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shawna_reads 's review for:
Within These Walls
by Ania Ahlborn
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
"Life brings death brings life."
Lucas is a washed up crime writer looking for a comeback as his marriage is on the rocks. When the chance to interview cult leader and death row inmate Jeffrey Halcomb comes up, he immediately jumps at the opportunity, where there is one condition - he must move into the farmhouse where the murders happened. Once he and his daughter are moved in, Jeffrey refuses visitation so Lucas must form the details of the story on his own.
A haunted house + a cult = spooky fun! I had no idea what I was expecting when I picked up this book, but it exceeded my expectations. It was a slow burn horror that steadily built up the tension and the creepy things occurring at the house.
I enjoyed the dual timelines that took place in the same location, following Lucas and his daughter in the farmhouse in the present and Jeffrey and his followers in the same farmhouse in the past. The characters had their flaws, but I liked them. It still baffles me how one can join a cult, but when the leader is a handsome smooth talker, well I guess it works 😅
The only problems I had were the lack of hauntings and the length of the book. The story was definitely creepy, but I was hoping for more. I also don't mind slow burns, but the book could have easily been 50-100 pages shorter. Other than that, it was very enjoyable!
Lucas is a washed up crime writer looking for a comeback as his marriage is on the rocks. When the chance to interview cult leader and death row inmate Jeffrey Halcomb comes up, he immediately jumps at the opportunity, where there is one condition - he must move into the farmhouse where the murders happened. Once he and his daughter are moved in, Jeffrey refuses visitation so Lucas must form the details of the story on his own.
A haunted house + a cult = spooky fun! I had no idea what I was expecting when I picked up this book, but it exceeded my expectations. It was a slow burn horror that steadily built up the tension and the creepy things occurring at the house.
I enjoyed the dual timelines that took place in the same location, following Lucas and his daughter in the farmhouse in the present and Jeffrey and his followers in the same farmhouse in the past. The characters had their flaws, but I liked them. It still baffles me how one can join a cult, but when the leader is a handsome smooth talker, well I guess it works 😅
The only problems I had were the lack of hauntings and the length of the book. The story was definitely creepy, but I was hoping for more. I also don't mind slow burns, but the book could have easily been 50-100 pages shorter. Other than that, it was very enjoyable!