awatkins 's review for:

It Was Her House First by Cherie Priest
4.5
dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

By gar, it’s a good old fashioned haunted house story. The scares here are more psychological than jump; the reader knows more about what’s going on than the main character, but also, the main characters know more about their own backstories than the reader. Which is normal, I guess, but what is scary is the way these backstories meet up and intertwine to create the physical and psychological danger the (alive) MCs face. 
 
The book jumps back and forth in time, and between points of view of the main character Ronnie and one of the ghosts haunting the house she’s bought sight unseen as a fixer-upper. I was intrigued from the first chapter and the way Venita’s machinations triggered the eventual actions of the book. The story picked up steam as it continued, revealed its secrets, and put Ronnie through the wringer. I highly recommend this book!