Reviews with content warning for Cursing - The September House

Let me start by saying that I was SO excited to get my hands on this book. So many rave reviews, so much hype, I was READY for the spooky haunted house story of the year...

... and for me, this one fell a bit flat.

Despite being full of gore, this read like a PG13 horror movie - perhaps its the narration style, but it was severly lacking in the fear and anxiety I always seek out in a good haunted house novel. That is what caused this to be a 4 star read for me.

I still very much enjoyed it. The story is fun, the characters are perfectly atrocious, and I truly loved both of the plot twists. It was well written, and the ending was a trip. I would LOVE to see a movie made out of this honestly, it would translate beautifully, and will definitely pick up more books by this author.

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bookwyrm_kate's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I loved that I thought I had things figured out, initially was shown to be correct, then everything was subverted and went batty. A lot of fun, and watch out for a LOT of body horror.

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brandilovesbooks's review

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challenging dark sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

Margaret lives in a Haunted House. She knows the rules- if she touches a trickster, she'll get a flash of their last moments; stay out of Elias' space and she'll avoid his teeth, and don't go into the basement. Every September, the activities of the tricksters get worse throughout the month. This September things are complicated by a visit from Margaret's daughter Katherine. Katherine has never visited the house and is driven to do so now by the mysterious disappearance of her father.

Angelique, the trickster maid with a crushed skull, and Edith, Margaret's only friend, help her hide the happenings in the house from Katherine.

The September House is rather deep. Margaret is not your typical horror heroine. Her past has taught her to be flexible around others and to follow rules. Her most important rule, one any mother can understand, is to protect her daughter.

There is lots of gore in this book. There are scenes that are worthy of nightmares. The part leading up to the climax is grotesque. If you can stomach it, The September House is a book about a resilient woman who won't let a Haunted House get the best of her. I definitely recommend.

Content Warnings