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Heather Cranmer (2721 KP) rated House of Madness in Books
Mar 1, 2019
Good Pacing (1 more)
Interesting Characters
An Okay Ghost Story
I love love love paranormal thrillers! Ghost stories are my favorite, so when House of Madness by Sara Harris was up for review, I jumped at the chance. However, House of Madness was just an okay story. It wasn't brilliant, but it wasn't bad either.
The plot for House of Madness has been done before, but it was interesting to see how Sara Harris changed it up a bit. Adelaide (Addie), her husband Tim, and their daughter, Michaela, who's on the Autistic spectrum move to a great big house out in West Texas. Addie is an aspiring writer and had suffered a miscarriage previously. This new house, that they bought on the cheap, is their chance for a fresh start. However, it isn't long until weird things start happening and Michaela seems to have made a ghostly friend. The house previously belonged to a couple of doctors, and it also comes with a horrific past. There were times the plot seemed a bit far-fetched, but for the most part, I found the story to be enjoyable and entertaining. There were no cliff hangers in House of Madness, although I was left with one or two questions about the ending which I won't go into because to do so would mean spoilers. There were a couple of plot twists. I was able to easily predict one.
I felt some of the prose was a bit wacky sounding. One sentence in the book that sounded a bit strange was "His voice trailed off and mixed with a hot swirl of West Texas air." Maybe it's just me, but it didn't sound right. Another weird sounding sentence I found was "The closet door fell open with a creak." I imagined the door actually falling. Surely, it would have been better to write "The closet door opened with a creak"? Maybe I'm just being too pedantic. There were times when I felt like I was reading a young adult novel rather than a book aimed at adults. Saying all of that, I still did find the book to be a decent read.
I enjoyed the characters in House of Madness. They all felt realistic. Michaela and Addie seemed to be the main characters, and I enjoyed reading about them. I loved how sweet Michaela came across, and I loved how brave Addie could be. I enjoyed the little ghost girl named Lisette. I was always wondering if she'd turn out to double cross Michaela though. The ghost of Ritchie was definitely an interesting character. He was another one that made me question whether or not he would turn out bad or good. I always trusted Rochelle for some reason. The doctors, Marjorie and Roland Darkland, were also well written although they must have been very fit for an older couple considering they were probably supposed to be in their early 80s at the very least. (For the record, I'm assuming that House of Madness takes place in modern day. It's never actually mentioned what year it is.)
House of Madness is a short read, and the pacing made it feel even shorter. I thought that Sara Harris did an excellent job with the pacing. I found myself not wanting to stop reading at all. I had to know what happened next concerning the ghosts as well as the living characters.
Trigger warnings for House of Madness include violence, murder, attempted murder, mental illnesses, and talk of a miscarriage.
Overall, House of Madness was an alright read. Yes, the writing was a little shaky at times, but it's still worth reading for those who enjoy ghost stories. The characters were great, and the pacing was fantastic. I would recommend House of Madness by Sara Harris to those aged 15+ who like a short ghost story.
--
(A special thank you to Silver Dagger Book Tours for providing me with an eBook of House of Madness by Sara Harris in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
The plot for House of Madness has been done before, but it was interesting to see how Sara Harris changed it up a bit. Adelaide (Addie), her husband Tim, and their daughter, Michaela, who's on the Autistic spectrum move to a great big house out in West Texas. Addie is an aspiring writer and had suffered a miscarriage previously. This new house, that they bought on the cheap, is their chance for a fresh start. However, it isn't long until weird things start happening and Michaela seems to have made a ghostly friend. The house previously belonged to a couple of doctors, and it also comes with a horrific past. There were times the plot seemed a bit far-fetched, but for the most part, I found the story to be enjoyable and entertaining. There were no cliff hangers in House of Madness, although I was left with one or two questions about the ending which I won't go into because to do so would mean spoilers. There were a couple of plot twists. I was able to easily predict one.
I felt some of the prose was a bit wacky sounding. One sentence in the book that sounded a bit strange was "His voice trailed off and mixed with a hot swirl of West Texas air." Maybe it's just me, but it didn't sound right. Another weird sounding sentence I found was "The closet door fell open with a creak." I imagined the door actually falling. Surely, it would have been better to write "The closet door opened with a creak"? Maybe I'm just being too pedantic. There were times when I felt like I was reading a young adult novel rather than a book aimed at adults. Saying all of that, I still did find the book to be a decent read.
I enjoyed the characters in House of Madness. They all felt realistic. Michaela and Addie seemed to be the main characters, and I enjoyed reading about them. I loved how sweet Michaela came across, and I loved how brave Addie could be. I enjoyed the little ghost girl named Lisette. I was always wondering if she'd turn out to double cross Michaela though. The ghost of Ritchie was definitely an interesting character. He was another one that made me question whether or not he would turn out bad or good. I always trusted Rochelle for some reason. The doctors, Marjorie and Roland Darkland, were also well written although they must have been very fit for an older couple considering they were probably supposed to be in their early 80s at the very least. (For the record, I'm assuming that House of Madness takes place in modern day. It's never actually mentioned what year it is.)
House of Madness is a short read, and the pacing made it feel even shorter. I thought that Sara Harris did an excellent job with the pacing. I found myself not wanting to stop reading at all. I had to know what happened next concerning the ghosts as well as the living characters.
Trigger warnings for House of Madness include violence, murder, attempted murder, mental illnesses, and talk of a miscarriage.
Overall, House of Madness was an alright read. Yes, the writing was a little shaky at times, but it's still worth reading for those who enjoy ghost stories. The characters were great, and the pacing was fantastic. I would recommend House of Madness by Sara Harris to those aged 15+ who like a short ghost story.
--
(A special thank you to Silver Dagger Book Tours for providing me with an eBook of House of Madness by Sara Harris in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.)
Mekkin B. (122 KP) rated Reefer Madness (2005) in Movies
Sep 11, 2017
This is one of my all time favorite movies. As a musical adapted to the big screen, it retains the rhythmic and incredibly precise movements you might expect from a well rehearsed play. Alan Cummings is brilliant, as are Kristen Bell, Christian Campbell, and Ana Gasteyer. The songs are catchy, campy fun, brilliantly skewering the original Reefer Madness for a new generation. As the film descends into reefer madness and the character's dangerous weed addiction provoke more and more unlikely responses, the film's reality begins to unravel into murder, chaos, and marijuana zombies.
Watch this if you like comedic musicals, cannabis induced cannibalism, or you just want to see Kristen Bell in latex S&M gear.
Watch this if you like comedic musicals, cannabis induced cannibalism, or you just want to see Kristen Bell in latex S&M gear.
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Casey (3 KP) rated Flowers for Algernon in Books
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Movie Metropolis (309 KP) rated The Shining (1980) in Movies
Jun 10, 2019
Stanley Kubrick was an absolute mastermind when it came to directing and watching his films are like a masterclass in movie-making magic. Sure, he was apparently very difficult to work with at times and on the set of The Shining in particular drove one cast member to near madness.
Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, The Shining is a 1980 horror classic. It’s not particularly scary anymore, but at the time, it was a deeply unnerving film set in a bleak mountain location. Look out for an incredible performance from the legendary Jack Nicholson if you haven’t seen it before. The cast member driven to madness? That would be Shelley Duvall.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/02/28/best-snow-movies-top-5/
Based on Stephen King’s novel of the same name, The Shining is a 1980 horror classic. It’s not particularly scary anymore, but at the time, it was a deeply unnerving film set in a bleak mountain location. Look out for an incredible performance from the legendary Jack Nicholson if you haven’t seen it before. The cast member driven to madness? That would be Shelley Duvall.
https://moviemetropolis.net/2018/02/28/best-snow-movies-top-5/