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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
It Was Her House First was a thrilling haunted house story that was hard to put down. Cherie Priest’s style is casual and makes for an easy read, but full of all the dread and emotion I look for in a ghost tale. It Was Her House First is a ghost story - even more than it is a haunted house story because the house isn’t the only thing that’s haunted - so is Ronnie - by her anxiety, by choices made to live with that anxiety, and by memories of her brother.
The story is told primarily from two POVs, beginning with Bartholemew - who introduces us to the house - and to the “her” whose house it was first - nearly 100 years ago and Ronnie today.
Ronnie’s telling us her story in real time, beginning with giving us a tour of the house and illustrated by how she keeps putting off telling us about her brother until she’s ready.
Knowing (in part, at least) some of the earlier events in the house only added to the concern we have for her as she begins renovations - like telling on-screen characters not to go where you know the killer is, but Priest does a good job of telling us just enough to add to that dread but not so much that we’re not reading as fast as we can to learn not only what happens next, but what else happened before?
Love Cherie Priest just really not in the mood for this type of story right now
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
4.5 stars!
What a fantastic, captivating mystery! With the pacing and language of a classic film noir in novel form, I absolutely adored the multiple POVs especially in such diverse styles including through diary entries as well as literally from the voice of a ghost who is ever present and watching but unable to communicate with the living residents. Definitely had strong Rebecca and Sunset Boulevard vibes.
The gothic visuals oozed as the soapy stakes revved up. This was the first novel I had read by Cherie Priest, but her writing style sucked me in so much that I finished this up quickly over 2 days and immediately purchased a couple of her other novels. This was a stellar unique haunted house story with layers.
Thanks NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!
What a fantastic, captivating mystery! With the pacing and language of a classic film noir in novel form, I absolutely adored the multiple POVs especially in such diverse styles including through diary entries as well as literally from the voice of a ghost who is ever present and watching but unable to communicate with the living residents. Definitely had strong Rebecca and Sunset Boulevard vibes.
The gothic visuals oozed as the soapy stakes revved up. This was the first novel I had read by Cherie Priest, but her writing style sucked me in so much that I finished this up quickly over 2 days and immediately purchased a couple of her other novels. This was a stellar unique haunted house story with layers.
Thanks NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC!
It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest was a fun read. This book is told from multiple POVs, following new homeowner Ronnie Mitchell, inspector Bartholomew Sloan, and silent film star Venita Rost. This is also told in a dual timeline going back and forth between the past and present. I really enjoyed Venita's diary entries. Ronnie wins an auction and buys a house completely unseen, a house that needs a lot of repairs and renovations and is haunted by the ghosts that have died there. This was a mix of an HGTV fixer-upper show and a haunted house. I found this book to be enjoyable.
I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.
I received an advance review copy, and I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.
I LOVE a haunted house story and liked this different take on it. The book was alternately historical fiction and present day creepiness which was fun and kept me interested. The creepiness never rose to the level of making me want to keep the lights on so if you want to read a book that won’t scare you, you should pick this one up! My toxic trait is that I want my own creepy run down mansion that may or may not be haunted and this book just reinforced that desire!
"It Was Her House First" is an interestingly layered haunting and tragic mystery. I liked each of the characters. The details in the house laid an excellent foundation of the plot. I was able to imagine some scenes perfectly. I would read more from this author.
funny
mysterious
I really liked this haunted house story! It had your ghosts, a very derelict house, a new homeowner with her own secrets and plans to bring the house back to life, a villain looking to profit off the death in that house, a mysterious diary that may hold the truths of the house, and an ending that I did not expect but I enjoyed it immensely. I would not call this a very dark horror, more light with viewpoints of the ghost stuck in the house (which were fun to read and possibly get you to pity him, even though this was kind of all his fault!) and via Venita's diary entries which popped the story back and forth in time to slowly reveal the truth of all the tragedy, and why people keep dying in that house.
It was also easy to like Ronnie, the new homeowner, as she faces her own monsters (what happened with her brother) as well as the extreme anxiety she has. And despite all that she is surprisingly chill about ghosts, plus all the gross stuff in the house that has moldered for about a century. I admire her willpower in fixing up the place and I would love to see it when the house is fully renovated back to it's glory days.
So, yeah, more of a light horror story but fun to read and hard to put down. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this good ghost story!
It was also easy to like Ronnie, the new homeowner, as she faces her own monsters (what happened with her brother) as well as the extreme anxiety she has. And despite all that she is surprisingly chill about ghosts, plus all the gross stuff in the house that has moldered for about a century. I admire her willpower in fixing up the place and I would love to see it when the house is fully renovated back to it's glory days.
So, yeah, more of a light horror story but fun to read and hard to put down. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me the chance to read this good ghost story!