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howlinglibraries's Reviews (1.85k)
dark
fast-paced
This was another fantastic story from Ruth Anna Evans that reminded me of how well she can keep me entertained and wreck me emotionally.
Do Not Go in That House follows a podcaster named Maggie who desperately wants to go viral and thinks she might have found her ticket when she has the opportunity to dive into a cold case about a terrible, brutal child death from a decade earlier.
The premise is worrisome enough on its own, but we quickly learn that Maggie has been off of her mental health medications for a bit and mania is setting in hard. Not only does her mental illness add a layer of complexity to Maggie's character, but her mania symptoms and history also go a long way in helping us to understand why she powers through red flags that many people might have ran screaming from.
(As a side note, I don't have bipolar disorder and don't experience mania the way Maggie does, but I have numerous other mental health disorders and a lot of experience with close loved ones' experiences with unmedicated bipolar disorder; for what it's worth, I thought Ruth Anna Evans handled the portrayal very lovingly and honestly!)
All in all, I really enjoyed this story — it might even be my favorite of this author's works so far! The setting was truly unsettling and I enjoyed Maggie as a character. No spoilers, but this story ran my heart through the wringer in the best way, and I can't wait to read more from this author soon!
Thank you to the author for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
Do Not Go in That House follows a podcaster named Maggie who desperately wants to go viral and thinks she might have found her ticket when she has the opportunity to dive into a cold case about a terrible, brutal child death from a decade earlier.
The premise is worrisome enough on its own, but we quickly learn that Maggie has been off of her mental health medications for a bit and mania is setting in hard. Not only does her mental illness add a layer of complexity to Maggie's character, but her mania symptoms and history also go a long way in helping us to understand why she powers through red flags that many people might have ran screaming from.
(As a side note, I don't have bipolar disorder and don't experience mania the way Maggie does, but I have numerous other mental health disorders and a lot of experience with close loved ones' experiences with unmedicated bipolar disorder; for what it's worth, I thought Ruth Anna Evans handled the portrayal very lovingly and honestly!)
All in all, I really enjoyed this story — it might even be my favorite of this author's works so far! The setting was truly unsettling and I enjoyed Maggie as a character. No spoilers, but this story ran my heart through the wringer in the best way, and I can't wait to read more from this author soon!
Thank you to the author for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Violence, Schizophrenia/Psychosis
Moderate: Ableism, Self harm, Suicidal thoughts
Minor: Forced institutionalization
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Some girls are fearful, others are brave. One girl's a princess, the next one, a slave. But all girls are equal, when they're down in this cave, until just one is left standing — The Prettiest Girl in the Grave.
Okay, I totally get the Triana hype now. This was so much fun!
While I can see the extreme horror influence here, I'm guessing this might be a little tame for this author because the gore was a lot lighter than I expected it to be (not a bad thing, I just wanted to mention it in case anyone has been wanting to read this author's works but is put off by extreme gore!).
I really love horror stories revolving around urban legends and paranormal "games" like this. It's like a campfire story fleshed out into a full book and it was great! I enjoyed all of the characters and grew attached enough to some of them that it hurt to see them in peril and I couldn't help but root for their survival.
Also, not to be "that person" here but it's pretty rare that I find a guy writing horror who can write teen girls this well, and the plot was just an absolute blast. The setting was super creepy and I know I'm gonna be thinking about this one for a while to come. I definitely recommend it!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Confinement, Death, Gore, Violence, Murder, Fire/Fire injury
Minor: Body shaming, Cannibalism
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I wanted to like this more than I did, but... UGHHHH I hated the characters and the writing and the twist in this book so much.
I try to be lenient with characters in YA books because I'm clearly not the target age for them anymore, but I don't think any amount of leniency could make me stop rolling my eyes at these spoiled rich kids.
Our narrator is supposed to be really legit and we're clearly intended to empathize with and enjoy her as a character, but she's deep in the 1% and is so stuck in her own bubble that she's literally running around dwelling on how she can ensure the best possible alibi and how guilty she'll feel for shoving the new love of her life into the killer's arms if it comes down to it. 💀 She thinks of herself as better than 90% of the side characters, but most of them were a lot more enjoyable than she was.
And then there's the killer, who I could rant about for a while, but if I did, I'd have to spoiler-mark the whole review and I don't like doing that. Instead, I'll just say that I saw his motive coming a million miles away and kept hoping I was wrong, but... 💀
Oh! I have to mention the romance, too, and the fact that it shouldn't have even been included in this book. One thing I liked about the story was how quickly it jumped into the gore and action, but that meant there wasn't any room at all to build up these characters or make me care about any of them, which made the romance subplot feel unnecessary and forced. If you're going to include this much romance in a horror novel, there needs to be an initial investment made into the buildup of the relationship, and that wasn't happening here.
Finally, I have to rant a little about the endless pop culture references. I don't mind references in books when they're done well (one of my favorite books of all time is My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, who absolutely nailed those), but many of the ones made in this book were crammed in without fitting the context. At some point, it becomes less of a way to connect with the reader and more of a way to say "hey, look at how many popular horror movies and YA books I can name-drop in one book, wink!"
Of course, I have to throw in the disclaimer that the book isn't all bad and it offers room to have some interesting conversations, like the intersectionality of privileges and disadvantages (i.e. how a cut-off white kid may still be looking at a brighter, easier future than a wealthy Black kid)... but sadly, those tidbits were overshadowed by what boiled down to an extremely unenjoyable slasher with mediocre writing, poor pacing, and a twist that feels sinister in all the wrong ways.
I read a final copy borrowed from the library, but for the sake of disclosure, I was also sent an early review copy by the author/publisher. All thoughts are honest and my own.
✨ Representation: Noelle is Black, multiple side characters are BIPOC, one side character is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns
I try to be lenient with characters in YA books because I'm clearly not the target age for them anymore, but I don't think any amount of leniency could make me stop rolling my eyes at these spoiled rich kids.
Our narrator is supposed to be really legit and we're clearly intended to empathize with and enjoy her as a character, but she's deep in the 1% and is so stuck in her own bubble that she's literally running around dwelling on how she can ensure the best possible alibi and how guilty she'll feel for shoving the new love of her life into the killer's arms if it comes down to it. 💀 She thinks of herself as better than 90% of the side characters, but most of them were a lot more enjoyable than she was.
And then there's the killer, who I could rant about for a while, but if I did, I'd have to spoiler-mark the whole review and I don't like doing that. Instead, I'll just say that I saw his motive coming a million miles away and kept hoping I was wrong, but... 💀
Oh! I have to mention the romance, too, and the fact that it shouldn't have even been included in this book. One thing I liked about the story was how quickly it jumped into the gore and action, but that meant there wasn't any room at all to build up these characters or make me care about any of them, which made the romance subplot feel unnecessary and forced. If you're going to include this much romance in a horror novel, there needs to be an initial investment made into the buildup of the relationship, and that wasn't happening here.
Finally, I have to rant a little about the endless pop culture references. I don't mind references in books when they're done well (one of my favorite books of all time is My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, who absolutely nailed those), but many of the ones made in this book were crammed in without fitting the context. At some point, it becomes less of a way to connect with the reader and more of a way to say "hey, look at how many popular horror movies and YA books I can name-drop in one book, wink!"
Of course, I have to throw in the disclaimer that the book isn't all bad and it offers room to have some interesting conversations, like the intersectionality of privileges and disadvantages (i.e. how a cut-off white kid may still be looking at a brighter, easier future than a wealthy Black kid)... but sadly, those tidbits were overshadowed by what boiled down to an extremely unenjoyable slasher with mediocre writing, poor pacing, and a twist that feels sinister in all the wrong ways.
I read a final copy borrowed from the library, but for the sake of disclosure, I was also sent an early review copy by the author/publisher. All thoughts are honest and my own.
✨ Representation: Noelle is Black, multiple side characters are BIPOC, one side character is nonbinary and uses they/them pronouns
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gore, Torture, Violence, Murder
Moderate: Ableism, Misogyny, Racism
dark
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
As someone who's already familiar with the guy and "haunt" this book was inspired by, this was a SUPER fun read. The Last Haunt is a documentary-style story told through interviews about the death of a haunt-goer at the McKinley Manor a year earlier, as well as a bit of insight into how the Manor came into being and what the consequences of the young woman's death were.
The Last Haunt is a very quick read that is PERFECT for the Halloween season, especially if you enjoy haunted houses. I've always loved haunted houses, but never been interested in "extreme haunts", and I'm definitely one of those people who can't help but question the motives compelling some of the minds behind those infamous places, so this little novella was right up my alley.
Between the unique storytelling format (with voices that actually felt distinct to each character, something not every author can accomplish), the absolute derangement of the mind behind McKinley Manor, and the suspenseful recounting of everything that went down, I really enjoyed The Last Haunt and I highly recommend picking up a copy. After loving this and We Need to Do Something, I'm landing solidly in the Max Booth III Fanclub and can't wait to read more of his work!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
The Last Haunt is a very quick read that is PERFECT for the Halloween season, especially if you enjoy haunted houses. I've always loved haunted houses, but never been interested in "extreme haunts", and I'm definitely one of those people who can't help but question the motives compelling some of the minds behind those infamous places, so this little novella was right up my alley.
Between the unique storytelling format (with voices that actually felt distinct to each character, something not every author can accomplish), the absolute derangement of the mind behind McKinley Manor, and the suspenseful recounting of everything that went down, I really enjoyed The Last Haunt and I highly recommend picking up a copy. After loving this and We Need to Do Something, I'm landing solidly in the Max Booth III Fanclub and can't wait to read more of his work!
Thank you to the publisher for the review copy! All thoughts are honest and my own.
