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A review by shannonxo
Beneath the Stairs by Jennifer Fawcett
4.0
Well, this is not the thriller with the stairs on the cover I intended to read, but I'm very glad I owned my mistake and finished this in three sittings.
I very much prefer my thrillers with paranormal vibes, and the creepy basement of the Octagon House delivered. Questionable doors that open and close at will, figures in the shadows of the basement, voices in your head, and that damn doll lying in wait on the stairs. I really liked what the author did to make this abandoned house truly unsettling. There were some Haunting of Hill House touches with the house having a hold on certain people, calling them back years later, and it was well done for the most part.
I really enjoyed the storytelling used for this book. It bounces back and forth between multiple POVs in past and present, unravelling the story across time. From the woman who was to be the first to live in the newly built Octagon House, to the people who died in the house in the 60's, to Claire in her present and the first time she entered the house in the 90's. It all melded together really well and helped build the tension as each piece of the house's sordid history came to light. The switches kept me reading far later into the night than I should have, so it was a great read!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: endings make or break thrillers. This was going to be a five star read for me until the last ten percent. It felt incredibly anti-climactic, after such incredible build-up. I'm still not entirely sure who the culprit is for all the deaths, what was in the basement, and whether it was real or paranormal--and that bothers me immensely. I feel somewhat robbed. Of what I don't know, but that's how I feel. I also didn't like that the last ten percent of the book was simply wrap-up for the characters. It was a let down for me and why I can't give it five stars.
I very much prefer my thrillers with paranormal vibes, and the creepy basement of the Octagon House delivered. Questionable doors that open and close at will, figures in the shadows of the basement, voices in your head, and that damn doll lying in wait on the stairs. I really liked what the author did to make this abandoned house truly unsettling. There were some Haunting of Hill House touches with the house having a hold on certain people, calling them back years later, and it was well done for the most part.
I really enjoyed the storytelling used for this book. It bounces back and forth between multiple POVs in past and present, unravelling the story across time. From the woman who was to be the first to live in the newly built Octagon House, to the people who died in the house in the 60's, to Claire in her present and the first time she entered the house in the 90's. It all melded together really well and helped build the tension as each piece of the house's sordid history came to light. The switches kept me reading far later into the night than I should have, so it was a great read!
I've said it before, and I'll say it again: endings make or break thrillers. This was going to be a five star read for me until the last ten percent. It felt incredibly anti-climactic, after such incredible build-up. I'm still not entirely sure who the culprit is for all the deaths, what was in the basement, and whether it was real or paranormal--and that bothers me immensely. I feel somewhat robbed. Of what I don't know, but that's how I feel. I also didn't like that the last ten percent of the book was simply wrap-up for the characters. It was a let down for me and why I can't give it five stars.