The House that Fell from the Sky by Patrick Delaney Book Party
We had a Night Worms book party in a haunted house. The House the Fell from the Sky by Patrick Delaney has been, I think, our most divisive book yet. It’s also been the first book that anyone DNF’d (that’s Did Not Finish in book nerd speak). The Night Worms review team thinks that life is too short to spend time reading books that you don’t enjoy. Read through the blurbs below to find out who loved this book and who really did not love this book.
“My overall impression is that this author has an amazing imagination with a lot of exciting story ideas but perhaps needed a little more time narrowing the story down--whittling away at the non-essentials and getting to the real meat of the story-because therein lies the delicious horror. Had the writing been more succinct, the characters more clearly defined/developed, I could see this story really standing out as something new but as is, there isn't anything particularly groundbreaking; just the potential for more to come. I'm eager to read more from Patrick R. Delaney.” -@mother.horror
“It's not often I read a book that leaves me with more questions than answers, but this one did. There's still so much of the mystery that I don't understand and so many things left dangling, characters introduced and then never mentioned again, spooky things I wanted explained…” -@readswithdogs
“The book had a mix of “Silent Hill” and “The Evil Within”. If you’ve seen either one of those, you will understand how physical laws do not apply. The delusions formed in your mind while reading is enough to create things that aren’t really there. I was impressed with the pacing since this is a thick book and it only slowed down in one area for me. I don’t normally read big books because the pacing seems to become an afterthought but this book didn’t do too bad with it. The ending was everything I had hoped for and more.” -@n0vel.id3a
“This book hit a lot of personal likes of mine: from a focus on character building, to themes of family, friendship, and grief (a la Haunting of Hill House) to an irresistible mystery that needs solving, to terrifying images of monsters and dark chaos. I love that there’s such a cool mix of horrors (ghosts, ghouls, creepy crawlers, monsters, eldritch terrors, etc). Also healthy doses of Silent Hill, Lovecraft, King, and more. At over 500 pages it drags just a bit in some spots, but overall I was definitely down for this epic tale!” -@reading.vicariously
“I thought this was a super fun book but I would have loved even more time IN the house exploring all its nooks, crannies, passages, and rooms. I love a book when the house is like this! This story has a lot going on and there are definitely puzzle pieces for the reader to connect - but it worked and it was enjoyable!”-@findingmontauk1
“... a lot of it seems like padding, too much time and pages are spent describing things that aren’t that important. I can appreciate scene and world building, but there is such a thing as too much, and in this case it took far too long to get into the meat and potatoes, and when I got there, even that wasn’t doing it for me. The exploits inside the house just turned out to be more of the issues that I was having in the earlier sections.” -@steelrainreviews
“The House that Fell from the Sky, a book that I am flagging DNF. And I kinda feel bad about that. It’s an interesting premise that caught my attention, but the execution isn’t geared towards me and what I’m into as a reader, as an individual.” -@zakk.madness
“I do think there's a good story in this book. I thought the house was sufficiently creepy and the premise is outstanding, but the execution fell flat for me. I think that with significant editing and shortening, this definitely would have been a better experience for me. I wanted more about the house and less about the characters.” -@teamredmon
“Sometimes a novel can’t quite capitalize on the strength of its premise. THE HOUSE THAT FELL FROM THE SKY may end up being that novel for some readers.” -@thehorrorhypothesis
“I think this author shows lots of potential, but this book could have done with a good editing session that cut out a lot of the extra, unnecessary stuff. I liked Delaney’s prose a lot. It is easy and compelling, though his character descriptions could use a little help. I would definitely read something else from him… but maybe something shorter.” -
“Honestly, this was a fun read for me. Though the characters are in their late 20's/early 30's, this reads like a YA novel. Personally, it didn't bother me at all. While I might have forgotten what age bracket these characters were supposed to be in, who cares? Maybe the dialogue felt a little juvenile at times but hell, I'm 45 and have some conversations that don't feel so "adult" all the time. *shrug* I liked this unique take on a see if you can survive the night in a house that wants to eat you alive.” -@wherethereadergrows
“I liken this book to “The Haunting of Hill House” with cosmic horror instead of ghosts. It is a fantastic idea, but the book fell flat in a lot of different areas. Most pressing is the author’s use of details (or lack thereof).”- @mrsbeverlygibbs
“ The chapters that focus on the house itself are fantastic, easily five stars! However, character development is unbalanced brought it down to three stars. Some details are gratuitous, while others are missing altogether. If this book were restructured with a focus on the house from the start, it would be a better reading experience. Also, editing down about 150 pages would provide a more succinct story and sharpen the pace. Although, for a being a 500-some-odd page book, it was an easy read. As an aside, major props to the cover art as it is a stunner!” -@shereadswithcats
“I think that Delaney is a wonderful writer and the concept for this story is fascinating, it just felt like there was too much put into some places and not enough put into others. I would absolutely read more from this author in the future.” -@keelyfuse85
“Sometimes a book works for you, and sometimes it doesn't. This is one of those instances where it did not work for me, which is a bummer cause I really really wanted to like this novel. The premise of the story sounded so interesting to me, but the execution left much to be desired.” -@marcyreads
“All the tasty bits are there waiting in the wings but it felt like I had to eat all my vegetables just so I could get to the dessert, and we all know I live for the sweet stuff. I honestly believe the author has all the potential in the world to deliver in future books, which I'll definitely be picking up but unfortunately this one was a DNF for me.” -@thehellbound_heart
Ashley, @bookishmommy also decided to DNF this book saying that it felt like required reading in highschool and not something she would normally read for fun.