Helpful Score: 2
Though this is not your typical haunted house story it's frighthening nonetheless. The identity the malevolent spirit infesting the house really surprised me. Generations of the Kidd family have lived in the house. The entity won't let any of the Kidds escape the house or what it thinks is right for them. The story opens with 2 Kidd brothers left in the family who have no choice but to live in the house. Ray Kidd is rebellious towards the house's dictates and suffers hardships because of his attitude. Jack, the older brother, has accepted his fate as dictated throughout his life by the house. That is, until he meets Rachel, a lovely widow with 2 young children. It is Rachel who takes the initiative in overcoming the entity's control. Between Jack's upcoming wedding to Rachel, fear for the entity's influence on Rachel's children, and Rachel's courageous defiance, Jack is finally motivated to challenge the evil in the house. Though the strange identity of the evil presence is finally revealed, it's oddness it's totally in keeping with the plot and theme of the book. A fun and, at times, scary read.
Helpful Score: 1
Unlike any haunted house book I've ever read. Keeps you trying to figure out just who and what is haunting the family that has lived for generations in the old mansion. Spooky.
note: written in the style of the book. *denotes words that should be in italics.
Interesting take on the haunted house story line. I found the *style* in which it was written to be, *at best*, frustrating! Full of *italics* and exclamation! I tried (*desperately) To like the Kidds! But with every new plot *twist*, the book became *less* interesting! The authors habit of breaking down each sentence and *highlighting* the important parts was annoying!
Sorry folks but good stories *need suspense*! I personally enjoy (*a little*) reading between the lines! Not having *everything spelled out! As though the author *believes* his readers to be slow!
Annoying huh?
Interesting take on the haunted house story line. I found the *style* in which it was written to be, *at best*, frustrating! Full of *italics* and exclamation! I tried (*desperately) To like the Kidds! But with every new plot *twist*, the book became *less* interesting! The authors habit of breaking down each sentence and *highlighting* the important parts was annoying!
Sorry folks but good stories *need suspense*! I personally enjoy (*a little*) reading between the lines! Not having *everything spelled out! As though the author *believes* his readers to be slow!
Annoying huh?
A malevolent spirit has held the Kidd family hostage in their home for decades. No one has even seen this entity but it prevents them from dating the wrong people (by killing them) and from leaving the house for anything other than work and short trips outside. It kinda reminded me of the house from the Morganville Vampires series by Rachel Caine only this house wasn't nice.
Hearing the house's POV was interesting even though even it doesn't know the point of it's existence. The "thing" sounds like a demon but not quite though not really a ghost either. It is a huge presence that doesn't even fit in a mansion-sized living room. It crouches or lies flat all the time, so maybe that explains why it's so grouchy. Unfortunately, the house has more personality than either Jack or Ray Kidd, the only remaining Kidds.
I honestly just couldn't get into the story since there really wasn't any meat to it. I'm sure it I could have gotten past page 75, maybe it would have gotten better. After all the reviews are pretty good for this author but he's (she's) definitely not for me.
Hearing the house's POV was interesting even though even it doesn't know the point of it's existence. The "thing" sounds like a demon but not quite though not really a ghost either. It is a huge presence that doesn't even fit in a mansion-sized living room. It crouches or lies flat all the time, so maybe that explains why it's so grouchy. Unfortunately, the house has more personality than either Jack or Ray Kidd, the only remaining Kidds.
I honestly just couldn't get into the story since there really wasn't any meat to it. I'm sure it I could have gotten past page 75, maybe it would have gotten better. After all the reviews are pretty good for this author but he's (she's) definitely not for me.
I read this book a long time ago and don't really remember it...here is a description from the back of the book:
The Kidd house seems perfectly normal. Rather large and a little run-down, perhaps, but nothing too unusual. The Kidd family knows better. They know what their parents before them knew - that they're not alone. There's something else in the house. Something powerful. Something cruel.
It's not a ghost. Not exactly. How can you call something a ghost if it never really lived? It's a force, an, entity, an unseen permanent houseguest. It provides for the Kidds. It keeps them healthy and safe, though most definitely not happy. It relishes their misery. It controls thier lives. It won't let them stray far from the house. And it hates them.
The Kidd house seems perfectly normal. Rather large and a little run-down, perhaps, but nothing too unusual. The Kidd family knows better. They know what their parents before them knew - that they're not alone. There's something else in the house. Something powerful. Something cruel.
It's not a ghost. Not exactly. How can you call something a ghost if it never really lived? It's a force, an, entity, an unseen permanent houseguest. It provides for the Kidds. It keeps them healthy and safe, though most definitely not happy. It relishes their misery. It controls thier lives. It won't let them stray far from the house. And it hates them.
