I just couldn't get into this one and didn't finish the title. It felt rushed and I didn't connect with the main character.

DNF @ 12%. I’m not sure about this one. The writing style isn’t for me. It felt very casual, like reading some guy’s stream of consciousness, including the boring/irrelevant thoughts.

Paul, a podcast presenter, goes back to his hometown, where he discovers something terrible had happened at his old house, having his best friend being the center of it.

This book feels like you were reading a movie, it’s intriguing enough for you to want to know what’s gonna happen next, however some elements from cinema do not translate in the best way to written media, so they fall a little flat, as the jumpscares that do not complete themselves as we do not have the audiovisual to support them.

The writing is good and does not cause any unnecessary confusion, the story is established in a clear way, so it takes you from the beginning to the end without any trouble. The characters, on the other hand, it’s difficult to establish a connection with, and even it’s difficult to establish an empathy or even like some of them, however, this does help you to simply be waiting to see what happens next.

It’s a horror book that could be considered Classic horror, it contains all kinds of situations, ghosts, violent and bloody situations and a mystery that has not been solved.

Content warnings: Mention of suicide, death, infanticide, substance consumption, blood, body horror.


--- Spanish

Paul, un presentador de podcast, regresa a la ciudad de su infancia, donde descubre que algo terrible ha pasado en su vieja casa, siendo el protagonista su mejor amigo.

Este libro se siente como si estuvieras leyendo una película, es lo suficientemente intrigante para querer saber qué es lo que sigue, sin embargo algunos elementos de cine no se traducen de la mejor manera al medio escrito, por lo tanto se sienten algo flojos, como <i>“jumpscares”</i> que no se concretan ya que no tenemos ese factor audiovisual para acompañarlos.

La escritura es buena y no causa confusión innecesaria, la historia está establecida de una forma clara, por lo cual te lleva del inicio al final sin problema alguno. Los personajes sin embargo, son personajes con los cuales es difícil conectar, e incluso es difícil causar empatía o agrado por alguno de ellos, sin embargo esto ayuda a que simplemente estés esperando que es lo que les espera después.

Es un libro de terror que se podría considerar como terror clásico, con todo tipo de situaciones, desde apariciones, situaciones violentas y sangrientas y un misterio sin resolver.

Advertencias de contenido: Mención de suicidio, muerte, infanticidio, consumo de sustancias, sangre, horror corporal.

The premise for this book sounded really interesting - a man decides to investigate the murder of his best friend via a podcast and weird, spooky things start to happen. Let's start with the pros: the writing is very straight-forward and easy to read and there is humor speckled throughout that counter-balances the horror nicely.

The book starts with the main character Paul getting into hot water for investigating a childhood friend's disappearance, but when that friend turns out to be fine and asks him to stop the podcast, he acquiesces. But then his best friend is found dead in Paul's childhood home, and he immediately decides to make a podcast about it, even though his other friends bring up that it seems overly performative and distasteful. So he's a bit of an unlikable/morally gray character, but I can get down with that if the writing and the plot are good.

Now for the Cons. The pace feels very quick with no room to breathe. Horror needs moments of stillness to really up the creepy factor, but there's not a lot of that here. The body horror happens quickly and seems to be written soley for shock value rather than bringing the reader into this world and feeling the dread alongside the MC. Some scenes are meant to be truly horrifying but they read as campy and cliche, and I found myself laughing during these scenes because of how obsurdly over-the-top they were.

Ultimately, 8114 falls into the trap of "telling versus showing" and I DNF'd at just under 40%. If you need a quick and easy read that has elements of body horror and enjoy reading podcast transcripts, this might be for you, otherwise you might have difficulty with the overly done horror tropes.

I was a big fan of Joshua Hull's "Mouth", which took a much-more lighthearted approach to the macabre. "8114" is a much more straightforward story about a cursed house and the hapless podcaster who can't quite stay away from it. "8114" started off strong, with some really cool imagery and frights, but it sags toward the.middle with repetitive sequences of hallucinations that just don't amount to much. There's a good story in here, but a lot of it just seems kind of underbaked.

🩸🏚🥀Wax remains, even if you blow out the candle🥀🏚🩸

I've read about 50 books this year, with most of them being amazing, and this is my favorite one so far.

This book scared the hell out of me!

Paul Early has a podcast, in which his current episode is about a missing childhood friend. And while investigating into his missing friend, things about this childhood including friends and his hometown make a comeback into his life. And due to unforseen circumstances he founds himself back home going down a rabit hole full of death and despair. It's a non stop horrific, gore filled, dreadful fest and it was so much fun!

What a nightmare! Between the different media involved in the book, the absolutely terrifying descriptions and things happening in between the pages this book has the potential to become a A24 film and I would be right in line to watch it!

And remember...

Bye for now. And just remember, friend... don't forget to clear your head. To give your life and join the dead. To close your eyes and join the black. The things out there, we want you back


I would love to thank Clash Books, Joshua Hull and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this masterpiece of horror!

If you are looking for a terrifying novel 8114 is it. A Mysterious death of a high school friend and a haunted house that is now abandoned but was once his house is all to terrifying and will having you at the edge of your seat.

A horror novel with a strong podcast element, 8114 is an eerie, unsettling read that left me with more questions than answers. The story follows Paul, a true crime podcaster, as he returns to his cursed childhood home in Pendleton, Oregon, after the death of a friend. From there, things spiral into a surreal, violent nightmare filled with ghosts, demons, and a growing body count.

I appreciated the use of the podcast as a storytelling device—it added a layer of realism and urgency to the mystery. However, the plot felt disjointed at times, and I struggled with understanding whether events were actually happening or if they were just in Paul’s head. As an unreliable narrator, Paul is frustrating—self-absorbed and oblivious, with little depth beyond his flaws. I kept waiting for a reveal about why he was such a terrible person, but it never came.

The horror elements are strong, with some genuinely chilling moments—the haunted house where everything dies, the blackened lady, and the strange deaths linked to 8114. However, the book left too many threads unresolved. I wanted more explanation about Belial, the strange mould growing in Paul, and the history behind the Women in the Light cult.

While 8114 is an easy, fast-paced read, I ultimately found it a bit disappointing. It’s a great concept, but the execution lacked the depth and cohesion needed to make it truly haunting.
Thanks #NetGalley for the ARC! This book will be out August 2025!

#8114 #joshuahull

First, THANK YOU to NetGalley and Clash Books for allowing me to read an ARC of this book. Wow, this is an amazing book! I loved this from beginning to end. I could not put this down! The characters were great (although I think the main character was a bit too self deprecating). I really enjoy the plot, and I think the ending was perfect. It never hit a lull and was excitement from beginning to end. Highly recommend!

This was not as scary as I was expecting but sufficiently creepy. It was a quick read and I could definitely tell the author had a background in screenwriting. As a film, this would be terrifying. The imagery was grotesque and seamlessly blended into the main characters 'reality'.

I enjoyed the podcast style narrative of 8114, that was something unique that I had never experienced with a novel before. It felt a little bit like watching a found footage horror movie, which is my favorite type of film. However, I really didn’t vibe with this very much, and honestly I’m sort of struggling to articulate why. I think it was supposed to be funny, but the humor and sarcasm didn’t land with me. The narrator came across as unlikable and he read much younger than he was. Every time I remembered he was 42, it shocked me because he just seemed significantly younger, like late teens/early 20s - he was impulsive, sooo unserious, and inappropriate. I think he’s intentionally unlikeable, but it just made for a challenging reading experience for me, and it was hard for me to feel any sympathy for what he was experiencing.

The characters reactions to things also just didn’t make sense to me. The narrator was experiencing like full on terrifying hallucinations/paranormal encounters, and he barely thought twice about it. Like “oh my dead friend just assaulted me, and I’m growing mold and rot all over my body but oh well, let’s keep on with the podcast”. There was just so much so fast, it just didn’t mirror how a person would really react to these experiences.

I do think this will appeal to many horror readers, especially those that love gruesome body horror and “jump scare” type narratives because those were done well here, it just overall wasn’t for me.


Thank you so much to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy of 8114, all opinions are completely my own.

I really enjoyed this read. I felt spooked the whole time I read it. It did give "movie" vibes and I think it would be a great short film! I did feel that the Horror Movie references were overdone though.

This sounded like such a good book, but it fell so flat for me. It didn't make any sense, there was zero connection to the characters, and I ended with a lot more questions than answers. It felt like you were thrown into a sequel, like there was something you should've read before this book to give you more background/context. Overall just poorly written.

i’m sorry to say i did dnf pretty early on love the concept though i love multimedia/podcasts in books but the moss growing in his arm and him being like meh just annoyed me tbh

Thank you netgalley and CLASH books for allowing me to read the advanced copy of 8114

Publish Date 26th August

Genre- Horror (supernatural/small town type horror)
My rating- 4 Stars

I Haven't read a horror this good in a while! I was surprised by how much I ended up enjoying this book.
It reads like your typical horror movie which I really love! Im super excited to see how the audiobook turns out on this one! I will be doing a reread once it's released.

This was such a page turner with something truly disturbing/creepy happening in almost every chapter.. Fast paced and only 218 pages.

Must read!

**Review: *8114* by Joshua Hull**

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️½ (4.5/5)

Joshua Hull’s *8114* is an unrelenting, nerve-shredding plunge into supernatural horror that expertly blends small-town trauma, haunted house terror, and the paranoia of an unreliable narrator. Fast-paced and deeply unsettling, this novel grips from the very first page and refuses to let go until its mind-bending, gut-punch of an ending.

At the heart of the story is Paul, a disgraced podcaster returning to his hometown after a childhood friend dies by suicide in the ruins of his former family home. Searching for answers—and perhaps redemption—Paul launches a new investigative podcast, but as he unravels the mystery, he finds himself spiraling into a nightmare of disturbing hauntings, grotesque visions, and an overwhelming sense that something in *8114* refuses to stay buried.

Hull’s writing is cinematic, filled with visceral horror that feels tailor-made for a film adaptation. The novel’s use of podcast transcripts adds a modern, immersive touch, making the reader feel like they’re experiencing the investigation firsthand. The supernatural horror elements are executed with chilling precision—Hull doesn’t rely on cheap jump scares but rather crafts a suffocating sense of dread that lingers long after putting the book down.

While *8114* excels at atmosphere and tension, the pacing occasionally leans toward relentless, giving little breathing room before the next disturbing revelation. Paul, as a protagonist, is deeply flawed—his arrogance and selfishness make him a difficult character to root for at times. However, his descent into obsession and paranoia is gripping, and the novel thrives on its ability to blur the lines between psychological breakdown and supernatural horror.

The ending is a knockout—bleak, shocking, and perfectly in line with the novel’s themes of trauma, memory, and the inescapability of the past. Fans of horror stories that mess with your mind (*The Haunting of Hill House*, *House of Leaves*, *Smile*) will find a lot to love here.

*8114* is a dark and harrowing ride through grief, obsession, and the horrors that fester in forgotten places. Hull delivers a gut-churning, skin-crawling story that lingers like a bad dream. Highly recommended for horror fans who crave something truly unsettling.

Exceptionally dark and well written! I could not read this fast enough. A very unique experience that will def, go on my shelf!

Did not finish. An interesting concept, but not very well fleshed out. Some of the writing was quite amateurish, and seemed to skip over important story points.

This book took my by surprise, it was such a great horror novel, it was terrifying and I loved every second of it! Highly recommend preordering this one! You won’t want to miss it.

This book was a fun paranormal small town horror story!! the entire time I was reading I kept thinking I would love to see it turned into a movie. Definitely will be recommending to people who enjoy a fast paced read.