Member Reviews
This starts off creepy & mysterious, I was pulled in right away. The idea of urban legends being real was intriguing. Murder Road & the crimes committed were very chilling, very creative. However I did reach a point where I wanted some explanations to start occurring. The middle gets a little bogged down however the conclusion I felt really made up for it. I think readers will be very surprised by the ending. Overall not a bad, creepy read.
Thank you to Net Galley and everyone else for the uncorrected proof of this book.
I’m giving this a 3.5 out of 5 ⭐️ I mean, a thriller about a group of friends who enjoy testing out urban legends and a family always on “the run” is definitely a story I want to read. Honestly, the beginning of the book had me rethinking my choice of book. I struggled through, not really invested in the story or characters. I thought about dnfing a couple times but I’m happy I stuck it out. Once that twist hit me like a train, I was hooked. What just happened?!? 😳 That second half had me going back to parts in the beginning. I wanted to know why Rowan and Hazel had such a strained relationship and it definitely makes sense now. All in all, I liked the second half but I’d rather not have to suffer through to get to the good stuff. lol
One House Left is YA Horror from Vincent Ralph.
"16-year-old Nate Campbell grew up near the street they call Murder Road. Every few years there's a new tragedy and someone is killed - all because of the curse of the Hiding Boy. Nate and his family have moved several times to distance themselves. But now Nate has fallen in with a group of friends that worship urban legends...and there's no where left to run."
I really liked Ralph's last book - Secrets Never Die. This one, not so much. The first half is repetitious and the stroy seems to be going nowhere. The last part is better but the ending is a letdown. Not really a cliffhanger but a bit open-ended.
Fans of low grade horror may enjoy this one.
This book made no sense. I was confused from page one about the family’s dynamic and why nobody was sleeping and then as the book moved on I just lost interest.
One House Left by Vincent Ralph is an intriguing concept, but it doesn’t fully deliver. The story of sixteen-year-old Nate Campbell, who moves to escape the curse of Murder Road, starts with promise. However, the book struggles with pacing and character development. The blend of old and new ghost stories feels disjointed, and the narrative often leans on familiar horror tropes without adding fresh twists. While there are moments of suspense, they’re not enough to overcome the book’s predictable plot. It’s a decent read for fans of supernatural tales but falls short of being truly gripping
I would like to thank St Martin's Press for proving me an advanced ebook copy of One House Left in exchange for an honest review.
Nate and his family used to live close to Murder Road, which is actually called Cherry Tree Lane, but with how many horrible deaths have occurred there, the nickname suits it. Are the countless deaths that happen on the same day of the year just freak coincidences or is there truth the the Urban Legend of The Hiding Boy who cursed the street?
Nate is the new kid at school and he tries to keep to himself as best he can but a group of Urban Legend enthusiasts seem to be too enticing to avoid, and he makes friends for the first time in a long time. Nate knows that some Urban Legends are more than ghost stories, but can he save his friends from bringing more to life?
Such a fun ride! It is a little slow getting into the meat of the story as clues are set and we learn about Nate and his family and how they operate running away from a terrifying town that gives them all nightmares. Once the setting is flushed out and we have our characters painted, the real story flares to life and the scary stories of your nightmares are woven together with a young boy who just doesn't want to be afraid anymore.
Incredible! Such a fun spooky read. I highly suggest adding to your Spooky TBR
One House Left by Vincent Ralph will be available on August 27 2024 at your local bookseller or library.
Thank you Netgalley, Vincent Ralph, and St. Martin's Press for the ebook! I've always been a lover of all things creepy and urban legends really were always on the top of my list growing up. This book did not disappoint. Although it was a little heavy and sad just the predicament, but it was creepy and crazy as well. Must read if you love all things bump in the night!
https://www.goodreads.Rating: 4/5 Stars
Pub Date: 8/27
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I always love a good YA every now and then and this one was the perfect amount of creepy. Everyone knows of a "murder house", or at least one that everyone considers a "murder house". But to know the people who lived there, well that's an entirely different story...
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One House Left is follows Nate and his family as they settle into a new town after their constant move to avoid the curse of "murder road." It's at the new school that Nate meets a bunch of misfits who are obsessed with urban legends. I really enjoyed all of the characters and felt like they were easily distinguishable. The pacing of this one was steady to fast, as I devoured this one pretty quickly.
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I loved reading about the urban legends that the kids tested out. That was a huge thing back in the day around my area so that was pretty nostalgic. This added more of an eerie elements to an already creepy story. This one had some awesome twists thrown in there, especially that ending - that was something that I did not see coming at all, but it was *chef's kiss* perfection. It completely brings the story full circle while also bringing in that perfect shock value.
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I listened to this one via audiobook while reading along with my eARC. This had multiple narrators. Pete Cross, Jesse Vilinsky, Andre Santana, TJ Clark, Gary Tiedemann were all incredible. I felt like I was a part of the gang because of how well these narrators brought this one to life. If you are thinking of picking this one up I highly recommend the audiobook.
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I really enjoyed this book and highly recommend it to all my thriller / horror friends. This didn't read too much as a YA except for the main characters are teens. I think that this one is going to be a huge hit during spooky season. Be sure to grab this one. Huge thank you to NetGalley, Vincent Ralph, Spotify Audiobooks and St. MArtin's Press for the ALC and the eARC in exchange for my honest review.com/review/show/6737484355
Wow! This was dark and kept me on my toes. Fantastic writing style and the twists and turns were amazing. Coming to the end of part one really came out of nowhere and I couldn't stop until I finished. A really great read for you spooky lovers. I really enjoyed this one!
Thank you so much to the publisher and netgalley for the arc of this book. All opinions are my own.
I really enjoyed this one! It was a lot of fun and such a nice break from the fantasy I'd been reading. I love a story you can get lost in and this is exactly what this did!
I was pretty excited for this one as I am getting into more horror(light) this year. However, I found I was confused for a good portion of the book between dreams and reality.
What I liked was the quirky group of young people set on exposing Urban Legends. That was fun. When said group invites the new boy, Nate Campbell, things begin to change during the hunt for legends. Is it the new boy? Who is messing with who? Nate is a bit of an Urban Legend himself. Or at least members of his family. Connected to attempted mass murder disrupted, Nate's family has moved away from Murder Road. However, they can't get far enough away from the curse.
There are appearances by the supernatural and the weird house they end up in in the end was like a living entity which was entertaining.
Thank you to St. Martin's Press, Wednesdays Books for an e-arc via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
One House Left
Vincent Ralph
3.75⭐️
Pub Date: 8/27/2024
I'm hot and cold on this one. I definitely enjoyed this book and binged it in 2 days. The mystery of why Nate's family kept moving and the dysfunctional personalities and weird coping skills they have definitely intrigued me. I also liked how more of the story unfolds and it was written so gradually. The "dreams" are a nice touch but honestly felt that they could've either revealed more or just do away with it. New kid in town integrated into a group with a penchant for pursuing urban legends has this certain attraction to readers. As all horror books/films go, I was very affected by how the characters would pursue and agree to go through with things that they know are dangerous. It drove me a little insane trying to mentally tell these people NOT to do what they did. There were also certain things that Nate (MC) did that were so dumb but this was answered later on and it satisfied me. Part 2, the climax, was a little confusing as they changed POVs from Nate at part 1 to the rest of the friends at part 2. It appeared more chaotic which I felt was appropriate. The ending was okay, I would've loved this to be scarier though. But I guess it's okay for something YA.
Overall, this is a very entertaining, bingeable paranormal thriller read.
Thank you Netgalley, Wednesday Books for a gifted e-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you to NetGalley, Vincent Ralph and St Martin’s Press for the free ebook in exchange for an honest review.
Interesting concept but it took too long for me personally to get to the good parts and the twisty bits. I loved the last 15% of the book but I was starting to wonder if there was even going to be a twist.
One House Left by Vincent Ralph delivers a suspenseful and gripping narrative that keeps readers on edge with its dark twists and turns. Ralph's atmospheric writing and well-crafted suspense make this thriller a compelling and intense read.
This novel is so much more than it appears at first glance. The storytelling pulls you in and doesn’t let go throughout the whole thing. The author deftly knows how to reel you in and then give you some slack to decide how you feel about the characters and their situations. The plot is original because it seems so common and overdone that the nuances and twists that come almost from the start make it unlike any other book. I especially enjoyed the resilience of the characters and how their own pasts and tragedies shaped them.
I typically steer clear of YA because I find myself annoyed and too judgy and it just doesn’t seem fair to review a book knowing I may not like it, but I took a chance on One House Left and you know what, I wasn’t annoyed with it.
Given it is YA, the horror is light, but I found it enjoyable and I really liked the end twist. I would consider this like a more mature take on an R.L. Stine Fear Street book, and I mean that in the highest of compliments. I listened to this on audio and the narrators were great. Many thanks to Wednesday Books for my advanced audiobook. One House Left is to be published 8/27, just in time for spooky season to begin!
This one was likened to R. L. Stine and Urban Legend. So my expectations were pretty high which I think really did this book a disservice. A novel similar to R. L. Stine’s style…this was not. It definitely has the juvenile vibe but that’s about where it ends as far as similarities.
I don’t typically read YA as it’s not usually my favorite…totally my fault for reading this one to begin with. I just never really connected with this novel or any of the characters. The story just felt a bit clunky and disjointed to me. Even the audio narration I think used different voices and tones but it didn’t work for this one at least not for me because it was like I was reading a different story entirely.
I will say the ending was better than the beginning because the pacing picked up.
I didn’t hate it but also couldn’t really tell you much about it either. It was decent enough that I finished it.
If you’re into YA novels and enjoy Urban Legends/Folklore in a small town and murder road types of stories you might enjoy this one. It sorta reminded me of that Nic Cage movie, Longlegs at the end but with kids.
There were definitely parts of this that creeped me out real good (I live in an old Victorian house, and reading this in the dark on my Kindle while it rained made for a fun experience in auditory hallucinations!) but the longer it went on, the less interested I became. What started as a meditation on fear and shared grief slowly devolved into a straight-up ghost story. (And the less said about the nearly-incoherent part two, the better.)
By the time the final page was turned, I was no longer scared or feeling sorry for this cast of characters, I was just annoyed by the turns the story had taken.
Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin's Press for the eARC.
This book is so creepy. What on earth. I wanted to reach in and save the kids so badly. This is certainly one that I have continued to think about since finishing.
“If they hadn’t known each other so well, they might have seen relief or happiness or excitement. Instead, they saw only terror. ”
Here are reasons to read the YA Horror book:
Urban Lore - Nate and his family grew up on the street of an Urban Lore where many murders happened
New Family - Now they have moved and are the new family on the street
Follow the mystery - He befriends a new group whose purpose is to follow and discover these urban legends
So I am not 100% sure how to talk about this book. It’s very creepy and you think you have a handle on what has happened here. But when you get to the end, it turns out to be even more sinister than you think. And I wasn’t prepared for it because there really weren't a whole lot of clues about it. I would say if you want a book where you just follow the story without a lot of knowing what is happening, this one's for you.