The book had some good cinematic scenes. At times it played like a movie in your head. The beginning was pretty slow though. The dialogue was weird. A lot of repetition. This is a book that could have had a lot of potential.

I was so excited about this in the beginning, thinking I was getting a book with unlikeable main character who was gonna have to face his bad decisions. I guess in the very basic terms that was what I was given, but I was still left feeling really dissatisfied. Paul, our podcast host MC, was absolutely insufforable through the whole book. The mystery of his childhood home was poorly explained, but that might have been due to bad writing that seemed to rely on namedropping all the horror movies and Stephen King books. At least for me, a story doesn't have a true effect if it just conjures up images of burning babies and horrifying deaths, if it doesn't have any soul.

8114 is unfortunately a rough read. It feels uninspired, overly familiar, and corny — but not in a fun, so-bad-it’s-good way. Just bad.

The formatting choices were distracting, with random bold and italicized words and odd capitalization thrown in for no clear reason. The constant horror movie references could’ve been a fun nod for genre fans, but instead, they made the book read like an overstuffed, cliche ridden fanfic. It felt like a mashup of borrowed ideas without a clear voice or fresh perspective.

The repetition didn’t help either, “8114” is thrown around so often it becomes meaningless, like the author thinks shoving it in every other paragraph somehow makes it creepy. There were also way too many “jumpscares,” most of which lacked any real buildup or vivid detail to make them land effectively.

Also, the main character was insufferable! His nonstop sarcasm and refusal to take anything seriously completely kills any chance at real tension. It’s hard to take a horror story seriously when the protagonist seems to treat the whole thing like a joke.

Overall, this was unoriginal, uninspired, and sloppily written. It brings nothing new to the genre and reads like a first draft that never should’ve made it to print.

“The things out there? They’ll all come back…”

Paul has made many mistakes and he is starting to pay for it. Not only did he upset thousands of people for false claims in his podcast but now he has to return home to find out about one of his best friends killing himself. And it happened to have been in Paul’s childhood home - 8114 South State Road 67. Paul is confused and devastated and wants to piece together what really happened, as he knows something is amiss, especially if it involves 8114. As Paul starts talking to people - alive and dead - things become more sinister and terrifying and it is clear that 8114 will not let him move on until he returns to face the truths that lie within those walls.

This is the author’s debut novel and they did a great job. I enjoy haunted house stories and this one in particular definitely gave me the creeps. More than once. What I liked was the idea behind the story. And maybe it has been done before but I love the trope of “returning to my home town for a funeral and end up staying in town and worse stuff is about to happen” in horror stories. Always gives me nostalgic vibes. I struggled with some of the way the writing worked in first person and how things felt like they jumped around a bit because it was written like Paul was simply having a conversation with you as the reader, and we got to experience all his internal monologue. I also felt like there were some parts that I wanted answers to and/or didn’t understand. Nothing major, just maybe could have expanded upon.

I liked this book but it didn’t grab me as much as I hoped. I do want to read more from this author as the overall writing vibe is positive!

Thank you to CLASH Books and NetGalley for an early eARC copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

8114 was a frightening read that felt like a movie. While I wasn’t a massive fan of the pacing of the novel and the main character, the atmosphere and lore behind the haunted house drew me in and urged me to keep on reading. The horror in this book was brilliant and left me thinking about that damn house for days after. The fact that this novel draws significant inspiration from Hull’s own upbringing is absolutely wild.

Admittedly, I went into this drawn by the premise and cover, but of course I went back and did some research after I finished the book. The fact that Joshua Hull is a screen writer makes complete sense since the book almost reads like a screenplay. I’m eager to check out his movie ‘Glorious’ and his other work.

While this novel wasn’t a complete hit for me, I still recommend giving this a read if you’re a horror fan who’s here for the vibes.

Rating: 3.5/5

This was hard for me to review.

The Good:
The writing was fantastic, and there were some genuinely terrifying scenes towards the middle and end of the book. I love the book cover, and I happy I read it.

The Bad:
The beginning of the book was just too slow. It took me much longer than normal to finish this book, because of how disinterested I was in the beginning. The main character wasn't particularly likable, and I had a hard time caring about them or relating to them.

Overall:
Other people are going to love this, so don't let me review stop you from reading it. The author is a screenwriter by trade, and the book reads like a movie in your head. Great writing!

I received this book for free from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

A terrifyingly cinematic horror novel. Paul is the host of a mildly successful podcast about a missing person which gains notoriety when the subject of his podcast is revealed to be not missing at all. After a tragic loss, Paul returns to his small hometown and revisits his haunted past and even more haunted childhood home. When Paul begins seeing his dead friends and loved ones and more people begin to die horrible deaths, Paul has an idea. He starts a new podcast to uncover the chilling history of 8114, his childhood home, which seems connected to every recent tragedy. Will he find out what's happening before it's too late or will he succumb to the darkness enveloping him? You'll have to read to find out!

After his "true crime" podcast goes awry, Paul Early is called home when a friend commits suicide inside his (Paul's) childhood home. To deal with this tragedy, Paul decides to...start another podcast. He sets about interviewing any willing person who knew his friend Kyle and/or whoever spent time inside his definitely haunted childhood farmhouse. As you can imagine, things get wild from there as Paul deals with some very real ghosts from the past (and present) while trying to get to the bottom of what exactly is wrong with 8114 and how to bring an end to this haunted narrative.

Unfortunately, this one didn't really land for me.

The actual horror scenes are quite well done and are indeed rather horrifying. Without going into tremendous detail, many of these scenes involve babies and/or children which is just tough to read, and it is otherwise a lot of descriptive body horror. So, your reading enjoyment (for the actual horror of it all) will likely depend on your own triggers, boundaries or preferences within the genre. For me, it was a bit much, but that may not be the case for another reader!

Otherwise, I really struggled with the characterization in this book. Paul is dislikeable, which is fine, but I had a hard time wrapping my head around how blasé he was about literally everything that was going on. So many truly horrific things happen yet he seems to feel the emotions of it for a few sentences and then has brushed it off by the time we reach the next page. The disconnect between the seriousness of events and the absurdly unserious attitude of the main character was jarring and caused the story to lose any emotional depth it was probably supposed to have.

Some of the writing overall didn't land for me, either. I simply don't believe people say and repeat each other's names nearly that much in actual conversation.

All in all, this one wasn't for me, but that doesn't mean it won't be a hit for other readers! Those who are looking for a quick, compellingly creepy read and can handle decent levels of body horror may have a great time with this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and CLASH books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

8114 comes out August 26, 2025 for those interested!

“here I was… on the outskirts of hell, holding an “admit one” ticket.”

This book has everything l love; haunted house, narrator returning home, mysterious death, unreliable narrator, history, cult, sacrifice…and so much more. It even has a main character named Paul which usually makes me feel like it is my story.
Unfortunately, I did not connect with the characters or the plot at all. I actually finished reading over a month ago and was hoping for it to click for me once it settled into my head, but alas, it just didn’t work for me.

Book was really good, nice short read to tackle that reading slump. I devoured this in less than a day! Amazing book!

A Gripping Descent into Small-Town Horror

Joshua Hull’s 8114 is a chilling exploration of memory, guilt, and the haunting grip of the past. Blending psychological horror with supernatural elements, Hull crafts a narrative that is both unsettling and deeply engaging.
The story follows Paul, a podcaster who returns to his hometown after a friend's tragic suicide in his childhood home. As Paul delves into the circumstances surrounding the death, he confronts not only the town's dark secrets but also his own buried traumas. Hull's background in screenwriting is evident in the novel's cinematic pacing and vivid imagery, drawing readers into a world where reality and hallucination blur.
While the novel's rapid progression keeps the tension high, it occasionally sacrifices deeper character development. Some secondary characters feel underexplored, and certain plot threads could benefit from further elaboration. However, these are minor quibbles in an otherwise compelling narrative.
8114 stands out for its atmospheric storytelling and its unflinching look at the scars left by the past. It's a must-read for fans of horror that doesn't just aim to scare but also to provoke thought and introspection.

If you liked The haunting of hill house series, you are going to love this book. It’s spine chilling and mysterious. Paul is trying to get to the mystery of a high school friend. He investigates the case and takes interview of his friends and locals but when the truth comes out, it turns his world upside down. Something sinister is going on in the house and everyone who gets close to the mystery are not able to make it out alive. When a friend commits suicide, it shocks him. The house is surely haunted and a sinister force is haunting Paul as well now. The book’s setting is really dark and creepy. It was so unsettling. Loved how the author has written the book. Added a perfect amount of horror, suspense, and mystery.

Thanks to the Publisher

8114 is an extremely well-written portrayal of a haunting as a sickness, or a parasite, or a natural disaster that can't be avoided, or all of those things. Watching firsthand as our MC Paul Early spirals into madness and faces his fate is a truly sorrowful and harrowing experience. Some of the story beats have perhaps been done before, but that didn't make 8114 any less enjoyable.

I could not get into this book at all even after a few chapters. The premise was interesting but it ended up boring me and I did not finish it.

I received an ARC of this book anddddd okay, what the actual haunted hell did I just read???
This book is lowkey like if Welcome to Night Vale and The Blair Witch Project had a podcast baby raised on true crime and huffing bath salts. It’s weird, gross, hella meta, and darkly funny, okay and also kind of a fever dream? But not the fun, first 2 weeks of covid lockdown learning tiktok dances and whipped coffee kind. (because did that actually happen?) More like “i think the gas line in my house is leaking and it's making me sick?” kind. Speaking from experience obvi.

I’ll be honest: this book wasn’t totally for me. The horror vibes were strong (loved that!), but the writing style was a bit too chaotic for my taste. it was like trying to follow a Reddit thread written by Edgar Allan Poe and a 2005 emo kid on Monster energy drinks. HOWEVER because of that I binged it.

Still, props to Joshua Hull for going all in. It’s bold, it's unhinged, and definitely not your average haunted house story. Just maybe don’t read it alone in your childhood bedroom. Or do. I’m not your therapist and I won't be help responsible for your problems after.

I would like to thank NetGalley and CLASH Books for allowing me to read an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I don't know what I was expecting going in to reading 8114, but it was not this. There was way more death, gore, body horror and dead children & babies than I could have even imagined; trigger warning - if you don't like any of those things, you will not like this book.

I had a little trouble getting into the book at the beginning, and thought I would probably give it 2-stars, but about halfway through it really picked up and got a lot better. The story follows Paul Early, a less-than-successful horror podcaster whose last podcast made a lot of people really upset. Then he gets a mysterious phone call asking him to urgently come back to his hometown, where he is instantly me by tragedy. One of his childhood best friends has died (in Paul's old house) and this stirs up a whole lotta bad stuff. The house, 8114, is "haunted" and now the ghosts are haunting Paul and everyone around him. This leads to an ever-increasing body count (in a lot of horrific manners of death). It is up to Paul to solve the mystery of his old house and put an end to everything.

It is a fast-paced novel, with a lot of good nods to iconic horror movies/books/writers. It is honestly like nothing I've ever read before; truly a unique breath of horror air. I would not recommend this book to most of my friends, as they don't like horror, and the trigger warnings would appall them. But die-hard horror fans with an iron stomach and zero qualms about dead babies will find it an enjoyable read. Three and a half stars, bumped up to 4!

Thank you to NetGalley and CLASH Books for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was my first Joshua Hull book and won’t be my last. This is creepy horror done right. I know it won’t be for everyone but if you’re wanting to give horror a try, this would be a good one. I would definitely say it’s a wild ride and am looking forward to whatever comes next.

Firstly, I want to thank the publisher for giving me an opportunity to read 8114 in advance. I had read a review online that mentioned 8114 would be one of the best thrillers of the year. I knew I needed to read it myself. I'm a huge fan of thrillers, horror, and mystery novels. This book met all expectations. I found myself at the edge of my seat during most of the book. It's very dark and creepy, but in the best way. If you're a fan of Stephen King, Shari Lapena, and BA Paris, you will love 8114. Joshua Hull is an awesome writer, and I appreciate the fact the book was not predictable whatsoever. I will be purchasing a hard cover once it becomes available to the public. This is one of those books that I will re-read again, simply because I enjoyed it so much.

Thank at Clash books and Joshua Hull for the nightmares. This was definitely the scariest podcast book I’ve ever read and probably one of the creepiest books period. Paul has a failing career as his podcast goes belly up when he ruins the life of a kid he remembers from middle school. Dealing with this he receives word that one of his best friends committed suicide and it was on his childhood property. Determined to get to the bottom of what really happened Paul heads to his home town and begins another podcast one of the lore that surrounds his childhood property as he begins to be haunted things continue to become more sinister till the very end. This book will continue to haunt my dreams 5 stars

8114 by Joshua Hull marks the author’s debut full-length novel, and while it doesn’t quite reach the gripping heights of his film Glorious, it introduces a promising voice in horror fiction.

The book centers around a seemingly abandoned house, and creates an atmosphere of creeping dread and uncertainty. Hull excels at building tension, making the reader feel the same unease as the character caught within its strange confines. There’s some similarity to Glorious, in psychological terror intertwining with supernatural forces, although 8114 doesn't share any of the levity of Glorious.

I do feel 8114 struggles at times with pacing. While the buildup is effective, some of the revelations feel a bit too drawn-out, and certain characters could have been developed further to heighten the emotional stakes. Despite these issues, Hull’s strong sense of atmosphere and his knack for creating unsettling, strange worlds make 8114 an intriguing read. For a first novel, it’s a solid effort, with room for growth - I'll keep an eye out for more from this author!
3.5/5
Thank you to NetGalley and to Clash Books for the advance reader copy to read and review.