A review by alanadcr
The September House by Carissa Orlando
dark
funny
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The September House is the first book in the past month that I have completely abandoned adult responsibilities to keep reading. A deliciously dark mix of horror, psychological thriller, and dark humor absolutely captivated me from the first page. I laughed far more often than I expected going in as Margaret treated these objectively horrifying occurrences in her home as mere day to day inconveniences. To be honest, I really want my own ghostly housekeeper now.
Orland expertly wove snippets of Margaret's history and relationships into the story. Between the lines we see a story of trauma, mental health struggles, and more. The dark humor remains throughout, but the atmosphere turns sinister as September unfolds and readers learn more about where Hal might be, their history, and the grisly history of the house itself.
My only complaint is the abrupt twist/shift at the end. I wish there had been some little hints just before to make it feel a bit less jarring. That said, I still enjoyed the whirlwind, bananas ending!
Overall, this was a fantastic, dark and twisty debut! In fact, Mr B. invaded our kindle and turned it into a buddy read with me because I kept nattering on about how wild it was. He ended up devouring it before I did!
Carissa Orlando will be on our authors-to-watch! Out in September (which I absolutely love) just in time for spooky season!
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you Berkley for my review copy!
Orland expertly wove snippets of Margaret's history and relationships into the story. Between the lines we see a story of trauma, mental health struggles, and more. The dark humor remains throughout, but the atmosphere turns sinister as September unfolds and readers learn more about where Hal might be, their history, and the grisly history of the house itself.
My only complaint is the abrupt twist/shift at the end. I wish there had been some little hints just before to make it feel a bit less jarring. That said, I still enjoyed the whirlwind, bananas ending!
Overall, this was a fantastic, dark and twisty debut! In fact, Mr B. invaded our kindle and turned it into a buddy read with me because I kept nattering on about how wild it was. He ended up devouring it before I did!
Carissa Orlando will be on our authors-to-watch! Out in September (which I absolutely love) just in time for spooky season!
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. Thank you Berkley for my review copy!