Five Survive - Holly Jackson - Book Review

                                     

           An interesting storyline is always hard to resist. As I was walking down the street, looking at the roadside bookshop, this book cover caught my attention, and the blurb made me pick it up.

           Six friends are on their way to a vacation in an RV. What starts as a fun ride quickly goes out of hand as they make a wrong turn and end up stranded in a desolate place. Someone shoots out the tyres, and with no mobile coverage, they must survive the night. The sniper is there to take one of them out and has no plans to back down until it is done. Who is the sniper after? What inner demons of theirs will surface? Will they escape safely? forms the rest of the story.

         This is an interesting premise with a lot of potential. For the most part, the book was interesting enough. The storyline was make-or-break, where it could have gone either way on many levels. But the author kept us engaged throughout most of the book. There were places where the situation became redundant and tiring. But it was for a shorter time period. The writing was simple but engaging. I also liked how the book jumped right into the story without wasting much time. There were a couple of back-and-forths, but that did not affect the pacing. There were a couple of red herrings as well - some hits and some misses. Most of the characterisations were good and intriguing, while one or two irritated me.

         In short, an interesting book which did a pretty neat job. Those who love thrillers might like the book. Personally, a decent enough book where the goods outweigh the bads.

Summer, Fireworks and My Corpse - Otsuichi - Book Review

 

When I was looking for a quick read, I was reminded of Otsuichi for no particular reason. I had enjoyed two of his books. This search led me to this book, and the name of the book gave the vibe that it is going to be a typical Otsuichi read.

The story is about a girl named 'Satsuki' and her friends. Satsuki, a girl from rural Japan, recently died as she fell from a tree. The story proceeds to move ahead through the POV of Satsuki's spirit, who realises it was not a freak accident, but was pushed to death. The story proceeds with the spirit of Satsuki following the perpetrators as they try to dispose the corpse and escape without any trace of the crime leading to them. 

Like my two previous Otsuichi reads, this one also did not disappoint. Right from the first page, it was an engaging read. The POV of spirit was the main hook for me in this story. Many emotions, like rage, jealousy, manipulation, and love, drive the story. There are quite a few logical mistakes. But that can be overlooked with the flow of the story. The handful of characters - Satsuki, her friend, along with her brother, the mothers of the kids, the random policemen, and the old men were all well written. It was interesting to see how easily people can be manipulated. The translator has done a good job in keeping the pace and style of the original story intact and keeping us on the edge till the end. There was no visible violence or gore, but the story did make me uncomfortable in certain parts. Like in 'Goth', the chapters gel with one another very well, making the read quick. 

To sum it up, a quick but exciting read. Readers of the mystery and thriller genres will definitely enjoy the book. I have always been a big fan of Japanese mysteries, and this one is no exception.

Check out my reviews on other Otsuichi books below 

Goth - GOTH

Zoo - ZOO

The Tenant - Freida McFadden - Book Review

 

        It's been quite a while since I went to the library. During this visit, I was going through a couple of blurbs, and this one caught my attention. This was an author I had not read in a while, and I chose the book to see how it would turn out.

        Blake is working as the VP of a big company. He and his fiancée, Krista, live in an uptown house. One day, Blake is accused of fraudulent activity at the office and is immediately fired. Tight on cash and down payments, they decide to rent out a portion of the house. Enter Whitney Cross as the tenant. She seemed likeable at first. As days go by, Blake is at loggerheads with Whitney, blaming her for doing things to sabotage his life and marriage. Is the tenant really what Blake claims to be? Is it all a part of his imagination? Is his life with Krista going to be sabotaged? forms the remaining story.

        The story sounds interesting to start with, and ends the same way too. The way both unfolded was very engaging. The problem lies in between. The portions where Whitney comes in were downright irritating. I guess the character and interaction were written that way, and to make us feel the same. But it irritated me to the point that I felt like stopping the read. The intent might be right, but I guess it was a bit self-damaging, according to me. The tropes used here are mostly the usual ones that the author had employed previously. This made the story predictable. But the suspense saved the day by breaking it when it was getting too monotonous. The characters are well-written, and the backstory that came in the movie was interesting. In the novels of Freida McFadden that I have read, it is always through the eyes of the female characters. But here, the story is told mostly from the POV of Blake. The story proceeds through small chapters, making the read a quick one.

        To sum it up, a potentially engaging story marred by a slow, irritable slump in the middle making it an average experience. The usual tropes and the midway mishap might have played spoilsport until the suspense and the aftermath saved the day for this novel. 

The Homeowners Association - Blair Daniels - Book Review

 

            The name 'Blair Daniels' always invokes a sense of curiosity in me. This is mainly due to the quirky story plots and super creepy book covers. So, when I saw the notification on this book, I went for it with some basic expectations. Let's see if the book fulfils them!

            Piper and her family move from the big city to a villa in a town, which is part of a gated community. Once they move in, she finds the community odd. There are seldom people moving outside, everything looks too perfect. More importantly, there is a large binder of really strange rules that are set by the HOA. No lights after 9 PM, garbage out by the previous night, any vacations should be approved by the HOA, and no noise in the house, etc. Really strange, right! Failure to comply can result in some bad reprimands. Soon, the family realises not everything is fine as it seems. Is there something deeper in the gated community? Will they be safe? forms the rest of the story.

            First of all, an interesting premise! There were some interesting characters, and the language was fairly simple and engaging. The settings had good potential for an exciting, urban horror story. However, I felt that the potential was cut short by a rushed second half. Towards the end, the story picks up too much pace, and the ending felt forced. The story could have been explored more. It was like expecting a novel, but getting a novella. The unravelling and the small backstory happened towards the end. While it had the potential to be developed into something interesting, the abrupt way the story shifted was a big letdown for me.

           In short, a potentially good read let down by a rushed ending. I did enjoy the way things were played out until it reached that part.

A Head Full Of Ghosts - Paul Tremblay - Book Review

                                   

                Horror has always been my go-to genre when it comes to reading, and exploring different authors is a fun way for me to do it. That helps me de-stress. I had heard the name 'Paul Tremblay' many times and thought I would start with this book that I picked up.

             The Barretts are a typical New England suburban family. While John, the father, loses his job, the elder daughter, Marjorie, starts showing signs of mental illness. John starts becoming religious, and he believes that Marjorie is possessed. As they encounter financial problems, the Barretts get into an agreement with a TV company to document and relay it as a reality show and tragedy strikes. What transpired forms the story through the eyes of Merry, the youngest daughter.

             To start with, an interesting premise at hand. The story is a mish-mash of 'The Exorcist' meets 'Paranormal Activity'. The story confused me at first, and it took 5 or 6 pages for the tempo to set in. The characters are well written, especially the relationship between the two sisters. This book seems like a homage to horror movies with references like The Yellow Wallpaper, The Exorcist, Poltergeist, The Possession, Paranormal Activity, etc. The story talks about the importance of mental health and how it was mistook as possession. The story described in the words of a small kid makes us see the story from a different angle. There is a sense of ambiguity due to this. The book can be creepy. The ending was totally unexpected, and it was quite a shocker for me. 

             To sum it all up, a good read that can give quite a scary experience. This does not come near a Stephen King experience for me, but still an engaging read.