Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher, Penguin Young Readers Group, for providing me with a sneak peek of the first two chapters of The Haunted by Danielle Vega.

The story centers around Hendricks, the new girl in town. She is running from a horrifying past, but what horrors await her in the haunted Steele House? Instantly, Vega draws readers in by painting a picture straight out of a horror movie, and this hold is not released for the remaining two chapters.

These chapters are a promising start to a spooky, eerie, and thrilling book! I don’t often read horror books, but I am already hooked and I need to know what happens next. I really enjoyed how Vega quickly develops an eerie atmosphere within such a few amount of words, and I enjoyed how Vega’s writing style really built anticipation.

Overall, a strong start to a book! I plan to purchase a copy of this novel in the future to learn what happens next!

This sneak peek e-ARC was provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

o I read what amounts to a Prologue and the first two chapters, about 30 pages.

I did not enjoy what I read, which is real disappointing since I loved The Merciless. The writing felt weak and like it could have used another editing pass. It also just felt very "how do you do, fellow kids?"

I also didn't really like the way some of the characters were described.

I was provided with a complimentary copy of this book so I could give an honest review. The opinions are entirely my own, and any quotes are taken from the ARC and may be different in the final published copy.

Reviewing Sneak Peek: The Haunted by Danielle Vega was interesting because this is the first time I was given a "sneak peek" or a sample of a book to review. I reviewed an anthology of samples but never one by itself.

Hendricks Becker-O'Malley moves to the tiny town of Drearford, New York for a clean slate, which will allow them to start again, enable her to forget her traumatic past, and, most importantly, forget him.

Her new start is going well. Hendricks is welcomed at school but, when she mentions where she lives, she leans her house has a name, Steele House, and is haunted.

I usually do not read episodic books because I do not like to wait for the next part, especially if I enjoyed it. That is certainly true with this sneak peek. The story was nicely paced, and I enjoyed Vega's writing style. She was not too descriptive but gave just enough for you to visualize the scenes. I added The Haunted, book 1 of The Haunted series, to my want-to-read list. Book 2, The Unleased, was released in July 2020.

Danielle Vega has also written under the name of Danielle Rollins. Find her at @vegarollins.

This 200-word review was published on Philomathinphila.com on 7/16/20.

Absolutely loved The Haunted. Vega does a great job of creating a lasting unease that keeps you up at night. Creepy, atmospheric and engrossing. Great horror read.

I wanted to both shut my eyes and read as fast as I can all at once. The Sneak Peek of The Haunted was 87 pages that I read straight through. I tend to shy away from thrillers/horror and things that go thump in the night because they are scary- and hook me right in. I am hooked by Hendricks and the haunted (?) fixer-upper she and her family have just moved into. Hendricks brought secrets with her that are hinted at and is now living in a town full of secrets, the biggest of which seems to be about the history of her house. Everyone seems to know something she doesn't know. And since she doesn't know, I don't know- and I want to!

This was a great sneak peek into The Haunted! I really lied a lot of Danielle Vega's previous works and can't wait to read this book in its full completion. I really like the writing style and the premise is already so intriguing!

I adore this author and this except was amazing. I already own this book but this excerpt made me pick it up sooner. And I bought The Unleashed

I'm not usually one for horror books but I'm excited to see where this goes! I'll be on the lookout for release day.

I picked this one up thanks to the buzz I'd been hearing, and I'm a little disappointed.

Already with the prologue, I had huge doubts. The situation was okay. Not really creepy, but then, the writing distracted me quite a bit thanks to the overuse of the same words again and again. It simply felt choppy and not written with care.

But prologues are prologues (sometimes I skip them completely), so I held hope for the rest. But again, I kept finding myself wanting to lay it down. The situations are creepy, when they're creepy—which earns a thumbs-up. The rest of the tale does flow a bit better on the writing end, with the teens across more natural. They were, unfortunately, pretty cliche, though, and that made them a little hard to connect with at times.

The plot itself rolls along with hiccups here and there, but nothing drastic. There were surprises. So, on that end all was fine. The romance, however, didn't hit the way I'd hoped, but then, I'm not an insta-romance fan.

As I got this as a sneak-peek through Netgalley, I only had the chance to review a portion of it. But that was enough to make it clear this isn't one I'll be picking up to finish. While I'm sure there are fans out there who will enjoy it, it simply isn't the book for me.

I received a complimentary glimpse through Netgalley and wasn't drawn in as much as I'd hoped.

This was a good sneak peek of this book. I do wonder what Hendricks is running away from. Also, Connor and Portia seem very weird. It is like they are very nosey but are also possibly hiding something as well? The book starts off as creepy, and it makes you wonder what secret does this house hold? What blood was shed if any?

I really enjoyed this sample and just requested the full book from my library. I can't wait to read it and find out more and so excited to see the second book in the series will be available soon. Thank you to NetGalley and PENGUIN GROUP Penguin Young Readers Group for the sneak peak.

Hendricks has moved to a new town and an old house needing repairs. However Hendrick doesn’t know anything about the house until she goes to her new school. Her home has a reputation. What is its reputation? Why has the house been empty so long? Will Hendricks find out? Is she safe? She is sure she hard a footstep on the floor above her.

An exceptional creepy beginning to this novel has me completed intrigued. I wish it was the whole novel! I was disappointed when it ended. I’m so glad I was able to read this sample. When this book comes out, I will be buying it!

I enjoyed the tone of the book. It was well paced with the right atmosphere. There wasn't really enough for me to give a sound review but I look forward to reading the entire book.

Just a short sneak peak, but we learn a lot, the storyline off and running....
This is what I know so far.... A family of four relocate from Philadelphia to the small town (population 12,482) of Drearford, New York, one and a half hours north of Manhattan and four hours from Philadelphia, and its a dreary 22 degrees; a nasty kind of cold worse than that in Philadelphia.
The parents flip houses for a living, but evidently that's not the reason for the move this time around. Something bad happened involving teen daughter Hendricks that caused her to spend considerable time hidden in the closet, thus a fresh start was in order.
So....the attractive newbie is welcomed at school and all seems well until her new residence, the haunted 'Steele House' is mentioned. Her house has a name? A dark history? Well, it doesn't take long for curious visitors to arrive and the presence to make itself known.......
THE HAUNTED might be too young adult for me. Intrigued though by the creepy prologue I've not mentioned here, and I have enjoyed many YA and even children's books.
Sneak-peak compliments of PENGUIN Group Penguin young readers group via NetGalley.

Unfortunately, I only received the first few chapters to review but I have to say Wow! Hendricks Becker-O’Malley and her family have had to move 200 miles from Philadelphia (where all her friends are) to a very small town (where she knows no one). There are hints as to why they had to leave and it seems to stem from something “shameful” that happened between her and her boyfriend Grayson. Drinking, sex, death, drugs - I don’t know but it must have been BAD! In their new town of Drearford - which seems anything but dreary - the family has moved into an old fixer upper called Steele House that seems to have a spooky history and a reputation for being Haunted.

The story is quite atmospheric with phantom footsteps and gusting winds. I enjoyed the characters for the short time I spent with them and was thrilled to find main characters of various ethnicities. The story doesn’t make you wait too long for the scary stuff to start happening and I definitely will be purchasing the entire book. I can’t wait to see what happens!

For review, I only received the first two chapters, but wow!! I chose this, because I like haunted houses!!

There's a mystery of why the family had to move. Hendricks, the main character, is hearing noises. Is it normal, or could the noises be something more?

I am very intrigued on where this story goes!! I will be buying a hard copy!

Something about home renovations always creeps me out, and this has the set up for the absolutely perfect spooky read! I can't wait to dive into the rest of the story!

Yet another great read by my favorite author ! I was a little nervous starting this book as it steers away from Vega's usual style (teenage witchy vibes). The Merciless series left me begging for another teenage witch read however, I am 100% open for a paranormal read (it was my first paranormal read...yes, I'm being honest!)

It started off a little slow but quickly picked up quick ! (per usual). I'ts filled with twists and turns leaving the reader wanting more more more MORE ! I love how this book focuses on a family starting over in a grand ol' house. You know the drill, a family wants to "start over" perhaps have a "fresh start" but we all know how that turns out. If you don't, READ THIS BOOK !

This will be yet another book I shove in my friends faces to read even though they didn't ask for recommendations (sorry guys !)

Unfortunately, the only negative thing I have to say about this book is that it left me with a serious book hangover. That being said, onto the next one !

An atmospheric spooky start to a wonderfully creepy story! I like the spine-tingling feel of the first few chapters as we try to get to know the story!

I love a good ghost story and am excited to finish reading as this was a sample. So far the first few chapters are chilling.