“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.

Gritty, violent, and spooky. The writing is brilliant, original, and Iglesias amazed me yet again. I took my time with this one because the story was so genius and addictive. A story of deep friendships, and loyalty between a group of childhood friends where a murder of a family member starts quite the storm. Gabe gets thrown into, by his own accord, a slippery slope of loyalty to a friend and maybe vengeance. Ghosts, supernatural, and the spirits of past and present tug at him and in him. Then a storm, a Hurricane comes. As a reader, you'll feel this one deep in your soul. Like you are there.
My favorite lines from the book are, Gabe: "For people who cry regularly, it can be a way of exorcising small demons, a way to cope with the ugliness of the world." And from Gabe's grandmother: "The ghosts are all around us."

This book is a ride. Get in, hold the Fuck on, and dig in.

Hurrican horror, vengance and beautifully written prose. This book is brutal, very violent, and yet hauntingly beautiful. This was the second book I've read by this author and I absolutely loved it!

HOUSE OF BONE AND RAIN – by Gabino Iglesias

‘We all grow up surrounded by creepy stories. Some are made-up tales about kidnapped children and awful accidents told by our parents and grandparents to keep us safe and afraid of the world. Some are made up by our friends to scare us just for the fun of it. Some are always around . . . . As you grow older, reality pushes those stories out of your head. But sometimes those creepy stories find you and invade your life again. And the second time around, you’re old enough to know they’re not just stories.’

‘“Estamos rodeados de fantasmas.”’

My Heart! I did not expect that ending! Love the story, Love the Characters!

The biggest issue for me, and keep in mind my review is of an uncorrected proof, is the large amount of repetition throughout the book, specific to the rehashing of past events—information the reader is already privy to, and the main character, Gabe, as he continuously delves into Bimbo’s mindset.

However, the narrative may have been tightened up prior to publication.

Thank you, NetGalley and Mulholland Books (Little, Brown & Company), for providing me with an eBook of HOUSE OF BONE AND RAIN at the request of an honest review.

pretty cool book with some interesting fantasy/horror and regular elements that fit together gorgeously, it's interesting

"Death swallows words. Or at least, shows you how fucking useless they are."

🩸🩸🩸

HOUSE OF BONE AND RAIN by @gabino_iglesias is a harrowing crime thriller set in the sweat and rain soaked streets of San Juan, Puerto Rico with Hurricane Maria raging in the background adding a disastrous level of anxiety to an already treacherous sequence of events as a group of long-standing friends blur the line between loyalty and a death-wish.

Thank you to the author, @netgalley and the publisher, @hachetteus for the e-ARC.

🦴🦴🦴

With a self-aware nod to Stephen King's coming of age books (think THE BODY, IT), HoBaR features true ride or die friendship where the "die" part is more than plausible. Gabe and his four closest friends are propelled into an underworld of violence and drug lords after one of their mothers is murdered and revenge bleeds from their pores only to find there is a much older and darker force at play than the kingpins and drug lords they think they are up against.

A finger biting balancing act between loyalty and sanity that the bonds of friendship keeps pushing full steam ahead, this story is steeped in Yoruba traditions, Orisha folklore and a whole lot of heart-thumping action. Erratic, haphazard, reckless, and full of heart, this story is the epitome of found family with an excellent eat-the-rich twist. All the stars.

When Bimbo's mother is killed, he vows to go after her killer and enlists his childhood friends to help him out. The situation becomes more complicated when they find out a drug kingpin is involved and all of this is happening during a hurricane. Overall, a story of revenge and how far you're willing to go for your friends and family.

Gabino Iglesias once again cements his status as a leader among a new generation of writers boldly pushing boundaries and blurring the lines between horror, paranormal, and "traditional" fiction, in this case, a coming of age platform. Iglesias is clearly willing to go places that make him uncomfortable, and challenges the reader to step up and go there with him. A must read for anyone who not only wants a first-class story, but who also wants to be nudged out of their comfort zone.

House of Bone and Rain
By Gabino Iglesias

A Puerto Rican teen out to avenge the murder of his mother finds himself in an even darker place when Hurricane Maria strikes, bringing with it ghosts, demons, and horrific visions.

Perhaps I made the mistake once again of not starting with an author’s best known work. In this case, I skipped Iglesia’s main book named ‘The Devil Takes You Home’ because I received this one as an ARC from @netgalley

The book starts out strong and intriguing, it has action, violence and suspense. But.. Maybe revenge plots just aren’t my thing???

Iglesias seems to tailor his writing for American audiences with the way he translates Spanish words/phrases into English. Then oddly enough, there were some parts in the book where the author chose not to translate. Maybe this was an editor error? It was quite aggravating to me, as I thought we established Latinx authors don’t owe anyone shit when it comes to definitions or translations. Audiences can very well google it 🤷🏽‍♀️ but here I was. Reading the same sentences twice. I felt it took away from the authenticity of the Spanish language.

Secondly, I was so frustrated by Bimbo’s desire for revenge and Gabe’s relentless willingness to follow him along even when he knew better. It was constant. Bimbo is never held accountable by any of the guys in the group. And when he does get called out by Paul, that one friend speaking logic, Paul is then labeled a coward.

It’s a book with a lot of machismo and toxic masculinity which is a reality in Puerto Rico. It’s an exploration of the heart of ride or die male friendships, love and loss.

Anyway, some good. The element of paranormal horror was genuinely good to me! That kept me reeled in! It has a twist I never saw coming! I also appreciate how Puerto Rico was a character in itself in the book 💕 Santeria is explored here as well and if I’m not mistaken Iglesias touches on this in his other books. The plot eventually takes place during hurricane Maria, so that may or may not be appealing to certain readers as it’s a traumatic event for the island.

Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This was my first book by this author and I was super excited to dive in because of how much praise I've heard for his previous novel, The Devil Takes You Home. The beginning really gripped me! As a Puerto Rican born and rasied in the North East of the United States, I felt seen by the commentary about Puerto Ricans not knowing what it's like living on the island, simply because I never have. I did enjoy where the horror went in this but it really wasn't what I was expecting based on the synopsis and the beginning 1/4 of this book. It ultimately made me feel let down as things started happening. Overall though, I had a pretty good time but I felt like I had to force myself to continue reading this. I'm definitely still interested in whatever else Gabino Iglesias writes, fingers crossed on there being more Puerto Rican commentary, but this book just wasn't for me.

A stunning tale of revenge, friendship, perseverance, and finding strength in places you least expect. I was absolutely captivated by this, by both the writing and the tale of a group of friends trying to find their way in life, sometimes through extremely violent, terrifying means. Definitely not in my typical wheelhouse in terms of book subject matter, but glad I gave it a chance: wow.

How to talk about this book... it's a wild ride for sure. There's a lot of violence (I mean, that's no surprise, but it was sometimes a bit much for me) but there're also magic and monsters and weird little side stories that wander off to unexpected places. Having gotten to the end, I cannot for the life of me explain the, er, plot twist? at the end, and my general bewilderment over the denouement is what cemented this as four stars for me, but some of the writing, man. It's so good.

The only two books I can think to compare this to are Paul Tremblay's "Cabin at the End of the World" and the tongue-in-cheek horror parody "Meddling Kids." "House" has a few lines of seriously dark humor that managed to crack me up, and while the book isn't as goofy as "Meddling Kids," it does have the flavor of taking something familiar and injecting it with Lovecraftian horrors. Likewise, it's quite different from "Cabin," but the gradual slide from the MC's shock over violence and bloodshed toward dispassionate acceptance is a big part of this book.

I'm falling back on those two comparisons, though, because I'm not entirely sure how to talk about "House." There's so much going on and it's not quite like anything I've read before. It's got more monsters than "The Devil Takes You Home," but the majority of the story revolves around intense but plausible violence that unfolds during a devastating hurricane. There are monsters, but the story could almost work without them? Or at least, the character arcs don't center around the magic? I'm not entirely sure if the magic was supposed to be real, but either way it was another allegory about the fallout of colonialism and human delusion. But then the very end... WHAT DOES IT MEAN?

So again I'm circling back to the fact that this book isn't quite like anything I've read before, and while I sometimes got bogged down in the details and the monologues (there is a fair bit of infodumping in places), I kept getting pulled back in by the way these characters rationalize their actions and interpret events through a very particular filter that made them feel extremely human for all their flaws. Overall, if you like psychological thriller with a hearty does of horror, this is absolutely worth the read.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an ARC. My somewhat confused response is being left voluntarily. Please check content warnings before diving in, because this one is quite dark and intense.