megs_bookrack's Reviews > Horrorstör

**4.5-stars rounded up**



I was so excited when my friend, Shannon, and I made a spur of the moment decision to Buddy Read, Horrorstor.

Love that for us.



I have owned a copy of this since it was first released and have heard such great things in the years since. I would often stop, pick it up, flip through the pages and consider reading it, but for some reason never did.

The whole package of the book is hella unique. Made to resemble an IKEA catalog, each chapter begins with a picture of a specific piece of home decor and an oft humorous description.



It's a really special book in regards to creativity and for that reason alone, I would recommend people give it a shot to see what it's all about.

Moving on from the engaging format, I was so pleased with the actual story!



Amy has been working at Orsk for a while, but seems to be stuck in a rut. The tasks are monotonous and as days pass, it's honestly sucking the life out of her.

Additionally, her manager, Basil, always seems to be on her case. She just needs him to get off her back, and let her do her thing, her way.



When mysterious occurrences begin happening around the store, including damage to some of the product, the management has reason to suspect someone is getting in after hours.

Basil approaches Amy and another employee, Ruth Ann, and asks them to work a dusk-til-dawn shift with him to hopefully catch the vandal. Important people from corporate are arriving the very next morning and he wants to have a handle on the situation prior to their arrival.



The two women begrudgingly agree and return to the store at the designated hour. Their plan is to patrol the showroom floor, every hour, over the course of the night to see if they can solve the mystery.

On their first walk through the eerie, fun-house scary showroom, with designated areas per room type, Amy and Ruth Ann stumble upon an unexpected surprise in Bedrooms.



Two fellow employees, Trinity and Matt, have let themselves into the store unannounced to shoot footage for their prospective ghost hunting show.

They know of the mysterious happenings at Orsk and think supernatural forces may be at work.



The rest of the narrative follows these five employees, locked in the deserted super store for the night, as they discover the true root of the problem. And it is a serious problem indeed.

I absolutely loved the set-up. The brain-draining corporate retail environment was spectacular. The satire perfectly played.



I thought all of the characters were well done. Even though they seem one dimensional to start, over the course of their time together, you learn much more about each of them. I personally began to feel quite attached.

The humor was also spot on for me. The satirical nature of the entire story, plus the witty banter between the characters, made this an absolute delight from beginning to end.



Added on to all of the great things mentioned above, the horror elements were great. There were some yucky moments, cringe-worthy moments and creepy moments.

It really offered a lot. I felt like the conclusion was a little rushed, but other than that one small thing, fantastic!

This is definitely Horror Comedy though, so if that is not your jam, you may want to steer clear.



This was my first Hendrix book and it seems like a solid place to start. I am glad to have buddy read this because it was fun to have someone to discuss it with while actually reading. I think it added to the overall experience.

I certainly will be picking up more books by Grady Hendrix in the future!