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lovelymisanthrope's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
I picked up this book because it was the March selection for the Literally Dead Book Club.
"The Spite House" follows a plethora of characters, but the story centralizes around Eric Ross. Eric is on the run from something haunting him in his past. He left his wife and has his two daughters along for the ride. He is desperately trying to make money as they run from town to town. He thinks his luck is finally turning around when he sees an advertisement to reside in this house and document any strange occurrences. But this house harbors decades old secrets and Eric quickly discovers that this may be a larger undertaking than he thought.
I was initially intrigued by this story because there are multiple mysteries going on. First, we do not know what Eric and his daughters are running from or why they are running. Second, we do not know what is going on at Spite House. It ended up taking me a LONG time to get into this story because it is so densely written. It may be closer to a novella in length, but it felt like I was reading a 500-page story. I also struggled because there are so many different characters and POVs to read from. I felt like just when I was becoming invested in one character's story, I was given a new character. This constant changing really took me out of the story. For a book this short in length, I wished we got less POVs. I think the story could have been just as strong with solely Eric's POV.
Once it was finally revealed what was going on, I was interested in the story once again. I really enjoyed the mystery that Eric was trying to hide about why they were running, and I ultimately enjoyed the resolution they reached as a family about how to handle it. The Spite House's mystery was a bit more traumatic I felt, but it was definitely engaging. My heart went out to everyone affected.
I had a very okay time reading this, and I am intrigued by Johnny Compton as an author.
"The Spite House" follows a plethora of characters, but the story centralizes around Eric Ross. Eric is on the run from something haunting him in his past. He left his wife and has his two daughters along for the ride. He is desperately trying to make money as they run from town to town. He thinks his luck is finally turning around when he sees an advertisement to reside in this house and document any strange occurrences. But this house harbors decades old secrets and Eric quickly discovers that this may be a larger undertaking than he thought.
I was initially intrigued by this story because there are multiple mysteries going on. First, we do not know what Eric and his daughters are running from or why they are running. Second, we do not know what is going on at Spite House. It ended up taking me a LONG time to get into this story because it is so densely written. It may be closer to a novella in length, but it felt like I was reading a 500-page story. I also struggled because there are so many different characters and POVs to read from. I felt like just when I was becoming invested in one character's story, I was given a new character. This constant changing really took me out of the story. For a book this short in length, I wished we got less POVs. I think the story could have been just as strong with solely Eric's POV.
Once it was finally revealed what was going on, I was interested in the story once again. I really enjoyed the mystery that Eric was trying to hide about why they were running, and I ultimately enjoyed the resolution they reached as a family about how to handle it. The Spite House's mystery was a bit more traumatic I felt, but it was definitely engaging. My heart went out to everyone affected.
I had a very okay time reading this, and I am intrigued by Johnny Compton as an author.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Death, Torture, Death of parent, and Abandonment
Moderate: Medical content
blacksphinx's review against another edition
mysterious
sad
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? Yes
4.5
Although I felt the ending was missing something, Johnny Compton knows how to puts words in front of each other and I eagerly await for whatever he does next.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Gore, Racism, Terminal illness, Grief, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Fire/Fire injury and War
carissa230's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Eric and his girls are on the run from something. When the chance to stay at the spite house for a large sum of money comes up, he can't pass it up. He knows that there has to be something wrong with the spite house for the owner to pay him so much money, but he brings his girls along anyway. He has experience with the supernatural and he thinks he can handle it.
As soon as they arrive at the house it's clear that something otherworldly is going on there. The house itself seems to want to keep them forever. There are also children and an old man stuck there that are very mean and will do anything to capture the people that come along.
Eunice the owner of the house will do anything it takes to learn the secrets of the house. She believes that there is something in there that will help her survive longer than any other member of her family. If only she can figure out how the house works.
As soon as they arrive at the house it's clear that something otherworldly is going on there. The house itself seems to want to keep them forever. There are also children and an old man stuck there that are very mean and will do anything to capture the people that come along.
Eunice the owner of the house will do anything it takes to learn the secrets of the house. She believes that there is something in there that will help her survive longer than any other member of her family. If only she can figure out how the house works.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Grief, and Murder
itsalina's review against another edition
dark
emotional
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Grief, and Gaslighting
Minor: Gun violence
limina's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.75
It was a fine book. It took a long time to get where it was going- there wasn't enough info for well over a hundred pages and then a big info dump. There were enough time jumps and perspective shifts that I had some difficulty keeping track.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Racism
thereadedit's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
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? Yes
4.75
Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.75/5
Unsettling: 😬😬/5
SCARY: 👻👻/5
DEATH: 💀💀/5
INTRIGUE: 🧠🧠🧠🧠/5
The Spite House was nothing like I expected. With such poignant writing to take you through so many cycles of terror that were being held within the four walls of the Spite House. The tenants withheld in those four walls have every intention to make your life hell while you are there. Would you believe me that two children run the house? Oh yeah. Those children will scare and torture you till you finally just give up.
With a family on the run after a miraculous happening, the chance to make 6 figures is always a plus. Especially when you are hiding who you are and why. But is the money worth it when you know that you could lose the two people you love the most? The ones you went on the run for??
Eric is a father that is determined to do everything for his girls that he can. Even after his daughter comes back to life after dying, he knows something within their family gives them that blessing of life after death. Just as it did for his grandfather. But he is determined to make a life for his girls and figure out more about the gift they have been given.
With so much paranormal activity, lies, deception and money there is always room for mayhem. Enter the Spite House. Welcome to the chaos!
I also want to include that this book is a great representation of POC by a POC. Which I absolutely love and appreciate. In what bit of horror I have read there isn't a whole ton of POC representation. But also the representation showing how different the stereotypes that so many authors stick to aren't the same in this book.
Unsettling: 😬😬/5
SCARY: 👻👻/5
DEATH: 💀💀/5
INTRIGUE: 🧠🧠🧠🧠/5
The Spite House was nothing like I expected. With such poignant writing to take you through so many cycles of terror that were being held within the four walls of the Spite House. The tenants withheld in those four walls have every intention to make your life hell while you are there. Would you believe me that two children run the house? Oh yeah. Those children will scare and torture you till you finally just give up.
With a family on the run after a miraculous happening, the chance to make 6 figures is always a plus. Especially when you are hiding who you are and why. But is the money worth it when you know that you could lose the two people you love the most? The ones you went on the run for??
Eric is a father that is determined to do everything for his girls that he can. Even after his daughter comes back to life after dying, he knows something within their family gives them that blessing of life after death. Just as it did for his grandfather. But he is determined to make a life for his girls and figure out more about the gift they have been given.
With so much paranormal activity, lies, deception and money there is always room for mayhem. Enter the Spite House. Welcome to the chaos!
I also want to include that this book is a great representation of POC by a POC. Which I absolutely love and appreciate. In what bit of horror I have read there isn't a whole ton of POC representation. But also the representation showing how different the stereotypes that so many authors stick to aren't the same in this book.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death and Death
Minor: Bullying, Mental illness, Violence, Murder, and War
caidyn's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
This is a hard one to rate. I loved the idea of a haunted house, but I got lost with the more sci-fi elements that cropped up. Still a great read that I devoured in one sitting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Racism and Kidnapping
jessreadreceipts's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child death, Death, Racism, Violence, Grief, and Murder
Minor: Hate crime, Racism, and War
sylvestra's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Murder and War
ruthlessreads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Absolutely phenomenal haunted house novel! I'm kicking myself for not having started it sooner. The Spite House confronts one towns legacy of violent racism, bringing reparations to those who have been denied justice. But it's not just Spite House that has secrets, the Ross family is on a collision course to a reckoning with the past they've been running from and it all culminates in one harrowing event.
It's a horror novel, yes, but it's also about how far a father will go to protect his children, about grief, and about how the acts of the past ripple through time to affect us all still today. Powerful, deeply moving, and incredibly creepy.
It's a horror novel, yes, but it's also about how far a father will go to protect his children, about grief, and about how the acts of the past ripple through time to affect us all still today. Powerful, deeply moving, and incredibly creepy.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Racism, Violence, and Grief
Moderate: Slavery
Minor: Body horror