A review by dig_the_plot
The September House by Carissa Orlando

dark mysterious sad tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This book is all the things - spooky, scary, creepy, thrilling, shocking, dark humor, suspenseful and so much more. When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian home on Hawthorne Street they couldn’t believe they finally had a home of their own. Then came the hauntings. Every September the walls dripped blood, moaning turns into non-step screaming, and the ghosts of former inhabitants appear and all of them are terrified of something in the basement. Most people would move. But Margaret is not most people. This was her house so she adapted. After 4 years Hal couldn’t take it anymore so he leaves abruptly. Kathryn, their only daughter, returns home to find out what happened to her dad. This book was an easy 5 stars. It might not be the most horrifying book but it had plenty of horror for me. It had bleeding walls, Fredricka the housemaid (trust me you want a Fredricka), a boy who likes to bite, killer birds and of course the pranksters. This book explored so many unexpected topics like abuse, mental health issues, alcoholism, and survival. This story is told from Margaret’s POV. She is hilarious and I really liked her and admired how she handled everything to stay in her house. Her story was heartbreaking at times. Kathryn was a lot. I didn’t care for her because she seemed unhinged at times.  But the two personalities is what made for their mother/daughter relationship. This was a perfectly stunning debut book for Carissa Orlando. I read with trepidation because I wasn’t sure who was alive and who wasn’t. It’s the perfect book to read in October!