Hex, Thomas Olde Heuvelt
I was a little hesitant to read this one, because I’m a wuss (let’s not even talk about Scooby Doo on Zombie Island, okay), and I was told it was pretty creepy. But actually, my problem with this book was not the creepiness — at least, not the supernatural stuff. I was really viscerally discomforted by the human nastiness. And the misogyny. And just… I don’t know, it really wasn’t to my taste, and I can’t even really find anything to say about it. I was more grossed out than weirded out — and it seems weird, because other bloggers I know didn’t remark on this stuff at all. (Though there are some Goodreads reviews that do, which I guess is reassuring.)
The witch herself is kind of creepy, but the modern trappings of the story didn’t fit for me. Reporting the appearance of a dead witch in your house via an app…? It’s clever, it works, but apparently I like my horror traditional.
I also didn’t get into the characters, at all; that’s probably what makes horror actually horrifying and absorbing for me, caring about what happens to a character. So the lack of that… eh. I can’t honestly say I enjoyed it at all. For a counterpoint, you might like Mogsy’s review.
Couldn’t agree more, Nikki. You picked up on the exact same things that caused me to DNF this – the modern trappings that didn’t work, and the characters I didn’t give a damn about.
Yeah, the modern stuff was… kind of a cool idea, but yet somehow for me it made it feel slightly ridiculous!
Sorry to hear this one didn’t work for you! I have to agree that a lot of horror in this was “human horror”, and just how quickly and sickeningly “civilization” can devolve in a situation where fear and paranoia reign supreme. I originally thought the premise was quite silly, but then it really sucked me in.
I think I really prefer the other view of humanity — that they’d pull together! Even if I’m not sure it’s plausible…