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3.82 AVERAGE
3.82 AVERAGE
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:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC!
I have been looking for a good haunted house book for a while. They are one of my favorite genres, while gothic tales are some of my least favorites. This one checked all my haunted house boxes.
It has a great mystery, the characters were likeable (even the ghosts!) and I had a really fun time reading this.
It was more lighthearted than other haunted house books but that's what made it unique. It's like HGTV with ghosts. I would call this The September House but less dark.
My only reason for knocking off a half star is I wanted to know more about the mirror. That would have finished this off perfectly.
Overall, highly recommend!
I have been looking for a good haunted house book for a while. They are one of my favorite genres, while gothic tales are some of my least favorites. This one checked all my haunted house boxes.
It has a great mystery, the characters were likeable (even the ghosts!) and I had a really fun time reading this.
It was more lighthearted than other haunted house books but that's what made it unique. It's like HGTV with ghosts. I would call this The September House but less dark.
My only reason for knocking off a half star is I wanted to know more about the mirror. That would have finished this off perfectly.
Overall, highly recommend!
dark
medium-paced
Cherie Priest delivers another eerie and atmospheric tale that kept me turning pages late into the night. It Was Her House First is a slow-burning haunted house story steeped in tension, grief, and ghostly revenge. The setting is vividly drawn—equal parts southern charm and creeping dread—and the characters feel raw and real, especially the protagonist grappling with her past and the house’s sinister secrets.
What really worked for me was the pacing: Priest knows how to let the horror build gradually, layering subtle chills before plunging you into full-on dread. The house itself is a character, looming and unforgettable, and Priest masterfully blends psychological tension with supernatural elements.
If you’re a fan of Shirley Jackson, Silvia Moreno-Garcia, or gothic fiction with a modern twist, this one’s for you. It’s unsettling in the best way.
Rating: 4.5/5 stars
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.
This novel is engaging and mysterious with a haunting yet glamorous air about it. I think the writing is well done and as a whole the story is good. I fear I am not the target audience for this book so that is the reason for my 3 star review. I am not typically a fan of a haunted house type of book but every once in a while I give one a go just to see if my tastes have changed but sadly this one hasn't changed my mind. I did like the atmosphere of this book and having lived in the Seattle area for over a decade in my life, I understand the ominous feeling of this house and place but for me the story just didn't resonate very deeply. Again, I am likely not the target audience for this book so please take this review with a grain of salt.
Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Thank you NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for access to the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I received this eARC through @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for the opportunity to read It Was Her House First coming out on 07/22/25.
I really enjoyed this one! Ronnie is trying to overload her anxieties and distract her mind from a very terrible thing that she feels responsible for, so she buys a decrepit house. Unbeknownst her the house is filled to the brim with ghosts. Venita, the silent film star who is one of the resident ghosts is a force to be reckoned with. I really liked the even pacing of this as well as how this story handles grief and anxiety.
I really enjoyed this one! Ronnie is trying to overload her anxieties and distract her mind from a very terrible thing that she feels responsible for, so she buys a decrepit house. Unbeknownst her the house is filled to the brim with ghosts. Venita, the silent film star who is one of the resident ghosts is a force to be reckoned with. I really liked the even pacing of this as well as how this story handles grief and anxiety.
Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with an e-Arc.
This was such a great and fun haunted house story! I love reading about ghosts trapped in a creepy & decrepit house! I read this book in one sitting and i want more
This was such a great and fun haunted house story! I love reading about ghosts trapped in a creepy & decrepit house! I read this book in one sitting and i want more
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A little spooky with a dash of Hollywood glam and a splash of malevolent hijinks. What started out as a mildly inconvenient Seattle-home restoration project took a turn into a ghost story with hints of magic and other-worldly beings. The MC was a bit frazzled and an absolute beast at times, but she had her reasons and they were relatable so I really enjoyed her chapters. The ghosts and their historically romantic timelines, volatile histories, and unresolved angst were all unsettling yet charming, especially the cat…who doesn’t love an ethereal house pet spirit?
I did remove a star because a part of the story I was absolutely fascinated to understand more about was never really explained. I need an entire book about the sinister mirror incident, apparently.
Many thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. As always, Cherie Priest brings the haunts.
I did remove a star because a part of the story I was absolutely fascinated to understand more about was never really explained. I need an entire book about the sinister mirror incident, apparently.
Many thanks for the ARC, NetGalley. As always, Cherie Priest brings the haunts.
Well, this was a delightful haunted house story. I don't know if home restoration horror is its own microgenre, but it should be. Priest has now written two books (this one and the excellent The Family Plot) about hauntings in decaying houses being tackled by salvage crews/home restorers. It's such an excellent, logical premise for a haunted house story and the wealth of detail in her work reveals how much she's researched the profession.
It Was Her House First was a fun read, light on the scares and heavier on the mystery and hijinks. I enjoyed the homage to Golden Age detective fiction and, though I guessed some of the mystery, I still had a great time watching it unfold. I have some minor quibbles with the different narrators--the diary was great, the ghost-narrator a little corny for my taste-- but I had an excellent time reading this. It's definitely the perfect read if you're looking for a horror-lite romp through 1920s Seattle.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.
It Was Her House First was a fun read, light on the scares and heavier on the mystery and hijinks. I enjoyed the homage to Golden Age detective fiction and, though I guessed some of the mystery, I still had a great time watching it unfold. I have some minor quibbles with the different narrators--the diary was great, the ghost-narrator a little corny for my taste-- but I had an excellent time reading this. It's definitely the perfect read if you're looking for a horror-lite romp through 1920s Seattle.
Thanks to the publisher and to NetGalley for an early copy of this book.
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I never thought I'd say I found a story about a haunted house a fun read, but that was before I read It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest. It Was Her House First is a story about a haunted house with all the requisite chills and thrills that come with that. But, it is also the story of how two very different women in different times cope with their grief over the unexpected and tragic loss of a loved one and how that grief can make you do things you never thought possible.
It Was Your House First gives us the unique perspectives of three very different people who have inhabited the aforementioned house of the title. The first point of view is Ronnie Mitchell, a grieving woman in the present day who buys the run-down mansion with the intent to renovate it to its former glory. The second point of view is Bartholomew Sloan, an investigator and friend of the original owners. Bartholomew has a complicated relationship with the owners and dies in the house in the 1930s. His death was ruled a suicide, but was it? Finally, we get the perspective of the house's original owner Venita Rost. Venita was a beautiful and glamourous old Hollywood silent film star who lovingly built the house for her family. Tragically Venita's young daughter dies in the house under mysterious circumstances. In her grief, Venita is pushed over the edge and makes some highly questionable yet understandable decisions which lead to the haunting of the house. While Ronnie's and Bartholomew's perspectives are told in the first person, Venita's is told through her diary entries which Ronnie reads. This adds an interesting element and is a nice alternative perspective. I loved that the author told the story this way as it really allows the reader to experience the house's past and present and makes for a more well-rounded story.
Most of the story unfolds through Ronnie's perspective. This works well because Ronnie is a funny and smart narrator, even if she can be frustrating at times. Through Ronnie, we experience the "haunted" part of the house as she slowly realizes she just might not be the only inhabitant of her neglected mansion. Ronnie's chapters give us plenty of the chills you'd expect from a story about a haunted house and there are some truly tense moments throughout. Bartholomew's and Venita's chapters aren't nearly as fleshed out and I found myself wanting to hear more from them, particularly Venita. I enjoyed learning about Venita through her diary entries as they allow us to get an inside view of her true thoughts, feelings, and motivations for her actions following the death of her daughter. I felt that Bartholomew's chapters were the weakest, but they still added to the story, and he has a fairly large part to play in the satisfying conclusion to the story.
Overall, I enjoyed It Was Her House First. The author does an excellent job of seamlessly weaving together multiple perspectives, timelines, and stories that make for a satisfying and fun read that had me turning pages well into the night. Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Cherie Priest for the opportunity to review this ARC.
It Was Your House First gives us the unique perspectives of three very different people who have inhabited the aforementioned house of the title. The first point of view is Ronnie Mitchell, a grieving woman in the present day who buys the run-down mansion with the intent to renovate it to its former glory. The second point of view is Bartholomew Sloan, an investigator and friend of the original owners. Bartholomew has a complicated relationship with the owners and dies in the house in the 1930s. His death was ruled a suicide, but was it? Finally, we get the perspective of the house's original owner Venita Rost. Venita was a beautiful and glamourous old Hollywood silent film star who lovingly built the house for her family. Tragically Venita's young daughter dies in the house under mysterious circumstances. In her grief, Venita is pushed over the edge and makes some highly questionable yet understandable decisions which lead to the haunting of the house. While Ronnie's and Bartholomew's perspectives are told in the first person, Venita's is told through her diary entries which Ronnie reads. This adds an interesting element and is a nice alternative perspective. I loved that the author told the story this way as it really allows the reader to experience the house's past and present and makes for a more well-rounded story.
Most of the story unfolds through Ronnie's perspective. This works well because Ronnie is a funny and smart narrator, even if she can be frustrating at times. Through Ronnie, we experience the "haunted" part of the house as she slowly realizes she just might not be the only inhabitant of her neglected mansion. Ronnie's chapters give us plenty of the chills you'd expect from a story about a haunted house and there are some truly tense moments throughout. Bartholomew's and Venita's chapters aren't nearly as fleshed out and I found myself wanting to hear more from them, particularly Venita. I enjoyed learning about Venita through her diary entries as they allow us to get an inside view of her true thoughts, feelings, and motivations for her actions following the death of her daughter. I felt that Bartholomew's chapters were the weakest, but they still added to the story, and he has a fairly large part to play in the satisfying conclusion to the story.
Overall, I enjoyed It Was Her House First. The author does an excellent job of seamlessly weaving together multiple perspectives, timelines, and stories that make for a satisfying and fun read that had me turning pages well into the night. Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Cherie Priest for the opportunity to review this ARC.
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This was an intriguing and unique style of book compared to what I have read before. The story incorporates several different media styles, which keeps it engaging and fresh! I love a good ghost story, and this one delivered. With multiple POVs, we get Ronnie's perspective as she recently bought a home and is grieving. I enjoyed Ronnie's chapters. Bart's chapters, however, were rather dull and sometimes moved at a snail's pace, although they did have some spooky moments, albeit toned down. Lastly, Sloane's chapters were the highlight. I loved getting inside the ghost's mind and that aspect was fascinating!
The beginning of the book was a bit of a struggle, but if you push through, the ending is strong and absolutely amazing! If you're looking for a different kind of ghost story that includes revenge and various intriguing aspects, then you should pick this one up. Just remember to stick with it for that ending—it makes the book! Thank you, Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review this one. It was definitely a spooktacular experience!
The beginning of the book was a bit of a struggle, but if you push through, the ending is strong and absolutely amazing! If you're looking for a different kind of ghost story that includes revenge and various intriguing aspects, then you should pick this one up. Just remember to stick with it for that ending—it makes the book! Thank you, Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley, for the opportunity to read and review this one. It was definitely a spooktacular experience!