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4.02 AVERAGE
4.02 AVERAGE
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
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
Recommended if you like: Dark humor and deadpan reactions to the grotesque and gruesome; Sympathetic, authentic depictions of damaged people; Uncomplicated prose; Complicated relationships
Avoid if you dislike: Gratuitous descriptions of blood, injuries, bodily trauma; (CW, 2nd act spoiler)Domestic violence/abusive relationships ; Modest, somewhat repetitive vocabulary; Violence against (CW) children
In the well-explored genre of haunted house horror, Carissa Orlando’s The September House proves that there are still corners of haunted basements to discover. Orlando’s doctorate in clinical psychology shines through her characters and makes this read one of the more honest and emotionally-rewarding stories you’ll find in horror.
From the word “go,” MC Margaret is lovably mordant and impassive in the face of even the most terrifying paranormal activity, which sets the darkly humorous tone for the rest of the story. Her reasons for adapting to her haunted house instead of, you know, running away like most would is logical, if not a little unreasonable. But her behavioral rituals work at keeping the spookies at bay, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. After all, the housing market is a horror of its own, and who could blame her for wanting to avoid all that?
There are clearly defined and well-thought-out rules to Orlando’s world. The ghosts haunt in specific ways. Certain things work to corral their behavior. Many things do not. There are reasons and logic tightly woven into every element of Margaret’s interactions with her house, her family, and her roommates. In a story about adapting to challenging circumstances, the importance of having a well-developed ruleset cannot be understated.
The way that the layers of the story are revealed as Margaret’s complicated living situation becomes even more complex is fantastic. The pacing is good, the revelations are delivered with grace, and the strain that weighs upon Margaret steadily builds until you can’t help but ask, “How the hell did we get here?” But that’s sort of the wonderful part about The September House: In horror stories, people make poor decisions aplenty, but those decisions rarely make sense. With Margaret, every questionable decision makes sense–from a certain point of view.
As for critiques, they are few but worth mentioning. Orlando’s spartan vocabulary makes for easy reading, but left me wanting a little more effort at times. There is the occasional inspired simile that perfectly captures a creepy sensory moment or emotional beat, but they’re reused until the edges are dull. These gripes are subjective and easily-forgiven, but my biggest issue is with the climax.
While the 3rd act is appropriate and satisfying, the climax itself is a 16-page marathon that way overstays its welcome. The summary is familiar, and nothing an avid movie watcher hasn’t seen before. And yet, the actions repeat, and repeat, and repeat, and every detail is explained and re-explained ad nauseam until your eyes are skimming the pages with a desperate need to move on. I understand the desire to (major spoilers)give every ghost their cathartic revenge against Master Vale , but it takes ages and there are certainly ways to abbreviate it into something more streamlined and engaging.
Avoid if you dislike: Gratuitous descriptions of blood, injuries, bodily trauma; (CW, 2nd act spoiler)
In the well-explored genre of haunted house horror, Carissa Orlando’s The September House proves that there are still corners of haunted basements to discover. Orlando’s doctorate in clinical psychology shines through her characters and makes this read one of the more honest and emotionally-rewarding stories you’ll find in horror.
From the word “go,” MC Margaret is lovably mordant and impassive in the face of even the most terrifying paranormal activity, which sets the darkly humorous tone for the rest of the story. Her reasons for adapting to her haunted house instead of, you know, running away like most would is logical, if not a little unreasonable. But her behavioral rituals work at keeping the spookies at bay, and if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it. After all, the housing market is a horror of its own, and who could blame her for wanting to avoid all that?
There are clearly defined and well-thought-out rules to Orlando’s world. The ghosts haunt in specific ways. Certain things work to corral their behavior. Many things do not. There are reasons and logic tightly woven into every element of Margaret’s interactions with her house, her family, and her roommates. In a story about adapting to challenging circumstances, the importance of having a well-developed ruleset cannot be understated.
The way that the layers of the story are revealed as Margaret’s complicated living situation becomes even more complex is fantastic. The pacing is good, the revelations are delivered with grace, and the strain that weighs upon Margaret steadily builds until you can’t help but ask, “How the hell did we get here?” But that’s sort of the wonderful part about The September House: In horror stories, people make poor decisions aplenty, but those decisions rarely make sense. With Margaret, every questionable decision makes sense–from a certain point of view.
As for critiques, they are few but worth mentioning. Orlando’s spartan vocabulary makes for easy reading, but left me wanting a little more effort at times. There is the occasional inspired simile that perfectly captures a creepy sensory moment or emotional beat, but they’re reused until the edges are dull. These gripes are subjective and easily-forgiven, but my biggest issue is with the climax.
While the 3rd act is appropriate and satisfying, the climax itself is a 16-page marathon that way overstays its welcome. The summary is familiar, and nothing an avid movie watcher hasn’t seen before. And yet, the actions repeat, and repeat, and repeat, and every detail is explained and re-explained ad nauseam until your eyes are skimming the pages with a desperate need to move on. I understand the desire to (major spoilers)
Issues with prose and the pacing of the climax aside, The September House is an exciting, emotional, and fascinating joyride with one of horror’s most haunted and resilient protagonists. It's a fantastic debut effort that puts Orlando on my shortlist of new authors to watch.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
funny
mysterious
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
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
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:
No
It was a long, slow journey. I had to force myself forward despite my waning interest.
The story did have interesting moments, especially at the end. I just wish the trip to the end was a little swifter.
The story did have interesting moments, especially at the end. I just wish the trip to the end was a little swifter.
I tried and finally DNF’d at 50%
Liked the sound of this one but it just did not deliver at all. Very repetitive and totally unlikeable characters.
I didn’t reach the end but I feel like I know how it would go and I just couldn’t be bothered to get there.
Liked the sound of this one but it just did not deliver at all. Very repetitive and totally unlikeable characters.
I didn’t reach the end but I feel like I know how it would go and I just couldn’t be bothered to get there.
dark
emotional
funny
mysterious
tense
medium-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:
No
Best book I’ve read in 2025