Name: The House
ISBN: 9781635553956

Eden Darry

After a vicious assault, Sadie, Fin, and their family retreat to a house they think is the perfect place to start over, until they realize not all is as it seems.

The House

Megan Cooper

3.5

This is an impressive full length debut novel from Ms. Darry. The story revolves around Fin and Sadie, an established couple, and their two children after the move from London to an old country house – make that an old haunted country house. Sign me up – I love a good haunted house story.

I really enjoyed the way that Darry establishes a healthy and loving relationship between Fin and Sadie and, as the story progresses, how it slowly devolves. The normal stress and uncertainties of dealing with the after-effects of an attack, the looming threat of a stalker and moving from the city to the country would be enough to put a strain on any relationship but when Darry adds the malevolent influence of the house’s ghostly presence, the once strong relationship turns toxic. There’s a subtle build of tension as Fin falls deeper under the house’s influence, her thoughts and rationale getting twisted and darker by the day. This one doesn’t go for the jump scare or lots of thumps in the middle of the night to keep the horror level up – there are odd events and the children are drawn in as six year old Liam senses the innate danger in the house and three year old Lucy’s imaginary playmate starts causing physical damage. Overall a good creepy read.

The House

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