House of Pain

by Sèphera Girón

A young couple builds their dream home on a bulldozed and abandoned lot, only to find that unspeakable acts of violence took place there -- and that the evil still remains.

Genres: Horror, Fiction

360 pages, Paperback

First published August 1, 2001

About the author

Sèphera Girón is a multitalented artist with a background in stage, film, and music as well as writing. She holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Fine Arts Studies with a minor in Psychology from York University and is the author of many books and short stories.

When Sephera isn't writing, she's a professional tarot card reader. She also holds Certificates in Reiki and Touch for Health.

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lydia and Tony move into a house with an evil past. Two serial killers lived there and tortured their victims in a cave below. Tony built up a new house on the grounds of the old. Is everything alright now or does the past still haunt them? Extremely sinister tale with supernatural elements (the goddess) and acts of violence. With Lydia you also have a good shot of Rosemary's Baby feeling. Overall a very gripping and eerie haunted house story you won't forget so easily. Really recommended!

[Kelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

With two kids in school, there is one time above all else that is dreaded in my house: Report Cards. That time of year when your parenting skills are questioned, your child’s behavior divulged, and your patience level at an all time low. So since I must ride this academic wave, so must you.

E = Excellent S = Satisfactory I = Improvement Needed U = Unsatisfactory


Plot: U
Does not follow through with actions that are completely
logical. eg. Exploring the house.
Contains incomplete thoughts, leaving sub-plots hanging
with no resolve.
Regurgitates old material with no new flair.
Rather than explore a cryptic religion, the story
waddles in the comfort zone.

Pace: U
The speed is hurried and resistive.
The direction is announced too early.
The events unfold predictably.

Atmosphere: S
The details are significant and organized.
The air is filled with a scent of pine and
sweaty pennies.
The setting is realistic and familiar.

Style: E
Demonstrates consistent effort.
Writes with her reader in mind.
The narrative is expressive and concise.

Characters: U
Lack in background and personal history, only
providing glimpses into who these people are.
The players motivations are standard and played out.
Not one player evokes empathy nor recognition.

My rating? I give it a 2. Much like this review - the book cheated, cut corners, and basically only gave out the minimum required. Get it used!


-As reviewed for Horror-Web.com

[Mary · Rating 3 out of 5]

A solid start, a quick page turner that read more like a B rated movie than a book. A bit disappointed that there wasn't more meat to the story & way to much editing leaving me shaking my head a lot. I wish the author had taken more time

[Beth · Rating 2 out of 5]

Someone else said that this read like a B movie. I'll second that. It has a good pace and can easily be read in a night but, it is very much like a Saturday afternoon horror movie on one of the "off" channels. On the up side, there is not a ton of sex and it doesn't stand out in the gore department. I think that thing that makes it a little cheesy are the weird occult things. This is not a particularly scary book (at least, for me) and the focus is not really on the haunting of a house or ghosts in general (meaning that this is not what I would describe as a ghost story).

[Cheyenne Raine · Rating 4 out of 5]

the story kept me intrigued and the ending completely caught me off guard- it was a great little horror story to start off my spooky season this september!

[Rainelle · Rating 1 out of 5]

Boring book

[Angela · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was not very scary but a quick read

[Sarah · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was okay. I had a hard time sympathizing with Lydia because she seemed so stupid. I mean (spoiler) it was honestly almost impossible not to realize her husband was the kidnapper/killer along with his friends. You would think she would've noticed being drugged and raped (you can argue it was consensual, but with drugging, not really) by her husband and his two friends, and not simply dismiss it as a dream. All the suspicious things that were happening you would think would make her stand up and take notice. She does acknowledge how stupid she was at the end of the book, so even the author must of realized it was a stretch. The book was suspenseful, and it kept me reading, and I wanted to know what happened next and how it would all turn out, but I wasn't thrilled with the ending. It seemed too rushed. The writing was fine up until the end, but then it seemed kind of clumsy as if the writer was trying to finish the book on deadline and wasn't being so careful with her work choices anymore, and after a huge big build up that was so drawn out there was just a pretty quick ending where many things are revealed and then happen quickly with little reflection from the main character. I wish the author had tied up a few more loose ends (like what happened to Buddy) and taken a little more time and care with the last couple chapters of the book. Overall, I did like the plot and I suppose the book was worth reading, but it was far from perfect.

[Lindsey Albright · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed the book a lot and I wouldn't mind picking up more of Giron's work after reading this one. It had a lot of themes I can appreciate such as social stigma, thought provoking ideologies and situations, different levels of psychological horror, and I love that there is a very definite Latin voice that comes through the writing.

My favorite character was the dog. I mean, Buddy came in a close second, but Pilar was my favorite character. I was constantly wondering what was happening with her and her fate throughout the book. She's the one character that got me emotional, but I felt for Buddy and the main character Lydia too.

I love how the story ramps up. It builds on itself really well. The only reason that this book didn't get five stars out of me is because I wasn't so enamored with it when I finished with it that I couldn't just jump into a new book. I feel like the characters and the story had an affect on me but I don't feel like it was "amazing". I would definitely recommend it to anyone that enjoys intellectual horror though.

I'm very glad I read this book.

[Damla · Rating 2 out of 5]

amerikadayken ucuzluktan bulduğum bir kitap.fantastik yapmaya çalışırken mahfetmişler.

[Melanie Ransome · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not at all what I expected. It seemed reminiscent of many B movies. The amount of errors made it a difficult read.