Gabino Iglesias has proven, once again, that he is a master of his craft. Equal parts gritty, heart-wrenching, and darkly beautiful, House of Bone and Rain weaves a narrative that takes its readers to the depths of the horror of loss and the ripples grief begins can quickly turn to drowning waves.

This Thriller set in Puerto Rico was heartbreaking and beautiful. Suffice level it’s about 5 best friends trying to avenge the killing of Bimbo mother. This book has such a more deeper meaning especially for a Boricua like me. It hits on the hurricane that hit the island and the government not helping the residents. The US and PR government being corrupt. The gentrification in the island the power outages because of LUMA. The struggle of Boricua that live in the island wanting to stay but most choosing to leave because of how bad the economy is in Puerto Rico for its residents. This book was a little dark, sad mysteries but overall a great read.

Thank you to Mulholland Books and NetGalley for providing me an advanced digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

I was fortunate enough to receive an advanced digital copy of this book. But as usual, my mood reading brain took over and I was unable to even start this book until I could listen to it. And honestly, I think that’s the best way for me to experience Iglesias’ books. I did the same with his previous novel, "The Devil Takes You Home”, and I was not disappointed. This was no exception. The narration, the authenticity of the accents is what made this an experience I’m glad I waited for. I would not have been able to read it the same way the narrators did. If anyone is able to listen to the audiobook, I highly recommend that route.

Gabino Iglesias writes horror in a way that is scarily realistic. It’s not your slasher, or your monsters that go bump in the night. Rather, it’s the drug dealer with a conscience, it’s your friend who has to resort to violence to avenge his mother’s murder. Like with “The Devil Takes You Home”, “House of Bone and Rain” has a dash of the supernatural.

I enjoyed the storyline. There were perhaps one or two chapters that I feel didn’t go with the story, but did add to the experience. Iglesias does this trick within his chapters where he starts off with a seemingly unrelated topic, only to bring it all together within a sentence. Though written well, and engaging, Iglesias lost me when it became too supernatural. This did not take away from all of his fantastic set ups for twists that left me gasping in surprise. However, I just didn’t see the point of some of the characters (when you read it, you’ll know what I mean).

This novel is told from multiple points of views, with a pace that varied between medium and fast.

Overall, I enjoyed this book, so much so that I even recommended it to my boyfriend as I was finishing the novel. If you enjoyed “The Devil Takes You Home”, you’ll likely enjoy this one as well. To be fully transparent, I prefer “The Devil Takes You Home” in comparison.

What can I say that hasn’t already been said? This was a stunning read. Grief, camaraderie and the occult deftly woven together to create a complex yet heartfelt tale. Gabino Iglesias is a master of his craft.

Raw and evocative writing. Read this if you are in the mood for an intense dark story with some violence. Will definitely read more from this author.

Five teenagers in Puerto Rico come together to avenge the murder of one of their mothers. Visceral and very violent, Iglasias adds a supernatural element to this revenge tale, which works pretty well. I definitely want to read more of his work.

Thank you, Mulholland Group Publishing for the ARC!

3/5 Stars

This book immediately caught my eye, but I was not prepared for what was to come. I admit, I am one of those Americans that has extremely limited knowledge and understanding of Puerto Rico, and I appreciate Iglesias for his vulnerable and informative way of writing some of this history into his novel. Following a group of men living on the island, Iglesias weaves in the struggles of Puerto Rico as an annex to the United States and its tumultuous relationship with the world, as well as documenting what feels like a personal struggle with Hurricane Maria.

What felt off from me was the motivations for the main character and his relationship to others. He is hard-headed and has a one-track mind, while also keeping his thoughts focused on the bigger picture of his hometown. I sympathized for him as horrors ravaged his world, but I couldn't quite figure him out and thought his decisions were a bit too "out there." While I can get with vengeance as a motivator, some of the circumstances weren't quite dire enough for the results.

I also was a bit baffled by the creatures that showed up at the end, which did feel a little rushed.

Overall though, I thought this was a great book to delve into for spooky season, especially with a location I'm not familiar with.

Love Gabino. Nothing of his reads the same. And nothing by anyone else feels like it comes close to his specific style when writing a noir. I would never consider myself a crime fiction fan. But put his name on the cover and I am ALL IN. This one was no exception. Fantastic prose and a story that will have you tearing the pages trying to get to the epic finale.

“Old people die and we expect it, accept it even. It’s normal. Murder is different. Murder is a monster that chews up whatever expectations you had regarding death and spits them in your face.”

House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias


THE RUNDOWN 🖊️
A group of five teenage boys in Puerto Rico seek revenge after one of their mothers is murdered.


MY THOUGHTS 💭
The description for this one had me way more excited than the book itself. It took me two attempts to read this books. It’s super slow paced and a lot happens that I feel could have been omitted because it just made it drag on. By the end I really didn’t care and it fell so flat because of it.

A social commenting, folklore having, supernatural, raw, emotional, spooky book hates to see me coming, and this one was incredible.

When a group of best friends turned brothers set out to avenge the murder of one of their mothers during a hurricane in Puerto Rico, things get expectedly violent, but also spooky and supernatural.

Using the damage caused by hurricanes to highlight and force you to look at the inequities and evil of colonization, poverty, and violence, Iglesias paints an absolutely gut wrenching setting for this book. When you include the history, supernatural lore (as well as its historical roots), and you’ve got perfection, at least for me. I spent a good amount of time looking up various references to different religions, deities, and the history of the island and learned so much, further enriching my reading experience. I absolutely loved it and was moved by it.

3.5 for me. I love reading books based in Puerto Rico, I’m Puerto Rican so it gives a sort of connection. I also really enjoyed getting to read a bit more about the spiritualism of the island. It was a gritty revenge story mixed with magic (good and bad).

“Old people die and we expect it, accept it even. It’s normal. Murder is different. Murder is a monster that chews up whatever expectations you had regarding death and spits them in your face. Murder is an attack on someone’s life, yes, but also an attack on those left behind.”

Wow. What an incredible tale of a mash up of dramas!

Looking for a thriller? Horror? Supernatural story? This has it all, and blended so well together.

House of Bone and Rain follows a group of friends as they decide what lengths they are willing to go to support their friend after his mother gets killed. Is there a point that is too far and where does it end?

So well written and immersive story that is violent but also challenges colonialism, machismo and other social themes.

Thank you NetGalley and Little Brown books for an eARC to review.

This was spooky, interesting and worth the read.

This was first time by this author and i will def read more.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

This book was so great. It was a favorite book of October. I love reading about Puerto Rico. I wish I could visit each year.

I’ve tried multiple times to read this book and I just can’t get into it. I was really excited for it but something just isn’t working for me.

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me an arc copy in exchange for my review.

Gabino Iglesias has become one of those authors that within two books I will reading anything and everything that he puts out. "House of Bone and Rain" is a book that stays with you for a long time. Gabino has a way with his characters, and this one is a grand slam.

I received an e-galley from the publisher through NetGalley,

This is a story of friends seeking revenge during a really difficult time in Puerto Rico.

This book grabbed me from day one, just looking at the cover and title I knew I had to read it (even without knowing what it was actually about). But as soon as I read the first book I knew I was in for a different kind of horror, the horror that you knew is not far from what could happen in real life. I read this slowly, which sadly made me miss the release date before posting the review (by a lot) but I couldn’t binge this even tho I felt like I couldn’t put it down. Why? Because it felt too real. Maybe it was the fact that I’ve seen stories like this unfold my whole life (since I’m from PR) , maybe it was because it was very to the point with descriptions and atmosphere, maybe it was the fact that it felt real (the violence, the feelings, the sadness, the storms). I’m pretty sure it was a mix of all the above. I am torn between giving this book a 5 stars because it felt like a true horror to me or a 3 because it felt too real and forced me to put it down so many time to take a break from it (which I still think is not a completely bad thing lol). I cannot fully express how I feel about this book, which is the reason I took too long to review it, but I would say, read it if you really want to, just give it a try.

I would recommend this book to anyone trying to find a horror that feels real and not a creation of the imagination. But I would recommend for you to look for the trigger warnings before doing so. I’ll leave some here just in case murder, violence, rape, threats, hurricane damage/description, death of a parent/loved one (discussed on paper with details). I know I’m probably missing more triggers but these are the ones I think are the more prominent.

Thank you to the publisher! Author and NetGalley for an eARC of this book.

I read this book at the perfect timing in the wake of Hurricane Helene. Being the type of book that it is I knew some characters would be sacrificed but ugh the ones that were had my heart breaking. For the sake of spoilers I will leave names out. But their futures were promising only to be snuffed out. The added spooky aspects were perfect for this time of year.

Thank you to Mulholland Books for the digital copy to review!

What a story. I did not expect the horror element, which I should have known had I not gone in blind, and it was so well written that you could feel the emotion coming out of the pages. Bimbo has lost his mother to murder, and only knows retribution will resolve his grief. But he cannot do it alone and takes his childhood friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo and Paul down the road with him, and it is a very dark and dangerous road that they cannot come back from, but Bimbo has always been there for each and every one of them so they all agree. Bimbo soon becomes unrecognizable and the boys are torn as they do not want to continue on with him, but they know if they do not, none of them may not make it out alive. What ensues is a crazy ride as they are hunting down members of Puerto Rico’s drug kingpin, oh and all of this is happening right in the middle of a major hurricane.

I felt for these boys, including their pain and I could understand their reasoning, as messed up as it was. This is a very descriptive story, both the Puerto Rico setting but as well as the violence that occurs throughout. There is a supernatural element in here too that adds a scary component, and overall combined with the hurricane I thought this one just worked so well.

All that being said, I don’t think this book will work for everyone given the violence and horror elements, however it is very well written and if you don’t mind these elements, I do recommend this one.

Excellent book about a group of young friends in Puerto Rico, looking for revenge on the drug dealers who killed the mother of one of them. All of this just by chance is happening while Hurricane Maria is laying waste to the island. Iglesias does a great job of limning out the friendships and the sense of "I'd do anything for my brothers" feelings between the boys. If I had any complaint, it's that their mission of vengeance almost seems to easy and doesn't seem to have any real, lasting effects on the survivors. There's a lot of violence and some very creepy horror at work in this novel and I really enjoyed it. Looking forward to what this author does next.