Reviews

What Happened at Hawthorne House by Hadassah Shiradski

our_bookish_reads's review

slow-paced

1.0

What Happened at Hawthorne House is a relatively short and quick read. However, I just could not get into the story due to it lacking the horror aspect and that it took way too long to get into the story. The premise is interesting, but it's a pass for me.


Thank you for the ARC Netgalley and Brigids Gate Publishing, LLC. All opinions are my own.

brooke_last_seen_reading's review

dark tense slow-paced

3.0

#WhatHappenedAtHawthorneHouse by #HadassahShiradski is tricky to review. It is both satisfying and disappointing at the same time. There are two timelines in this novella and while they're both engaging in their own way, I feel as though working on one of them to bring it closer to full length would have been beneficial. As separate stories, there is a lot of potentials, together, some of the impact is lost. 

The writing is powerful, and well done. A few moments of telling rather than showing were present but overall, it was fine. 

I would come back to read more from this author.

Thanks to @booksirens for the free e-arc in return for an honest review.

zeallygreen's review

dark tense medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

1.0

ankteckningar's review

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

3.0

I was intrigued by the girls and their court and would have loved to dig deeper into the psychology there. Maybe some more back story to each of the characters to understand why they would all go to the lengths they did. I wasn't really into the second part of the book. I would rather see it continue from Rosalyns perspective.

I'm not a fan of different timelines in general and with this book in particular I felt like we never got to know the girls properly. I do understand that we sort of needed a shift in narrator at the second half. I think what I really wished was for the book to be a little longer so we could dig in deeper.

As someone who was once a small girl I adore books that shows how cruel girls can be even if most of us never goes so far as these girls go.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

morethanmylupus's review

dark mysterious medium-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

I was excited to pick up this novella about a haunted burned-out girls home. The premise was stellar. Unfortunately, the fist  2/3 of the book was actually focused on telling us what happened. Which made the part about it being haunted completely underwhelming. There was no mystery to solve. There was no questioning about why their ghosts remained, how to help them, or why they behaved the way that they did. In the end, I was disappointed. 

 

A huge thank you to the author and the publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book. 

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Content Warnings

Graphic: Child abuse

kirstycarson1's review

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

daisykajsa's review

medium-paced

4.0

thebookcrackingremlin's review

adventurous dark sad fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? N/A
• Loveable characters? N/A
• Diverse cast of characters? N/A
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

A perfect start to spooky season 

What Happened at Hawthorne House was a fantastic fast paced ghost story. I liked learning how the children became ghosts before seeing how they haunted the house after the fact.

I'd definitely watch a movie made about the Clover Court 

andi's review

slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Character
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

2.5

 

i’m quite conflicted on how to rate this book, as it wasn’t bad by any means, but i expected more. the book is told in two timelines and i was ready for more horror and, unfortunately, it didn’t deliver. the first half was more enjoyable to me because the setting and the kids were very creepy. the atmosphere was eerie, and the orphanage worked perfectly as a setting. the second half was okay, but i can’t help but wish we would’ve seen the ghosts cause more chaos. 

the writing was exceptional – the characters were skillfully crafted to be just the right amount of creepy and, even at the start of the story, you can sense something just isn’t right with them. the main character, rosalyn, had quite an interesting point of view. i do wish we would’ve seen the other girls’ POVs, but it’s not really something to complain about. however, i think seeing marie’s and sophie’s backstories would’ve made the girls more distinct, as their personalities were quite similar – they’re cruel for no apparent reason. 

now, i think the first part should’ve either been shorter or creepier, as it doesn’t really add much to the story and felt a bit too long. i also understand that the two parts of the story work together, but at the end of the book, i didn’t really feel like there was a point to all of it. perhaps the story would’ve worked better if the second half was at the beginning, and we’d figure out the story alongside the main character from that part. 

in the end, the story itself was interesting and i don’t regret reading it at all, but i wish it was a bit more polished. granted, this is subjective and i can see other readers loving the story as it is. i will read the author’s next works as i can see the potential within this novella. 

gothgirlsreadingnook's review

4.0

“Dead Moths. Dead Butterflies. Dead spiders.”

A nine-year old girl named Rosalyn lives at an orphanage with a group of other girls her age. Who finds themselves bored. Rosalyn invents a game, that quickly took a turn for the worst…

Gothic-Horror Novella set in 1926

My Thoughts

Trigger Warnings:
Gore
Violence
Pranks gone to far
Bullying
Boredom
Horror
Lots of insects

Books Content Warnings:
Intense bullying
Child abuse and endangerment
Child harm
Detailed depictions of child death
Abuse (physical and psychological)
Neglect
Death

Part one:

Kids can be mean and cruel and this book demonstrates that in a horrific manner. These kids took a game too far and paid the price.

Instead of creating a beautiful court of royals they built it on pranks and having to outdo the higher up to become queen. The pranks and games became worse and worse…. I felt bad for the new girls and all the girls that participated in something like this. Girls can be mean.

I think this book is very dark and creepy.

Honestly it’s quite morbid, but not a bad read.

Part two:

I love the rebuild of the home and how the game continued even in the afterlife of the girls.

I feel the new Ambassador knew what he was doing when it came to the house and how to interact with the girls.

I also like how visitors were able to come and see ‘spirits’ and how the Ambassador wrote down all his sightings and interactions, like a researcher would.

I feel the second part went by fast and wanted more. Maybe have the girls find peace and make their way, and Hawthorne house becoming a normal house once again.

Overall it was a great read. Thank you NetGalley and Bridge Gates Press for allowing me to be an ARC reader.