Horrorstör
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Horrorstör 〰️
I know this is Hendrix's earlier works, but this is the third of his books I've read. I enjoyed both The Final Girl Support Group and How to Sell a Haunted House, but this book? This book is by far the best work I've read. Actually, it's one of the best horror books I've read in a while.
The concept of setting a horror story inside a discount Ikea was genius. Ask anyone who has worked in retail, especially after closing. It's scary enough. Add actual supernatural stuff to the mix, and you've got a great recipe for success.
I will say, however, that every time Hendrix wrote the name of one of the furniture pieces, I "blah blah blahed" over them like I was reading a name in a fantasy book. Again, I love the idea of a discount Ikea, but like, could you remind me which particular type of furniture we're interacting with instead of using its (I'm assuming) Swedish name?
I also super enjoyed all the art. It added to the creepy factor. And I love how each chapter title is a piece of furniture that will be used in said chapter. I love even more that they get more sinister as the novel progresses, but still sound like something you'd find in an Orsk flier. And the copyright is a part of the Orsk catalogue, and the author's photo is an employee ID? Genius, really.
My only issue (and it's a small nitpick since this book is short) was that Amy surrendered to her "treatment" awfully fast and then was snapped out of it just as quickly. For some reason, out of everything, that was the most unbelievable.
I do wish we could have gotten more scenes, like when Amy and Matt got lost and had to use their camera to find the way back because the camera's reality was distorted. That was pretty cool and creepy.
But all in all, this was an excellent, refreshing, quick horror read. Does it have flaws? Absolutely. But I can look past them to enjoy the retail gimmick that made this an enjoyable read.
