Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher/author for providing me with an ALC in exchange for my honest review.

OMG!!! This book was exactly what I wanted it to be! I loved it. I will make sure to check out other books by this author. When I requested this I was just intrigued by the concept of it and I loved how it turned out. This story had a great plot and if you have read this and enjoyed it, This was so much. It was such a great story. I would say give this one a try. I will continue to follow this author. Way to go to this author for not letting me down.

I highly enjoyed the narrator of the audiobook. Kept me listening.

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this arc in exchange for my honest review*

A great thriller - I would recommend it!

"The Suffering" marks my introduction to MJ Mars's writing. Intrigued by the premise of a Victorian mansion haunted by five terrifying ghosts, I eagerly dived in. However, while the setup seemed promising, the execution left much to be desired.

Kyle Birbeck and his friends move into the haunted mansion without much concern for the rumors surrounding it. Despite the warning signs, they proceed with a Halloween seance, unwittingly unleashing the ghosts. As eerie occurrences escalate, Kyle discovers crucial information but fails to share it with his friends.

Instead of addressing the escalating danger, the characters persist in denial and secrecy, leading to a lackluster ending spanning 384 pages. While Mars demonstrates writing prowess, the plot suffers from unresolved issues and missed opportunities for tension. A more judicious editor could have tightened the narrative and addressed plot holes, elevating the story's impact. Ultimately, "The Suffering" serves as a cautionary tale on the importance of editorial guidance in shaping a compelling narrative.

"The Suffering" by MJ Mars is a four-star supernatural thriller that delves into the eerie aftermath of a séance gone awry. Set in Brackenby House, the novel follows Kyle Birbeck and his friends as they become entangled in a paranormal web spun by ghosts banished in a Victorian séance.

Mars masterfully sets the stage with an intriguing premise—the recreation of the séance that led to the infamous Victorian Suffering massacre. As the ghosts lurking within the walls of Brackenby House are unleashed, the narrative takes a chilling turn. The author skillfully weaves together the stories of five terrifying ghosts, each preying on the deepest fears of the students residing in Brackenby.

The strength of the novel lies in its ability to create an atmosphere of suspense and supernatural dread. Mars vividly portrays the haunting entities, from a 3-eyed Incan giant to a Hellfire Club member who struck a deal with the devil. The ghosts' individual stories add depth and complexity to the narrative, enhancing the overall sense of foreboding.

The characters, particularly Kyle and his friends, are well-developed and relatable. As they uncover the secrets of the séance and grapple with their own haunted existence, readers are drawn into their struggles and fears. The dynamics among the group contribute to the emotional resonance of the story.

The pacing of the novel is well-maintained, with a steady build-up of tension as the ghosts prey on the vulnerabilities of the characters. The unraveling mysteries keep readers engaged, and the twists and turns in the plot add to the suspenseful atmosphere.

While the supernatural elements are gripping, some readers may find the resolution to be somewhat predictable. The novel adheres to certain genre conventions, and those familiar with supernatural thrillers may anticipate certain twists before they occur.

In conclusion, "The Suffering" is a four-star supernatural thriller that delivers a haunting and gripping tale of Victorian ghosts unleashed in the present. MJ Mars skillfully combines chilling supernatural elements with well-developed characters, creating an atmospheric and suspenseful narrative. Fans of the paranormal genre will find themselves captivated by the eerie mysteries and ghostly encounters within the pages of this compelling novel.

I enjoyed this overall. It kept my attention the whole time but there was a point I almost quit reading it because I was getting really frustrated with the characters and felt like none of the plot was happening. I enjoyed learning the backstory of this house and the ghosts and thought there were some cool aspects to this. I do think there were a lot of conveniences though and everything leading up to the end felt rushed compared to the rest of the book. Generally I had a good time and would read more from the author.

This was a decent horror, not too exciting, but it was still pretty fun. Again with the haunted house trope. Make it original, and I will love it. This was not original, but it was still fun.

Oh my god that was so good, I just got finished reading it and I literally have goosebumps over it. The whole thing from start to finish was excellent.

I loved all of the main characters of the story, they each added value and I found them all really likeable and easy to connect with - which really helped with the story because it means you were rooting for them!

And the story itself was out of this world, I've never read anything like it. I really enjoyed the themes of possession, haunted houses, séances, it just had everything it needed to make a really different, yet interesting and super wild plot.

I also felt that the writing played a huge part in my enjoyment, the author wrote so hauntingly that I couldn't help but feel fear and unease throughout the whole book.

The atmosphere was just crazy!!!

And whilst entertaining isn't necessarily the word I would use to describe this book, I certainly enjoyed reading it and would recommend it to anyone looking for a scary read.

An easy 5 star rating for me.

Kyle's family left him the Brackenby house while he was in school. The house is very large and has been in their family for years. Many haunted stories surround the house name, however, Kyle is elated that a handful of his friends choose to live with him there, despite the rumors.
All is well until it isn't. A seance turns the house upside down and ghosts of the past start showing themselves. The group of friends must track down who all of the ghosts are, what they want, and how to banish them from the house before it's too late. These ghosts are unlike most. Each has chosen a certain houseguest to invade, manipulate, corrupt and change causing suffering in many ways.
Will Kyle and his friends be able to solve these mysteries and put an end to the torturous game these ghosts are playing?

M. J. Mars created a great haunted house story with a twist. One where each houseguest is haunted by their own ghost. The novel follows each character individually to show the suffering they are put through by these unwanted guests. This gives the reader the ability to put themselves in each characters shoes.
The story is full of twists and past/present stories. The Suffering is engaging which ensures the reader keeps turning the pages to learn more.
This is my first book by M. J. Mars and I doubt it will be the last.

I must be the only person on earth that didn't find this fascinating. This read to Me like 13 ghosts, except each one is attached to a different person. I could not relate to any of the characters and the overall story was very young adult. I didn't find anything about it particularly frightening, probably because the monsters are so well known right from the jump off. One star for incorporating family ancestry into the plot.

The suffering. And suffering, I did.
I'm usually not a scared cat when it comes to horror in books, especially when the story is about ghosts or paranormals. However, this book really creeped me out. I made the dumb mistake of reading it before bed and, needless to say, don't recommend it.
I think part of the reason why it was effective in being actually horrific is, the writing style was really easy to follow. It was super engaging, and it flowed seamlessly through the whole book. It made it so easy to envision the sights and hear the voices the characters were subjected to.
What made the book fall short were the characters and the ending.
For the characters, they were kind of frustratingly dumb. Their reactions and thoughts to everything were either forced or underwhelming. In the beginning, they all denied the presence of the ghosts and the weird occurrences in the house, although it was mentioned that they've been living there for some time before the seance, so they should've known that something was off, things were literally happening to all of them. And going on, the awkward reactions kept happening.
Moving on to the ending, It really irritated me. I like everything to be tied up nicely at the end. For the sake of not spoiling it, let's just say, I wasn't satisfied with it.
But, overall, I liked the book enough. I would definitely recommend it to people wanting to try horror books, or just looking for a fun, engaging read.
*I received an ARC of this book through netgalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review*

Creepy, atmospheric and dark, it is a gripping read that was captivating all the way through
I didn't want to put it down and I had to leave the light on at night

I really wanted to like this book. It seemed like it would be right up my alley. Though it wasn't a terrible book and the writing was fine, it just didn't do anything for me. I found the characters to annoy me and that just turned me off.

Wow. This was fantastic. I love a good classic haunted story. This definitely got me out of a long reading slump

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy to review.

Wow wow wow wow. This was so great. This was just the haunted house book I needed! The atmosphere was perfect and the building dread was a slow build with a great climax!

Phenomenal and spooky. Five friends attending uni share a haunted house, some even like they hype. When strange things start to happen after a seance the friends have to pull together to stay alive. If you don’t believe in ghosts you may change your mind after reading this! Thrilling and suspenseful, this book will keep you enthralled until the very end.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. Thank you NetGalley, M.J. Mars and Wicked House Publishing for hearing my honest review. Looking forward to reading more with you
#partner

Fun, loved the "friend group" vibe. It started off a bit slow but it started to pick up by like 60% of the book and then the ending reaaaally delivered! I will definitely be on the lookout for more books by this author.
A 4 out of 5 for me. Will definitely recommend to some friends.

Creepy with some genuinely scary moments. Might be a bit graphic for some readers. Horror fans will love it.

A novel that begins with an Edgar Allen Poe quote and a Halloween seance is already a hit from the first few pages. And in chapters following, “The Suffering” by M.J. Mars does not disappoint and lives up to its harrowing beginning.

Kyle lives in a stately Victorian mansion which is considered the “Victorian murder house” after a seance in 1876 goes awry. Along with his roommates, Kyle conducts a seance to awaken the five ghosts his ancestor trapped in the house. In their lifetime, the ghosts were a mixture of people including an oracle, an executioner, an Inca giant, a member of the Hellfire Club and a thief.

The groups gets more than they bargained for when the ghosts prey on each of the housemates and targets them based on their fears and insecurities. Kyle and his friends have to figure out how to send them away for good while the poltergeists plague their lives.

As no stranger to the horror genre, I was genuinely impressed with the creep factor Mars creates when describing the hauntings. I’m not typically affected by scary novels but this one sent chills down my spine, and that’s not an easy feat.

Before “The Suffering” was published in February, Mars had only written short stories and this is the debut novel, not that it shows. Mars writes as if she has had many years of practice and more impressively than several well-established authors.

I highly recommend “The Suffering” for horror fans or event to someone new to the genre. Mars has all of the bases covered.

Candice Black can be reached at cblack@newsandsentinel.com.

I was very excited to read this book, I'm a sucker for anything spooky, haunted or Victorian, so there were high hopes indeed. The plot is good but unfortunately i noticed right away that there is quite a large cast of characters to remember past, present alive, or "ghost." Im sure there were story lines i confused in this bec it was difficult to know who is who at times. There are plot holes i found frustrating/unbelievable but overall, i would recommend this book. I will keep an eye out for further books from MJ Mars! A very big Thank You to NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book!

In the grand halls of Brackenby House, where generations have tread, Kyle Birbeck and his friends find themselves entangled in a chilling tale. The mansion, renowned for a fateful séance orchestrated by Kyle's ancestor in 1876, bore witness to the haunting »Victorian Suffering Massacre«. Though dismissed as mere legend, whispers persist that five vengeful spirits have been haunting the very walls ever since. When the friends take the ill-fated decision to re-enact the séance on Halloween, it unleashes a terror beyond their wildest imaginings.

Released from their spectral prison, the ghosts now roam free, relentlessly tormenting the vulnerable housemates. They can only hope to survive their ordeal by banishing the unwelcome guests once and for all.

The plot is delightfully gothic, a classic haunted house story with a variety of ghostly antagonists. While it clearly bows to the staples of the genre and can thus be somewhat formulaic, the story also incorporates unique twists and interesting concepts.

The overall atmosphere is eerie and unsettling, with moderate levels of gore. Body horror is often hinted at instead of shown in detail, striking a good balance between psychological suspense and creepy moments. However, readers should approach it expecting a brooding, evocative ambiance, rather than fast-paced gory action.

The writing is immersive, conjuring a dense atmosphere and a persistent feeling of dread. While there are minor inconsistencies and unresolved plot points, my engagement with the story allowed me to overlook them and just enjoy the ride. However, veterans of the genre might find it too smooth and polished, lacking a certain oomph or gritty exposition.

To me, the characters come across as somewhat clichéd, prone to exasperatingly foolish decisions. The story railroads them to an ending that is predictable, if you're not a complete newbie to the haunted house trope.

Still, they are likeable and relatable enough, although they lack significant depth or development, dutifully serving their roles within the confines of the haunted house narrative.