8114 completely blew me away—gripping, chilling, and impossible to put down. I loved how skillfully Hull built tension, making the story feel both haunting and intimate at the same time. The characters were vivid and compelling, and the way the narrative unfolded kept me on edge from start to finish. It’s a masterfully crafted read that stayed with me long after I closed the book—truly unforgettable.

There's something uniquely millennial about this book and I think that might have made it even more unsettling to me.

It's the way Paul talks about his hometown, the way he keeps in touch with his childhood friends as an adult, the comparing and contrasting of lives, and the deep desire to "say something" and "make a mark" that defines all of Paul's stupid, selfish actions. Paul is the epitome of giving a white man a microphone. Seriously though, he's the worst. I spent the majority of this novel hating his guts and blaming him for everything that happened to everyone. He doesn't even deserve Jean-Ralphio voice when I say he's THE WORST.

That doesn't make this novel any less frightening or horrifying though, it might even add to it. Because you know that Paul isn't going to do the right thing and all you can do is hold on for dear life as hit after hit after hit comes for this small town.

Paul lived in a house that was on cursed land. The house and all the buildings on it were haunted by that curse, and spending time on that land and seeing the hauntings let the curse sink its hooks in. To Paul, to his family, his friends...anyone who dared walk across that untrimmed grass and look in that evil barn...and after the death of one of his childhood friends, Paul returns home. Fresh off screwing up real bad, learning more and more information about not just what happened to his friend but about the land he grew up on...and then he starts a podcast about it and makes it all worse. He sets things into motion that can't be stopped.

So if you want both existential and supernatural dread, this is the book for you. The book doesn't have content warnings but it's horror, so make the assumption that it's brutal, graphic, and no one is safe from infant to old lady. It's coming for you, too.

I’ll start with what I liked—-the horror scenes. They were great, creepy, well done moments of body horror. I also liked both the plot line ideas——but not together.

I found this story overall incohesive. I don’t want to spoil anything so I’ll just say the podcast storyline and the creepy house storyline don’t blend well together . I think what could have made this stronger was if one idea was dropped OR the page count was longer. It felt like I was reading two completely different stories that were just accidentally binded together.

I also found Paul infuriating and the rest of the character work almost nonexistent.

I didn't like Paul Early for most of this novel; he's a failed podcaster who decides to cope with his best friend's mysterious suicide and its connection to Paul's spooky childhood home by launching a new podcast. He may be self-absorbed, having abandoned his sick mother years before, but he doesn't deserve the horrifying hauntings and deaths that soon overwhelm him. No one is safe as Paul struggles to unravel the truth about his former home. The book intensifies in its creepiness; it winds up instead of winding down. I refused to read it at night after the halfway mark.

4.5/5 ⭐️ • 0/5 🌶️

• tropes + themes •

- creepy house and town
- gore (minimal)
- supernatural
- haunting + possession

• facts •

- 228 page, broken up into 3 parts
- Check your triggers! Main one to highlight is the talk about death of children

Part 1

Paul is reeling from his newly failed podcast series when he gets a frantic call from one of his best friends to return to his hometown.

Once he arrives we learn that this town has secrets and most of them originated from his childhood home and land.

At the end of part 1, his friend starts telling him info he was NOT ready for that leaves him truly speechless.

Part 2

Paul perseveres with his new podcast venture. This makes him have to start learning more about his seemingly sleepy town that he romanticized as a kid.

As part 2 progresses, he starts seeing things that apparently others don’t see.

He reconnects with some townspeople from his youth in an attempt to stay sane and continue his new podcast.

Part 3

Paul decides to give into the urge to go back to the property and proper horror ensues. The actual ending was a bit underplayed BUT I loved the literal ending.

It leaves us wondering if it really is the end of the disease that took over the house…dundundun.

• literal thoughts while reading •

- This book is a reminder to stay in your own lane both in the car and life.
- 12% in and it’s getting creepy…demonic voice mail, okayyy
- All of the description of the house are breath throughout the book
- Writing style is like someone with ADHD telling a story. I like it but some people may not.
- Jumps to and fro from current happenings to podcast episodes, I like.

8114 is a wild ride of a debut! I expected a ghost story filled with jump scares, but this modern telling mixed gothic horror with a full town murder mystery. Paul, a podcaster with a troubling history, is called home for the funeral of one of his best friends. Through being in his hometown and surrounded by his history and friends, Paul begins to remember horrifying events that happened at the farm he was raised. As the bodies piled up, Paul admits defeat and is the final victim of 8114. I will be listening to the audiobook in hopes that it makes the imagery and the podcast elements come alive. Great writing, engaging story. Hull will be a must read!

4.25 stars

Thanks to NetGalley and Clash Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

There has been a fair amount of hype around the release of this book, and I can see why. With its movie-like feel, the gore, the jump scares, and the somewhat ambiguous ending, it definitely leaves the reader feeling unsettled, if not terrified.

I really liked how this had a 2000s horror-movie vibe to it. While many came to mind, several that popped into my head while reading this book were The Ring (2002), Sinister (2012), Paranormal Activity (2007), Evil Dead (2013) and Hell House LLC (2015). If you enjoyed those movies, this book will be a fun treat for you. It definitely got me in the mood to watch these movies again!

There were a few parts of this book that left me wanting more, however. I really wish the characters were a bit more developed. When their deaths happened, I just didn't find myself caring too much. Additionally, there was a bit too much going on, without much explanation by the end. I love an opened-ended story, but was this a haunted house? Demonic possession? Eco-horror? What was the connection to the Blackened Lady? I think if there was a little more character development and maybe a bit more of these loose ends connected, this could have been a 5-star read for me.

I did find this book really entertaining; it was a quick, spooky read that was a ton of fun. If you want something that will suck you in, and you don't mind the somewhat flat characters and ambiguous ending, I definitely recommend it (especially if you're a fan of any of the 2000s horror movies mentioned earlier).

I really tried but it was way too much infant death, a podcaster with no respect for his craft or subjects, and a random oogie boogie who has no rhyme or reason to her hauntings.

8114 by Joshua Hull is a fast-paced, horror novel that grabs you from the first page and doesn’t let go. The story follows a podcaster who returns to his hometown after the tragic suicide of a childhood friend—in the very house where he grew up, located at 8114.

Hull’s writing keeps you on edge, never quite sure what's real or imagined, which adds to the psychological tension. The book’s strength lies in its relentless pace and creepy atmosphere—it’s one of those reads you can devour in one sitting, especially if you enjoy unsettling, mysterious setups.

While I appreciated how quick this read was, I did find myself wanting a bit more depth in places. Some plot points or character moments could have been fleshed out further to really elevate the emotional and thematic impact.

That said, 8114 is an entertaining, twisty horror story perfect for fans of haunted house tales, unreliable narrators, and psychological thrills. It’s a solid pick for anyone looking for a chilling, bite-sized read that keeps you guessing.

This is easily one of the creepiest horror books I’ve ever read!

8114 follows Paul, a disgraced podcast host, who returns to his hometown after a tragedy to investigate his old family home. The book reads almost like a film, it manages to accurately portray jump scares that are genuinely scary, and gives very similar vibes to The Haunting of Hill House.

There’s a lot of the story that is left open to interpretation, nothing is spoon-fed to the reader, which I actually feel adds to the creepiness of what is happening. It causes you to spend time questioning what’s real and what could be just inside Paul’s mind. Due to his dishonesty, Paul is a classic unreliable narrator, which adds to the questioning of what is actually real.

The book is also surprisingly gory, the descriptions of some of the deaths and characters he meets are intense. Despite there being a lot of deaths in the book it never feels repetitive or less shocking. I definitely won’t be letting anyone stick their head through my car window again in a hurry.

I really enjoyed 8114, I finished it in a day and I cannot wait to see what Hull comes up with next!

Thank you to NetGalley and Clash Books for an e-arc in exchange for an honest review. This book ultimately did not work for me, but I think it will be a great book to jump into for others. Especially if this is your intro into horror! The writing is very simple, the premise is a familiar one with a twist of a podcast addition, and it reads super quickly. The main reason this did not work for me is because I felt like the author tried to take too many things and pack them into just over two hundred pages without fleshing out what I thought should be fleshed out. Others will not have a problem with this, but I found the lack of explanation in parts of the book a bit frustrating and the plot a bit far-fetched at times. The inclusion of the podcast element was super fun and added a ton to the story itself, and I wish we had gotten even more of it! I think readers will have mixed opinions about the very ending of the novel, but I tremendously enjoyed the end and thought it left off on a super clever note.

Thank you to netgalley for providing an e-galley for review. 8114 by Joshua Hull is a haunted house, haunted land, book that really messes with the reader's mind. Paul Early comes back home after a disgraceful podcast because one of his childhood friend's killed himself in Paul's old house. Things just get darker from there. Because Paul is the narrator, and he is the epitome of unreliable narrator, he doesn't know what is real, the reader doesn't either.

The writing style in this book is just off. The humor is odd and not in a good way. Paul from the beginning comes off as an unlikable character that is hard to root for. His behaviors and thought processes are very questionable. He has poor decision-making. The way the reader is introduced to the horror in the book makes no sense. I think I cared more than Paul did about what was happening to him. He was too busy focusing on the wrong things, mainly his podcast. I read 24%, and that was more time that I should've given it. DNF.

Oh wow took me a moment to get in to this but I'm so glad I continued. It gives tales from the crypt vibes and I loved it. Spooky and creepy, It had me turning the lights and sprinting up the stairs when going to bed. 4 Stars from me

DNF @ 50%. The premise and cover of this book were so intriguing. Unfortunately, the MC/Narrator is kind of annoying and it's hard to get into the story because of it. I also thought some elements felt cheesy and took away from some of the suspense and horror that had been established.
This had a ton of potential and I would love a story like this that embraced subtlety and changed the narrator to someone more likeable.
The writing style is also interesting. Some parts are bolded or italicized, which isn't a huge deal, but it made this feel very immature.

This wasn’t my typical kind of read, but the storyline had me genuinely intrigued. The small-town setting mixed with creeping horror and emotional depth made for a really unique experience. I was drawn into Paul’s search for the truth, especially with how the podcast angle added a personal layer to his grief and confusion.

There’s a slow unraveling that keeps you questioning what’s real and what’s memory, and the eerie atmosphere made the whole thing feel deeply unsettling in the best way. Some parts moved slower than others, but the tension and mystery kept building throughout.

I tried with this, I really did. But it sucked. I hated the main character, the writing was dull and amateurish, and the story lost me almost right away. Oh, and the use of bold font for emphasis all the time really grated on me.

A shame, but thanks anyway to NetGalley and the publisher for the review copy.

Hull's '8114' is a supernatural horror novel, with a contemporary twist. Set in a small town, the reader follows podcaster Paul as he returns to his childhood home after a friend's mysterious death. His quest for answers quickly spirals into a nightmare of paranoia. If you like your suspense mixed with some dark humour, give this book a read.

"That property was built on darkness, Paul. And that's how it will stay."

8114 by Joshua Hull is the kind of supernatural horror that seeps into your skin and makes you question what’s real even after you’ve turned the last page. I'm still thinking about what I read.

Told with a unique podcast twist the story follows Paul, a struggling podcast host as he returns to his childhood home to uncover the truth behind his best friend's tragic death. What starts as a mission for answers quickly becomes a descent into paranoia, grief, and maybe even something more sinister. The atmosphere was thick with dread. The pacing was fast enough that I finished it in a single evening. The vibes are cursed land, haunted memories, and unreliable everything.

The author really nails that eerie, something’s not quite right energy. The use of superstition, folklore, town history and creeping suspense built such a strong, immersive story. There were several “WTF is going on?!” moments that kept me flipping pages and fully glued to the book. It genuinely made me feel uneasy like I wasn’t entirely alone while reading it, and I mean that in the best horror loving way.

If you enjoy supernatural horror stories with emotional weight, podcast storytelling elements, and unreliable narrators unravelling in real time, I’d absolutely recommend picking this up.

I do recommend checking out the content warnings before diving in this one can get very dark at times and won’t be for everyone.

Thank you to NetGalley and Clash Books for the ARC. This review is voluntary and reflects my honest opinions.

I’ve been diving more into horror and was really excited for this read. While the plot had great potential, I was unfortunately disappointed with it.

Paul Early, a small-time podcast host, returns home to try to understand why his long-time friend committed suicide in Paul’s childhood home.

I was initially slightly confused as the book immediately took a paranormal turn. I was not anticipating anything paranormal from the synopsis. I kept going, and damn things got creepy fast. Hull can write a horror scene. While one would think the more horror, the better, right? But the horror scenes began to feel stale as they just kept coming by the end of every chapter. The expectation was now there, and it felt repetitive and not always needed.

Then there’s the actual writing style. I could have gone without the italicized and bolded words. They felt clunky along with all the ellipses and mentions of “8114”. There were also a lot of outside references that not everyone may understand, that were used to describe events that were happening. They felt more like a crutch than enhancing Hull’s writing.

I feel this could’ve worked better as a quick novella or short story, and I would’ve enjoyed it more.

After reading the acknowledgements, I feel awful feeling this way. But here we are. Thank you to Clash Books and NetGalley for an ARC copy in exchange for my honest review.