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The Elevator
After the strange disappearance of their classmate, Julie Anderson, four friends sneak into an unlocked building to play a game to help them locate Julie in "The Other World." Once they come back with her, odd things begin to happen--nightmares, a mysterious woman, possessions, and a mark of something terrible.
The web of secrets and lies unravel.
Who will survive these horrors? And who will die?
The web of secrets and lies unravel.
Who will survive these horrors? And who will die?
389 pages, ebook
First published September 1, 2020
3 people are currently reading
18 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 20, 2020
I will never look at an elevator the same way. Hell, if I can help it, I might not even get on one again. This spine tingling thriller takes you on a journey you will never forget. Dark, suspenseful and utterly captivating, I was unable to put it down until I knew what fate befell the ragtag group of friends. Full of lies, dark secrets and moments of heart stopping shock, this was an amazing introduction for me into the thriller/horror genre and has got me hooked. I cannot wait to read more by the amazingly T. L Hanigan - especially the follow up book for The Elevator! This was an awesome, faced paced read that didn't take too long and I would wholeheartedly recommend it to anyone and everyone... that is, as long as you don't mind not sleeping for a while.
Huge thank you to T.L Hanigan for giving me an ARC of The Elevator in return for an honest review, I can't wait to read more of your work in the future.
Huge thank you to T.L Hanigan for giving me an ARC of The Elevator in return for an honest review, I can't wait to read more of your work in the future.
June 16, 2021
A thrilling horror story with fun and interesting characters fighting a villain who is powerful enough to be intimidating but not so powerful that beating them is impossible. What more could i ask for?
Drama? In spades
Romance? One of my favourite relationships in a non-romance story
A well earned 5/5 from an author I look forward to seeing more from.
Drama? In spades
Romance? One of my favourite relationships in a non-romance story
A well earned 5/5 from an author I look forward to seeing more from.
July 25, 2020
Wow.
I'm at the loss at words still from reading T.L. Hanigan's newest novel. This story is fast-paced, thrilling, and will get your heart pumping. I wanted to read the whole thing in a night, but had to split it up to enjoy this well-written horror. Each event, and twist that went with it, was so unexpected and UNPREDICTABLE.
I cannot wait for the next book!
This book is a must read for horror fans! It will leave a chill down your spine, and bring your fears--you never thought you had--to life.
I'm at the loss at words still from reading T.L. Hanigan's newest novel. This story is fast-paced, thrilling, and will get your heart pumping. I wanted to read the whole thing in a night, but had to split it up to enjoy this well-written horror. Each event, and twist that went with it, was so unexpected and UNPREDICTABLE.
I cannot wait for the next book!
This book is a must read for horror fans! It will leave a chill down your spine, and bring your fears--you never thought you had--to life.
November 16, 2020
WOW!!! This book keeps you on the edge of your seat! I didn’t expect any of the twists and turns that the characters went through. And the ending was a huge surprise! If you like fast-paced thrillers and horror stories, this book is for you. Well done, T.L. Hanigan. I can't wait to read more of your books.
December 6, 2021
This book is phenomenal and exciting 👏🤩 bravo T.L. Hanigan you're a legend!!@
February 10, 2025
Okay, I need to preface this by saying that I am definitely not the target audience for this book. I found this book through the Japanese folklore it's based on, and did not realise its more YA appeal until I started. Further, I also read the entire thing in two sittings, for what that is worth, so it did have some level of appeal in my brain. However, this does not detract from the fact that I think this book is a mess.
Regarding the character work, I specifically despise any interaction between Ashlee and Luke, and to a certain extent every couple in this novel. Here is one example of an interaction between a couple early in the novel, literally a day after a life-or-death experience:
Luke let out a long sigh. "Well, are you okay?"
I chuckled, "Yes, babe, I'm fine." Then I asked, "Are you okay?"
He nodded. "As long as you are. I'm just sick of all this paranormal stuff."
I nodded. "Me, too. It's getting annoying."
This is how every couple talks in this novel, and it is painful. Further, I can't chalk up even a naive teenager finding out about a literal second dimension, nearly dying, having another friend who is currently dying, and calling it 'annoying'.
Ashlee when on her own is actually fine. I have no complaints about her inner monologue, or when she's interacting with her sister or friends. But the second Luke is in the room, her IQ drops by 25 points.
On the general plot - I enjoy the premise, and the basic mystery/suspense plot of trying to figure out how to stop the curse and end the game is something I find interesting. But this is completely lost by just general absurd plot beats. For starters, every single character, including multiple parents and a random security guard, just so happen all be aware of and have played this supernatural game where people regularly die, and it's all played as if that's no big deal. The plot continues with no stoppages, no one (outside of the first chapter) needing ANY proof of any of this, and with every important character somehow knowing everything.
Which brings me to my second point, 90% of the plot is just one character hiding something from another character with no greater purpose than to drag the plot along. This entire novel beyond the introductory chapters could be summed up by 'character x knows the answer but refuses to provide it because it might hurt someone's feelings.' This would be fine with lower stakes, but this is a life-and-death scenario and these people (quite often parents!) are causing real physical harm to the protagonists with no real reasoning.
All of these issues are only emphasised in the second half of the novel, which feels both rushed, yet repetitive. There is this continuous back and forth of 'oh we stopped the curse' and 'oh wait no we didn't' that works the first time, but becomes almost comical after the fifth (fifth is not an exaggeration). As I said in the beginning, the *concept* of the final twist, with is actually quite interesting, but is completely ruined by the execution. What could be something genuinely thrilling becomes hard to take seriously.
Also on the writing quality - and this could also be chalked up to authors intent or voice - but the grammar throughout the novel just irks me. Random comma placements where it makes no sense:
Before I knew what, I was doing, I had followed her into the room as well.
Little flow issues like this persist throughout, and they bring, the flow of the novel, down to a crawl.
Despite all of that, I was still considering giving this two stars, because something did grip me. The background is quite good, the beginning is solid, there are some very enjoyable plot beats in the first half, and I did enjoy the *premise* of the end twist (the execution, not so much). But what did it for me was on the final page:
'"Oh, um, thanks. But Derek drove me..."'
That character's name is actually David. The author wrote the wrong name. I triple-checked.
Regarding the character work, I specifically despise any interaction between Ashlee and Luke, and to a certain extent every couple in this novel. Here is one example of an interaction between a couple early in the novel, literally a day after a life-or-death experience:
Luke let out a long sigh. "Well, are you okay?"
I chuckled, "Yes, babe, I'm fine." Then I asked, "Are you okay?"
He nodded. "As long as you are. I'm just sick of all this paranormal stuff."
I nodded. "Me, too. It's getting annoying."
This is how every couple talks in this novel, and it is painful. Further, I can't chalk up even a naive teenager finding out about a literal second dimension, nearly dying, having another friend who is currently dying, and calling it 'annoying'.
Ashlee when on her own is actually fine. I have no complaints about her inner monologue, or when she's interacting with her sister or friends. But the second Luke is in the room, her IQ drops by 25 points.
On the general plot - I enjoy the premise, and the basic mystery/suspense plot of trying to figure out how to stop the curse and end the game is something I find interesting. But this is completely lost by just general absurd plot beats. For starters, every single character, including multiple parents and a random security guard, just so happen all be aware of and have played this supernatural game where people regularly die, and it's all played as if that's no big deal. The plot continues with no stoppages, no one (outside of the first chapter) needing ANY proof of any of this, and with every important character somehow knowing everything.
Which brings me to my second point, 90% of the plot is just one character hiding something from another character with no greater purpose than to drag the plot along. This entire novel beyond the introductory chapters could be summed up by 'character x knows the answer but refuses to provide it because it might hurt someone's feelings.' This would be fine with lower stakes, but this is a life-and-death scenario and these people (quite often parents!) are causing real physical harm to the protagonists with no real reasoning.
All of these issues are only emphasised in the second half of the novel, which feels both rushed, yet repetitive. There is this continuous back and forth of 'oh we stopped the curse' and 'oh wait no we didn't' that works the first time, but becomes almost comical after the fifth (fifth is not an exaggeration). As I said in the beginning, the *concept* of the final twist, with is actually quite interesting, but is completely ruined by the execution. What could be something genuinely thrilling becomes hard to take seriously.
Also on the writing quality - and this could also be chalked up to authors intent or voice - but the grammar throughout the novel just irks me. Random comma placements where it makes no sense:
Before I knew what, I was doing, I had followed her into the room as well.
Little flow issues like this persist throughout, and they bring, the flow of the novel, down to a crawl.
Despite all of that, I was still considering giving this two stars, because something did grip me. The background is quite good, the beginning is solid, there are some very enjoyable plot beats in the first half, and I did enjoy the *premise* of the end twist (the execution, not so much). But what did it for me was on the final page:
'"Oh, um, thanks. But Derek drove me..."'
That character's name is actually David. The author wrote the wrong name. I triple-checked.
August 27, 2020
(3.25 ⭐️) This one was an okay read for me. It was a bit too fast paced for my liking, but that isn’t such an issue for most people. I really liked the whole idea of the elevator game and how we learned more about it throughout the book. However, I did want some more explanations in some parts that I felt were important. The ending was full of suspense, and I enjoyed it, but it sort of came out of nowhere. I don’t want to discourage you from reading this one because I was tired most times I read it, so that probably affected my review.
April 7, 2021
Not a favorite of mine.
This book may have been inspired by Japanese Legends. It failed to inspire me. I was never able to suspend disbelief. Well written and well edited, this one just missed the mark for me. I have no Interest in further books with these characters. I will happily buy other books from this author in the future, so long as it is in a different storyline.
This book may have been inspired by Japanese Legends. It failed to inspire me. I was never able to suspend disbelief. Well written and well edited, this one just missed the mark for me. I have no Interest in further books with these characters. I will happily buy other books from this author in the future, so long as it is in a different storyline.
October 28, 2020
Powerful and compelling, The Elevator by T.L. Hanigan gave me the chills.
The Elevator pulled me in with its narrative and I was in a trance as the storyline moved forward. Right from where the game began, I knew I had to read this book in one sitting. From the moment Julie got the mark, I knew the characters had done something wrong, something with great consequences. The way Hanigan set up the plot, with so many plot twists and foreshadowing along the way.
For those who are looking for a fast-paced, spine-chilling thriller that will leave your heart thudding by the end, The Elevator is the book you look out for!
The Elevator pulled me in with its narrative and I was in a trance as the storyline moved forward. Right from where the game began, I knew I had to read this book in one sitting. From the moment Julie got the mark, I knew the characters had done something wrong, something with great consequences. The way Hanigan set up the plot, with so many plot twists and foreshadowing along the way.
For those who are looking for a fast-paced, spine-chilling thriller that will leave your heart thudding by the end, The Elevator is the book you look out for!
August 3, 2020
The Elevator by T.L. Hanigan was a fast paced and gripping story. I kept finding myself reading more and more because I needed to find out what happened next! The story is a genre outside of what I normally read but I’m glad that I did!
T.L. Hanigan did a great job with setting the story and keeping the plot a surprise until the very end (I was not expecting the ending!). It left me wanting more. I highly recommend. I’ll definitely be reading the next book!
T.L. Hanigan did a great job with setting the story and keeping the plot a surprise until the very end (I was not expecting the ending!). It left me wanting more. I highly recommend. I’ll definitely be reading the next book!
August 7, 2021
The idea of a mysterious elevator game drew me in from the start! I loved how different this book was, and that you couldn’t guess where it was going. When the characters thought they had it all figured out, new things happened, leaving them, and me anxiously needing to know what’s going on.
A great read that kept my interest from beginning to the… surprising end!
A great read that kept my interest from beginning to the… surprising end!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews