House of Fallen Trees by Gina Ranalli

This book was a struggle.


House of Fallen Trees by Gina Ranalli
Horror Fiction
Released August 2009
Amazon | Goodreads | Better World Books 

"Two men have the carcass." 

 These words, heard over a crackling telephone line, change writer Karen Lewis's life for the worse. Months earlier, her brother went missing in the small rural town of Fallen Trees, Washington. And now she finds out he willed his half of a bizarre bed and breakfast to her. "Two men have the carcass." Is this ominous phrase enough to draw her into the mystery of Fallen Trees? Is the answer to her brother's disappearance located there? Or is it just a trap, something designed to draw her into a nightmare world and break her sanity? What horror awaits Karen in the House of Fallen Trees?

Here Are My Thoughts:

Well, I am sad to say that this book didn't work for me. I was very excited to start it and I LOVED the gorgeous cover but I didn't enjoy this story. It was very dream-like and that's fine if I am invested in the main character but Karen didn't come alive for me. She was very bland and slightly annoying and though she tried to come across as a bad ass bitch she ran screaming to the menfolk whenever something scary occurred and that drove me a little crazy. Many people love and adore this story but I had some issues that I cannot ignore. Here are a few of them:

*An unclear timeline. Someone's lover dies (goes missing?) 6 months previous and this someone later says he's been trying to have sexy times with another guy for the past 6 months. WTF? That makes you a creepy jerk with no loyalty or feelings!

*Unrealistic and sometimes cringy dialogue. "Don't flatter yourself bi-boy" #NoJustNo

*Inconsistent characterization. One character is described as the quickest to laugh and 4 pages later he's a "gloomy Gus". Make Up Your Mind.

*There was too much tedious telling and not enough showing.

*A lack of well done atmosphere. I should've felt a chill but I didn't.

*A character states animals do not have feelings. Screw you, Rory! Animals do too have feelings #SorryNotSorry

I'm giving it two stars because the dog Dusty lives. And you can yell at me for revealing that but if you are a dog person you absolutely NEED to know!

I wish I could write a positive review for every book I read but I have to be honest and this story didn't work for me.



Comments

  1. Lark Wednesday, November 07, 2018

    It's never good when you don't connect with the main character. And I have to admit, I don't love ambiguous timelines. They can work in some novels, but to me they're mostly just frustrating.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Tammy SparksWednesday, November 07, 2018

    I don't like writing negative reviews either, but sometimes you don't have a choice. Sorry this didn't work for you. But you're right, that cover is cool!

    ReplyDelete
  3. Nadene @Ttly Addicted 2 ReadingWednesday, November 07, 2018

    I know how you feel about negative reviews, but sometimes it cannot be helped.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Jen | Book DenWednesday, November 07, 2018

    It's very telling that the points in our reviews are very similar but our examples are totally different!! Such a bummer.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Erica RobynWednesday, November 07, 2018

    Ah darn!! The synopsis sounded so good! Thanks for the heads up about this one. Great review!

    ReplyDelete
  6. LauraThursday, November 08, 2018

    Dang it. I was hoping you liked this one. At least the dog lived.

    ReplyDelete
  7. chucklesthescotThursday, November 08, 2018

    It's important to know about the dog but the rest of the book sounds forgetable!

    ReplyDelete
  8. sherry fundinFriday, November 09, 2018

    Oh man, is the dog living the only redeeming quality you saw? Sorry it was a disappointment.
    sherry @ fundinmental

    ReplyDelete
  9. GregTuesday, November 13, 2018

    Well at least the dog makes it. :)

    ReplyDelete

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