Ranking EVERY Riley Sager Book + A RANT
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- Опубликовано: 14 июн 2024
- I read every single Riley Sager book so let's do a ranking before his next one comes out on June 18th. and of course I have to rant a little bit, it is a PossessedbyHorror video after all...
Intro & Riley Sager intro 00:00
Final Girls 05:00
Survive the Night 09:05
Lock Every Door 12:38
The House Across the Lake 14:24
The Last Time I Lied 17:53
The Only One Left 19:46
Home Before Dark 22:32
Rant & Spoiler for Final Girls 24:55
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New Possessed By Horror BOOK CONTENT?!
*Immediately drops everything that I'm doing*
🙌📚
Now I really want you to make a spoiler-filled video discussing all the twists and your thoughts on them! (please?)
Ooof. Riley Sager. I am consistently frustrated every time I read one of his books AND YET every time I learn he's got a new one coming out, I immediately scramble to get it. I mean you're exactly right, they're actually great entertainment, for not being very "good" writing. Despite that though, the stories sail along so thrillingly and adroitly, you can't imagine how they'll be wrapped up in a clever bow at the end...and that's the thing. They never are. They always go off the rails in the most head-scratchingly unsatisfying way. I always finish one and shake my head and think DAMMIT RILEY SAGER. But then without fail, I will be the first in line to get the next one.
This is me too. The House Across the Lake actually made me angry. I was mad at it. But as soon as his books go up on preorder, I preorder them. When they come out, they move to the top of my tbr. It's black magic. That's all I can reason.
THIS!
shout out to my public library, they always have multiple audio copies ♡
YES
"I want no romance at all." FINALLY! Someone who understands my taste in books! It seems like every horror and thriller writer out there seems to try to put romance in where it isn't wanted or needed.
fav youtuber talking about my fav author ???? i needed this 😭😭❤️❤️
Our tastes tend to be different when it comes to books, but it’s still enjoyable to listen to your thoughts even if you dislike some of my favorites!
My ranking (I haven’t read Final Girls yet):
5 stars:
Lock Every Door
Home Before Dark
4 stars:
Survive the Night
Every Time I Lie
3 stars:
The House Across the Lake
The Only One Left
House Across the Lake and Only One Left were three stars for me as well (and the only ones I've read), so I wonder if I'll like the other ones more
@@BreezyRenee333if you like more paranormal or horror type books I would say it’s worth trying out Home Before Dark.
It was the one that got me hooked on his books to begin with.
@@brandyleigh okay, I'll definitely check that one out!! It sounds interesting
I agree, I've read a number of his books and Home Before Dark is genuinely my favorite among those I read.
Please try Darcy Coates books! The House Next Door is one of my faves!
Good Darcy Coates book!
Hunted by her is SO GOOD! I just read dead of night I liked it as well
I feel like we have diff definitions of a good twists lol. Anything could be a twist. And with Sager, often anything is. But a good twist is one that's intelligently planned out, and not just done for shock bc it happens to be so absurd and out of the blue. Clearly I'm not a fan myself
I find it SO RICH that Sager, a man whose entire catalog is built on popular and ripped off set ups (haunted house, stuck in car with killer, final girls, etc) accuses Hendrix or ripping him off.
I know I'm being a hater. I just get so irked when I think about how much attention this unoriginal mediocre cishet white man gets over so many other amazing underappreciated authors.
I love Sager so much. Not all of his books are equal, but I eat all his shit up. He’s one of the three authors I can always count on for writing books I enjoy, and the only one who is consistently releasing new works.
Also, I stayed up until 4am reading Home Before Dark because I could not sleep without finishing it.
Who are the other two authors?
@@kayligo Donna Tartt and Madeline Miller!
@@katie.andreas27 thanks I’ll look up Madeline 👀
I love Grady Hendrix, but I really disliked Final Girl Support Group. It was a cool idea to have an older protagonist and I liked that the survivors were taken from final girls in horror movies, but the execution was so bad that I felt like this must have been one of his first works. It lacked the humor that got me into his writing and the characters were pretty detestable.
I'm so glad to see someone else agree with me! I saw that book everywhere so I gave it a read and it was so boring/confusing and just hard to get through.
Lynette saying Final Girl every page grated on me. The killers were obvious as well
that was the first book i read by him and i loved it!!
I HATED that book. I had to DNF it barely 20% in. The characters were insufferable 🙄🙄
It’s pure kitsch, you have to see slashers for what they are (kitsch) for the book to land. It was some of the most fun I ever had reading a book!
Book content? YESSS. Also The Only One Left was one of my favorite books of last year!
Great overview of Sager's books thanks! I think the "lover-enemy reveal" trope is quite common across several genres, so not particular to male horror authors only. The protagonist (and audience by extension) is primed not to suspect those closest to the protagonist as being out to get them, hence it's easier for the author to make this a Big Reveal. (Meanwhile, if Dateline is anything to go by, this lover-to-killer plot happens very often in real life too)
I’ve had The House Across the Lake sitting on my desk for like two months now and after you said it’d be a good one to start with that might’ve been the motivation I needed to actually pick it up!
Good luck I thought it was the stupidest thing I've ever read and not in a fun way
Grady and Riley actually wrote their books at the same time, but because Final Girls was published first, Grady's publisher suggested they hold off on for a bit because the titles were so similar
Love the book content missed it from you! I need to read home before dark it’s been on my tbr for years!!
Thank you for taking the bullet on Survive The Night. I came close to ordering it.
I know you said you didn't like Joe Hill, I personally love his books, but I think you might like NOS4A2. It's got fantasy, horror, and magic and it connects his books in a way that I really enjoyed.
I watched your video talking about his books while I was in the Dominican, and I immediately downloaded The Only One Left. I sat out in the sun with free drinks, and didn't move by the pool until it was done. I was finishing university the past few months so I haven't read much since, but I am going to get into his books now and this was the perfect time to release this video! I actually read a few pages of Home Before Dark and thought I wasn't into it. But I won't give up now!
The Only One Left is my first and only Riley Sager and I really liked it. Looking forward to Home Before Dark!
Just wanted to say I read The Cabin at the End of the World after your recommendation recently and that is now one of my favorite books of all time
I have read the final girl support group and I really liked it; it is similar in a sense that they’re final girls, but it’s a completely different twist since it’s been 20 years since these girls have had their massacre happen to them.
Your ranking is so interesting. Not what I thought it would be. This is mine:
1. Home before dark
2. Lock every door
3. The last time I lied
4. Final girls
5. The house across the lake
6. The only one left (DNF)
I haven’t read survive the night because all of the negative review put me off!
Really enjoyed this video, hope you do more book content 😄
Thanks for the post,Possessed I been thinking about getting some of the his books 😁😁
You should try Ashley Winstead and Stephen Graham Jones.
Definitely would be interested in a Top 10 book list from you. Curious to know what would make the cut!
The southern book club guide to slaying vampires is probably the best book I’ve ever read!! I can not recommend it enough to everyone
Love the book content! I just added three of these to my reading list.
Final Girls was my first Riley Sager and I loved it
This is so funny cause I actually love Grady Hendrix but my least favorite was Final Girl Support Group. I hated it (and LOVED My Best Friend's Exorcism). ButI started reading Final Girls this month cause YOU had it on your list and said you were a Riley Sager fan hahaha. Now I am scared to finish it cause I thought you recommended it but now I realize I was mistaken.
Never clicked so fast haha. Love your vids ❤
I think I’m dumb cause I’ve read them all and I’m always shocked at his endings/twists 😂 I looove his work
My first was Lock Every Door and it’s definitely one of my top 3 favs I think
So I’ve only read one Grady Hendrix book in my life so far and How to Sell a Haunted House is still my favorite book I’ve read this year. It was sort of a perfect mix of Hereditary (with the family drama) and an adult version of Goosebumps (with the horror elements) and I just felt the way he talked about grief and sibling relationships was beautiful. 5/5 for me, idk if it’ll even be topped this year but I’m assuming The Angel of Indian Lake is going to end up being my #1 favorite of the year.
I fully agree with you though, “The Final Girl” is my favorite trope, or “archetype” used in movies and I hate Final Girls with a deep passion 🤣 such a waste of the concept and honestly does a disservice to final girls with no actual commentary on what makes that trope so great for horror.
I’m excited to read it! I got it because I recently sold my deceased dad’s house so I felt like it would add to my reading experience haha
@@PossessedbyHorrorI’m sorry for your loss, I think it’ll definitely be an emotional read for sure. In the book there’s also a dinner table scene that made me just as emotional as the Toni collette scene in hereditary so I’m sure the book had to be inspired by that movie in a few different ways.
He also does a great job of incorporating religious southern families who are still loving and helpful while also being messy enough to still be realistic. Honestly I think Grady put more depth into those characters than Riley ever has in all of his books combined 🤣😭
i love your description of HTSAHH ! so accurate lol
The end of Survive the Night had me rolling my eyes sooo hard 🤣 I was like…really? That was a choice 🙄
Would LOVE to see more "categorical" book ranks like this. Like an author rank (Paul Tremblay for example I know you like his stuff a lot), or the Goodreads horror nominees, or the Bram Stoker nominees or something. There's a lot of it for films but I almost never see it on Booktube, I'd love for there to be more of it and this video was excellent! Informative, entertaining, and with lots of clarity as to where the spoilers were! All in all very cool
Yay been waiting for this vid! I agree with your least 2 favs. I loved the final twist in The Last Time I Lied, but you’re right it was messy haha. That one was my fav of his, but The Only One Left is the best one he’s written so far imo! Loved the setting and the overall plot. Home Before Dark is the most meh of his for me, and also the first one I read. I’m thinking I need to reread now after hearing about how much you love it. I can’t really remember the plot at this point so it might be good to give it another chance.
Haven't heard of Riley Sager before, but will be picking up The Last One Left soon! Have you read Convenience Store Woman or Earthlings by Sayaka Murata? unrelated but just wondering
YESSSSSSS book content my fav content
I just read Home Before Dark last week as my first Riley Sager, too! I also loved it and was surprised by how much I loved it, but this was helpful in deciding which of his other books I’ll also pick up!
im reading the only one left for my book club this month, but im so glad you released this video finally!!! i almost bought lock every door & the house across the lake during a sale, but so glad i waited for this video!
Loved Lock Every Door. The House of Across The Lake wasn't that good, in my opinion.
Lock Every Door was my first Riley Sager book.
The House Across the Lake was my first Riley Sager read, and it was fine throughout the book, and then i hated the ending. I also read it almost immediately after the woman in the window, and i really enjoyed that one. On the contrary, I also read The Only One Left, and that one got 4 ⭐️ from me.
I loved How to Sell a Haunted house only took me like 2 weeks to read it, the ending twist was really good. Just started Southern book clubs guide to slaying vampires a few months ago. Haven't read any Sager books, but was curious because my wife is working her way through his catalog
Home Before Dark is phenomenal! It was my first Sager book as well.
Read Final Girls second and HATED it. I kinda respect an author that has that kind of duality.
I just read House Across the Lake which was my first book by Riley Sager, and I didn’t that way because of this video. And yet, the twist still felt really off even without knowing his other works. I was not a fan. My book club just voted for The Only One Left as our book for June so I’m gonna read that one next. Hopefully I like it.
Just put the top 2 on hold on Libby! Thanks Sarah.
You have to read Locust Lane from Stephen Amidon. I picked that up from the library randomly and that’s what kickstarted my love for reading again. The book is set up from different perspectives each chapter and I could NOT put it down. The twist is at the very end and so satisfying. I highly recommend that one according to your preferences. Might want to google TW’s but nothing is too graphic.
My recommendations: The southern book club guide to slaying vampires. Grady Hendrix
Hunted & dead of night. Darcey Coates.
Come closer. Sara Gran.
Hidden pictures. Jason rekulak
I love Riley Sager, but I’m easy to please. I started with Final Girls, and it’s probably my favorite, so to have it your least favorite was funny to me. 😂
So funny, the only two i haven't read yet are your two favorites 😆 even with Survive The Night, i have to respect that he will get me out of a reading slump every time
You will not like How to Sell a Haunted House. You will HATE it. Read The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires. If you like that, you'll probably like The Final Girl Support Group. But Southern Book Club is Grady Hendrix's best book. It's not campy. And it's actually a feminist masterpiece.
I’m curious why you think she would hate that one?
@@austinm8334 It's very campy and weird. I loved it because it was weird, but if you don't like campy, you will haaaate that book.
@@sarabourgeois3420 yes I came here to say that. I personally really enjoyed the book but it is very campy.
Interesting. I preferred How to Sell because I thought it actually had a lot to say about family dynamics. I disliked Southern Book Club because of SA content that I found a bit much for me.
@@sarabourgeois3420 that’s interesting, I really didn’t find it campy. And definitely not campy like best friend’s exorcism, for me the horror in How to Sell was pretty much played straight. Absurdity and weirdness doesn’t automatically equal camp, the differences between them can be subtly but also everything depending on the tone and I thought the tone of the book was grounded enough and horrific all the way through.
You will like how to sell a haunted house compared to bestfriend exorcism. Home before dark was my 1st book of his work & the last 😅😂 I loved the book but I haven't heard good reception from his other works. Loved your video 🎉
3:17 Speaking of watching something just for fun, I just watched The Haunting of Molly Hartley and had so much fun! Thank you for all the movie and book recommendations 🖤
I’ve read nearly all his books and remember almost nothing about any of them. Except I do remember hating the same thing about Final Girls!
I am OBSESSED with the twist in Lock Every Door, but Home Before Dark is a second for me! I haven’t read the House Across the Lake because I do notttt like Woman in the Window lol so you’ll have to tell me if it’s still worth it..
I just read final girls and thought it was very good . I will be reading more of his books. And you should definitely read the final girls support group. It is completely different and as a horror movie fan I think you would enjoy it.
Home Before Dark is my favourite ❤
The way that I immediately knew what the spoiler would be related to, even though I haven't read all his books yet, because yeah that does kind of piss me off as well and he really HAS to include it every single time in some way
But at the same time, I also entirely agree with the fact that his books are just fun to read and hard to put down once you've begun
The Final Girls book sounded really familiar to me so I checked my book shelf, and it turns out I own this book 😂 I bought it a couple years ago in Aldi, literally only because I liked the title, it'll be interesting to see if I share your opinions or not!
Yaaaaaas Home Before Dark is also my fave.
I've only read Final Girls and I'm halfway through The Last Time I Lied. I own all of the others (thanks Book of the Month Club), so I plan on getting to them all at some point.
I enjoy Riley Sagera and have read all his stuff except for the one where the girl moves back into the house she lived in when she was a kid bc I had written a book with a very similar plot and didn't want his stuff in my brain while I was editing and publishing 😅
Gonna shout my book out though. It's called This is Not a House by Brandon Kitchen (:
Started with Home Before Dark, then read The Only One Left - they were both 5 stars for me.. the only other one I own is Final Girls, now I’m a little scared 😅 I did really enjoy Final Girl Support Group though!
Haven’t finished the video but have to comment because you are so accurate! My first Riley Sager book was Final Girls and I instantly gave it five stars. I’ve since read four others and have questioned my rating of Final Girls since then 😂 😂
I’m kinda new to reading horror and thriller, I’ve always wanted to get into reading but i can never get myself to sit down and finish a book. The one book i just read super quick that got me into it though was “Home is Where the Bodies Are” by Jeneva Rose. I’ve never read Riley Sager but by your description this book feels kind of similar to his books so I’ll have to check him out. I’d be curious to see what you think of HIWTBA though. It has three different main narrators who are siblings coming together after their mom’s death to find secrets on a video tape in their moms house.
If you haven’t, I think you should check out a book by Emily St. John Mandel! I’m not really sure what genre her books are considered, but I always really enjoy the journey of reading them :) sea of tranquility is probably my favorite!
I'm at 0:32 and I can already tell I'm going to agree with you. I've always felt weird about his choice to use a gender neutral name and have female protagonists (which I think you can tell are written by a man). None of his books are 5 stars for me, but your top two are the ones I liked the most. I can promise you won't like Grady Hendrix's Final Girl Support Group (his How to Sell a Haunted House is probably one of the few books of his I like). Might I suggest How to Be Eaten by Maria Adelmann for something that is horror adjacent and similar to what the final girl books tried to be?
Also, have you ever read Ex-Boogeyman? It's pretty good and references movies/final girls without revolving around it. It's similar to Curse of the Reaper by Brian McAuley, but I prefer Ex-Boogeyman.
Home before dark was one of my favorite books. Grady's How to Sell a Haunted House is my favorite book of all time, it lives in my head rent free.
The way I knew that was going to be your rant because I have the same issue with him/male authors. I read Final Girls first and loved it until I really didn't. I still went back for more and read Home Before Dark recently, which I definitely put above Final Girls. I have The Last Time I Lied on my shelf and am super excited for Middle of the Night based on the premise. Also, I read Final Girls Support Group and liked it a lot better than Final Girls. I loved Grady Hendrix until I read Southern Book Club's Guide to Vampire Slaying. Huge misstep in Hendrix writing women.
i am a person that actually looved survive the night, it was a 4 star book to me. i have read all of them and enjoy most of his books
The idea that the first Riley Sager book is going to be your favorite wasn’t the case for me. I read final girls back when that was his only book, and thought it was just ok. Didn’t think I’d read from the author again, until I started hearing booktubers talk about hi next couple books and I ended up really liking the next 2 that I read (the summer camp one and the brtholemew apartment one, can’t remember the names).
That trope you mentioned in your rant is also in Lock Every Door 😅 but yes I hate that too
"Lock Every Door" was my favorite book of his by far!!!!
Can you plzzz review I saw the TV glow and Tarot???? Love you Sarah!!!!
I just finished all of Riley Sager’s books too and can’t wait to hear what you have to say! 🖤
which was your favorite?!
The Only One Left and Lock Every Door are tied for me! I know The Only One Left was especially wild with the whiplash of twists at the end, but I loved it! 🥰
Have you ever read a rachel harrison book? I really enjoyed her story collection called bad dolls,i also read one other book from her called the return and tat was pretty good as well
I don’t even read lol I’ll just watch anything you upload
Home Before Dark is still hands down my favorite Sager. I'm VERY intrigued to see how he writes a male character because I've always found it strange he only writes woman characters...
did anyone else find lock every door really derivative of rosemary's baby? (like, without the devil stuff) if you've read rosemary's baby, lock every door is so so predictable, i was so shocked he actually got away with publishing it tbh
House Across the Lake was my first and so far only Sager book and I'm glad I chose this one lol a wild ride!
It's so funny how subjective it is! I prefer Lock Every Door to Home Before Dark by a LONG stretch... but I like slow-burn Gothic suspense/creepy old buildings. Home Before Dark is my least favorite, though it was still Fine (I did not read House Across the Lake). I am also one of the few, the only people who doesn't hate Survive the Night! *gasp* The Last Time I Lied is my favorite of his! Like you, love a summer camp & vibes and it really carried the book for me! But I do agree, The Only One Left is a banger... though I guessed most of the twists and felt like a genius lol
I really enjoyed the final girls support club, I have not read anything by riley sager yet so can't compare the two yet.
I looooove House across the lake. I felt like I was on that like. He’s great with the settings IMO. But I’ve only read this, Survive the night and Home before dark
final girls was the first book i read by him and i read it in a day mostly bc i needed the grand reveal i needed the slasher moments lol. and i thought the ending was so good but yeah the suspension was weird and the characters were annoying lmao. but finding out what happened the night of the massacre was just so satisfying to me lol. and that plot twist got me!!
House across the lake is the only Riley Sager book I’ve read so far and I thought it was amazing so I was excited to read the rest of them…but now I’m hesitant lol
I really liked The Only One Left, that's the first book of his I've read
Have you ever read Freda McFadden.? I have a feeling you will enjoy her work. I highly recommend the House Maid.
Final Girls was my first and only Riley Sager so far, and I DNF it.
My fav is also Home Before Dark! I think it was also the first one I read 😅. It has the best horror vibes, who doesn’t love a good haunted house! Huge Hill House vibes.
Thanks for posting this video
I also read home before dark first and loved it!
i read final girl support group (and LOVED it, imo better than final girls) and then read final girls. i enjoyed sager’s but i agree about the characters ! there was always something that i didn’t like about quincy lol
Omg girl... same. I was reading The Only Ones Left and I was like, god wtf is wrong with this woman?? And then I looked the author up and was like ah... okay this makes sense now.
I am so happy that I've found someone who has the same opinion as me on Final Girls 😭😭 I HATED the characters so much. I DNFd the book.
The only book of his I’ve read is Home Before Dark, kinda worried about reading the other two I purchased now 😂
New to your channel, have you ever discussed Robert McCammon? I think he's seriously under rated.
Books like They Thirst, Wolf's Hour, and Swan Song are insanely good, better than King IMO
My RS books rank is as follows:
The only one left - 3 stars
The house across the lake - 3 stars
Lock Every Door - 1 star (yikes)
Home before dark - dnf
Haven't read the rest of them and don't plan to but will probably read his newest release because I will need to know what's the usual fuss/hype is all about
I will definitely check out the higher rated books 😂😂❤.
Hendrix is so different from sagers. Absolutely hated sager's but i love hendrix. It's very inside ball for horror fans so you cant expect anything too groundbreaking but it's fun
The build
For house across the lake was so good for me that I almost sat the book down and stopped reading when the twist was revealed. I hated it. I’ll have to check more of his boooks out.
Have you read The First Lie Wins? It might be up your alley.