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4.0 

House of Bone and Rain

By Gabino Iglesias
House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

In this "stunningly visceral" (New York Times Book Review) novel, a group of young men seek vengeance after one of their mothers is murdered in a Puerto Rican slum; STAND BY ME with a haunted, obsidian-dark heart. 
 
A Barnes & Noble Best Horror Book of the Year

For childhood friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, Paul, and Bimbo, death has always been close. Hurricanes. Car accidents. Gang violence. Suicide. Estamos rodeados de fantasmas was Gabe’s grandmother’s refrain. We are surrounded by ghosts. But this time is different. Bimbo's mom has been shot dead. We’re gonna kill the guys who killed her Bimbo swears. And they all agree.

Feral with grief, Bimbo has become unrecognizable, taking no prisoners in his search for names. Soon, they learn Maria was gunned down by guys working for the drug kingpin of Puerto Rico. No one has ever gone up against him and survived. As the boys strategize, a storm gathers far from the coast. Hurricanes are known to carry evil spirits in their currents and bring them ashore, spirits which impose their own order.

Blurring the boundaries between myth, mysticism, and the grim realities of our world, House of Bone and Rain is a harrowing coming of age story; a doomed tale of devotion, the afterlife of violence, and what rolls in on the tide. 

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331 Reviews

4.0
Thinking Face“I really enjoyed this book up to a point, but I think it could’ve been 100 pages shorter. I had to fight my way to the end once I hit the last 100 pages. It got repetitive at this point and there were literal fish people, which tipped what started as an atmospheric horror novel into ridiculousness. There were suggestions of ghostly entities but the ending was literally about fish folk. Why??? I really liked a lot of the characters, I like how the chapters were summarised at the beginning of each one and I absolutely LOVED the setting, but the ending really let it down. This is so well written, but it really lost its way.”
Thumbs Up“House of Bone and Rain delivers a compelling revenge story that effectively immerses the reader in its dark, atmospheric setting. The plot moves at a steady pace, keeping tension high as the protagonists navigate their path to vengeance. However, while the supernatural elements add an eerie touch, some felt a bit silly or out of place, occasionally breaking the otherwise serious tone. One issue that stood out was how easily the protagonists managed to basically take down some of the most powerful people on the island, despite having no real plan or strategy,granted they used the aftermath of the storm to do all of this, It made the climax feel a little too convenient and undercut some of the stakes built up earlier. Additionally, some of the dialogue included Spanish, with most of it immediately translated by another character, but not always. As a Spanish speaker, I understood it, but I can see how it might throw off readers who don’t. Overall, while it’s not exactly my type of horror, the book offers an engaging tale of revenge. If you’re looking for a dark, atmospheric read with a mix of supernatural and thriller elements, it’s worth checking out.”
“I really liked this book at the beginning. It really did a good job of making you picture and feel what it might be like to live in the slums of Puerto Rico (specifically La Perla). But then it started getting… weird. And usually, I like weird. But this just wasn’t doing it for me. I guess when I expected the supernatural element to this story it wasn’t… fish? Towards the middle end, I got pretty bored of this book and it took me a while to pick it back up again. It was fine. Although, if you did like this book I highly recommend the film City of God. It’s fantastic.”

About Gabino Iglesias

Gabino Iglesias is the author of the Shirley Jackson and Bram Stoker award-winning novel, The Devil Takes You Home, as well as author of the critically acclaimed and award-winning novels Zero Saints and Coyote Songs. He is a writer, journalist, professor, and literary critic living in Austin, Texas. He is the horror columnist for the New York Times Book Review

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