Suhailah (Semi-hiatus - Since March 2025)'s Reviews > Horrorstör

Is there anything MORE creepy than a busy store packed with people customers???🤭

All joking aside, is there anything creepier than an empty store during the dead of night when only the faint remnants of human presence can still be felt? What lurks around?

Horrorstor explores this very possibility.

Welcome to Orsk, the IKEA knockoff store in Cuyahoga County – Cleveland, Ohio. Do you dare to take a tour down the Bright and Shining Path?

So, this was a lot of fun! It’s a quick read if you are able to maintain interest/focus for that long. I, on the other hand, struggled with that. About halfway through, it really started dragging and lost my interest. Don’t get me wrong, it reached a point of nonstop, heart-pounding action and thrills. There were also some true moments of terror, claustrophobia, and gruesomeness weaved in. I think I screamed, “no!” out loud way too many times.

My only minor complaint is that the plot was just so questionably blah. Maybe because this is supposed to be so comical and unique? I admit it did make my mind wander to the NBC hit sitcom, Super Store on many occasions which was comedic just because of its fun portrayal of the retail work environment.

I suppose I just wasn’t too convinced with the whole haunting source explanation, making it difficult for me to see past that. That being said, there was some notable character development, and I did immensely enjoy and appreciate the nod against the corporate work lifestyle/grind and the attention to the dissatisfaction/struggles of surviving financially in such jobs.

“There’s nothing waiting inside but retail slavery, endless exploitation, and personal subjugation to the whims of our corporate overlords.”

“The more Amy struggled, the faster she sank. Every month she shuffled around less and less money to cover the same number of bills. The hamster wheel kept spinning and spinning and spinning. Sometimes she wanted to let go and find out exactly how far she’d fall if she just stopped fighting. She didn’t expect life to be fair, but did it have to be so relentless?”

Definite 5/5 for creativity: The design of the book was outstanding! 100% brilliant and super creative! I loved the drawings of the different pieces of furniture at the beginning of each chapter. It feels like you are reading a catalog! It is really fitting for the feel of the story. The ending was pretty unexpected but well done. I’m still questioning if the actual haunting was more scary, or the idea of being stuck working a soul-sucking corporate job as your life passes you by drifting you farther away from your own aspirations and dreams. At times, I could really relate to the main character Amy!

“And your brain, deprived of this poison, will at last achieve the stillness you crave. It is humane and merciful, a freedom from your torments. And if you die, isn’t the stillness of death preferable to the vain agitation and senseless chaos of your life?”

“She wanted to slither back into the darkness, she wanted this useless struggle to end.”

This was my first official read of a Grady Hendrix novel, and I have more to go on my TBR list. I had only sampled one of his short stories last year, and it’s fear still lives rent free in the back of my mind every night in the darkness, haha! He seems super clever, and I’m looking forward to more of his work!

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