Review: 14

14 by Peter Clines

My rating: 5 of 5 stars



Amazon Blurb:

Padlocked doors. Strange light fixtures. Mutant cockroaches.

These are some odd things about Nate's new apartment.

Of course, he has other things on his mind. He hates his job. He has no money in the bank. No girlfriend. No plans for the future. So while his new home isn't perfect, it's livable. The rent is low, the property managers are friendly, and the odd little mysteries don't nag at him too much.

At least, not until he meets Mandy, his neighbor across the hall, and notices something unusual about her apartment. And Xela's apartment. And Tim's. And Veek's.

Because every room in this old Los Angeles brownstone has a mystery or two. Mysteries that stretch back over a hundred years. Some of them are in plain sight. Some are behind locked doors. And all together these mysteries could mean the end of Nate and his friends.

Or the end of everything...

The Good
14 is as unsettling as it is intriguing. I never knew what to expect, though some of my guesses came close to the mark.

Peter Clines did an incredible job with characterization, adding new characters regularly that draw the reader in. And the mystery in 14 unravels slowly enough that you're dying to keep reading without giving you so much that you can't absorb the insanity that is the character's new brown stone apartment.

The Bad
The ending felt a little Stephen King-ish, without sucking. I was still drawn in but... How does a writer describe the literal bending of reality? Either way, it worked. But my mind blew out long before then.

Very satisfactory ending ultimately.

The Spin
14 is a gripping horror/thriller that will keep you guessing. From the appropriately parsed mystery to the engaging characters, its a very satisfying read!




View all my reviews