Book Review: The Forever House by Tim Waggoner

Do you enjoy horror? Did you like my review of Amber Hollow? Well, you are going to love this next review.

Goodreads Blurb

The Forever House by Tim Waggoner

In Rockridge, Ohio, a sinister family moves into a sleepy cul de sac. The Eldreds feed on the negative emotions of humans, creating nightmarish realms within their house to entrap their prey. Neighbors are lured into the Eldreds’ home and faced with challenges designed to heighten their darkest emotions so their inhuman captors can feed and feed well. If the humans are to have any hope of survival, they’ll have to learn to overcome their prejudices and resentments toward one another and work together. But which will prove more deadly in the end, the Eldred . . . or each other?

Review

Tim Waggoner has won the Bram Stoker Award. That should already be an indication of how good this book is. If that is not enough to sway you, this is an epic piece of horror fiction.

Look, I have no idea what the Eldred are but they scared the crap out of me. The descriptions Waggoner provide are so vivid I imagined them standing over my shoulder while I was reading. If I were to compare them so something, they remind me of The Gentlemen from Buffy the Vampire Slayer in the way they slink and slide along.

I liked how you got to know all the people living in the cul-de-sac. This information was especially important considering the Eldred bring fears to life and feed off pain and despair. The story wouldn’t have worked so well if we didn’t understand the fears of the characters. Saying that, these fears sometimes led to horrifying and distressing scenes. Be warned that The Forever House does discuss pedophilia.

As you can tell from the last paragraph, The Forever House also brings an element of fantasy. I have to admit that the fantasy fell a bit flat for me at the end. I prefer my horror to be as realistic as possible. It scares me more. Saying that, it didn’t take away from the book too much for me, and I rate it a solid 4/5 stars.

Buy a copy of The Forever House here.

I was sent a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.