Reviews with content warning for Murder - The Spite House

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The Spite House by Johnny Compton

17 reviews

irenemarie's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

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

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itsonmytbr's review against another edition

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dark tense fast-paced

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

4.0

The Ross family is desperate for money, a place to stay, and above all anonymity. So the advertisement for a short stay in a haunted house is perfect for them. After all, they've had experience with death, and ghosts, and fear. Never mind that the last people to stay in the house ran away from it in terror and went straight to a mental hospital. Never mind that the creepy old lady who owns the house and runs the town has ulterior motives for keeping them near. Never mind that the man who built the house still looks out from the fourth floor window of the house he built to spite a bunch of orphans. The Ross family is there to make something happen, even if Eric doesn't admit as much to his daughters.

This was an interesting take on a haunted house. We know right away that ghosts are real, so there's no hundred pages of jump scares and figures seen out of the corner of one's eye. Open the door and those ghosts are on the other side like hello, what took you so long? The whole town walks around seen ghosts every day. The question isn't whether the house is haunted, it's whether being haunted is worth the money. It's certainly worth reading about.

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flying_monkeys's review against another edition

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dark emotional hopeful sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.0

Eric, Dess and Stacy Ross are such loveable characters, it's impossible to not connect with them and root for their safety and success. The Texas setting felt real and scary. But, if you're reading The Spite House strictly for the horror, then the star of this story is the Masson House, a deeply haunted house built for vengeance in a place cursed by its terrible history. A ghost story with heart and history. 3.5/5

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directorpurry's review against another edition

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challenging dark mysterious medium-paced

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

3.5

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megaden's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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? It's complicated

3.5

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cluelesspixie's review against another edition

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dark mysterious sad fast-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

3.5

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rorikae's review against another edition

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challenging dark emotional tense medium-paced

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

4.0

'The Spite House' by Johnny Compton is a haunted house story with an interesting concept but not as much atmosphere as I was hoping.
The Spite House is true to its name, built out of the spite held by one man. Eric Ross and his two daughters are running away from mysterious circumstances and looking for a way to make money without bringing too much attention to themselves. The offer of staying in the Spite House feels like the perfect opportunity. But when the Ross' move in, the house makes it clear that they are not welcome and embroils them in circumstances that spill out beyond the house's walls.
I am fascinated by the work that Compton has done concocting the lore and character motivations at the heart of 'The Spite House.' He has created a set of complicated characters, where it is easy to understand both protagonists and antagonists. As we slowly begin to understand more about what drove Eric and his daughters away from their normal lives, we come to better understand how they are easily embroiled in the Spite House. I was really hoping for a bit more atmosphere. A great deal of this story is about the house while only a choice few moments are spent within the actual house itself. I would have loved to see more dread built up through moments in the house. I am intrigued to see what Compton writes next as the thought put into the story is clear and he's juggling a number of fascinating concepts.

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