On paper, this book looks like a banger! It has an eerie isolated house near woods, cannibalism, a mother who has a hunger for people, and a child who was brought into this weird dysfunctional family and eats people too. And the hook… Yeah, the hook got me! ‘On my fourth birthday, I plucked six severed fingers from the shower drain.’ And I was in. I wanted to know what happened and whose fingers were there. And then this book dies… The story was totally boring. The mother-daughter duo did not do much. We have a mystery about a missing father who left them alone, and God knows where he lives now, but from the beginning, I knew what happened to him, and I was not wrong… Then we have another ‘stray’ (human) showing in their house, and this time… This is it! Mother of our little kid Margot fell in love with a woman named Eden, and she stayed. She was not another dinner. How convenient, right? She just found them out, and they became instantly a family. This book was so repetitive- we have over and over scenes of them eating pie or dreaming about eating pie or another human. The narrative was slow, and I felt like I was reading about eating and resting after eating too long. The other thing is characters. I did not have enough information to care about them. The narrative was so shallow. I wanted something deeper. Now let’s talk about our grand finale- ending. I hated it. Let me explain why. The whole book did not have any supernatural theme, and at the end we have it, and I think this killed this book for me… Why, at the very end, put some ghostly whatever thing? I couldn’t care less about this book. I have only seen good things about this book in the last few months. It was supposed to be a book of the year, and again, I was disappointed with internet reviews.
- Atmosphere and tension: This is the backbone of horror- how well the book builds a creepy, unsettling vibe. Does the setting (dark woods, haunted house, possessed people) pull you in? Does the book keep you on edge, dreading what’s next? A great horror book makes the air feel thick with unease. 0
- Characters and Relatability: Are the protagonists fleshed out enough to care about? Do their fears or flaws resonate? Weak characters can tank a story- nobody roots for a cardboard cutout. The best horrors make you feel their terror as if it’s your own. 0.5
- Plot Coherence and Pacing: Does the story hold together logically, even in its madness? Are twists earned, not just cheap shocks? Pacing matters too- too slow, and it drags: too fast, and the fear does not sink in. A tight, well-structured plot keeps the horror gripping. 0.5
- Fear factor and Impact: How much does it actually scare you? This varies by reader—some want visceral gore, others subtle dread—but the book should leave a mark, whether it is nightmares or lingering chills. It’s about emotional punch, not just jump-scares on paper. 0
- Writing Quality and Styles: Clunky prose or overdone cliches can kill the mood. Does the language flow, painting vivid images without bogging down? The best horror writers wield words like weapons, sharp and deliberate, ampifying the story’s power. 1
2/5
When will I find a good book? Not this time.