A creepy, eerie feeling falls over the pages as the story pulls you into this house of horrors. You can almost hear the music that plays just before the character gets killed in the movie. The "house" is a character in this story, it's history lends an authentic sense of unease to the characters as they hide from their past hoping to find a future.

Though I'm not necessarily a big horror reader, I enjoyed this book for the masterful plotting, deep psychological profiles, and vivid writing.

Three Summers is a small southern town with creepy residents and a cult-like connection to the spirit of Adamah. I found some of the child characters to be especially horrifying (think a boy who likes burying his pets alive). Certain themes like mud, addiction, and past trauma recur throughout. There are two couples that have well-considered, and clearly troubled, relationship dynamics that add to the underlying dread.

There is a bit of time-jumping that can be jarring at a times, but is actually a pleasure once the reader figures out what's going on. I really liked the intertextuality. Brad is a magazine writer, writing an article about this cursed town, and clippings of that article are interspersed throughout the book.

The climax is immensely satisfying and builds upon the mythology that's been established throughout the book. In retrospect, I find the vivid writing has burned some of the scarier images into my mind's eye. Overall, a fun horror read that sticks with you.

Noah Broyles' debut novel, "The House of Dust," beckons readers into the mysterious depths of rural Tennessee, where the forgotten town of Three Summers harbors secrets that transcend time. The endorsement from fellow authors John Langan and Scott Thomas sets high expectations, describing the novel as ambitious, and full of mysteries, histories, and rituals. However, my exploration of this Gothic horror tale left me with mixed feelings.

The setting, a decrepit house on an overgrown river island, becomes the focal point for failing crime writer Bradley Ellison and former prostitute Missy Holiday. Seeking refuge from their tumultuous pasts, they uncover an eerie presence that manifests through symbols and funeral rites. The premise is promising, blending elements of horror with a backdrop of rural decay.

Despite the novel's ambitions and endorsements, I found myself struggling to fully immerse myself in the story. The timeline and point-of-view switches disrupted the narrative flow, preventing me from sinking into the rhythm of the tale. These abrupt shifts proved to be a stumbling block, hindering my ability to connect with the characters and the unfolding events.

While the nightmarish imagery promised by the endorsements is present in Broyles' prose, it failed to create a seamless and immersive experience for me. The Gothic atmosphere felt somewhat disjointed, and the story's potential depth remained elusive. As a reader who typically enjoys Gothic horror, I was disappointed that the novel did not resonate with me as strongly as I had hoped.

In conclusion, "The House of Dust" is an ambitious debut with the hallmarks of Gothic horror, yet it fell short of my expectations. The disruptions caused by timeline and POV switches detracted from the atmospheric storytelling, preventing me from fully engaging with the narrative. While the novel may find its audience among those who appreciate a more fragmented storytelling style, I gave it a rating of 3 out of 5 stars, acknowledging its potential while acknowledging that it didn't quite reach me as a reader.

The first few pages of this one grabbed me. But by mid-way, it turned into a dusty, muddy slog--and not in a good way. There were interesting points, but overall, the mystery/history/sway of this creepy Southern cult did not hold me.
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DNF. It wasn’t bad, but I just couldn’t justify working it in with the heavy load I had at the time,

I always love a good Southern Gothic horror story. This was particularly enjoyable for me.

Thanks to Inkshares for this opportunity to read this book

I thought I'd get into it but unfortunately didn't. I usually love gothic horror, but this one simply didn't click with me.

Unfortunately this one wasn't for me. I think these style of gothic horror are a hit or miss. Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read it

This one was a DNF for me, unfortunately. I wasn’t immersed in the storyline or characters. It started out so promising but about a quarter of the way through, it lost me. I truly wanted to keep pushing through. I even purchased the physical book thinking it may help. I truly wanted to like this one. The star rating is only due to the fact that Netgalley requires a star rating. Otherwise, I wouldn’t have given any stars due to me not finishing it.

I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. I found this book incredibly interesting the author really kept me hooked until the end. very well written I highly recommend.

I thought this review was posted, but as I looked through my shelf, it had not. So here goes:

House of Dust is a decent debut novel, Southern gothic horror is usually a good time and Broyles definitely hits some of the right notes. This review, however, was almost a 2 because I just could NOT get into it and I thought the timeline/pov switches (etc) pulled me out of the story and then I had to work to get back in.

I honestly don't like to give negative reviews, but ... this was a tough read. The book needed some editing. It was far too long, windy, and was exhausting. At points I couldn't wait until it was over. It did have strong dialogue and solid characterization. I would have enjoyed the tale so much better if it wasn't so long. About two hundred pages needed to be removed from the book. Less would have been better.

This one was not for me.
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

I wanted to give Southern Gothic a try since it is a new genre to me but this probably is not the book to start with. The main characters were odd and I could not connect with the m

This book wasn't what I was expecting. It's eerie and a little weird but didn't quite terrify. An overall enjoyable read although I felt it was a little muddled in parts.

I want to thank Netgalley and the author for gifting me the ebook. A great horror novel. Perfect for Halloween Month 🎃.

I just have to say Wow!!
Now if you love your gothic horror like set in a southern town with creepy townspeople and a sinister evil that lurks in the shadows then look no further, read this book!
The only thing that confused me was the time jumps from past to present and multiple point of views that often felt out of place while I was following the story.
Its a enjoyable read for horror fans that enjoyed 'The Haunting of hill House' & Stephen king.

I started reading this book, but just couldn't finish it. It was dark and honestly weird. I kept going back to it thinking it would get better, but it just wasn't for me.

#TheHouseofDust #NetGalley

This book had so much more potential. All the setting were right in the synopsis, but the story building didn't leave me captured. Unfortunately, it wasn't what I was expecting. I was not able to finish this one.

I love the premise of the book. I also love that it plays around with combining literary fiction with folk horror and southern Gothic. The book gets off to a great start with Brad witnessing strange and eerie rituals. The addition of a creepy cult like town was giving me all the folk horror vibes I could hope I was hooked and ready to see where this was going to go.

Where it went was strange and a bit confusing as it rambled along. The author uses writing techniques that are meant to cause confusion for the reader and I’m not sure they are as effective as they could be. This is the part that left me on the fence. However, the last third of the book brings the story full circle and and wraps the everything up in a satisfying way. Overall, I liked this slow burn work of literary horror, I just think the author could have left out all the ambiguity in the middle.