Thanks to Net Galley and Serpent's Tail / Viper / Profile Books for this ACE.

This book was right up my street! Classed as 'horror' but not in a terrifying way, a creepy way. An excellent ghost story told across different timelines with the idea that time itself is an organic concept that can go against our notion of how time is supposed to work.

With some books, you struggle to link the title to the content, not so with this one. The focus for the main protagonists are the children and how they interact with their care givers and the house. None of the children have a conventional childhood and the house just exacerbates that.

Trigger warning: At times deeply emotional, this story details loss of a child, suicide and mental health issues.

A mixed bag of a review I’m afraid. I did enjoy the story and am a massive fan of a haunted house/ turn of the screw tale, and this story will appeal if you like this genre.
If I had to base this review on the first half, in all honesty I would probably have given up. I spent quite a white rereading bits and trying to follow who the characters were. I only worked out there were 4 kids in the 1970s story at about the 40% mark which isn’t great. I also didn’t warm to any of the characters so genuinely felt any of them could be next!
I realise that this confusion was possibly intentional to add to the claustrophobic atmosphere of the book and the cyclic nature of the story but at first I was rather lost.

Having said that, the second half picks up well. The haunting / incidents are actually quite creepy and the story left me guessing what would happen next. I did enjoy it and read the last 40% in one go.
Read through netgalley for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this read, it was dark and distubring and had a claustrophobic atmosphere woven all the way through it. It was well written with a storyline that gripped me right from the start and didn't let go and well developed characters. I loved it and I am still thinking about it now, it is unsettling but brilliant.

I think unsettling is the best way to describe this book.
Things weave in snd out of one another, where I was never quite sure what was actually happening.
Each of the two timelines had stories that had me wanting to rush back to them.
It's one of those books I wish I could have devoted a whole afternoon to and relish it in one sitting.
The house becomes a character itself almost.
It played with my emotions a lot, from plain dread to sadness.
This one should do incredibly wel