First, let me qualify my three star rating. The book is well-written, and loaded with absolutely luscious descriptive phrasing. The characters are mysterious and unique. The setting seems perfect for what the author intends.

However, I decided not to finish the book about one quarter of the way in. It felt like the plot was still trying to find its feet, and I was becoming restless with it. I'm hoping that other readers more in tune with this genre, and the author's intentional slow burn, will enjoy it.

My thanks to author Noah Broyles, NetGalley, and Inkshares for allowing me to read a digital advance review copy of this book. This review is my honest and unbiased opinion.

I wanted to love this book from the description- a southern gothic, perfect for my Fall Horror list! Coming off of my Mexican Gothic high, I had high hopes for this one, but it fell short for me. Don't get me wrong-the story and the descriptions are mega creepy. It was the timeline and the overall idea that had me scratching my head. It felt like the author had a great idea for a creepy read, but it was never quite fully realized. I felt like I was missing a pertinent piece of information- and I never got it. I struggled to finish this one- but really have a hard time putting down a book. I'm glad I finished it, because it sort of ties together at the end. But, it wasn't for me. Maybe if you are really into Southern gothic stories with a devilish backstory, it will be for you, though! And like I said- the characters and descriptions will probably give you nightmares, so it did have that going for it.

I do believe the term sex worker has been deemed socially appropriate in order to fight the misonformation surrounding the job itself. I really struggled through this story for that reason. Using someone's livelihood as a way to further perpetuate stereotypes and drive a plot is very offensive and outdated. I did not enjoy this read.

This book would fall under the catagory of Southern Gothic. It's a story of an isolated island where the residents worship a dark God, one who is hungry for the blood of it's followers. The writing is sharp and the descriptions remind me of ghost stories of days gone by where how much you can gross out a reader was not the point of the book. We travel through at least four seperates couples and how the land and the grand mansion affect all who live and visit the island. Only complaint I would offer is the last chapter was unnecessary. The entire book was retold in the form of the true crime writers last story. It added no new insight, and for me served no point. Reminded me of the days when you wrote papers for school and repeated large chunks just to get word count.
Thanks to Netgalley, and Inkshares, Inc for giving me this galley free in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Thank you to Inkshares and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this fine novel.
This debut offering from Noah Broyles is an enterprising example of gothic horror. House of Dust tells the story of a crumbling mansion in rural Tennessee. The main characters are Brad Ellison, a struggling journalist, and his fiancee', Missy Holiday, a former prostitute. He is seeking the story that will redeem him in the eyes of his employer and she is seeking respite from her former life at "The Club'". The mansion appears to offer both. A scary mansion seems irresistible to his readers and the project of restoring a relic promises to provide the outlet she needs to restore her tired soul. The house, however, has other plans and secrets. The is a nice example of southern, gothic horror, which is one of my favorite types of horror. I love a good ghostr ghost adjacent) story.
The language and imagery in this book are beautiful. The imagery is magical nightmare fuel. It brought with it a lot of delicious dread, delightful anxiety and a delectable sense of foreboding. Horror book stress is one of my favorite ways to spend my time. I'm always grateful to authors that provide it.
"'Its' simple. You've found something about this place you don't like and connected it to having the Mark of Cain.'"
The religious thread that runs through this novel gives the horror a interesting flavor. This is something that made it stand out from other horror of this sub genre. The characters' questionable morals directly contrast to the religious overtones.
The biggest problem with this book, for me, was the dual narrations. It took awhile for me to realize that there were two couples/timelines. The switches between them were not smooth and not clear. There were times I felt that this was intentional and times I couldn't decide. This made parts of the book extremely arduous.
Overall, this is an impressive first novel. I hope that Mr. Broyles keeps writing within this genre. I can't wait to see what else he has for us.

- Bradley Ellison, a failing crime writer for Southern Gothic, pulls his car over in a rural town in Tennessee to commit suicide. What Brad discovers, in the forgotten town of Three Summers, is a story that just might save his career. He moves his fiancé, who is trying to escape trouble at work, to an abandoned plantation house called Angel's Landing, where she can recuperate and he can work on his story.
- Missy Holiday, a former prostitute running from her past, is brought to her new house, Angel's Landing, by her fiancé and is immediately drawn to its unique charm and history. Despite the unusual residence Missy is certain she can make this place her new home.
A sinister presence lies in wait under the surface of the small town where Brad and Missy will both play a vital role maintaining its power.

The House of Dust is a Southern Gothic horror debut by author Noah Broyles. The story follows two parallel stories involving troubled individuals who are drawn to an unusual house in a rural town in Tennessee. In the ARC the transition between the two similar stories was a little difficult to distinguish which left me a bit confused. Both stories follow individuals who have a troubled past and are residing in Angel's Landing with their significant other while experiencing unusual visions and dealing with strange townsfolk. The novel begins with a bang as Brad contemplates suicide only to get thrust into a very strange burial ritual when he accidentally comes across a dead body. As the novel continues you discover the town’s dark history involving a sinister presence which requires its residence to perform unusual rituals. Although, I struggled a bit with this one it is a true Sothern gothic horror which many readers may enjoy.

It took me a while to get into this book. I found the first chapters a bit confusing, but the story was intriguing so I kept reading. The book opens with mystery that hooks you. Despite struggling to connect with the characters, I wanted to know what was going on in that town and house.

As a southerner myself souther gothic novels always feel like home. This one is no different. I felt like I had been to the places the book describes, met the people they have met and my only complaint is this book is one tough read.

The perspective change is really hard to keep up with. It jumbles a lot. I found myself going back and rereading chapters to make sense of it.

The story is superb, just the delivery is a bit of a mess at times.

The creep factor is there. The horror factor is there. The fluidity is not.

2 stars for me. I wanted so badly to like this book - I loved the premise that was presented. Southern Gothic is a genre I typically enjoy. I would try to put a brief synopsis here, but I can't - it was that confusing. Changes in narrator and time left me thoroughly confused. The mystery and its answers were buried too deeply for me to unpack and uncover. - and in the end, the twist was not twisty enough. I will say the writer's use of imagery and scene setting were great. Just could not grasph the story.

Thanks to NetGalley and Inkshares for my digital ARC to review - my opnions are honest and only mine.

An atmospheric gothic that leads you down a path to a strange town and a strange house, only for you to realize you've been deceived.

A true crime writer investigates a town and is invited to stay at an old house by the sherif. He moves his fiancee in, which brings about dire consequences. He begins to question what he sees with his own two eyes.


For fans of Stephen King.

I’m having a hard time with this book and the way it kind of jumps around. I’m confused. I don’t mind a bit of confusion that makes me think about the storyline or even flip back a few pages to see if my mind wandered while reading but I’m just not enjoying this currently. I’m going to put it down and come back with the hopes that I can finish it as I hate to mark it as a DNF...

I loved this book so much! It was the first book I have read by this author and I can't wait to read more! The characters and their story stick with you long after you finish the book.

The House of Dust is the creepy and atmospheric debut novel from Noah Broyles. The story is centered around a secluded house that neighbors a town in rural Tennessee, Three Summers. It tells the story of a man and woman who come to live in the house, only to be confronted by something evil.

The setting being a decrepit mansion in the middle of nowhere really helps amp up the dread and isolation the characters are experiencing. Couple that with Broyles’ descriptions of the places and people that make up the rural town of Three Summers, and you have a near perfect example of a southern gothic story. The characters’ quirks only add to its mystery. Broyles does an excellent job describing the town and its inhabitants in a way that give the story a nightmarish quality.

One note: It took about a third of the way through the book to realize that the story of two separate couples was being told simultaneously. Looking back, I see that the names were different, however, there was almost nothing else that assisted the reader in differentiating between the two couples. Their stories only varied slightly, but once the reader catches on, it is easy to follow along. Once I got over that confusion, the story clicked into place for me. Broyles was able to construct a tale of folk horror that is unique, dark, and filled with dread.

Thank you NetGalley and Inkshares for the opportunity to read this ARC. I certainly enjoy my share of gothic horror, and House of Dust did not disappoint. The mood was creepy, the characters even creepier, and the premise unique (not giving it up in the review!). I couldn't help but feel a little bit of an ode to Thomas Tyron's "Harvest Home" in there as well. The dual timelines was interesting, but it was a bit hard to realize when the timelines shifted in the ARC e-book version since there were no chapter headers to highlight the timeshift or a change in typeface. I found myself getting confused early on until I realized there were two different set of couples/timelines and started to look for the name changes. Hopefully the final published version will be a little more cleaned up in that respect to help readers who get easily frustrated with changing timelines. Overall, I enjoyed this read and even had a creepy dream from it! Congratulations to the authors on his debut novel, and the cover is absolutely spectacular!

The House of Dust is well-written, good character development, and unpredictable. I enjoyed reading the story. Thank you Net Galley for the copy in exchange for my honest feedback.

I was immediately drawn to this one from the cover and description but from start to finish (and finishing wasn't easy) I was confused.
But I loved the idea of the small town and cults and it being atmospheric
But for a debut novel it wasn't so bad. Definitely had more potential. It needed to be more clear and have more of a horror element. It was quite lacking.
I didn't care or become attached to any characters either.
Meh is a simple and easy way to put how this book was!

The House of Dust appealed to me and I jumped right in as soon as I was loaned the book. However, I finally gave up trying to read it- just far too confusing and too much work. I kept pushing further and further into this very intriguing book but have finally had to admit defeat. Just not for me.

Horror isn't something I usually go for: I've read exactly one book before 'The House of Dust' that was meant to be haunting and it didn't really deliver. This one, though, did.

Due to incidents that will not be disclosed in this review (this book is a minefield of spoilers), two people – Brad Ellison, a crime writer, and Missy Holiday, a woman who ran away from prostitution – find themselves in the slow town of Three Summers, a place barely visible on any map. Brad arrives because he senses a story in the air, something that might finally fix his failing career; Missy's there because she wants a new life in a new home. Cue the creepiness: the town's residents seem exhausted all the time, they wake at night and sleep during the day, and every single one of them is weirdly obsessed with dirt. Brad knows he's found his story: he just has to dig a little deeper to uncover the whole bizarre scenario.

I was pleasantly surprised by how well-written this book was, considering it happens to be the author's debut novel. 'The House of Dust' starts off with a very slow pace, to mimic the waiting the reader has to do to discover each fact with Brad; if you prefer faster-paced books then maybe this isn't for you, but if you do give it a chance then know that the main plot twist within (and the other, smaller ones) will make it worth your while. I was unfortunately spoiled for that main twist due to a review I read when I was only a few chapters in – and I still liked that plot point. That says a lot.

There is some mature content, and there is definitely an abundance of death and violence, including violence to animals in one scene. If you're alright with all that, then consider giving this book a chance when it's released.

The House of Dust by Noah Broyles ⭐️⭐️

Thank you to @netgalley and @inkshares for the advanced copy!

I have no idea what happened in this book. I finished it as confused as I began it. The following review is based on what I do know.

I was immediately drawn to this book from the description, but I’m not sure it was what I expected. This book is an EXTREMELY slow burn. The author really takes their time with the descriptions. Sometimes I enjoyed them, sometimes I just thought -why?

My takeaway - I got major Leave the World Behind vibes from this one. Superfluous descriptions and total confusion at the end. However, I also got Mexican Gothic vibes with the role the house played.

If you like atmospheric reads that involve cults, townspeople doing strange things, supernatural entities, and southern gothic themes, check this one out in September.

Review posted to Instagram - March 13, 2021.

This book a chilling, terrifying, slow burn, dizzying work of Southern Gothic/folk horror. It truly scared me and I could not stop thinking about it when I put it down. The writing here just flows and dances with the oppressive despair, sadness and mystery that I love in my gothic horror. Small towns, secret cults, dark secrets, haunted pasts, haunted land and haunted house. I just adored so much of this and I loved the writing! The only reason it loses a star is because for a decent amount of time I was slightly confused by what was going on due to time jumps and POV shifts in the narrative. It took a little getting used to and still sometimes my brain didn’t catch up fast enough. Still it is rare these days that books chill me to my core and the horror writing in this is outstandingly blood freezing. My type of horror through and through and I adore that there was a brief mention of a character Dr Michael McDowell and I secretly hoped it’s a reference to one of the greatest southern gothic horror writers of all time. This one is a winner for me!!