What. A. Drag.
Not to mention painful writing, including this amazing quote: "Then White, who was really black, stepped into his house. "

n  n    La luz entró en las tinieblas
y la oscuridad no la entendió.n  n

Primer libro que leo de Frank Peretti y Ted Dekker. Me gustó mucho. Está muy simplemente escrito, es ameno y fluido. Tiene mucho diálogo y las descripciones son brillantes.

La casa empieza de manera intensa, rápida e intrigante. Mientras avanzás en la trama la historia se vuelve cada vez más estremecedora. Sin embargo, tiene algunas pocas partes que son monótonas y repetitivas.

Los personajes me hubieran gustado que estén más desarrollados; los tomé como simples peones vacíos y eso impidió que empatizara con ellos.

Matar a una persona te convierte en criminal. Matar a un millón de personas te convierte en rey. Matarlas a todas te convierte en Dios.

El final no me gustó. Me dejó sabor a nada. Fue muy predecible, ya que a lo largo de la historia los autores te iban dando datos y pistas que te permitían vaticinar cómo culminaría el libro.

En fin, buen libro, que te va a tener pendiente de cuáles serán los siguientes pasos de los personajes. Si vieron la primera temporada de American Horror Story, esta historia les va a hacer acordar mucho a esa casa, la Murder House.

PD: No se esperen un libro sin tintes sobrenaturales. Es una novela de terror paranormal, con fantasía.

This was the absolute worst book I think I have ever read. I did manage to finish it, but the whole time while reading it, I kept thinking, "This is the dumbest book I've ever read!" I kept waiting for it to come together and make sense. That NEVER happened. Left me feeling like I had wasted my time.

There should be an option on this site called, "Accidentally Read."

You know when you watch a glass vase fall- and in that split second right before it hits the floor, you're like, "Oh no! That's going to be horrible when it shatters." I spent the entire time reading this book with that in mind.

Shallow characters battled with one dimensional personal problems while being chased around by swamp people, a redneck in a tin can, and a little girl that happened to be Jesus. The entire book was like watching a cake get made with cement. You just wanted to scream, "STAHP."

By the end of the book, the inbred antagonists were almost being celebrated for being god fearing, while the paper doll-like protagonists were being punished for fucking, making money, and being young. The entire story was a pulsating mess of convoluted ideas all ending in some sort of weird "Come to Jesus, or you'll be eaten by a magical basement; also don't get divorced even though you're both selfish ham wallets who could probably do better-" type message.

I can respect a book with a christian undertone; but not this one. This was a glorified horror story that didn't know whether it was supposed to "mind freak" you, or take you on a 300 page guilt trip for not being up to par with the god fearing dog food eaters.

*crash*

first, it should have been cut by about 100pgs. second cut out the unnecessary repetition & third, just no. what was the point of the religious overhang, the characters that nobody knew enough to care about, the complete lack of fluidity. I have only myself to blame for finishing this atrocity, that's the real horror story.

It's my first time to read a book from Dekker and/or Peretti so I don't have any expectations whatsoever to what will I read. I've just started reading the book and hope for the best.

You can guess my hope didn't amount to what I've got in the end. I'm disappointed with this novel. It started with a generic setup and ends with a deus ex machina. The in-between is kind of good and bad at the same time.

I've been entertained with some parts. I've got scared, even thrilled and emphatized with the characters even they are one-dimensional. It also comes to the point that I understand the characters and their actions, their thoughts and feelings. That the game they are playing with the killer/s is testing them and pushing them to their limits and capacities. Physically, mentally, emotionally, even spiritually.

But, there are parts that it feels like the authors are trying so hard just to make the story scary, shocking and compelling for readers. There are plot devices that are plain unbelievable and eye-roll worthy. I just can't accept them. Oh well, I never read a Christian fiction before so that was probably the reason it was hard for me to accept them.

To sum it up, House is a generic suspense-thriller with a weak, perplexing plot and ridiculous resolution/climax.

House of Leaves meets Texas Chainsaw Massacre meets the Bible written by people who suck at character development. Skim your heart out.

Oh my god that was shit. It had a good premise until I realized its Jesus dying on the cross for peoples sins but rewritten as a haunted house where all the evil in the house is the darkness in your heart. Terrible.

First book I've read where a magical flying axe turns into a hammer and then back to an axe a few times, all within the span of three pages. I don't know how the authors, let alone the editors let that one slip by!

I read this about 12 years ago and remember thinking "wow, this is the first truly terrible book I've ever read." I'll never forget the thing about the axe/hammer. I laughed out loud every time it changed. It's like the two authors were arguing:

"It's an axe!"

"No! It should be a hammer."

"Absolutely not! It needs to be an axe, way scarier."

"What are you talking about. Hammers are way scarier than axes!"

So they just decided that it would switch back and forth every time it was mentioned.

This was a fun reread. I originally read the book back when it was first released, I think, but this is my first time reading it after seeing the movie. I found myself picturing the film while reading and that made for a great read. I definitely think the book had more details, but that is usually the case.

The house was creepy...and the basement?? Yikes. The house "rules" were crazy. The ending was intense.

All in all, I really enjoyed this reread and it is a favorite of Dekker's for me.

Uhg. This was some seriously weak sauce when all was said and done. It had its moments here and there, but this novel mostly played out like a poorly produced straight-to-DVD run-of-the-mill horror movie. And the 'Yay! The good guys always win!' ending made me groan and roll my eyes.

3.75 ⭐️ A very interesting and thrilling premise with a beautiful juxtaposition into deep theological topics.