Hello shopaholics and retails enthusiasts,

How’s life treatin’ ya? Well I hope! My next grad school semester is creeping up closer, so I’m kind of in a mad reading dash to get my fill before the madness begins.

Speaking of which, I finished another read! This time I read Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix.

The last time I picked up one of his books I tried out My Best Friend’s Exorcism (my review here if you’re interested) with some mixed results. However, I’ve been wanting to try another one in recent days so I picked this one up.

Did this one fare better than the other one? Keep on scrolling to find out. On with the book review!

Blurb

Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring bookshelves, shattered Glans water goblets, and smashed Liripip wardrobes. Sales are down, security cameras reveal nothing, and store managers are panicking.

To unravel the mystery, three employees volunteer to work a nine-hour dusk-till-dawn shift. In the dead of the night, they’ll patrol the empty showroom floor, investigate strange sights and sounds, and encounter horrors that defy the imagination.

A traditional haunted house story in a thoroughly contemporary setting, Horrorstör is designed to retain its luster and natural appearance for a lifetime of use. Pleasingly proportioned with generous French flaps and a softcover binding, Horrorstör delivers the psychological terror you need in the elegant package you deserve.

Designed by Andie Reid, cover photography by Christine Ferrara.

GoodReads

Amazon

***Brief disclosure***

I am an Amazon affiliate and earn a tiny commission for purchases made through the Amazon links in this post at no cost to you. It’s a great way to help me keep things running on my blog if you’re already intrigued enough to make a purchase. 

The Review

I had a fun time with this read, though it was a mixed bag like my other reads by this author.

This book is about an Ikea-esque furniture store. Amy has been working at a new location for a while and hates it, so she’s lying low while her transfer request goes through. However, when her by-the-rules manager tells her he’s aware of her request, he makes her an offer. Investigate the strange damages to the store overnight and he won’t object to her transfer. Are these damages just a case of vengeful employees, or is there a more nefarious threat to contend with?

Something I think Hendrix always nails is a concept. The Ikea knockoff theme was wonderful, and the ebook and physical copy both reflect a lot of great thought and care to this premise. The puns were really funny throughout and gave me some serious nostalgia. Also, just the thought of being in a department store overnight gives me the willies, so kudos there. However, like my last read of Hendrix’s the execution left something to be desired.

I liked the characters well enough, but I wanted more. Amy is in her twenties, and she hasn’t had the easiest life growing up in a trailer. She really wants to make something of herself and I think that’s something most people can relate to (I went through the same thing in my 20s), but that’s about all there is to her.

I wanted more complexity to her character, and all the other characters were pretty two-dimensional: Trinity, Matt, Basil, Ruth Anne. All of them fit the mold they’ve been given, but they almost feel like caricatures of people.

The plot was fun to follow along, but again I wanted more. The buildup was pretty great I’ll admit, and the scares were exciting, but Hendrix gives too much away. There’s a certain point in the story where something mysterious is brought up, and the remainder of the novel follows that something until the end. It just felt a little too predictable to me. Hendrix also has this habit of foreshadowing way too strongly, and it takes the fun out of the adventure. Stop killing the sense of mystery!

All in all, I think Hendrix fans will enjoy this spooky story, but if you want something truly horrifying you may want to look elsewhere.

That’s A Wrap!

Well that’s it for this book review. I hope you enjoyed it!

Have you read this book? Are there other similar books you’ve read that you simply have to gush about? Feel free to leave a comment. I’d love to start a conversation!

Have a great day!

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