Christine Ehren

The Family is as scary as the ghost

Revisado: 09-22-24

All the black sheep, the scapegoat children of dysfunctional families will recognize Anna's family, their malice magnified by the supernatural situation they find themselves in. The author has captured the struggle so well I recognized myself and my family right away. You don't need family trauma to enjoy this story, but if you do have it maybe you'll find this story as cathartic as I did.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Genuine Chills

Revisado: 06-06-24

I read a lot of horror. I don’t often come across something that actually scares me. These short little stories gave me genuine chills. I recommend reading only a few at a time so the effect remains strong. That is, if you want a scare.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

You can tell it was written in 1976

Revisado: 06-04-24

Be prepared for gender roles from the 70’s, Archetypes like great white savior & exotic native girl. Decades before Jurassic park I kind of wonder if this was a source of inspiration for that movie. I grew up reading stuff like this, younger folks may enjoy the look back into the bad old days when men were dinosaurs.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Really well written

Revisado: 06-07-23

It is a joy to find a book where the story is engaging & the language weaves a compelling picture. I love to learn a little about other cultures than my own too, so the point of view character gave me a great window into the folklore this story was steeped in, since she was half way a visitor herself.Some scenes were intense and frightening but I like scares with my ghosts.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

esto le resultó útil a 1 persona

Not as dark as I was led to think

Revisado: 11-16-22

I really resisted buying this one based on other reviews. I’m going to have to go back & reread & try to figure out what they were saying that signaled this story would be too dark for me. There is some graphically described violence, most of it historically appropriate & contextually unavoidable. There is also rampant religious conservatism, oppression & corruption, also historically unavoidable and contextually appropriate. Some violence could be a little much for a reader sensitive to graphic detail but if you can sit through a modern horror movie you’ll probably be fine.
I liked the reader’s voice & characterization. The reader’s ability to sneer in a British accent is worth an extra star all on its own. The writing was good, the story was good - a very entertaining take on the history of early America & of the symbolic relationship between various religions. I enjoyed where the author went with that. At the danger of providing a SPOILER if you were wishing for a little payback for the witch trials you would not be entirely disappointed.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A ghost story for house buffs & folklore fans

Revisado: 09-20-22

I did like that the author, in telling their haunted house story made it a story of family history, as well as the history of the community, drawing in threads of architectural salvage, art history, history told through documents & books & folklore from the area the story is set in. I wish I felt the character had more emotional connection - not romance- the rest of the range of things that people do around her. But then again who knows how one would normally react in extreme situations.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

Very intense, well conceived, not for kids

Revisado: 07-06-22

This book makes Watership Down seem like a gentle parable. Take that warning seriously. This story is brutally intense at times. I don’t believe at any time needlessly so, but there is some graphic violence and intense scenes of battle that are necessary to the story. The language was beautiful at times, frightening and horrifying at others, but the contrast worked for me. The characters were interesting and multifaceted, even the monstrous ones. I’m not a fan of violence generally, but this story worked for me.

I thought the narrator got carried away at times. It’s his book, it is reasonable for him to be in touch with the emotions of the characters, but sometimes at powerful moments to have him be angry and the characters angry - very intense.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

WTF

Revisado: 03-20-21

The author wrote characters that I cared about, she put them in situations that were interesting and dramatic, and then this thing happened. I’ve read books with unsatisfying endings, puzzling endings, but never a truly wtf climax. I have often said the mark of a good book is its ability to surprise me. This book completely took me by surprise. I will leave it up to you to decide if this is a good book or not.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

A retail tragedy

Revisado: 07-07-20

We have heard (and seen) so many glorified stories of geniuses succeeding at building fairy tale department stores recently. So interesting to read about a genius building a fairy tale department store only to watch it crash & burn.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña

a slow boiler

Revisado: 11-13-19

the author definitely captures the flavor of old fashioned ghost stories. Everyone has vague warnings for our main character, but no one will tell him what the danger is. So of course he has to chase what clues he finds in the worst possible direction.

Has calificado esta reseña.

Reportaste esta reseña