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booktribe's review against another edition
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
On the run from his past, Eric, and his two daughters, are desperate for cash when he comes across an ad that says he could get paid good money to stay in a house. However, there’s a catch. The house is haunted and the owner needs someone to prove the paranormal activity. Eric is eager to take the job, not just because his family needs the money, but also because he has secrets and questions that need to be answered. Can staying in the spite house help him? Or will he and his family be devoured by it first?
I really enjoyed this book! It built SUSPENSE okay?? There were so many secrets! I stayed very intrigued throughout this book, I had to know what was going on! I also loved the characters, which is rare for me in horror books. I wanted the whole family to be safe and I even cared about side characters. I enjoyed the writing, I highlighted so many good quotes in this book. I always love Black gothic books, and this one was no different.
I spent most of this book thinking I’d give it 5 stars, but I did have a couple of problems that kept it from being a 5 star read. Firstly, I found it hard to picture the house, specifically the “floating” hallway. I’m not sure if it’s just me or if it wasn’t explained well enough, but the layout of the house and layout of the whole property confused me. I think the book could benefit from having a map or some type of imagery showing the layout of the house and the whole property. And the second problem I had was with the ending. I was left with questions and it felt incomplete to me. There was a big mystery of the book that was left unsolved. I think that was purposeful, but it made the story feel unfinished.
I really liked this book and definitely recommend it to anyone who loves horror! I’ll be looking forward to seeing more from this author in the future!
Thank you Macmillan-Tor/Forge and NetGallley for this arc. All opinions are my own.
TW: war and cancer mentioned, child death, child neglect, suicide
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death
Moderate: Suicide
Minor: Cancer and War
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