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A review by thebooknerdscorner
House of Hearts by Skyla Arndt
5.0
A girl desperate to solve the murder of her best friend finds herself a part of an elite secret society who seems to be both cursed and haunted by a vengeful ghost.
Violet "Vi" Harper isn't convinced that her best friend's death was an accident. Desperate for revenge and a chance to find out the truth about Emoree, Violet enrolls in the illustrious boarding school that was the site of Em's "accident." Upon arriving at the school, Violet encounters one of the headmistress's sons, Calvin Lockwell, who also happens to be the brother of Violet's prime suspect. Despite the fact that he is an obnoxious brat who may or may not be related to a murderer, Violet can't stop the attraction that is beginning to form between them. After only knowing Calvin for a matter of days, Violet begins to learn that the Lockwell's are hiding many dangerous secrets. Violet knows that she should get away while she can, be Violet finds herself being dragged deeper into this dark mystery and the secrets that await her at the bottom of the rabbit hole.
This one drew me in from the very first chapter. The murder mystery element of this book had me instantly interested and the dark academia vibes were tangible from the very first page. Once Calvin entered the scene, I found it hard to rip myself away from this darkly fantastical world.
The vibes in this book are absolutely immaculate. The creepiness of all the nursery rhymes, poems, and stories sprinkled throughout this book had me squealing; I am a sucker for using such childish things to induce horrific feelings. This book is so thoroughly soaked in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," and I ate up every second of it. From the Queen of the Hart's to the rabbit mask at the masquerade ball to Violet's middle name being Alice, there are so many little shoutouts to this iconic story. The ways that the madness element that is so prominent in Wonderland adds to the horror is crazy, and I totally applaud Arndt for this!
Speaking of the horror, the paranormal haunting that extends through this whole novel is so spooky and had me flipping through the pages rapid fire. I don't want to go into too many details, but the entire situation involving the Lockwell's is so masterful and honestly one of the most compelling magical tragedies that I've read about in a while.
And the romance? I was beyond sold! Violet and Calvin have the best banter (I highlighted so many passages) and I found myself giddy by their interactions. The tension between these two is palpable and really adds to the thrill of the book, especially towards the end. The "will they, won't they" microtrope truly goes crazy in this book.
I don't want to say too much about this book, because it truly depends on the shock factor. I adore the world, the characters, and the writing, so I enjoyed this one from start to finish. You'll just have to trust my word and give this book a chance if the vibes sound promising to you.
Overall, "House of Hearts" is a truly wild ride that I can't recommend enough! I ate up the immaculate vibes, the tense and swoonworthy romance, as well as the murder mystery plot. The paranormal elements made this book so intense, and the nursery rhymes really added to the creep factor. I adore all the references to Wonderland, and the fact that they so expertly add to the thrill ride as well as character development is such a plus. I would recommend this to anyone who loves paranormal thrillers, dark academia, "Alice in Wonderland," or folk horror. I need to get my hands on "Together We Rot" sooner rather than later; this one has me seriously hooked on Arndt's work!
Violet "Vi" Harper isn't convinced that her best friend's death was an accident. Desperate for revenge and a chance to find out the truth about Emoree, Violet enrolls in the illustrious boarding school that was the site of Em's "accident." Upon arriving at the school, Violet encounters one of the headmistress's sons, Calvin Lockwell, who also happens to be the brother of Violet's prime suspect. Despite the fact that he is an obnoxious brat who may or may not be related to a murderer, Violet can't stop the attraction that is beginning to form between them. After only knowing Calvin for a matter of days, Violet begins to learn that the Lockwell's are hiding many dangerous secrets. Violet knows that she should get away while she can, be Violet finds herself being dragged deeper into this dark mystery and the secrets that await her at the bottom of the rabbit hole.
This one drew me in from the very first chapter. The murder mystery element of this book had me instantly interested and the dark academia vibes were tangible from the very first page. Once Calvin entered the scene, I found it hard to rip myself away from this darkly fantastical world.
The vibes in this book are absolutely immaculate. The creepiness of all the nursery rhymes, poems, and stories sprinkled throughout this book had me squealing; I am a sucker for using such childish things to induce horrific feelings. This book is so thoroughly soaked in "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland," and I ate up every second of it. From the Queen of the Hart's to the rabbit mask at the masquerade ball to Violet's middle name being Alice, there are so many little shoutouts to this iconic story. The ways that the madness element that is so prominent in Wonderland adds to the horror is crazy, and I totally applaud Arndt for this!
Speaking of the horror, the paranormal haunting that extends through this whole novel is so spooky and had me flipping through the pages rapid fire. I don't want to go into too many details, but the entire situation involving the Lockwell's is so masterful and honestly one of the most compelling magical tragedies that I've read about in a while.
And the romance? I was beyond sold! Violet and Calvin have the best banter (I highlighted so many passages) and I found myself giddy by their interactions. The tension between these two is palpable and really adds to the thrill of the book, especially towards the end. The "will they, won't they" microtrope truly goes crazy in this book.
I don't want to say too much about this book, because it truly depends on the shock factor. I adore the world, the characters, and the writing, so I enjoyed this one from start to finish. You'll just have to trust my word and give this book a chance if the vibes sound promising to you.
Overall, "House of Hearts" is a truly wild ride that I can't recommend enough! I ate up the immaculate vibes, the tense and swoonworthy romance, as well as the murder mystery plot. The paranormal elements made this book so intense, and the nursery rhymes really added to the creep factor. I adore all the references to Wonderland, and the fact that they so expertly add to the thrill ride as well as character development is such a plus. I would recommend this to anyone who loves paranormal thrillers, dark academia, "Alice in Wonderland," or folk horror. I need to get my hands on "Together We Rot" sooner rather than later; this one has me seriously hooked on Arndt's work!