billyraymcevoy's reviews
98 reviews

I am not a fan of this book. I'll start with the positives: the big, Victorian, weirdly designed haunted house that is Hill House seems like an interesting setting and has plenty of nice details, the set up to the story is intriguing, and some of the characters are shown through subtext to obviously be gay (always appreciate queer characters even when it could only be done subtly).
However, the book is quite boring. Nearly nothing happens. This is a haunted house book with only a handful of "scary" moments. There are a few moments of banging on doors but it's all very weak and not scary.
The main character is insufferably dull. I've never read a book with such a bland main character and I hated being stuck inside her head.
Aside from the main, EVERY other character also sucks! They are either rude, boring and making weird decisions and saying stupid things that I just don't understand.
Just watch the show if you want a good haunted house story.

Listened to the audio book. Very good although slower than the first. Incredible sad in places.

Listened to the audio book. Loved this one. Thought the new guardian was funny because of how irritating a person she is, the kids get smarter, and it's just as dark as ever.

Listened to the audio book. Probably my least favourite so far but loved the inclusion of hypnosis and the new villain.

Listened to the audio book. Didn't like this one or the previous one as much as the first three but I still think it's very good. I like how they think of clever ways to get over their obstacles at the end, very good ending.

My favourite of the Oz books so far. Book #3 is where the film 'Return to Oz' clearly takes the most inspiration too as it features a lot of the plot, such as Dorothy being locked in a tower by a princess who can change her head, and the evil Nome King - who makes a brilliant and scary villain.
Lots of call backs to character from Oz book #1 and book #2 'The Marvelous Land of Oz'.
Definitely going to read the next one now, which - having read Wizard of Oz and now this one which Return to Oz is similar to - will be all new territory.

Really loved this book. Reminds me of the summers when I was a teenage, the way they seem endless and magical. I related to the main character a lot, especially when I hated what he was doing - I related to those parts a lot. It was a sweet love story with wonderfully real characters and easy to breeze through. The characters being Mexican was a bonus as well as I don't read a lot of books with Mexican main characters, representation is always appreciated.

Just listened to the audio book and now am fully caught up on the ones I read as a kid and may actually continue reading the others, or might listen to the audio books as Tim Curry is fantastic.
This is 1/2 of my favourite in the series (the other being Penultimate Peril from watching the Netflix show but we shall see how the book holds up to that). I love this one, it's funny and quirky and introduces the hilarious Esme Squaller.

The worst of the Oz books so far. The jorney at first seemed interesting but they cheat towards the last seventy-odd pages and then all of the fun and adventure just stops. Also, why does the writer hate cats so much?
Most of the characters seem unlikable, plot is stopped suddenly and never returned to, stupid and boring ending.

Always feels like a fun adventure in Oz and this book is just that. It's better than the last book and adds some new characters whilst letting us see some old friends too.