A review by lavendcr
The Haunting by Natasha Preston

4.0

★★★.5 rounded up!

I was eager to dive back into Natasha Preston's writing, and "The Haunting" seemed like the perfect choice. Having devoured "The Cabin" a few years ago, I knew her thrillers rarely disappoint.

The initial chapters had me completely hooked, drawing me into the story's suspenseful world. However, as I approached the three-quarter mark, I found myself growing increasingly impatient to uncover the identity of the killer. I had already made several predictions in my notes when I was only halfway through, and it was satisfying to see many of them pan out. It made me feel quite accomplished!

Yet, there were a few aspects that bothered me. Firstly,
Spoilersome of the characters, especially Penny, seemed a bit too reckless given the circumstances. Like you would think that discovering 2 bodies would deter her from going outside at all bUT SHE JUST KEPT PUTTING HERSELF IN HARMS WAY??? GIRL PUT YOURSELF FIRST!


Towards the end, the story took on a slightly "Scooby-Doo" vibe.
SpoilerNash, Zayn, and Penny went all Nancy Drew on me.


I am very genuinely mad about the ending. Because wtf?! WHO ENDS A BOOK LIKE THAT? LIKE AT LEAST GIVE ME SOME CLOSURE, MAYBE EVEN AN EPILOGUE. While I'm not sure if a sequel is necessary, Natasha Preston has a knack for surprising her readers, so I'm sure she'll find a way to keep us engaged.

Nonetheless, "The Haunting" was a fitting start to my October reading list. I'm now moving on to my next spooky book.