Vincent Tirado

It takes a while for the real reason nobody swims to surface (no pun intended), but you're caught pretty quickly in this story that blends the supernatural with the ugly effects of small town racism. The supposedly evil spirit becomes a most sympathetic character as you follow along while Bronwyn uncovers what is hidden underneath the rigid rules passed from one generation to the next. There are easily liked characters, but they seem, at times, to be outnumbered by hateful ones. I found is a show more fast and satisfying read. show less

This combines two of my favorite genres and I had very high hopes for it. Luckily it delivered.

The main character was engaging and I found myself rooting for her. I do wish we found out more about why her family hates her though. That felt like a loose end that I wish the author had closed. But I feel she was competent and intelligent and I wasn’t rolling my eyes at her choices.

I enjoyed how this all played out and at no point did I have a solid guess as to who it was. I was throwing out show more theories but they were mostly based on who I would least suspect, and not on anything concrete. I will say I in no way predicted who it would end up being.

This was definitely more mystery than it was horror, which isn’t bad, but I do wish it was scarier. I feel the author tried, and I commend them for that, but it wasn’t actually a horror book. I do still think the demon trope was an interesting new take on the locked door genre.

Overall I really enjoyed this book and would read more by this author. show less

4/5
Creepy build up, but weak payoff.

Gorgeous wine red end pages. absolutely love.
CW // swearing, blood, death, suicide, gaslighting, racism, mental health issues, alcohol abuse, dysfunctional families, family abuse (parent to adult child), hate crimes against 2SLGBTQIA (physical violence and speech)

This isn't my normal choice for horror, but this paid off (for the most part). I found Sol to be incredibly authentic and I've heard her thoughts, feelings, and experiences repeated by BIPOC show more women I know personally. This made me love the book all the more.

Sol and Alice, a married Dominican/Korean couple, are new home owners within the gated community of Maneless Grove. It's not the first choice that Sol would have made, but in this economy who can be overly picky? It quickly becomes apparent that the (mostly cis-white) community heavily believes in their Home Owners Association and keep pushing the couple to join. Sol and Alice know it's not a requirement and try to stay friendly despite the aggressive behaviours of the HOA members.
Sol is naturally anxious and skeptical, so Alice doesn't give much weight to it when Sol voices her increasing apprehension of the community, the HOA, and even the house itself. While going through a plagiarism accusation at work, Sol has a lot of time on her hands and it isn't helping her fight with alcoholism. To make matters worse, eerie occurrences start happening. Veronica, the child of their neighbour across the street is unnerving, actually all the children in the neighbourhood are unnerving. There is something about the only other queer couple in Maneless Grove. And what is up with the hideous tree growing in Sol and Alice's backyard? Is Maneless Grove as perfect as it appears? No, it never is. Especially for someone like Sol Reyes.

This book is heavy on the psychological horror. There's a lot of gaslighting, questioning, and asking what is real and what isn't. I didn't find it overly scary, but it was creepy and unsettling. I understood Sol and her issues. She goes to therapy a few times in the book and it was interesting to read. Her battles with racism, her relationship struggles with Alice, her struggles at work, and her family issues were all authentic and interesting. I felt like she was a character that wasn't perfect but was a true person, someone we all know or can see ourselves in. I enjoyed all the characters here, I wish there was more Corrinne though, I liked her a lot. Veronica too, it seemed that once her purpose was fulfilled she vanished. I would love to see this as a movie or TV adaption, I think it would work really well.

The only issue I had was with the ending. It felt like it just suddenly jumped, like we're missing a chapter or two to get us to where it ended. I like the ending, but I do feel like we're missing pertinent information to get that gut punch when we close the book. If the ending was stronger, with just a bit more build up to put us in the right lane, it would be a 4.5 even a solid 5.

I wholeheartedly recommend this book. It's spooky, it's creepy, it's authentic. I enjoyed it a lot and I am so glad I gave "suburban horror" a chance. show less

A young woman must contend with her toxic extended family and demons both metaphorical and literal at the reading of her grandfather's will.

I wish someone had told Tirado horror works better when characters have redeeming qualities. You cannot fear for a character's safety when they are such a complete asshole that you really want them to die in agony.

The story is okay—kind of Knives Out with demons and without the inventiveness. It would have worked better if it had been filled with show more characters rather than caricatures.

Received via NetGalley. show less