Blog Tour: The Forever House by Tim Waggoner

Rating: 6.5/10

Synopsis

The Eldreds, a sinister family who feed on the negative emotions of humans, move to a sleepy cul de sac, where they lure their neighbors to face challenges designed to heighten their darkest emotions. But which will prove more deadly in the end, the Eldred… or the humans?

Review

I read The Forever House in a few short days, as it is a quick and easy read. When I was finished my first thought was: Wow! What did I just read? I had to sit back and digest this book to gather my feelings about it on many levels.

First of all, it is important for me to mention the trigger warnings. This book is VERY graphic and includes scenes of rape, molestation, and violence and gore. I like graphic books for the most part because I do not want authors to pull up short in their writing. I believe that if an author is not fully realizing their vision the book has the chance to comes across as an incomplete thought.

As for the graphic scenes in The Forever House, I did enjoy the violence and gore in this book. It fit in with the story well, and set the tone for the plot. This is horror, after all, and I want that type of atmosphere for my horror stories. I am a big fan of movies like Hellraiser, because I want those gorey scenes that are going to stick with me well after I have watched (or read) because they were so shocking. The Forever House gave me those same vibes. It kept me on the edge of my seat, and the plot was really unique.

I think the graphic rape and molestation scenes, however, were a detraction for this book. I know I just said I do not like it when authors pulls punches, but this is an instance where less would have been more. The scenes could have been written less graphically, the memories more blurry. This would have added to the atmosphere of the book, and the reader would not have had to experience some of the scenes so implicitly.

Overall, The Forever House is a good horror book. Think The Addams Family but add more murder. I recommend it for horror fans, with the caveat for those who are sensitive to the triggers mentioned above.