BOOK REVIEW: Horrorstor by Grady Hendrix

A darkly engaging romp through a haunted furniture warehouse. What could go wrong?

This is my third Grady Hendrix book, and I was at the point where I didn’t know if I was ever going to read anything else by him. I felt that his books just weren’t my jam, but I thought this satirical approach to the retail industry and IKEA was worth a try. And, I am definitely glad I did. It blew the other books by this author out of the water!  Now, don't get me wrong, this will not be my favorite book of the year, you need to think about it in comparison to how I felt about his others!

Amy transferred to this new store, but was hoping to do and be more - middle management maybe? The problem is she thinks Basil, her boss, is out to fire her. But, he ends up needing her help to figure out who is getting into the store overnight because whoever it is is damaging and defacing the furniture and the big wig corporate bosses arrive the next morning. So, Amy and another associate, Ruth Anne, agree to all-nighter in the warehouse style store since Basil has agreed to pay them for their troubles.

The book makes me remember what I hated about working retail, granted there is a purposeful exaggeration to make the point. One of the things I loved about it was the attention to detail that Hendrix gave to the descriptions and the events that take place. Many are legit. If you have ever been to an IKEA store, you know how easy it is to get lost! This was a frequently referenced element of the store that was mentioned throughout. But, there were several elements of the story that make the setting believable and that is what I think creates some of the “thrilling” aspects. It’s easy to get turned around, and the thought of a dark warehouse is terrifying in itself.

There are enough people running around in here. It’s starting to feel like an episode of Scooby-Doo.

The book wasn’t scary, and honestly, I wouldn't even say it was creepy. I thought it was a good supernatural ‘thriller’ though. There is a build up of tension, not really suspense, as they get deeper and deeper into the night. The weirdness level definitely escalates. The three characters decide to do rounds so they can see if there is anyone hiding in the store. On their first rounds, they find two more employees, Matt and Trinity, who are there wanting to film an amateur ghost-hunting documentary to sell to BRAVO. I loved these two. They were a little bit on the comic relief side of things, but became active participants in the events that unfold during the night.

They eventually encounter the cause of vandalism to the store. Well, I guess they meet HIM. Here’s the thing, the mental stability of the characters crumbles quickly, and it’s hard to give a lot of details without spoiling everything. There are some restless spirits that need to fulfill their purpose, so needless to say everything goes to Hell in a handbasket. Do these characters really think they are going to get out of this unscathed? They are way to accepting of Carl.

• The chapters are headed with pieces of furniture. The function of these pieces of furniture mirrors the characters own collapse into the supernatural, mental turmoil. This is both interesting and a little concerning as they stop resembling normal furniture and more like medieval torture devices.

• There are many moments where I had no idea what was going on, but I was so engrossed that it didn’t even bother me. It was a quick read, and once HE begins to fully engage with the characters, there really is no holding back.

• There were some pretty graphic scenes, but since the whole book has the approach of a parody, I didn’t even really have a reaction one way or another, with the exception of the seance. I loved this scene, and it was what tipped the scales into HIS favor and set the rest of the night’s events into motion.

  “You're sure this isn't satanic?' Ruth Anne asked.
  'It's a nondenominational séance," Trinity said.”

• I wasn’t really invested in the characters themselves. I was more interested in the cause of the issues in the store and how quickly everything went downhill for the characters; the actions that were taken against the characters when they were ‘caught.’

• The ending was not great, but I’m not sure it could have been anything else than what it was. Clearly, the night in the store would leave lasting effects and honestly, there were a lot of unanswered questions. That frustrated me. It’s not one of my favorite things when authors just leave things hanging out there especially when there is no word on a sequel. But, at least there was a little, itty-bitty, tiny sense of closure.

  

This book was full of mind tricks, creepy doors, and poltergeist moments. There were many times when I was like, “You are all idiots!” and “Why would you do that?” But, it was creative, engaging and bizarre as I would say all of his books are. Will I read more Hendrix books? Maybe.

Where does this land on my bookshelf?

I’m struggling a little with this one. I liked it, and I would recommend it because it was interesting, fast-paced and unique, but I wasn’t in love with it. I guess for that reason, I will have to place it on the middle shelf. Maybe the fact that I struggled a little bit to really find aspects to talk about prevents me from placing it higher. It was a good book, and I think I will just leave it at that. If you have the opportunity to read it, I would say read it!

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