Scan barcode
A review by burdasnest
The Spite House by Johnny Compton
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
Good enough to pass the time for haunted house story lovers, but The Spite House is no horror masterpiece. The best part of this book is the idea of a "spite house", a house built specifically out of spite to demonstrate displeasure at some aspect of its existence. In this case, being built on the border with "stolen" land to show the current occupants of said land that they were still under the watchful gaze of the "rightful" owner.
Overall though, there were too many POVs; Compton should have just stuck with the main protagonists. I also think that not all of the tragedies "haunting" the house are intriguing or even necessary to set up the haunting. And then the most intriguing notion of people seemingly returning from the dead is underdeveloped despite being crucial.
Overall though, there were too many POVs; Compton should have just stuck with the main protagonists. I also think that not all of the tragedies "haunting" the house are intriguing or even necessary to set up the haunting. And then the most intriguing notion of people seemingly returning from the dead is underdeveloped despite being crucial.