to get the house ready for sale because it’ll take more than some new paint on the walls and clearing out a lifetime of memories to get this place on the market.

Neither of our main characters were very likeable in this book. I think because we get Louise’s perspective first we think that she is trying to do the right thing by her parents and Mark is insufferable but as the plot progresses we see things in a different light. She definitely gaslights her brother after we find out what Pupkin made her do at the pond. She keeps trying to dismiss everything that she is seeing first hand and continue in the delusion that her family weren’t weird and everything is fine.

Mark has issues for sure, I think he really needed that admission of guilt from Louise about what happened when they were younger and then telling her in turn how Pupkin also ruined his life. There was just so much miscommunication between the siblings that felt quite natural because of the different kind of upbringing they each got. I do feel like it was nasty of him to not share the inheritance with Louise at the start and have to be manipulated into giving her half so he can get help with all the paperwork.

All of the scenes in the house with all of the dolls and the creepy puppets were a little hard to envision in my mind. It was just too chaotic and frantic and I didn’t get to relish in the fear and horror of the moments, especially the scene with Louise and Pupkin with that sewing needle (omg). I would of liked it to be more drawn out and frightening in those moments. The rest of the book honestly was way too long, slow and kind of boring. All of the family drama though necessary in terms of the plot didn’t really capture my attention and the whole sequence with Poppy dragged on.

⭐️3/5 stars not my favourite from Grady Hendrix

Reviews

Just Like Home Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Just Like Home Review

*SPOILERS AHEAD*

“Come home.” Vera’s mother called and Vera obeyed. In spite of their long estrangement, in spite of the memories — she’s come back to the home of a serial killer. Back to face the love she had for her father and the bodies he buried there. Coming home is hard enough for Vera, and to make things worse, she and her mother aren’t alone. A parasitic artist has moved into the guest house out back, and is slowly stripping Vera’s childhood for spare parts. He insists that he isn’t the one leaving notes around the house in her father’s handwriting… but who else could it possibly be?

Vera’s character was definitely an interesting one. She keeps a lot of her secrets close to the chest and you really get a gauge for just how affected she is being back at Crowder House with her mother by how unhinged she becomes as the story progresses.

I liked the dual timelines and how they each gave us insight into what actually happened that has caused this massive rift between Vera and her mother as well as why her father killed all those people. Just the fact that Vera always reminisces about her father and talks about him in such a positive way in spite of what he did to all those men did give me pause.

The way Vera keeps emphasizing that her father built Crowder House with his own hands and she feels this sense of ownership and familiarity with it should of tipped me off to just how much of a character the actual house was but alas I was surprised. I really didn’t think that this supernatural element right at the end was necessary. I think just the horrors of what her father was doing accompanied by Vera’s warped perspective on the matter would of been enough. I think the book did a good job of leading up to that twist that if it wasn’t actually in there I would of been content anyways.

⭐️3/5 stars A little too slow paced for me!

Reviews

Gallant Review

by amyleighreadsLeave a Comment on Gallant Review

Olivia Prior has grown up in Merilance School for girls, and all she has of her past is her mother’s journal—which seems to unravel into madness. Then, a letter invites Olivia to come home—to Gallant. Yet when Olivia arrives, no one is expecting her. But Olivia is not about to leave the first place that feels like home, it doesn’t matter if her cousin Matthew is hostile or if she sees half-formed ghouls haunting the hallways.

I really liked Olivia as our main protagonist. She has a bit of a petty streak that I really appreciated from her, it definitely made her more of a realistic character to me. She is very relatable in her yearning to belong and how excited she was at the prospect of being a part of a family even though her mother warned her about going to Gallant.

I kind of wish this was a dual perspective with Matthew. I think seeing how his mind comprehends Gallant and the duty the Priors have held and how it has crippled their family. To see how the whispers have driven him nearly to death and why he was so adamant in sending Olive away when she first arrived. I think we don’t get enough interaction between the two of them and the ones we do get were so poignant and touching.

I love a haunted house setting and this book really brought that spooky atmosphere for me. The ghouls were a great addition to the plot and really cemented the history of this estate and how much this family has sacrificed for the greater good. I really enjoyed the contrast between the two worlds and how Olivia’s magic changed with the different settings.

I liked the overall concept of Gallant and what is expected being a Prior. Learning how Olivia was lured back and how she unintentionally followed in her mother’s footsteps going across the wall was fascinating and compelling. I was very much invested in the storyline and wanted to know how everything was going to come together in the end. I was very happy with how this wrapped up and the fact that it wasn’t the fairy-tale ending I was expecting made it even more satisfying to me.

⭐️4/5 This was fantastic!

Reviews

The Evolution of Mara Dyer Review

by amyleighreads1 Comment on The Evolution of Mara Dyer Review

91YuaCtgoILI think the title really set the tone of the book.

Mara Dyer has woken up in a psychiatric hospital after blacking out at the police station. She is adamant that she did indeed see Jude and he wasn’t a hallucination, but no one other than Noah believes her. How did Jude survive the asylum collapsing and why has he resurfaced now?

This was a rollercoaster ride from the beginning to the end. The pace was slow at the start but there was a gradual build up as the story continued. There was a sense of urgency and fear woven throughout the plot and desperation to find the answers to various questions surrounding Mara’s mental health.

Mara I feel did evolve a lot from the first book. She is more self aware and even afraid of herself and what she could potentially do to those around her. I like that she is trying so hard to fight through and overcome her condition and figure out what is happening even though she is terrified.

Noah again I really enjoyed. He also showed a different side of himself than what we originally seen. He is more open and unreserved and shows more emotion as he digs deeper into the connection of his and Mara’s powers. I just find him to be so engaging and captivating and I feel as if there is so much more to his story than what we’ve been given so far.

The introduction of the new characters in the outpatient clinic I felt added an extra layer of unpredictability to the story. I love that Jamie made a reappearance and I was happy that Mara had a friend that she could lean on whilst she was being evaluated at every turn. Someone who is normal and could still somewhat relate to what she is going through at the moment.

I really could not predict what was going to happen in this book and it really took a turn that I did not see coming. The last hundred or so pages was very thrilling and suspenseful and it really kept me turning the pages. I like the paranormal twist to this series and how it is not just solely focused on Mara. It has become a lot broader and expanded the plot to a point where anything can happen.

With that being said I do feel like this book was longer than what it could have been. I feel like for a good third of the book it is just centered on Mara agonising and overanalysing every situation. It could definitely have been condensed and still wouldn’t have lost any of the major points of the plot.

There are still so many questions that haven’t been answered and I am eagerly anticipating picking up the third book in this series ASAP!

⭐️4/5 stars Entertaining, thrilling & suspenseful!!