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hyperashley's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Graphic: Alcoholism, Domestic abuse, Mental illness, Blood, Child death, Alcohol, and Animal death
soobooksalot's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I've had my eye on The September House for awhile and was thrilled when it arrived in a recent book box.
What a unique book. I was hooked by the writing style from the very first pages, and totally taken in throughout.
Margaret and husband Hal purchased an 1800s-era house that happened to come with more chattels than expected. Ones that scream, bite, and make the walls bleed every September. A basement from hell.
There's a whole host of "pranksters" in the old Vale house, with visible evidence of how they met their ends.
Oh it's a dark scenario, and at times gorey and spooky. Yet author Carissa Orlando tells us the story with touches of humour and humanity that make the scary nearly charming.
I loved the whole experience and even more impressive that it's a debut.
Recommended!
Moderate: Violence, Vomit, Child death, Death, Dementia, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Alcohol, Animal death, Self harm, Alcoholism, Blood, and Death of parent
bookwyrm_kate's review against another edition
- 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
Graphic: Fire/Fire injury, Blood, Child death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Murder, Animal death, Body horror, Child abuse, and Death
Moderate: Cursing, Dementia, Alcohol, Alcoholism, and Emotional abuse
Minor: Gaslighting and Mental illness
sarah984's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Gore, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror
Moderate: Alcoholism, Blood, Violence, Vomit, Death, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Torture, Animal death, Dementia, Domestic abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, and Physical abuse
Minor: Cannibalism, Confinement, Fatphobia, Forced institutionalization, Gun violence, Police brutality, Self harm, and Suicide
Insect/bug contentjamieleepilk's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Injury/Injury detail, Murder, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Gore, Blood, Death, Death of parent, Physical abuse, Animal death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, and Violence
minimicropup's review against another edition
- 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
5.0
πΊπΈ Set mostly at a Victorian home in Ohio (I think), USA.
π Set in autumn with all the vibes.
πΊπ Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags:
𫨠I usually don't like action/fight scenes in books because I imagine them in weird slo-mo. The scenes here worked...creepy, descriptive, but (without spoiling anything) read fast-paced without having to be imagined as fast-paced...
π₯° I loved the exploration of unconditional love and why people stay in abusive relationships, without victim blaming.
π₯Ή Even the bond between Margaret and the house was giving me feels. I bonded with my home and feel protective of it, I can almost relate with Margaret's stance on just letting your home bleed and be creepy for a month!
π The suspense comes from the poltergeist and haunted elements, but also from the characters themselves. There was a bit of a yo-yo effect for me, where I would side with one character and get so frustrated with another, then flip as I found out more about what let to that dynamic, then flip back as we get more reveals.
π― Some of the mysteries are predictable, even obvious, but as mysteries are solved new ones are generated and that continues throughout the book. It reads snappy and well-paced because we aren't relying on villain monologues for reveals - we get answers through story telling, evidence, and interactions of different characters without it feeling long-winded or rushed.
π¨ The body horror is descriptive, on-page, and involves children in the past. However, despite the tough subject matter, it didn't feel too heavy or dismissive.
π€ The humour in this story is quick-witted without breaking the scares, and not overdone or cringey. I think it would make a unique horror movie if done right (so the depth of the story isn't lost in the dark comedy aspect).
Mood Reading Match Up:
- Grown up Goosebumps dark cozy horror + dark comedy
- Body horror and historical paranormal/poltergeist horror with fight-for-your-life elements
- Clever, witty, slightly unhinged, possibly unreliable narrators
- House-like-a-character with symbolism and themes about resilience, perfectionism, surviving, and thriving through trauma
Content Heads-Up: Murder. LGBTQ rep (good). Emotional and physical abuse (on page; relationship, domestic). Alcoholism. Mental health (anger, rage). Body horror (dismembering, injury, vomit, blood). Child abuse (kidnapping, violence). Forced institutionalization (threatened). Dementia. Suicide (off page, mentioned). Animal death (wild).
Format: Library Digital via LIbby
π₯° This was one of my Favourite Books of 2023
Graphic: Body horror, Injury/Injury detail, and Blood
Moderate: Murder, Emotional abuse, Physical abuse, Child death, and Child abuse
Minor: Suicide, Dementia, and Animal death
elisepage's review
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
Graphic: Body horror, Domestic abuse, Alcoholism, and Mental illness
Moderate: Blood, Death, Animal death, and Forced institutionalization
chloebrown13's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
Graphic: Child death, Murder, Blood, Domestic abuse, Gore, Violence, and Alcoholism
Moderate: Animal death, Vomit, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Schizophrenia/Psychosis
chezler24's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
(Read an uncorrected proof)
Graphic: Animal death, Physical abuse, Vomit, Blood, Child abuse, Death, Murder, Body horror, Child death, and Gore
Moderate: Alcoholism
Minor: Suicide and Forced institutionalization
mtnest's review against another edition
- 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? No
3.25
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Alcoholism, Animal death, Child death, Cursing, Injury/Injury detail, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Body horror, Fire/Fire injury, Murder, Physical abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, and Gore
Moderate: Gun violence, Suicide, Grief, Medical content, Alcohol, Death of parent, Dementia, and Pregnancy