I read about 100-150 pages of this and tried to get into it but with the hand changing hands so often, I found it hard to continue on, especially without any characters to latch to. I feel like this book was not meant for me, but I enjoyed the details and gore provided. Sadly I do not think I will be finishing this book

4.5/5

Characters are not lost even in a story that is convoluted and full of hyper-kinetic energy it was like being at a rock concert in high school. I may be too old for that shit, but I’m not for this and I’m not letting it stop me from enjoying this little gem. It’s just a tad too long I think.

Everyone is after "the hand". A severed hand with how close it is to you will send you violent thoughts to kill others or yourself. You become ravaged by violence. Besides all the main characters looking for the hand, the government, a secret black ops division, is trying to get it back and they don't hesitate to shoot.

This was a whirlwind ride with quirky characters. Hutch and Tim, enforcers, Katharine, a famous singer whose husband's mysterious suicide turned her into an agoraphobiac, and Nick her son who once had "the hand" needs to get it back after Katharine has been kidnapped. The characters are all dark, some grey and all criminals. But somehow I loved, at least most of them. It felt weird rooting for the criminals but they were all being sought after by the bigger baddie, the black ops, so I reasoned out my feelings. Don't get close to anyone though as no one is safe from the author's sword.

I became more and more invested in the plot the more I read. It was pretty brutal and got weird but that's why we love horror, eh? Not a literary masterpiece but a fun, gripping piece of action horror.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House for an e-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review. An action packed summer horror/crime, this book is a perfect beach read for those fond of the more macabre. It’s dark and fun without being too heavy or cheesy. Gangster meets gore in a perfect blend, you’ll have a hard time not popping <i> And Justice For All <i> on while you read this.

HELL YES THIS. A rock and roll nightmare fever dream that I had to read in one gulp. I had no choice.

Fever House packs so much more into it than you expect. It's got rage-inducing severed body parts, zombies, clandestine government agencies, rock legends. And above all, it's a compelling and entertaining story that is a joy to read, if you can stomach it!

I didn't have the intelligence or maybe imagination to follow this story line.

I know there are loads of people that will love this, but I just couldn't handle it for some reason.

DNF

I read the first few chapters and it just wasn't really grabbing me so I think I'm going to drop this one. Nothing really wrong with it so far that makes it 'bad' I think it's just a little bit too action movie-y for me personally and I didn't really care for the writing style. Most people seem to be enjoying it though and the bits I read seemed well written on a technical level so if it sounds good to you it's worth checking out.

Murder, Debt Collectors, Mystery, Intrigue, Devils, Angels(?), Zombies(?)!!!!

Where does one start with the amazingness that is Fever House by Keith Rosson? This novel follows several characters as they interact with a seemingly important item, a severed hand. Where does this severed hand come from? Why does it incur seemingly mindless rages that typically result in death? Why is the government after this artifact? All of these are questions that get answered in this novel and its thrill ride that you won't be able to put down. 450 pages fly by as you race to determine who you can trust, what evil truly looks like, and more. There are so many amazing elements that offer a lot to readers. There is an obvious love for the occult that will resonate with readers. Curiosity might just cost some characters their life. There is gore galore! Some of the most intense scenes in this novel are gore splattered and I loved them. These are just a few of the amazing things that his book has to offer. I could go on for hours.

I went into this novel relatively blind and I am so thankful for that. The cover is amazing first and foremost. It is a hardcore rock and roll zombie icon of a cover. That was the first eye-catching piece that drew me in. (Hint Hint about the eye....) The premise of this book is also described so enticingly that I couldn't stop myself from begging to learn more. Now, however, I find myself in the predicament of needing to know more about this universe, more about these characters, and hoping that we might get that soon.

Please go out and read this book because it is dark, it is evil, and most importantly it is SUPERBLY WRITTEN!

Fever House by Keith Rosson (Aug 15th)
Genre: Apocalyptic Horror
Overall (out of 5)⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
Prose ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pacing(1=slow 5=fast)⭐⭐⭐⭐
Character Development ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Scary (1=mild 5= terrifying)⭐⭐⭐
Gore (1=clean 5=splatter)⭐⭐⭐⭐
Atmosphere ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Library or Buy-worthy: Buy-Worthy
Similar vibe: Pulp Fiction, Constantine, Ninth Gate

***Caution Spoilers Follow***
Words I would use to describe this: eloquent savagery, outrageously descriptive, fully fleshed gritty characters, well written and darkly entertaining. Is it splatterpunk? No it's more like a horror version of Pulp Fiction with the same frenetic pacing and everything. I completely devoured it. Some of you know I have an academic fascination with the occult. I read an article about the Hand of Glory earlier this year. Google it, it's fascinating. Anyway, that's not quite the same as the hand in this story, referred to as one of "the remnants". It's a Sinsar Dubah type thing (for those not in the know that's a Karen Marie Moning Fever series reference). I couldn't put this down and at 448 pgs that's really saying something. Quickly into the story the vivid eye-catching cover starts making sense. Keith Rosson's writing sets the eerie tone perfectly. It reads like a movie. The character driven story is told from multiple points of view and parts are even in an interview style. I found it to be easy to follow and added to the atmosphere the author was trying to create. The pacing drags in parts as the storyline flashes back and forth between past and present the reader learns all about the characters and slowly unfolds the main meaning of the book. Even with the slower parts the chapters are short and frankly I never lost interest, which is huge for me. I wasn't going to add this to my review bc it's a pretty huge plotpoint spoiler but okay, stop reading here if you don't want to know
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I'm just going to say it. There are dying angels, zombies and devils in this! Keith Rosson has managed such a fresh take on all these basic horror themes.

"He’s become a thing that skitters."

I mean come on! In the end I decided to spill because I know a lot of readers are really turned off of all things zombie. I didn't want you to be let down when you get to that part and stop reading. Keep going. Even if you hate zombies normally I still recommend reading this. At least try to find a library that has it.

"Use them all at once and here comes the seepage, the devil stepping forth, the grand and yawing darkness. It has been Michael’s purpose to witness this. To see. He says two words only... He says, 'It’s begun.'"

There's a noir and fantasy type vibe to this writing that was so entertaining to read. In short, I loved it. I loved everything about it.

"the hand is singing to him now... hardcore. An aria full of hisses and sobs, his head full of this ancient, timeless cadence."

"You shall make me a house of fever and wounds. A house of beetle and crow. A house of worms. A house of hounds that savage forever at the belly of love and take root there, devouring."

DNF at 42 percent.

I wanted to love this book so much. It has so many things I love in it but I just could not get into the writing styles. Based on other early reviews, I seem to be in the minority and a lot of other people are loving this which is fantastic. This just wasn’t for me.

This book was very gruesome and DESCRIPTIVE. The characters were great and I was sad to see some of them go but it didn't take away from the willingness to finish this book! This one is out there!

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. All opinions expressed are my own.

DNF @ 8%

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of Fever House! Ultimately I decided to DNF this story, it was insanely brutal and graphic. So if you are going to read this story check for the warnings! Fever House is just not the type of book I would normal pick up and I just dreaded reading it whenever I went I went to pick it up.

I was fevered reading this. It was a wild ride of depravity and rage. The commentary on religion, morals and the lengths people will go to do what they think is right is flawlessly executed.

Slow start, but maybe because I wasn't in the mood too much. I went back and read it when I had more time and actually was impressed! I loved the punk rock feels and the character development throughout this book. It's dark and twisted and really best to go in blind! Has a lot of action, which is not really something I don't typically like since it makes things too fast and confusing sometimes. I do like how the chapters were separated by the characters!

Fever House is an absolute roller coaster of a book. To start, it's got a severed hand with an appetite for destruction. I almost don't know what else has to be said to get someone to pick up this book immediately. But if the creepy, homicidal hand doesn't do it, maybe the punk rock star, seedy government agencies, gangsters, at least one devil, a psychic being with wings, collectors of curiosities, and two of the most wholesome thugs to ever exist can do the trick.

Somehow, Rosson makes each of these entities work together to tell his twisted story. I'm not sure how, but over the course of the book, every character becomes an expertly placed piece to the overall insane and horrific puzzle that's being put together in Fever House. Rosson also crafts his characters in a way that, even while I was actively rooting for some of them to just drop dead already, I became attached to them and needed to see what they did next.

It's hard to explain how much this book does incredibly right without giving too much away. If you enjoy horror in any way, give this one a try. And when it seems too outrageous to work, just trust Rosson to get you there in the end.

Fever House is absolutely one of my top reads of the year so far. Thank you to Random House Publishing and Netgalley for the arc of this book.

This was so good and so unique and almost impossible to describe in words. Trust me when I say it’s like nothing you’ve read before.

Fast, Furious, Frightening, yet somehow—by some dark authorial magicks—also filled with an incredible amount of Heart. The prose is lean and clean (or maybe “sharp and bloody” is more apt), but lends itself to some truly gorgeous description and visceral action. The characters, many of whom in lesser hands would be little more than utilitarian caricatures, are fully realized. And while you may not sympathize with many of them, you can’t help but empathize with all of them. FEVER HOUSE is an excellent read, and my only complaint is that there isn’t more of it I can inject in my eyeballs right this very moment.

This was totally out of my comfort zone of genres. I have to say I wasn’t disappointed in this read! I was on the edge of my seat the entire time. Im not a fan of multiple POVs but this one didn’t bother me because I was so invested. Such a good, refreshing thriller!

Thank you netgally and Keith Rosson for a eArc of fever house! Absolutely loved it!

While this had a really interesting premise with a solid lineup of main characters, I still really struggled to stay attentive while reading.

Some characters just felt like page fillers, the story meandered, segueing into unnecessary backstories and details.

I had to push myself to stay focussed and try to finish this book, so unfortunately I just can’t give it a higher rating.