damppebbles's review
5.0
All of my reviews can be found at https://damppebbles.com/
The House of Whispers is an exquisitely written tale which I devoured in a few short sittings. I couldn’t get enough of this book for many glorious reasons and I’m so glad I read it. Chilling, emotional and deliciously intense, I loved it!
Abi and Grace met at university several years ago and became friends. Until something happened and the friendship fractured. It’s been years since Abi last heard from Grace but now she’s returning to the UK from Australia and she wants to stay with Abi until she’s back on her feet. But their friendship always felt one-sided to Abi. Grace was controlling and self-centred, the friendship didn’t make Abi feel good about herself at all. When Rohan, Abi’s husband, leaves for New York on a temporary work placement, the prospect of having Grace around feels more appealing than not, so she moves in. Soon Rohan notices a change in Abi. The things which were once important to her, don’t seem to matter anymore. Her artwork takes over her life and everything else comes second. Rohan starts to question the hold Grace has over Abi as he watches his wife change before his very eyes. Who exactly is Grace and will life for Abi ever be the same again…
An utter joy to read. The House of Whispers hooked me in from the start and didn’t let me go until the final thrilling denouement. Poor Abi. Feeling like an outcast the moment she stepped foot on campus and then reluctantly falling in with popular and controlling Grace, led me to feel things were never really going to turn out well for her. I really warmed to Abi. The author has created a perfectly flawed but incredibly human character and I desperately wanted her to escape the clutches of her obnoxious friend.
The story is told beautifully with the slow unravelling of Abi following Grace’s arrival. I was bewitched by the author’s storytelling and completely captivated. The house adds a slightly creepy, sinister feel to proceedings – gothic in feel and tone – and done so well. Other characters in the book bring in a host of emotions which I appreciated. It’s hard to like Rohan at times. I felt he was quite smothering towards Abi, a little patronising perhaps and a little sexist in his approach. I often felt he was more in love with Abi’s art than Abi the person but he was well-written and elicited the emotions in me I think the author intended.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I loved The House of Whispers. It’s a creepy, chilling, intoxicating read which worked its way under my skin. I have to admit to seeing something somewhere (no clues, I don’t want you to do the same!) which made me approach this book slightly differently (I’m saying no more!) and unfortunately I was able to see one of the twists coming because of that. However, this is a beautiful, compelling novel which I savoured every second of. I loved the ending – it was a perfect way to conclude Abi and Grace’s story. In fact, I loved everything about The House of Whispers. Highly recommended.
The House of Whispers is an exquisitely written tale which I devoured in a few short sittings. I couldn’t get enough of this book for many glorious reasons and I’m so glad I read it. Chilling, emotional and deliciously intense, I loved it!
Abi and Grace met at university several years ago and became friends. Until something happened and the friendship fractured. It’s been years since Abi last heard from Grace but now she’s returning to the UK from Australia and she wants to stay with Abi until she’s back on her feet. But their friendship always felt one-sided to Abi. Grace was controlling and self-centred, the friendship didn’t make Abi feel good about herself at all. When Rohan, Abi’s husband, leaves for New York on a temporary work placement, the prospect of having Grace around feels more appealing than not, so she moves in. Soon Rohan notices a change in Abi. The things which were once important to her, don’t seem to matter anymore. Her artwork takes over her life and everything else comes second. Rohan starts to question the hold Grace has over Abi as he watches his wife change before his very eyes. Who exactly is Grace and will life for Abi ever be the same again…
An utter joy to read. The House of Whispers hooked me in from the start and didn’t let me go until the final thrilling denouement. Poor Abi. Feeling like an outcast the moment she stepped foot on campus and then reluctantly falling in with popular and controlling Grace, led me to feel things were never really going to turn out well for her. I really warmed to Abi. The author has created a perfectly flawed but incredibly human character and I desperately wanted her to escape the clutches of her obnoxious friend.
The story is told beautifully with the slow unravelling of Abi following Grace’s arrival. I was bewitched by the author’s storytelling and completely captivated. The house adds a slightly creepy, sinister feel to proceedings – gothic in feel and tone – and done so well. Other characters in the book bring in a host of emotions which I appreciated. It’s hard to like Rohan at times. I felt he was quite smothering towards Abi, a little patronising perhaps and a little sexist in his approach. I often felt he was more in love with Abi’s art than Abi the person but he was well-written and elicited the emotions in me I think the author intended.
Would I recommend this book? I would, yes. I loved The House of Whispers. It’s a creepy, chilling, intoxicating read which worked its way under my skin. I have to admit to seeing something somewhere (no clues, I don’t want you to do the same!) which made me approach this book slightly differently (I’m saying no more!) and unfortunately I was able to see one of the twists coming because of that. However, this is a beautiful, compelling novel which I savoured every second of. I loved the ending – it was a perfect way to conclude Abi and Grace’s story. In fact, I loved everything about The House of Whispers. Highly recommended.
autskijurg's review
2.0
Beginning to almost half way through was flat..just when it started getting interesting it ended...terrible ending.
taty_reads's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
Wow is all I can say! This was a good psychological thriller. The ending was crazy. I had suspicions but I still didn't completely figure it out.
mccullah's review
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcoholism, Blood, Car accident, Self harm, Toxic friendship, Body horror, and Suicidal thoughts
bookie_mama_bear's review
3.0
I finished Feb off with The House of Whispers. This is a psychological thriller/drama.
Abi & Grace have been friends since university, they haven’t seen each other for 4 years - something happened that fractured their friendship.
Grace now needs a place to stay and, despite her apprehension, Abi knows that when Grace is around her artistic creativity flows better.
Can they fix their past or is Grace returning with an ulterior motive?!
So I guessed one of the biggest twists form about 15% in, it was a hunch but I was right. Did I enjoy it? Yes! The final twist didn’t come as a huge surprise either. Did I still enjoy it?! Yes!
I read lots of these so it’s not unusual for me to get the twists quite quickly. This is written really well, lots of tension, lots of unease and some really dark moments.
TW: addiction, grief, self harm/MH
Overall I enjoyed it, it didn’t knock my socks off but if you like this type of book but don’t read it often I think you’ll really like it!
Thanks to @netgalley for my eARC in return for my honest review.
Abi & Grace have been friends since university, they haven’t seen each other for 4 years - something happened that fractured their friendship.
Grace now needs a place to stay and, despite her apprehension, Abi knows that when Grace is around her artistic creativity flows better.
Can they fix their past or is Grace returning with an ulterior motive?!
So I guessed one of the biggest twists form about 15% in, it was a hunch but I was right. Did I enjoy it? Yes! The final twist didn’t come as a huge surprise either. Did I still enjoy it?! Yes!
I read lots of these so it’s not unusual for me to get the twists quite quickly. This is written really well, lots of tension, lots of unease and some really dark moments.
TW: addiction, grief, self harm/MH
Overall I enjoyed it, it didn’t knock my socks off but if you like this type of book but don’t read it often I think you’ll really like it!
Thanks to @netgalley for my eARC in return for my honest review.
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