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The Inn
If you're very lucky. . .
The ramshackle B&B in western Massachusetts isn't just an inheritance--it seems like the best chance for Jack and Annabel Devlin to save their marriage and start over. But Annabel's first impressions of the remote inn don't ease her nerves. In fact, everything about the gloomy Victorian draws Annabel back into childhood nightmares. . .
They might let you leave. . .
Locals whisper about the Blue Boy Inn and its long history of murders and mysterious disappearances. Soon Annabel hears noises within the walls and glimpses something--some things--scurrying in the shadows. The locked attic, the bricked-up fireplace. . .for years they've helped keep a ravenous evil at bay. Now Jack and Annabel's arrival has stirred the house to life again. Debts must be paid, hungers will be satisfied, and one by one, Annabel's worst fears are about to come true. . .
The ramshackle B&B in western Massachusetts isn't just an inheritance--it seems like the best chance for Jack and Annabel Devlin to save their marriage and start over. But Annabel's first impressions of the remote inn don't ease her nerves. In fact, everything about the gloomy Victorian draws Annabel back into childhood nightmares. . .
They might let you leave. . .
Locals whisper about the Blue Boy Inn and its long history of murders and mysterious disappearances. Soon Annabel hears noises within the walls and glimpses something--some things--scurrying in the shadows. The locked attic, the bricked-up fireplace. . .for years they've helped keep a ravenous evil at bay. Now Jack and Annabel's arrival has stirred the house to life again. Debts must be paid, hungers will be satisfied, and one by one, Annabel's worst fears are about to come true. . .
448 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published December 30, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 97 reviews
October 31, 2018
Great tale for Hallowen.
January 22, 2015
*Goodreads First Reads advanced copy*
I really wanted to like this book. The premise seemed really promising as I enjoy good supernatural horror stories. Further, to be honest, there were parts where the story really took off and seemed to be drawing my attention. However, there were just too many aspects of the story that prevent me from rating it higher than 3 stars, and to me that is being a bit generous.
First and foremost, every time one of the main characters called his wife 'baby cakes' or 'sweetie pie' or 'angel sweets' I wanted to throw the book across the room. Almost every time he spoke to her he used at least one of these 'terms of endearment' and rather than feeling natural, it just enraged me. Perhaps there are people who converse with their significant other in this way, but it felt too unnatural to me.
Another part of the story that did not work for me had to do with the main character's background. The author was asking me to suspend too much disbelief in my opinion. How did her step father somehow create an exact image of the supernatural creatures in the current story in order to terrify her into behaving. The description the step father gave was too similar to the creatures while not necessarily being something normally thought to terrify a child.
Another aspect I found strange was that the husband and wife were so 'attractive' that they seemed to be viewed by every other character of the opposite sex as a desirable mate. This, to me, felt completely unlike life. Every person's tastes are different. Statistically speaking it should be impossible for everyone they come across to be attracted to them.
Lastly, I know that in most stories, especially horror stories, there are deaths. It is to be expected. It seemed like the author was checking off characters from a list to make sure everyone died except the main character and a couple characters that were hardly even known.
Overall I cannot specifically recommend The Inn to any one person. Some people may like it, as I did see some parts where the story started to take life. Who knows? If you like to read as much as I do, and you enjoy supernatural horror stories, perhaps you will like The Inn.
I really wanted to like this book. The premise seemed really promising as I enjoy good supernatural horror stories. Further, to be honest, there were parts where the story really took off and seemed to be drawing my attention. However, there were just too many aspects of the story that prevent me from rating it higher than 3 stars, and to me that is being a bit generous.
First and foremost, every time one of the main characters called his wife 'baby cakes' or 'sweetie pie' or 'angel sweets' I wanted to throw the book across the room. Almost every time he spoke to her he used at least one of these 'terms of endearment' and rather than feeling natural, it just enraged me. Perhaps there are people who converse with their significant other in this way, but it felt too unnatural to me.
Another part of the story that did not work for me had to do with the main character's background. The author was asking me to suspend too much disbelief in my opinion. How did her step father somehow create an exact image of the supernatural creatures in the current story in order to terrify her into behaving. The description the step father gave was too similar to the creatures while not necessarily being something normally thought to terrify a child.
Another aspect I found strange was that the husband and wife were so 'attractive' that they seemed to be viewed by every other character of the opposite sex as a desirable mate. This, to me, felt completely unlike life. Every person's tastes are different. Statistically speaking it should be impossible for everyone they come across to be attracted to them.
Lastly, I know that in most stories, especially horror stories, there are deaths. It is to be expected. It seemed like the author was checking off characters from a list to make sure everyone died except the main character and a couple characters that were hardly even known.
Overall I cannot specifically recommend The Inn to any one person. Some people may like it, as I did see some parts where the story started to take life. Who knows? If you like to read as much as I do, and you enjoy supernatural horror stories, perhaps you will like The Inn.
March 14, 2016
It started out ok with some good spooky chapters. But as the book went on it got a little silly with some very adolescent horror moments. Very predictable and an absolutely horrendous ending. Just my opinion though.
April 1, 2015
Not the worse book I ever read but not very good either. Too many redundancies and silly, stupid choices made by the main character. Very unbelievable and unrelatable. At one point towards the end I felt like the author was forcing some of the parts of the story to make it longer or more gruesome and scary but I was left feeling like the book would have been better if it ended faster and more directly. Dragging it out only made me want to not finish it but I had already given too much of my time to the book to not finish it. The writing style and word usage felt very amateur. Jack Devlin's character felt very cardboard and he was extremely irritating when every other word out of his mouth was stupid cheesy pet names for his wife. I think the author was trying to say that the house was alive and evil but it didn't feel that way. There was really no emotion from the house or the atmosphere to indicate it was the house that was evil. The little blue creatures and the insane occupants of the house took away from the house. And I was left wondering if the blue creatures were in fact the same creatures Daddy Ron was torturing Annabelle with and seems too weird for coincidence. This book had so much potential. I loved the idea of a haunted inn but that is not what this story is really about. There are no ghost just tiny blue demons that I just cannot find scary. The only part of the book that i thought was actually scary was the crazy sister in the attic. I do feel like everything surrounding Cindy was well done except for the fact of a woman killing so many people with nothing but a knife is a little far fetched even if the house did give her extra strength. Just a disappointing read that didn't live up to its potential.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 30, 2014
If you like cheesy horror movies written out in book form by a Grade 7 drop out, this book is for you.
October 20, 2017
I kept thinking ... Smurfs with teeth! No! I enjoyed a lot of it, it did drag in a few places, but in others there were some spooky moments. The idea of smurfs with teeth freaks me out.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 26, 2015
I like creepy stories. I saw this at the airport, read the synopsis and decided it was perfect to read on the flight home. It starts out as a pretty engaging story. The characters all have some baggage and it makes them interesting. Without doing too much in the "Spoiler" arena, I'll explain where the story started falling apart for me.
The main character, Anabelle was "born and raised" in Manhattan, and her dad was killed in the Iraq War. With the cost of housing, military salaries and lack of military facilities in Manhattan, that makes no sense. And as another reviewer pointed out, how can it be that her step father's imaginary boogie man is actually what manifests itself at The Inn? Although some other reviewers liked the little demon's name, I thought it was insipid, even for a child. There are some really great moments were I thought "Wow, that was really clever", unfortunately there were just as many where I just thought "Really?".
The book was also riddled with typos and sentence fragments where time was wasted trying to figure out what I was supposed to understand about that paragraph. The Proof Reader at the publisher needs to be replaced.
The one thing that I thought of that might possibly make this book make sense is something that no one else has mentioned. The Anabelle character is a recovering addict of several flavors who is said to hallucinate. I propose that there were no demons, possessions or dead sisters with a knife doing anything at The Inn. Anabelle hallucinated all the paranormal behaviors based on the stories she'd been told, she killed everyone (and I mean everyone). This can explain why she is the only survivor to the holocaust.
The main character, Anabelle was "born and raised" in Manhattan, and her dad was killed in the Iraq War. With the cost of housing, military salaries and lack of military facilities in Manhattan, that makes no sense. And as another reviewer pointed out, how can it be that her step father's imaginary boogie man is actually what manifests itself at The Inn? Although some other reviewers liked the little demon's name, I thought it was insipid, even for a child. There are some really great moments were I thought "Wow, that was really clever", unfortunately there were just as many where I just thought "Really?".
The book was also riddled with typos and sentence fragments where time was wasted trying to figure out what I was supposed to understand about that paragraph. The Proof Reader at the publisher needs to be replaced.
The one thing that I thought of that might possibly make this book make sense is something that no one else has mentioned. The Anabelle character is a recovering addict of several flavors who is said to hallucinate. I propose that there were no demons, possessions or dead sisters with a knife doing anything at The Inn. Anabelle hallucinated all the paranormal behaviors based on the stories she'd been told, she killed everyone (and I mean everyone). This can explain why she is the only survivor to the holocaust.
May 19, 2017
I had originally started writing a detailed review of this title. I gave up about 1/3 of the way in. I wanted to like this book. I am a sucker for a good haunted house story. This was not a good haunted house story. The characters and story line was all lazy trope writing. I could have written better in 8th grade. I found myself rolling my eyes at Annabelle on almost every other page. Here are some of the multitude of things that sauntered through my brain as I read this: Of course she is a recovering drug addict. Of course he cheated on her while she was in rehab. Of course she was an abused child. Of course she still hallucinates. Of course she has to be described as beautiful by every male character in the book. Of course there's scary old people. Of course there's secret passageways. Oh and a ghost covered in blood, how original. There really are too many things to mention. However, one other thing did stick out to me and that was in a scene toward the end where the miraculously still alive handsome police chief pulls her into a closet to hide and kisses her to keep her quiet. That is not a valid way to keep anyone quiet unless it's consented to. That was sexual assault which, of course, we touched on earlier when Jack came on to Tammy but because it was a "good" character trying to save our wilting female, it just wasn't considered assult-y enough? What a mess!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 16, 2020
If it were possible to give less than one star I would. This was the Worst Book Ever. Pure unadulterated drivel; absolute dreck.
Where to start - 1. plot line - very contrived and flimsy, not shocking, scary or supernatural at all. 2. terrible writing - who the heck calls their wife baby cakes? seriously. 3. the author includes marital rape and drugging as part of the storyline - totally unnecessary. 4. the number of dead people from a cast of characters that were too dumb to live - I actually lost count. And I hate to say it - but if you are that dumb you probably deserved what the author wrote for you. 5. the main character - Annabel - written so helplessly and so attractive that not only does her husband love/lust for her, the contractor love/lusts for her, Neville the guest at the Inn loves/lusts for her - oh and so does the small town sheriff???? give me a break - this book was absolute drivel.
Do yourself a favor and don't read this book. Seriously DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME READING THIS BOOK!
Where to start - 1. plot line - very contrived and flimsy, not shocking, scary or supernatural at all. 2. terrible writing - who the heck calls their wife baby cakes? seriously. 3. the author includes marital rape and drugging as part of the storyline - totally unnecessary. 4. the number of dead people from a cast of characters that were too dumb to live - I actually lost count. And I hate to say it - but if you are that dumb you probably deserved what the author wrote for you. 5. the main character - Annabel - written so helplessly and so attractive that not only does her husband love/lust for her, the contractor love/lusts for her, Neville the guest at the Inn loves/lusts for her - oh and so does the small town sheriff???? give me a break - this book was absolute drivel.
Do yourself a favor and don't read this book. Seriously DO NOT WASTE YOUR TIME READING THIS BOOK!
January 6, 2022
The premise seemed interesting, scary haunted inn in the middle of the woods full of history and mystery, but the book doesn't deliver.
Annabel and Jack arrive at the Inn and right away the low budget horror movie thrills start. Murder, kidnapping, strange women in the attic, is that really rabbit in the stew?!?
But everyone seems fine with this and stay on at the Inn instead of fleeing like anyone outside of a horror movie would do. Add lots more murder and things living in the fireplace for a book that leaves you yearning to know how so many bad decisions can happen in such a short time frame.
Overall the book is no where near scary. I kept hoping the author would explain the history of the houses desire to be "satisfied" but it doesn't happen. Too many loose ends, weak plot and two thirds of the book you want to yell "dear God just leave" make for the 2 star review.
Annabel and Jack arrive at the Inn and right away the low budget horror movie thrills start. Murder, kidnapping, strange women in the attic, is that really rabbit in the stew?!?
But everyone seems fine with this and stay on at the Inn instead of fleeing like anyone outside of a horror movie would do. Add lots more murder and things living in the fireplace for a book that leaves you yearning to know how so many bad decisions can happen in such a short time frame.
Overall the book is no where near scary. I kept hoping the author would explain the history of the houses desire to be "satisfied" but it doesn't happen. Too many loose ends, weak plot and two thirds of the book you want to yell "dear God just leave" make for the 2 star review.
May 24, 2015
**I received a copy of this book through a Goodreads giveaway in exchange for an honest review. **
I'm going to keep my thoughts really short on this book because I seriously dislike unfavourable reviews. This book is the paper equivalent of a random cheesy horror movie that you can't believe you wasted your time on when you finished it.
It started out OK but that was the best that it got. The plot and characters did nothing for me and I debated giving up on it numerous times. It just didn't have that certain something that made me want to read and know more. Not my cup of tea.
I'm giving it two stars instead of one only because I have read worse books
I'm going to keep my thoughts really short on this book because I seriously dislike unfavourable reviews. This book is the paper equivalent of a random cheesy horror movie that you can't believe you wasted your time on when you finished it.
It started out OK but that was the best that it got. The plot and characters did nothing for me and I debated giving up on it numerous times. It just didn't have that certain something that made me want to read and know more. Not my cup of tea.
I'm giving it two stars instead of one only because I have read worse books
March 17, 2015
Not great
Really had high expectations for this book. It didn't live up to them. Poor character development and the plot and dialogue were almost as bad. Characters didn't make reasonable decisions or react to situations in a reasonable or believable manner. Too bad because it had a great deal of potential.
Really had high expectations for this book. It didn't live up to them. Poor character development and the plot and dialogue were almost as bad. Characters didn't make reasonable decisions or react to situations in a reasonable or believable manner. Too bad because it had a great deal of potential.
October 28, 2024
This was fast paced and with short chapters it is a quick read.
The premise of this is good, just a classic haunted house/ghost story, but the execution isn't great. It's not terrible either, but it just ends up being cheesy and not real scary nor thrilling.
Jack is an unlikeable character from the beginning. His constant terms of endearment for Annabel are quickly annoying and just gross. It would have been less weird had he used a 'standard' term like honey or babe, but he uses ones like 'honey baby lover' and ' baby cakes' constantly and it just felt over the top and unnatural. It also got very annoying very quickly. I did loosely get Jack from The Shining vibes from him, as he slowly seems to get more insane as time goes on. But it also felt like this was trying to rip off The Shining as well, and poorly done at that. Annabel is also an idiot and makes stupid decision after stupid decision, which made it difficult to care about her as a character as well.
There are plenty of things that just don't make sense, or were not done well.
I could go on about other things that didn't make sense, but I think we all get the point. Events just needed to tie together better. It felt like the author wanted all these different elements but didn't know how to tie them all together for a cohesive story. Had the author been able to achieve that, I think this would have been a much better book. It was still a quick read, and I was mostly entertained throughout, I just would have liked to see it all tied together better.
The premise of this is good, just a classic haunted house/ghost story, but the execution isn't great. It's not terrible either, but it just ends up being cheesy and not real scary nor thrilling.
Jack is an unlikeable character from the beginning. His constant terms of endearment for Annabel are quickly annoying and just gross. It would have been less weird had he used a 'standard' term like honey or babe, but he uses ones like 'honey baby lover' and ' baby cakes' constantly and it just felt over the top and unnatural. It also got very annoying very quickly. I did loosely get Jack from The Shining vibes from him, as he slowly seems to get more insane as time goes on. But it also felt like this was trying to rip off The Shining as well, and poorly done at that. Annabel is also an idiot and makes stupid decision after stupid decision, which made it difficult to care about her as a character as well.
There are plenty of things that just don't make sense, or were not done well.
I could go on about other things that didn't make sense, but I think we all get the point. Events just needed to tie together better. It felt like the author wanted all these different elements but didn't know how to tie them all together for a cohesive story. Had the author been able to achieve that, I think this would have been a much better book. It was still a quick read, and I was mostly entertained throughout, I just would have liked to see it all tied together better.
October 6, 2020
I have mixed feelings here. There were some pretty good moments and the premise was good, even if it didn't exactly tread new ground. Sometimes a well-written cliched ghost story is what you want. I did have some issues though...
1. Angel pie, sweetie cakes, and ::gags:: honey baby lover are just some of the cringey endearments Jack utters every time he addresses Annabel. It was excessive and kind of gross.
2. Why would anyone set up an inn business on a property they know is so dangerous?
3. So many mentions of the rabbit stew. Even the grocery store owner knows to associate it with the grandmother, even though she rarely interacted with her. I guess because rabbits are prey animals, so symbolism?
4. Born and raised in Manhattan, yet the dad was in the military? Unless they lived apart, this makes no sense. No military bases in Manhattan. Even with a commute, what military salary could support Manhattan cost of living?
5. I kept waiting for an explanation about how Daddy Ron knew about the blue demons years before Annabel goes to the Blue Boy Inn. But nope. Also, nice of the mom to check out and leave her with that monster.
6.
8. Who kisses a near stranger to warn them not to cry out? If she were ugly/wrong gender/wrong age/related would he have used the same tactic, or would he have quietly told her who he was and to be quiet, like a normal person? In this scenario though, it was creepy and weird. Also weird that she just rolls with it like it's no biggie.
9. WHY did no one tell Annabel the truth about the house BEFORE she ripped out the bricks? For something that crucial it should've been a priority.
10. A storm that size in the age of information and advance warning systems, and no one was prepared? Plus, the townspeople seemed static, even in the storm. The librarian stays at work instead of going home, and Annabel even expects that the shopkeeper is still at the grocery store in the middle of the blizzard. Plus, they go shopping for the very unessential renovation supplies through the beginning of the storm. Non-essential stores would be closed. And the semi-preachy global warming comments pulled me out of the story. Once was sufficient, twice was annoying.
Dishonorable mentions: Annabel spelling (as in Lee?), stuck in an inn in a blizzard, with a crazy, failed writer who is possessed by a house, named Jack. There are more (stuck for a whole weekend in a building housing a busy fashion magazine, among other things. Not a soul working for any of those businesses all weekend? No one knew she was there, even with emergency buttons in the elevator? Recurring hallucinations from a previous cocaine addiction? I may be wrong, but I thought cocaine induced psychosis didn't last months after the drug is out of your system.) but I've nitpicked enough.
What worked for me:
1. The feeling of isolation and claustrophobia.
2. The unraveling of their relationship and Jack's worse nature revealing itself.
3. Jack was deliciously unlikeable from the beginning. Sometimes you need a good villain to hate.
For me it was still a decent supernatural story, even if there were issues and not enough information about the history for my liking. The backstory of the house seemed like an afterthought, even though it was important to why these things were happening. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying, but at least it didn't drag I guess? I do wonder how she'll explain all the carnage though.
1. Angel pie, sweetie cakes, and ::gags:: honey baby lover are just some of the cringey endearments Jack utters every time he addresses Annabel. It was excessive and kind of gross.
2. Why would anyone set up an inn business on a property they know is so dangerous?
3. So many mentions of the rabbit stew. Even the grocery store owner knows to associate it with the grandmother, even though she rarely interacted with her. I guess because rabbits are prey animals, so symbolism?
4. Born and raised in Manhattan, yet the dad was in the military? Unless they lived apart, this makes no sense. No military bases in Manhattan. Even with a commute, what military salary could support Manhattan cost of living?
5. I kept waiting for an explanation about how Daddy Ron knew about the blue demons years before Annabel goes to the Blue Boy Inn. But nope. Also, nice of the mom to check out and leave her with that monster.
6.
8. Who kisses a near stranger to warn them not to cry out? If she were ugly/wrong gender/wrong age/related would he have used the same tactic, or would he have quietly told her who he was and to be quiet, like a normal person? In this scenario though, it was creepy and weird. Also weird that she just rolls with it like it's no biggie.
9. WHY did no one tell Annabel the truth about the house BEFORE she ripped out the bricks? For something that crucial it should've been a priority.
10. A storm that size in the age of information and advance warning systems, and no one was prepared? Plus, the townspeople seemed static, even in the storm. The librarian stays at work instead of going home, and Annabel even expects that the shopkeeper is still at the grocery store in the middle of the blizzard. Plus, they go shopping for the very unessential renovation supplies through the beginning of the storm. Non-essential stores would be closed. And the semi-preachy global warming comments pulled me out of the story. Once was sufficient, twice was annoying.
Dishonorable mentions: Annabel spelling (as in Lee?), stuck in an inn in a blizzard, with a crazy, failed writer who is possessed by a house, named Jack. There are more (stuck for a whole weekend in a building housing a busy fashion magazine, among other things. Not a soul working for any of those businesses all weekend? No one knew she was there, even with emergency buttons in the elevator? Recurring hallucinations from a previous cocaine addiction? I may be wrong, but I thought cocaine induced psychosis didn't last months after the drug is out of your system.) but I've nitpicked enough.
What worked for me:
1. The feeling of isolation and claustrophobia.
2. The unraveling of their relationship and Jack's worse nature revealing itself.
3. Jack was deliciously unlikeable from the beginning. Sometimes you need a good villain to hate.
For me it was still a decent supernatural story, even if there were issues and not enough information about the history for my liking. The backstory of the house seemed like an afterthought, even though it was important to why these things were happening. The ending was abrupt and unsatisfying, but at least it didn't drag I guess? I do wonder how she'll explain all the carnage though.
June 16, 2023
So, there's this guy named Jack, and he's just inherited his grandmother's bed-and-breakfast, which the locals consider extremely haunted. Jack's wife is uncertain about the ghostly aspect of the place, but is up for remodeling it top to bottom and marketing the inn from a new angle.
Jack's grandmother hates this idea, and is particularly adamant that the blocked-up fireplace remain blocked-up.
It's wintertime, and they end up in the middle of a monstrous storm. The place begins to take a strange hold of Jack, and everyone is visited by ghostly apparitions.
If this sounds a little bit like "The Shining," that's because it is. However, William Patterson's writing style is not similar to Stephen King's, and it really only recalls that book in superficial ways.
Even after finishing "The Inn," I'm left a little uncertain how I feel about the little blue characters. They're introduced early on, and while certainly unique, I could never quite take them too seriously.
Jack's grandmother hates this idea, and is particularly adamant that the blocked-up fireplace remain blocked-up.
It's wintertime, and they end up in the middle of a monstrous storm. The place begins to take a strange hold of Jack, and everyone is visited by ghostly apparitions.
If this sounds a little bit like "The Shining," that's because it is. However, William Patterson's writing style is not similar to Stephen King's, and it really only recalls that book in superficial ways.
Even after finishing "The Inn," I'm left a little uncertain how I feel about the little blue characters. They're introduced early on, and while certainly unique, I could never quite take them too seriously.
April 24, 2024
I told someone that I wasn't big on ghost stories, and this book was recommended to me, them telling me that I must not be reading the right type of supernatural books.
I'll read pretty much anything, so I gave this one a go. The beginning was a great set up to a creepy story. But once the events started, I almost lost interest due to some things being redundant and too wordy. But at least the chapters were short, and a very easy read. After finishing, I was left with more questions than answers.. still, blue little people with scary teeth are a good idea I guess.. maybe I'm just not a huge supernatural fan
I'll read pretty much anything, so I gave this one a go. The beginning was a great set up to a creepy story. But once the events started, I almost lost interest due to some things being redundant and too wordy. But at least the chapters were short, and a very easy read. After finishing, I was left with more questions than answers.. still, blue little people with scary teeth are a good idea I guess.. maybe I'm just not a huge supernatural fan
September 26, 2019
Well I thought I had gotten The Inn by James Patterson but had accidentally ordered The Inn by William Patterson. It wasn’t very good but I trudged through it because I thought James had authored it! The 400 pages could have been widdled down by half. Not very scary but gruesome. The “endearing” names the main character had for his wife were weird.... angel pie, honey baby lover, baby cakes. Ugh, but a 2 for creative writing. Not sure if I’ll get to The Inn by James but will leave on my to read list.
February 23, 2021
What could be better than a solid mix of The Conjuring and The Shining, as advertised on the back cover? William Patterson’s The Inn is best to be tossed “out” before committing any more time to reading. A low-budget attempt at “Amityville Horror meets Gremlins”, silly and not the least bit scary, with disappointing characters, strained and prolonged storylines, and hokey dialog. Jack- please stop with the silly pet names for Annabel. I can only hope that Patterson’s remaining stock of this book was left in one of the Blue Boy Inn rooms through the very last chapter.
November 15, 2021
The author does a great job making the reader hate his main character in the first handful of pages. The rest of them are shallow caricatures. I was actually rooting for the house by the time it ended.
They try to paint Annabel as some strong person when she’s carried through the story through multiple guys who become enamored of her. One of them being the boyfriend of a missing occupant of the inn. She spends her time being locked in one room or another. Only in the last 2 or 3 pages does she fight back and set the house on fire using someone else’s plan and prep work.
They try to paint Annabel as some strong person when she’s carried through the story through multiple guys who become enamored of her. One of them being the boyfriend of a missing occupant of the inn. She spends her time being locked in one room or another. Only in the last 2 or 3 pages does she fight back and set the house on fire using someone else’s plan and prep work.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 10, 2017
This could be a GREAT book. Seriously, it could be absolutely terrifying. As it stands, it's very suspenseful, there's a good deal of violence, the paranormal, craziness... It's all in here!
Except, it's slightly stupid. lol Like, incredibly imaginative which wandered off into the land of stupidity. If you're looking for an odd sort of Beach Read, you've found it.
Except, it's slightly stupid. lol Like, incredibly imaginative which wandered off into the land of stupidity. If you're looking for an odd sort of Beach Read, you've found it.
August 29, 2019
I'm not a horror connoisseur. I just wanted something fun and scary. I inhaled this book in less than a day. It wasn't quite as creepy as it could have been, but I was really rooting for the main character. And while the ending wasn't exactly what I would have wished for, it was satisfying and cinematic.
June 8, 2017
It was a little hokey. I thought the writer did a good job keeping the mystery going, maybe a little to long, and too many deaths. I also thought the ending was abrupt, maybe one of the hero's could have survived?
January 18, 2018
This really seemed pretty scary in the beginning and as the story moved along, it became cheesy, but it kept me reading so I am giving it the 3⭐ review for keeping me entertained. If you don't appreciate short, very short, chapters then this one will surely irritate you as it did me as well.
June 24, 2018
It looks like I’m in the minority here, but I enjoyed this book. I had no expectations going in as I bought it through a discount site.
If you start this book not expecting a Stephen King like story you’ll be pleased.
I enjoyed it.
If you start this book not expecting a Stephen King like story you’ll be pleased.
I enjoyed it.
July 5, 2018
This story was sort of cute. Which isn't too bad, until you consider it's a horror story. I enjoyed aspects of it--snowbound inn, creepy happenings--but ultimately, it felt a little cheesy for me. I was entertained, a fast read.
October 3, 2019
I bought this book by mistake, I thought it was by James patterson, I read it anyway and I was surprised how good it was. Good story and scared the hell out of me a couple times. Highly recommend to those who like horror stories.
October 30, 2020
A little bit over the top
This book could have been a short story, it just took way to long and way too many deaths to be scary! I'm not one for always having a happily ever after but a little bit of sunshine wouldn't hurt. Wasn't that impressed.
This book could have been a short story, it just took way to long and way too many deaths to be scary! I'm not one for always having a happily ever after but a little bit of sunshine wouldn't hurt. Wasn't that impressed.
November 10, 2021
1.5. Terribly drawn characters, terrible dialogue, and that was just the first chapter. And it's like 450pp long? And blue meanies (which I gathered from reading a few reviews with spoilers)?? That's it. I'm pulling the plug now!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
December 12, 2022
A definite page-turner, parts of this book kept me on the edge of my seat. However, the author does tend to go over the top at times. Still, there are thrills and chills to be had in abundance. Recommended read for a cold winter's evening.
June 29, 2017
It was a pretty cheesy book but I finished reading it so it wasn't that bad
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