This was my first outing with author Joe Hill. I read this as part of the Spring Into Horror Readathon 2018. I know he has at least two more books authored out there, but this is the one I chose as my very first read. Heart Shaped Box is the title. I really wanted to like this book and the author. And I did... for the most part. Let me explain.
The author was able to create a great creepy story that kept me wanting to keep turning the pages until the story seemed to run out of steam. The antagonist the author created (Craddock) is as evil and unpredictable as any of the famous historical baddies ever invented. He is the glue that keeps this book hauntingly interesting. That along with the in depth character development, makes you actually care about what might happen to these unlucky and witless souls who didn't bargain for what they were actually getting when they bought a haunted dead guys suit on Amazon.
The story escalates pretty quickly, and through introduction and back story of some earlier mentioned characters, the plot starts to assemble the puzzle pieces of this weird and disturbing tale. The characters are set up against a number of inventive road blocks which make for a very interesting read.
But without spoiling anything for you readers out there, the story fizzles out at a very key point in the story. I found myself waiting and hoping for ... something! But the something never came. Unfortunately this is what ruined it for me. Others may find this suitable but this was the deal breaker for me. I am still interested in reading the other books Joe has written as I found his writing fresh, exciting, graphic, unsettling, yet easy to read. A great idea, well written, but for me, didn't take me where I was hoping I would go.
3
Creepy Owls out of 5
[…] This was the first book on my hit list. I had started it quite a while ago, didn’t finish it, and when April came along, it was the perfect time to complete See my review here. […]
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