ARC REVIEW: Housebroken – by The Behrg

Title: Housebroken
Author: The Behrg
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Thriller
First published: March 17th 2015
Finished reading: May 31st 2016
Pages: 316

“I guess in the end our lives are nothing more than dates and numbers on a scrap of paper,” Joje said. “All that blank space on the page? The details of our lives between the numbers? No one remembers that. They’re just locked up in some forgotten vault.“

*** A copy of this book was kindly provided to me in exchange for an honest review. Thank you! ***

Since I haven’t been reading enough thriller/horror stories lately and I always enjoy discovering new authors, I immediately said yes when I was approached to read and review Housebroken. And this book was definitely just as good as I was hoping for: creepy, disturbing, messed up, but without doubt a great horror story. The plot itself is really interesting and has a mystery/thriller kind of feel, but the gruesome details transform the story into a proper horror read. The pace is fast, the plot full of action and the story had me hooked right from the beginning. The characters themselves might not be exactly likeable, but the focus of this story is on the actions and the mayority of the scenes are so intense you will most likely forget about the character background anyway. There are quite a few plot twists as well and I can’t say I could see the ending coming (which is a good thing). Without doubt a very interesting read: if you enjoy a good and scary horror story, make sure to check out this book by The Behrg. I wouldn’t advice reading this book if you don’t like intense and potentially scary/gruesome scenes though…

Blake Crochet and his family had to move for Blake’s new job, but their new home seems to have a dark history. They aren’t even properly moved in yet when they are taken hostage in their own home… The kidnappers having no other demands than that they have to act out their everyday lives while the two kidnappers watch their every move. The family has to do exactly what they always do, or else there will be consequences… And if they try to tell anyone about the arrangement, another familymember will most likely die. The kidnapper’s rules are strict and Blake and his family will have to face the decision of getting help or being brutally punished. Both action and inaction will have serious consequences in the present and future and it’s almost impossible to decide what will be the best strategy to survive this madness… Will they find a way out before the kidnappers completely destroy their lives?

Housebroken is without doubt a really intense, messed up and action-packed story, but only in the best possible way. The plot feels mostly like a mystery/thriller read and reads in a fast pace; it’s the gruesome details that turns it into a horror story. I would definitely recommend this book if you enjoy a good thriller/horror story and don’t mind the gruesome details. It’s really intense!

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WWW Wednesdays #93 – June 1st

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

Basically, I haven’t been having a lot of free time to read lately… So while I have started both these books above, I’m not sure when I will actually finish them. First up is More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera, a book that has been recommended to me quite a lot and I’m really looking forward to. The other is a Sherlock Holmes retelling: A Study In Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro. I can’t wait to continue reading both soon!

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

* The first book I managed to finish is The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupéry, which turned out to be an entertaining enough middle grade classic. Still, I probably would have enjoyed it better reading it about twenty years ago…
* Another book I was able to finish is Heartsick by Chelsea Cain, which turned out to be one of the best whodunit reads I’ve read in a while. I will definitely be reading more of this series! Some of the scenes might be a bit gruesome if you have a weak stomach, but I personally didn’t mind. The main character Archie is a detective with a very messed up personal life (which is not original at all in this genre), but the story more than makes up for it.
* The last title I managed to finish is Housebroken by The Behrg, which turned out to be a really messed up thriller/horror story about a kidnapping similar to your worst nightmare… If you enjoy a good horror read, definitely make sure to check out this book!

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

I haven’t be able to read much, so yet again I haven’t been able to read many of the titles I mentioned before. But since I’ve finally finished Housebroken, I have a new pending ARC: The Munich Girl by Phyllis Edgerly Ring, I love historical fiction set during WWII, so I’m looking forward to start reading it. I also still want to read Out Of The Easy by Ruta Sepetys, but I don’t know how much longer I can resist the temptation of reading A Court Of Mist And Fury by Sarah J. Maas… Plus, I’m afraid I will run into unwanted spoilers any day now. 😉 My newest TBR jar pick is still The Opposite Of Loneliness by Marina Keegan.

Teaser Tuesdays #96 – May 31st: Housebroken

TEASER TUESDAYS is a weekly book meme originally featured at Books And A Beat. To participate, just open the book you are currently reading to a random page, and choose two ‘teaser’ sentences from somewhere on that page. (no spoilers!)

I haven’t been able to find a lot of spare time to read lately, but I did finally start one of my pending ARC’s the other day: Housebroken by The Behrg. And so far it’s just as good as I was hoping for! This story is fast-paced, full of action and seriously messed up, but in the best possible way since it’s a horror story in the first place. I can’t wait to find out what happens next!

My teaser (4%):

“Blake couldn’t shake the feeling that something was off. Terribly off. He opened the door just wide enough to grab the paper, every instinct screaming at him to slam the door, throw the lock and walk away.”

What are you reading right now?

WWW Wednesdays #92 – May 25th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

Note: I’m actually out of town right now, but will be back before the weekend… Gotta love the post scheduling option! 😉

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I have been seriously neglecting one of my favorite genres lately, so I decided to put all my planned books on hold and pick up a proper whodunit: Heartsick by Chelsea Cain. I’m not far into it yet, but I hope to finish it before I come back! Also, I will try to read The Little Prince by Antoine De Saint-Exupéry during my trip. I’m ashamed to admit I have never read this classic, but better late than never right?

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

* The first book I managed to finish is Binge by Tyler Oakley, which turned out to be a really entertaining memoir even though I hadn’t heard from the author before.
* I’ve also finished Hero by Belinda Crawford, a very enjoyable ARC with an interesting worldbuilding, no romance and a fast pace. Definitely recommended!
* I also finally picked up my Spanish copy of the first Harry Potter book again. I have been wanting to read more books in Spanish and it was the perfect excuse to reread this series… Because no matter what language the story is told in, it always stays magical (Although I prefer the original version). I found out while reading Harry Potter Y La Piedra Filosofal that I’m still able to read Spanish with a ‘fast’ pace, so I’m quite a happy camper right now. 😀

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

Once again I haven’t been able to start any of the books I wanted to read last week…Whcih is partly to blame to the lack of time and I was in the mood for different genres as well. But I’m going to try and read them this week though! First up is another ARC: Housebroken by The Behrg. I haven’t read a good horror story in too long, so I’m really looking forward to it. I also want to read Out Of The Easy by Ruta Sepetys, but I’m probably going to read A Court Of Mist And Fury by Sarah J. Maas first since I’m not sure how much longer I am going to be able to resist the temptation. My newest TBR jar pick is still The Opposite Of Loneliness by Marina Keegan.

WWW Wednesdays #91 – May 18th

WWW WEDNESDAYS is a weekly meme hosted by Sam @ Taking On A World Of Words and is all about answering the three questions below.

• WHAT ARE YOU CURRENTLY READING?

I haven’t been reading much during the last two days, because I have been trying to reduce the backlog of reviews after the Bout Of Books read-a-thon. Still 5 reviews to go, sigh… I have started reading Hero by Belinda Crawford the other day, which is a very interesting read so far and I’m looking forward to continue reading this story soon. I’ve also picked up Binge by Tyler Oakley on a whim because I was in the mood for a light (and funny) read, and this memoir has been really entertaining so far even though I have to confess I hadn’t heard of the author or his youtube channel before.

• WHAT DID YOU RECENTLY FINISH READING?

* The first book I managed to finish is The Reader On The 6.27 by Jean-Paul Didierlaurent, which was originally written in French. I really enjoyed this story! Part of it felt a bit like Fahrenheit 451, but also completely different… And I loved the fact that the main character read random pages he had saved himself from the Thing.
* I then finished Leaving Time by Jodi Picoult, which I read for the The Revolving Shelf book club. I really liked that this story was a mix of elephant info, paranormal elements and a missing person case. Not perfect, but really entertaining.
* Stars Above by Marissa Meyer was my previous TBR jar pick, and turned out to be just as entertaining as I thought it would be. I liked some stories better than others, but the epilogue was without doubt brilliant. It might be a sappy happy ending, but I really didn’t care in this case. 😉
* I also read See How They Run by Ally Carter, and the sequel was almost just as good as the first book. A really entertaining spy thriller with an international touch that is definitely worth reading, even though the main characters can get annoying.
* My last BoB book I finished was Dumplin’ by Julie Murphy, which has turned out to be yet another ‘unpopular opinion’ book for me. I didn’t really like this story: the way the main character treated the others; the way she was treated by most people; the stereotypes; the bullying… I just wasn’t convinced.
* I also read the classic The Time Machine by H.G. Wells, which turned out to be a really short read and quite interesting.

• WHAT DO YOU THINK YOU’LL READ NEXT?

I just realized that I have actually read or at least started all the books I mentioned here last week! That has to be a first… On to four fresh titles this week it is! First up is another ARC: Housebroken by The Behrg. I haven’t read a good horror story in too long, so I’m really looking forward to it. I also want to read Out Of The Easy by Ruta Sepetys, but I’m probably going to read A Court Of Mist And Fury by Sarah J. Maas first since I’m not sure how much longer I am going to be able to resist the temptation. 😉 My new TBR jar pick is The Opposite Of Loneliness by Marina Keegan.

Friday Finds #86 – May 13th

FRIDAY FINDS is originally featured at Books And A Beat and showcases the most interesting books I’ve encountered during the last week and have added to my neverending TBR list on Goodreads. Below a selection of my newest additions; click on the book descriptions to go to its Goodreads page!

My finds: