Loved this super creepy read. Before I read this book I had never heard of a Spite house. This book gives the haunting vibes. Loved all the little details.

The Spite House by Johnny Compton is so much more than a haunted house story, but also seems to have got a little lost along the way while trying to be different than the status quo. While I appreciated the diverse range of characters, and the differing familial relationships, and perspectives, every direction this book attempted to go seemed to fall short. The differing perspectives helped with the pacing of the story but also made it hard to get to know any individual character enough to really be emotionally invested in their outcomes. There were some inventive "haunting" and horror aspects in this story, but it read more like a thriller with some historical elements than a genuine horror novel.

I had high hopes for The Spite House, but it did not live up to the hype. There were a few scary moments, but I was hoping for so much more. It was very slow moving, and a lot of different POV's that took away from the story instead of adding to it. Would not recommend.

The Spite House by Johnny Compton was one of my anticipated reads of 2023. Unfortunately, it was a DNF. I don't normally review books that I do not finish, so I will just leave it at that.

Thank you Netgally for the ebook. *2.5 stars* this was the least scary haunted house story I’ve ever read… so slow, too many POVs, not enough atmosphere nor was it character driven.

Creepy, thrilling and haunting. This haunted house book deals with grief. We follow a father which is cool because I like to see perspectives from male protagonists when it comes to parenthood.

I’d say this book leans more gothic than anything but overall a good read.

Rating: 3.75 leaves out of 5
Characters: 3.5/5
Cover: 3.5/5
Story: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Horror: 2.75/5
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Yeah

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book. Coming into this book I wasn't sure exactly what to expect and I am thankful for that. What I got was a swirl of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House mixed with Stephen King's The Shinning, but even with this Johnny made it into his own world. Where I was disappointed with Shirley's work, Johnny picked up and made better.

The narrator did an amazing job, reminding me of James Earl Jones, and made a haunted house... inviting.

All in all the story was good and worth the read. I say it leaned heavier on the gothic more than the horror. Was it creepy? Yes. Did it make me second guess going into the dark parts of my house? Yes. But all in all it was poetic in justice. Johnny showed how anger and hurt can fester into a generational curse.

New fear unlocked. And it’s not at all what you would expect…

It’s probably also not the fear this book also intended to be the forerunner in its list of nightmare inducing moments, but as a highly anxious parent, you get what you get.

The Spite House was an interesting read with a lot of secrets and a whole lot of, you guessed it, spite. Did I think it is the most terrifying book on my horror-filled shelves? No. Do I still think it’s worth reading? Absolutely.

Compton’s writing style is alluring and thought provoking. He is a master of story building and knows how to draw his audience in quickly. Although The Spite House didn’t quite live up to the terrifying hype, I still thought it was a great book.

If you’re new to the horror genre and want to dip your toe into a variety of nightmares but still be able to sleep when you close the covers, this is the book.

This was a fresh and new take on the classic haunted house story. The mystery surrounding the family was intriguing, and I really appreciated the history of the land/haunting. There were a few too many POV's to really find myself attached too the characters. I really enjoyed the audiobook along with reading the book, very atmospheric and added an extra level of spooky! Really looking forward to what the author comes out with in the future.

If you’re looking for creepy, this book is for you. Eric accepts a job where he has to move into a house with his two daughters and record any evidence of paranormal activity. I purposely didn’t pick this book up at nighttime cause it was creepy!! However, it wasn’t paranormal the whole story through. There were other points of view of the story that helped develop the plot. I did find it to be a little slow, which is why it’s not a five star read, but definitely a great debut book.

I am a sucker for a haunted house story. Ever since Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, I immediately gravitate towards this sub-genre.

Eric Ross knows that he cannot stay too long in one place. He has left everything behind and taken his girls with him. The problem, he can't provide references to get a job to support them all. So, when he sees an ad for The Masson House in Texas, he jumps on it. All he needs to do is serve as the caretaker of the house and provide the owner with proof of paranormal activity. Can't be too hard right? If Eric can survive and live in this house, maybe he will understand the reason why his family has to keep running.

This book is 261 pages so needless to say it moves at a breakneck speed. There are multiple POVs and backstories that you as the reader have to keep track of. It is kind of hard to do that with this book because of the pace of the narration. However, this is a good slow burn gothic horror story so if that is something that you enjoy, I recommend that you grab this book!

The Ross family is desperate for money, a place to stay, and above all anonymity. So the advertisement for a short stay in a haunted house is perfect for them. After all, they've had experience with death, and ghosts, and fear. Never mind that the last people to stay in the house ran away from it in terror and went straight to a mental hospital. Never mind that the creepy old lady who owns the house and runs the town has ulterior motives for keeping them near. Never mind that the man who built the house still looks out from the fourth floor window of the house he built to spite a bunch of orphans. The Ross family is there to make something happen, even if Eric doesn't admit as much to his daughters.

This was an interesting take on a haunted house. We know right away that ghosts are real, so there's no hundred pages of jump scares and figures seen out of the corner of one's eye. Open the door and those ghosts are on the other side like hello, what took you so long? The whole town walks around seen ghosts every day. The question isn't whether the house is haunted, it's whether being haunted is worth the money. It's certainly worth reading about.

Unfortunately, It did not work for me. I will not leave any reviews on my social profiles or GoodReads.

I loved how Johnny Compton used the haunted house trope as a spite house, giving the trope a fresh spin. The house is brought to life vividly, creating a sense of dread, danger, and foreboding that provokes fear.

There is a dark, tragic history that opens the door to see the effect social evils have on people, adding layers to the story. However, the characters tell us the history instead of in flashbacks that show us what happens. The history and motivations create a chilling, compelling ghost revenge story, but the suspense and tension are lost in the telling.

This freaked me the f*** out so much! I loved it. This was a mixture of family drama and haunted house horror, and I had a blast with it! I almost read this in 1 day, but I had to go to work, but I finished it the next day. I loved it so much.

I had received an ARC of this book and was really excited about it but was unable to get to it in time. I have since purchased a copy and I’m so excited to read it because I am in my spooky haunted house era of books right now. Will update once completed (:

A new and exciting twist on the classic haunted house tale. The story follows a father and his two daughters as they take a too-good-to-be-true job living in a supposedly haunted house, funded by an owner who wants proof of its haunting. It was definitely spooky, with some unsettling scenes set in a rickety hallway that left me shivering, and some interesting twists and turns you won’t see coming. The book does jump around to several different POVs, but that didn’t bother me too much. Definitely recommend for anyone looking for a good classic haunting.

Although there were plenty of eerie tales associated with the house and its potential for hauntings, the promised thrills fell short of expectations. The book alluded to intricate background stories that remained unexplored, leaving readers without a fulfilling conclusion.

One redeeming aspect was the well-developed characters of Dess and Stacey, whose depth and complexity made the reading experience worthwhile. On the contrary, Eric's consistently poor decisions detracted from the story.

Thank you, NetGalley, for this book.

I love finding good horror books, but this one was just okay. Having every chapter be from a different narrator didn’t work. You ended up reading the same event but from another perspective, which was repetitive. However, if the book were third-person omniscient, that would be much less confusing. The story is also told in multiple timelines, adding to the jumble.

As for the plot, the story is fine. For some reason, Eric and his two daughters are on the run and need money. Eric finds a classified ad asking people to live in a haunted house and report what happens. Easy money. But, of course, it’s not as easy as you would think. The story isn’t just a basic haunted house story because it also involves events that occurred in the past and Eric’s family in the present.

I gave this one three starts because I did like the overall book but the multiple perspective narrators was so off-putting that I had a hard time getting past it.

👻🏚Book Review:
Title: The Spite House
Author: Johnny Compton
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars

This book was trippy! Did you know that there really is such a thing as "spite houses?" I had to Google it to get more information! Now, I'm not sure if these real spite houses were as haunted as the one in this book, but it was intriguing to learn about nonetheless.

The Masson House in Degener, Texas, is looking for a new caretaker. Kinda. This "caretaker" will be expected to keep a detailed account of the time spent in this home. The owner, Eunice, believes the home to be haunted. Many have fled this home in terror.

Eric Ross, on the run with his two daughters, answers the ad and applies, desperate for money. The six figures being offered seals the deal. It doesn't take long for him to move his daughters into Eunice's home due to some truly terrifying experiences. Eric is determined to find the answers behind the spite that went into creating this home. This book was truly creepy! It's definitely perfect for the upcoming spooky season!

Thank you, @netgalley and @tornightfire, for this ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Published: February 7th, 2023