Horror Aficionados discussion

This is the discussion thread for pur April Group Read runner up.


Feel free to join us in book discussion, but please use spoiler tags.

I've already read Insomnia, so I'll be joining in for this one. :)

Kimberly wrote: "I've already read Insomnia, so I'll be joining in for this one. :)"

Same here , Kimberly.
When does it start?

Anne (sweetie) wrote: "Kimberly wrote: "I've already read Insomnia, so I'll be joining in for this one. :)"

Same here , Kimberly.
When does it start?"

April :)

I've read The Shuddering. It is a good read :) This author is on of my favorites

Just got my copy! As an insomniac wasn't feeling the Stephen King option. Pain is too real

I got a bit of an early start and already finished it today. It's a very quick read, but I'm not a fan. Very much unoriginal and completely unsurprising.

I'll be joining in, but it will be a few weeks. Real life is busy lately; I haven't had any time to read. I've loved the other two books I've read by Ahlborn (even The Neighbors, which isn't rated the best), so I expect I'll enjoy this one, too.

S.J. wrote: "Just got my copy! As an insomniac was feeling the Stephen King option. Pain is too real "

That's the exact reason I won't be reading Insomnia, either! I've found it often makes mine worse if I dwell on it, and reading a book about it will cause me to do that.

Kelly B wrote: "S.J. wrote: "Just got my copy! As an insomniac was feeling the Stephen King option. Pain is too real "

That's the exact reason I won't be reading Insomnia, either! I've found it often makes mine w..."

I read that one when my Insomnia had started....not the best idea, you just think about it more!

If I can get this book on my kindle I will read it too

Kelly B wrote: "S.J. wrote: "Just got my copy! As an insomniac was feeling the Stephen King option. Pain is too real "

That's the exact reason I won't be reading Insomnia, either! I've found it often makes mine w..."

Haha best to ignore it by reading a good book!

Kimberly wrote: "Kelly B wrote: "S.J. wrote: "Just got my copy! As an insomniac was feeling the Stephen King option. Pain is too real "

That's the exact reason I won't be reading Insomnia, either! I've found it of..."

True!

I bought this book in Jan 2016 and haven't read it yet so I will be reading this with the group for sure!

I'm gonna try to get to this one too.

I noticed that I bought it early last year, too--still unread, but I've enjoyed everything else I've read from her. :)

LOVING this one so far-- it is a mix of THE THING and FRIDAY THE 13TH (in the wintertime, though!) --Jen from Quebec :0) (PS) I hope that a lot of ppl choose to read this one, it is worth it so far anyways, and I am about 80% into it...

Yes!! That sounds great!

Yippee! I read this last year & loved it, can't wait to discuss with others

Man, I m currently at a scene that VERY MUCH makes me think of THE WALKING DEAD...--Jen from Quebec :0)

I read this while traveling during Christmas and found it riveting. I look forward to the discussion. This book has really stuck with me, and I'm curious to see what everyone else thinks of it.

Jen wrote: Man, I m currently at a scene that VERY MUCH makes me think of THE WALKING DEAD...--Jen from Quebec :0)

Jen--to me, that's a compliment of the highest order!! ;)

Just read the first the chapter, have a feeling it's going to end in tears!

No internet, no reception, suspicious blood stain and lots of snow!

I'm starting this tonight.

Just got this one, sounds good!

So I'm 70% in and it's giving me nightmares haha, and I'm sure I know the scene that Jen mentioned reminds her of the walking dead

Will be starting this one as soon as I finish the author promotional group read!! :D

I'd love to see who fans would cast in 'The Shuddering' movie, so I started a fan casting selection on The Bookcaster. Check it out here: http://www.thebookcaster.com/the-shud...

Almost done with this one. You know, I think The Cabin in the Woods forever ruined (in a good way) books like this for me.

What?! I love cabin in the woods, it was so fun.

Latasha wrote: "What?! I love cabin in the woods, it was so fun."

Oh, I liked it too! I'm just saying this book fits so perfectly into the formula the movie laid out (from the setting to the character archetypes) that it's hard not to imagine a bunch of people sitting in a control room making bets and pulling strings as the story unfolds.

I thought this book was just average. It seemed predictable to me. As I was reading, the characters seemed flat. I think I had higher expectations for this book.

Okay, now that I've finished it, here are my thoughts on the book.

You know all those horror movies about people stranded in a cabin while something nasty outside is coming for them? The ones you watch with friends and a big bowl of popcorn? They're good for a few shocks, some screams and some giggles, but mostly you know exactly what's going to happen every step of the way? Yeah, this was one of those movies in book form.

The writing is fine. Not particularly inspired but also not clumsy and plodding. The author is a big fan of the verb "coiled." Lots of things coil in this book, many of which you might not have ever thought had the capacity to do so. Music coils. Smoke coils (okay, that one I can see). Silence coils. Daylight coils. Tension coils.

Our five characters are Jane, Ryan, Lauren, Sawyer and April. Jane and Ryan are twins - the cabin (really more a mansion) has been in their family for years, but it's just been sold and they're up there for one last visit before saying goodbye. Lauren in Jane's close friend. Sawyer is Ryan's best friend and Jane's high school sweetheart. April is Sawyer's current girlfriend.

The first half of the book is really about character development, and these characters are deeper than their movie counterparts would be. Still, they never really rise above the level of their archetypes, and eventually I got tired of their drama and was looking forward to the monsters showing up to do their thing. Ryan's the jock-type natural leader. Sawyer's the rebel. Lauren's the all-American girl. Jane spends a lot of time pining. And April - we're supposed to hate April, and we do. She's annoying as hell.

I liked the snowboarding parts of the book. ^_- I grew up near the mountains, and have been skiing and snowboarding most of my life (yes, I'm good at it - not professional good, but I can handle black slopes just fine). That part was fun.

(view spoiler)[ (hide spoiler)]A few other thoughts for those who've finished the book...

I was really expecting April to show up alive somehow before the end, if only because all the other characters spent so much time talking about how she couldn't possibly still be alive. I thought maybe the monsters knew she was pregnant and somehow wouldn't kill her because of it - that maybe they were keeping her in their lair or something.

Awful continuity flaw. When Jane gets the gun from the armoire, they take the clip out of the handle and see it's empty (sorry if I'm getting gun terms wrong). Later, the gun is described as a revolver. I don't know much about guns, but I know revolvers don't have clips.

Until the snowstorm came in, I wasn't sure if the author was going to give any credit to how dangerous the cold can be in the mountains. Even then, these people seemed implausibly unprepared. I mean, sure they were just planning on staying at what sounds like a beautiful mountain home, but everybody other than April seems to be experienced at snowboarding and winter sports, so they should have some idea of what they ought to have with them. For example, it seems like the only way they had to start a fire was someone's cigarette lighter. I don't do camping - at all - but if you're going to be driving around in the mountains, in the snow - like these people are - you ought to keep a mountain survival kit in your car. It's about the size of a hardback book, and it has a lighter, waterproof matches, fire blocks, whistle, thermal blanket, energy bars, first aid, all kinds of stuff they could have used. The fact that neither Ryan (the professional snowboarder) nor Sawyer had anything like that in their cars was just weird to me.

just got to this bit,

"Tonight," Ryan promised. "After the girls have gone to bed."
"By the fire?"
"With Jane's chocolate cake between us. I'll whip us up a bearskin rug."

:)

Really enjoying this so far, loving the developing characterisation

Oh wow it's suddenly kicked off, not in the way I thought it was. Don't want to give anything away but
I really found myself feeling sorry for April

Aiya wrote: "Okay, now that I've finished it, here are my thoughts on the book.

You know all those horror movies about people stranded in a cabin while something nasty outside is coming for them? The ones you ..."

I really wanted April to survive and kept hoping she would make a reappearance!

I'll be starting this book tonight:-). It sounds great.

Am I the only one who found April to be the most likeable character in this book?

Kelly B wrote: "I'll be starting this book tonight:-). It sounds great."

Should be starting by the end of the week. :)

I also found April to be the only likable character. I'm not sure if that was the intention or not, but put in her situation I would of been pissed as well.

Starting this now

Josh wrote: "Am I the only one who found April to be the most likeable character in this book?"

You couldn't help being sympathetic toward her by the end -- I can't imagine how furious I'd be if a guy acted to me like Sawyer was acting. Add in her particular circumstances and it's a million times worse.

But for most of the time? Ugh. She irritated me. Whether it was actively refusing to join in with the others in any way, acting like an awful and entitled guest, being constantly passive-aggressive to make everyone else feel bad about enjoying their vacation, looking down on them for having books she couldn't understand or just generally looking for any chance she could find to be the victim, everything she did had me convinced she'd be the first one to "meet" the monsters.

I'm glad that a lot of people were able to actually finish this book, but I had so many issues with the characters, I had to call it quits. The whole reality show drama in the cabin seemed to take more precedence over the actual horror. I can appreciate good character development, but I found it lacking with this novel. I usually love Ahlborn, but I'm going to have read the other books to re-kindle that love.

I thought April was more approachable than the rich guys. I actually kinda understood her, except for the scene with her not understanding the book. If i understood the characterization, she is supposed to be some kind of artist, like Sawyer. I would think someone with a background in art, is somewhar capable of digging more classical work. But maybe I am wrong there.
I too found the book to have a strong b-movie vibe. But for my taste, it could have embraced that more. If you go that way, do not look back. I expected more gore and humour. I was left a bit dissapointed. But from the consensus in this disscusion, I assume I should check out the author's other work?

Scott wrote: "I also found April to be the only likable character. I'm not sure if that was the intention or not, but put in her situation I would of been pissed as well."

I loved April! I thought she was really cool, the most relatable one. I kept hoping she would pop up at the end!

Kelly B wrote: "I'll be starting this book tonight:-). It sounds great."

So good!

Josh wrote: "Am I the only one who found April to be the most likeable character in this book?"

I had the opposite reaction: I found her very unlikeable;-). I felt sorry for her, but she acted so immature. Especially when (view spoiler)[ she decided to walk (?!) to the highway, and then hoped that Sawyer would come racing after her to "proclaim his love". Reality check, girl;-). (hide spoiler)]

I'm about 70%, and loving it! Ania Ahlborn is definitely moving quickly up my list of favorite horror authors. This is the third book by her I've read, and I haven't been disappointed yet. Plus, it's great to see a woman writing horror, which is usually a genre so dominated by men.

The story was fun but it reminded me too much of a bad horror flick. (view spoiler)[ Friends on a mountain get away. They all had their own drama. Hellions or monsters killing off several random characters. Then there was the ending where one of the main characters is dragged back to the hell hole (hide spoiler)] I listened to this on audible while doing yard work this week. It was worth it. I gave it 4 out of 5 stars

Kelly B wrote: "Josh wrote: "Am I the only one who found April to be the most likeable character in this book?"

I had the opposite reaction: I found her very unlikeable;-). I felt sorry for her, but she acted so ..."

You are making a point there :D

I finished the book yesterday, and rated it 4 stars. The ending was the best part, IMO even though it was (view spoiler)[ very bleak! I had hoped at least a few of them would make it out alive, but it packed a bigger punch to have poor Jane returning to the woods, presumably to be killed with the next group. (hide spoiler)].