This is yet another riveting tale with plenty of suspense and intrigue by Mira Grant. The story leaned more toward horror than sci-fi for me, though not unwelcome. Her characters, though interesting and sometimes beloved, are never truly safe in her stories. As with most of her novellas, the tale ended with me wanting more - more detail, more background, more story.

Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

If you've read Mira Grant before you know not to get too attached to her characters before you start. Main story teller is Harlowe, orphaned when her parents were brutally murdered in front of her, then at nine years old sent to her paternal grandparents where she meets the rest of her mystery solving gang of four. The years have past and now the group is splintering away, growing up and Harlowe is desperate to find at least one last case to keep them together as long as she can. And if she can find out information on her parents and family all the better. Spendthrift house comes up with the promise of 3 million dollars for solving what family is the rightful owner of the house and property, they admittedly say the house is haunted. With that much money involved all four of the team agree to go to Maine and search to solve the question of ownership. The mystery is solved via Grant' s twisting writing. With good character building, descriptions of the surroundings you get drawn into Spindrift house, hoping you can leave. Thank you to Netgalley and Subterranean Press.

Harlowe, her adoptive brother Kevin, and their friends Andy and Addison have been solving mysteries as the Answer Squad since they were children. Now that they're adults, the group is on the verge of breaking up, and Harlowe hopes that one last job will be what the team needs. The job, as it so happens, is personal for Harlowe. She and her friends have the opportunity to investigate a haunted house connected to her mother's family. Specifically, three families, including a branch of her mother's family, have been fighting over who owns Spindrift House, which sits on a vast swath of land. The team's task is to search the house for proof of which family has the rightful claim, and if they succeed, they'll receive $3 million. The catch? People have died in the house while searching for that information, and any team that goes in is not allowed to leave it for any reason without forfeiting the search.

This novella is best described as Lovecraft's Dagon meets the Scooby-Doo gang (Mystery, Inc.). Grant weaves an atmospheric tale, building a sense of dread as the house gets stranger and stranger. She also explores themes of changing relationships, as this close-knit team prepares to part ways to pursue their own paths as adults. Harlowe clings to this found family of hers, which she feels is breaking apart, and much of her internal struggle revolves around her sense of belonging.

All in all, this was an excellent novella, and I highly recommend it.

Thank you to Subterranean Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I've never read anything by Mira Grant before but I was really intrigued by this and had high hopes for it. Unfortunately I just didn't like it too much. It felt rushed and way too short. The concept was cool and I think if it were detailed and explained more it could have been excellent. I loved the Maine setting and the creepy haunted house on the cliff overlooking the sea where people threw themselves from the widows walk. Oh and I loved the graveyard behind the house too. I would've loved more of all that. And more of an explanation of what the heck was going on with the house and the strange creature twist. Overall a cool concept with a perfect setting but just lacking in depth and detail.

Basic premise is a Scooby Doo-esque teenage mystery solving group comes up against a Lovecraftian horror house in Maine. If you know Lovecraft reasonably well, you’ll be able to tell where it ends up, but damn is it an enjoyable ride, and I’d love to see a continuation if she’s up for it. I ended up reading all of this in the bath tonight, and was originally planning on only reading a few chapters. It’s excellently paced and just an overall fun read. Get it when it comes out.

I received a free copy of this book from the published in exchange for possible feedback.

This is the third book by Mira Grant that I know of which has a sea theme. And just like the others, it is CREEPY. The very first chapter resonated with me on a very deep level. It is how I feel about humans and nature. It also reminded me very much of the artist, Hundertwasser, and his aversion to straight lines.

The characters are reminiscent of the Scooby gang on the verge of adulthood looking for that final big case to crack. Beware land developers! They are never innocent. A house with a dark past? Maybe some ghosts? A big prize for solving the mystery? I would drive to Maine too. Oh wait, I have done that trip. My story was not as good as this one.

I did leave the book hoping for some more. There were some hints of a story that could yet be told. Definitely peaked my curiosity about how it could be tied to her other books. I would read another book if this were to be made a series.

There hasn't been one thing I haven't loved yet from Mira Grant. This book was an enjoyable read for me. Many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC. I would be interested in reading more from this author in the future!

More like 3.5, but I’m rounding up.

This was a cool spooky little novella - it didn’t particularly feel like Mira Grant but some combination or halfway point between Seanan McGuire and Mira Grant’s work (I know they’re the same person, but they tend to publish different vibes of work). This had some real shades of The Haunting of Hill House but with a little Cthulhu thrown in for fun.

After reading Kingdom of Needle and Bone a few months ago, I was really excited to see Spindrift listed on the Subterranean Press site for preorders. I expect I will have difficulty resisting preordering Mira Grant books like these for years to come. When it came across my NetGalley dashboard, I had to request it. I saved it for a late night read, which I do not recommend but it did keep me up until 2 AM, so the creep factor was high!

Spindrift focuses on a group of mystery investigators, think Scooby Gang but with real world issues like health insurance. In a last ditch effort to make some money after high school graduation, they decide to take on one of the biggest mystery jobs on the east coast.

As you may be able to guess from the cover art, this book has some similarities to stories like HP Lovecraft’s The Shadow Over Innsmouth, or the 2017 film The Lodgers. Spindrift’s originality comes from the characters and the history of the house itself. The end is a bit surprising if you don’t read a lot of horror in this vein, but for me it was clear where things were going from the moment the characters arrived at the house.

Mira Grant (aka Seanan McGuire) always works big themes into her writing, not matter what the page count is. In Spindrift those themes include the inability to escape ones past, abandonment, found family, and sibling loyalty. The way Grant explores these themes with the cast of 4 primary characters is really what drives the story. Even though the house is creepy, the choices these characters have to make to land them in the creepy house make the situation interesting.

If you have never picked up any Mira Grant books, give this one a try! I haven’t read enough of her work yet, but I definitely plan to keep reading as much as I can. Her ability to interweave human stories with horrific atmospheres definitely keeps me coming back for more!

This has become my second-favorite Mira Grant book. (Into the Drowning Deep will always hold that number one spot.) I was initially intrigued by the cover, which is gorgeous.

The introductory section about the house is flawless. I thought the "Answer Kids" storyline would surely pale in comparison, but was pleasantly surprised. (I believe only Seanan could write a story from the point of view of a haunted house and make it work.) While I did see some twists coming (carefully hinted at in the way Seanan does), I wasn't bored and couldn't wait to finish it!

Lots of reviews say it's got Lovecraft elements, but I haven't read his work yet. So I'd classify it as Mira Grant + Haunting of Hill House + apparently Lovecraft.

My only complaint--as usual, with her novellas--was that it was too short and I wanted more!

“Everything that’s loved lives.”

I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at Subterranean Press. Trigger warnings: death, violence, blood, body horror, drowning, anxiety, anxiety attacks.

Harlowe and her friends are the group of teenagers known for solving mysteries in their small town, but people have less patience with meddling from near-adults. Her parents were murdered by a mysterious cult when she was younger and, sent to live with grandparents who could barely accommodate a child, Harlowe’s friends are her family. With looming adulthood threatening to tear them apart, she knows they need one last big mystery–and one big paycheck–to bind them together. Spindrift House is just such a mystery, an old house on the edge of the ocean with a history of hauntings and accidental deaths. If the Answer Squad can solve the disputed ownership claims, they can stay in the mystery business for good, but the house won’t give up its secrets easily and it may not want them to leave.

This is a short, atmospheric haunted house novella that mingles ghost lore with Lovecraftian monsters, like Scooby Doo meets The Haunting of Hill House. It has a little something for most horror lovers. Teenage sleuth squad? Check. Creepy haunted house? Check. Possession by ghosts? Check. Horrifying water monsters? Check. The writing even evokes a little Shirley Jackson in the beginning with its ruminations on the absence of straight lines in nature, and the words “Silence lay steadily against the wood and stone of Hill House, and whatever walked there, walked alone.” would not have felt out of place. The hauntings ramp up slowly and the clues are there to be found, but I doubt even the most canny readers will see where it’s going, but that’s okay. Enjoy the ride.

Mostly, it’s a story about friends. Of all the Grant novellas I’ve read lately, Spindrift House has the best characters. They’re typically diverse with two main characters of color and a lesbian protagonist, plus some quality anxiety representation, and their friendship is the (albeit broken) heart of the story. It’s a found family trope done extremely well, and Grant manages to build lifelike connections in only a few pages. Harlowe’s relationship with her adoptive brother is especially strong. The downside is that we know things are not going to go well for these characters. I enjoyed the beginning more than the end, but overall, it’s an engaging and effective horror story. Well worth a read for fans of the genre.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Creepy ,and atmospheric. Reminded me of the Victorian era of the penny dreadful. It felt as if it ended all too quickly.

๏ ๏ ๏  Highlights ๏ ๏ ๏ 

Novella
Teen Investigating
Nautical-Themed Paranormal
Creepy House
Poetic Writing

๏ ๏ ๏ Links ๏ ๏ ๏

Goodreads | Booklikes | BookDigits
Amazon | Barnes&Noble | IndieBound

๏ ๏ ๏  My Thoughts ๏ ๏ ๏ 

A weird (or maybe just weird to me) thing about this book...it doesn't seem to be coming out as an eBook...just a hardcover, on every site I looked at.  It also has an illustrator...does that mean it has illustrations??? That could be cool, especially if they are by the same person who created the cover...and speaking of the cover, wow, this one is fantabulous.

With its poetic, atmospheric writing and the creep-factor of the Spindrift House itself, I found myself drawn to this story.  While, considered to be a Novella, but still clocking in at 200 pages, it ultimately reads fairly quickly, almost too quickly...because the ending is rather abrupt. 

Mira Grant also writes as Seanan McGuire and I've never read a Seanan McGuire book...but judging from the covers/synopsis of those books, this story felt more like one of those, rather than a Mira Grant book.  It has a decidedly paranormal feel to it, after all.

๏ ๏ ๏  MY RATING ๏ ๏ ๏ 

☆4☆STARS - GRADE=B+

๏ Breakdown of Ratings ๏ 

Plot⇝ 4/5
Main Characters⇝ 4/5
Inanimate Characters⇝ 4.3/5
The Feels⇝ 3.5/5
Pacing⇝ 4.2/5
Addictiveness⇝ 4/5
Theme or Tone⇝ 4.2/5
Flow (Writing Style)⇝ 4/5
Backdrop (World Building)⇝ 4.3/5
Originality⇝ 4/5
Ending⇝ 3.8/5
๏ ๏ ๏
Book Cover⇝ Amazing
Setting⇝ Coast of Maine
Source⇝ I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
๏ ๏ ๏

This was a bit different than what I was expecting. I love ghost stories and thought this one was good but maybe not quite long enough.

Well that was unbelievably disappointing... I can honestly say that I've never said that about a Mira Grant before - and only about one Seanan McGuire (Sparrow Hill Road, if you're curious). This one had such promise - but it never felt like it settled into itself and it rushed its revelations and conclusions in a way that felt wholly unlike Grant's other works (or McGuire's, for that matter). But the weirdest thing is how much this one felt like Edgar Cantero's Meddling Kids - from the teen sleuths grown up to the creepy house to the Dagon/Cthulhu/Lovecraft mythology. I don't know if that was intentional or just a really bizarre coincidence - and such coincidences DO happen - but it threw me because the Cantero was one of my favorite of his books (and that's saying something)...

I didn't like the beginning, or the sections when the house/whatever talked; they didn't read as smoothly and carefully crafted as her writing usually does, and almost put me off the book altogether. The narrative following Harlowe and her friends was much more true to form, but it snapped into solution-mode very abruptly, even for a novella. Contrast this to Into the Drowning Deep - which is also a novella and almost half the length of Spindrift, yet never felt rushed or short-handed or anything other than spot-on perfect in pacing, detail, and plot explication. Spindrift felt like it got hurried along, as though a deadline had to be met; it left the story feeling oddly unexplained and unfinished, which is a shame, because it was really quite engaging otherwise.

I'd read Mira Grant's shopping lists, so it wasn't wasted time - but it was a surprise, and not one of her typical good ones...

In the Shadow of Spindrift House by Mira Grant, a thoroughly captivating read. A no-longer teen group that used to solve mysteries out to figure out a haunted house one last time...

IN THE SHADOW OF SPINDRIFT HOUSE is such a perfect novel that I am rendered speechless. It's so deserving of praise, but I am too awestruck to deliver it! the horror, the characterizations, the familial friendship, the setting, and for this reader, the intense "Lovecraftianness" (yes, I coined that word) of Spindrift House and its "owners" and those Called to it, are beyond my ability to express. Mira Grant is an extraordinary writer, and as much as I loved INTO THE DARKEST DEEPS, I may just love this one more.

Four close friends (two are non-identical twins, the other is a young man and his foster sister) decide on one final ghost-hunting excursion, to an isolated coastal house in Maine, for a very big payout. What could go wrong? What indeed? They can't possibly know what Spindrift House has in mind, but each one will find out, though only one will understand why.

In this Lovecraftian novella, a Scooby Gang-type group of investigators take on one last job before going their separate ways. The characters, other than the main one, are a little weak, but on the whole it's a very good read.

Received via NetGalley.

I love books with paranormal genre.
You give me witches, magic, ghosts (friendly) and curses and yes, I will read those kinds of books.
This was a good read - not great, but good.
I found the plot intriguing, but what fell short for me was the simplicity of the plot. I felt I needed more out of this.
The cover and title was giving me so much already!
The plot surprisingly felt more like YA book for me.... I needed more development in the story and more there....
I would not read it again, but I would say this - if you like a scary simple story - go for it!

I really enjoyed this quick read. Mira Grant does it again with this story of a girl discovering surprising secrets about who she is. Haunting atmosphere and chilly conclusion.