I can absolutely see why The Spite House is getting so much attention. Also, I am blown away that this was a debut horror novel. From start to finish, the book gives you an inside look at Eric's life with his two daughters, Stacy and Dess.

The family is running from something, and we see the ups and downs they endure to stay together. Eric ends up doing odd jobs here and there to provide for himself and the girls. One day, he sees a very appealing add. People who are hired to house sit the Masson House, also known as The Spite House, are normally professionals. You see, the rumor is that the spite house is haunted and anyone who stays experiences unexplainable paranormal phenomena. This is where the Ross family comes in to play. They are offered an incredible financial opportunity so they can have a fresh start. Of course, that is if they can make it with their sanity intact. This book was absolutely incredible, I am a huge haunted house book lover, and this absolutely felt like I was there experiencing every uncomfortable and agonizing moment everyone endured. The spite house is an absolutely perfect book for horror lovers.

The American South is saturated with the ghosts of the past. The specters of racism and cruelty are omnipresent, preserved in old houses and monuments to cruelty and spite. Southern Gothic is all about the great rot that permeates Southern society, original sins that can never be outrun.

So it is with Johnny Compton’s debut, The Spite House. Eric Ross is a man on the run with his two daughters. A mysterious past haunts Eric, one he cannot escape. Caught up with a need to provide for his girls, Eric finds an ad to care for the Masson House in Degener, Texas. The only catch is the owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity.

Eric can’t resist. Lured by the secrets of the spite house, Eric wishes to understand Masson’s history in the hopes it will provide him with catharsis as to his own past. But the ghosts in Degener are not so easily quelled.

Compton writes like a man possessed, channeling the spirits of William Faulkner, Shirley Jackson, and Ralph Ellison to create a bleak picture of a house built for the purpose of spite. Masson is a towering, bizarre structure rumored to be one of the most haunted locations in all of Texas. The house itself is almost a character, as important as the ghosts it contains.

Eric and his daughters are fantastic leads, sympathetic and compelling with unfurling secrets that keep the pages turning. Compton balances the mysteries of the past with the complexities of the present, with answers that are more horrifying than the questions.

A sterling Southern Gothic that sticks with the reader.

Spitefully so.

I listened to the audiobook as well as read the physical copy. It is has a Gothic, creepy feel to it. I love books with haunted houses and I enjoyed this one. I didn’t know what a spite house was until this book and then realized I drove past one for years.

Eric and his two daughters move into what is considered the most haunted house in Texas, the Masson House. Eric is desperate for money so he agrees to the owners demands. The owner wants proof that the house is haunted. Eric and his two girls are not prepared for what happens next.

The Spite House is available February 7, 2023.

Thank you to netgalley and macmillian audio for this arc in exchange for my honest review.

I love haunted house stories, especially ones that think a little bit outside the box, and I felt that THE SPITE HOUSE had some really good beats and moments, as well as some things that made it drag a little bit. I will start with the positive, and that is that there are some really genuinely scary scenes and imageries in this book. I also liked how Compton gave some hints as to what was going on with Eric, Dess, and Stacy, and why they were running from the life they left behind, and yet it was a complete surprise and shock when we got our answer. I was caught totally off guard and I REALLY loved the reveal. That said, the pacing of it was a bit slow, as it may have been a little too drawn out, only to have a really fast climax, then a bit of a laggy descent towards the actual ending. It just felt a bit choppy. There were also a lot of perspectives, some of whom I felt didn't add as much to the story, and who were only there for a beat, when we could have been focusing on Eric, Dess, or Stacy as they dealt with the strange and terrifying happenings in the spite house.

Overall, I am eager to see what Compton writes next! There are some top notch horror moments in this book to be sure!

Scary, heartfelt, and unique- with one of the most satisfying haunted house origin stories I've ever read- THE SPITE HOUSE by Johnny Compton gleefully grabs you & headily haunts you, leaving you to ponder on humanity's propensity for malice and the power pain can unleash. Fantastic!

"Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. Having left his wife, his house, his whole life behind in Maryland, he's desperate for money—it's not easy to find steady, safe work when you can't provide references, you can't stay in one place for long, and you're paranoid that your past is creeping back up on you.

When he comes across the strange ad for the Masson House in Degener, Texas, Eric thinks they may have finally caught a lucky break. The Masson property, notorious for being one of the most haunted places in Texas, needs a caretaker of sorts. The owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there. Provided the house’s horrors don’t drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them."

I went into this story thinking it was a traditional haunted house story, expecting to get creepy vibes from the things that go bump in the night. I was wrong. This story was more of a mystery than a thriller/ horror and focused heavily on the things a father will do for his children. While the premise was interesting and did keep me engaged, it was a slow burn story. I did enjoy the characters and the storyline, I just wish that it went darker and creepier. If you enjoy a character driven mystery with a side of haunted house vibes, this one is for you.

⭐⭐⭐💫 (3.5)

Thank you to @netgalley , @tornightfire and @macmillan.audio for the gifted copy of this book.

Give me a haunted house, a cursed family, and add in a bit of a mystery and I’m hooked. Eric and his two daughters are on the run from something and to support them, Eric has to take some sketchy jobs. They basically end up in a small Texas town when Eric takes a job that entails living in a supposedly haunted house.

The story is told from multiple perspectives and throughout different time periods which works to give us a well-rounded and fleshed out story. The house itself is incredibly creepy and gives those Southern Gothic vibes that I love in books like THE ELEMENTALS.

It did end up being less of a ghost story than I initially anticipated, but the themes of loss, intergenerational trauma combined with the richness of the characters really worked their magic on me. I’m

Thank you NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for sending this book as an ARC for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

Full Review: https://readingbeyondthebookcover.com/book-review-reaction-the-spite-house-by-johnny-compton/

If you are like me and don't know what a spite house is, you'll know after reading this horror novel.

Aside from introducing readers to something they may have never considered the existence of; The Spite House is an embodiment of a horror novel with suspense woven in from all angles. The author crafts a sinister horror story with entanglements of questionable characters with even more questionable motives. I applaud it for its ability to sit with me and change my overall rating of enjoyment. Thus, I've concurrently and affectionately nicknamed it a "fester book." Trust me, that's a good thing. ;-)

With the spirit of undiluted desperation, Eric Ross upends his family from Maryland, travels to Texas, and accepts a questionable caretaking job at a spite house. This job opportunity might be the best he can do for his family, as he's seeking financial stability without the requirement of usual formalities, like reference and background checks. Despite persistent warnings from the townspeople and the spite house owner's evasive behavior, Eric views the job as an answer to all of his and his family’s problems. The promise of an egregious payment motivates him to ignore the risks he may be taking in accepting this job. At face value, this is an offer he sensibly cannot refuse. Short-lived, as the story unfurls, and the past and present merge, all hell breaks loose before Eric's once positive outlook of being a recipient of such an "advantageous" opportunity, quickly becomes inauspicious in more ways than Eric and his family could ever imagine.

I recommend this book for its ability to arouse thoughts and fears of residing in houses with haunting histories, affecting its inhabitants beyond literal return.

Many thanks to Tor Nightfire, Johnny Compton, and NetGalley for an Advanced Review Copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Spite House by Johnny Compton

I love a good haunted house story and The Spite House does not disappoint. The title gives you a good idea of what feeds the spirits in this skinny house.

I throughly enjoyed the characters in this novel. Johnny Compton did an amazing job building them out and letting the reader connect to each of them. Dess and Millie became my favorites.

The setting was thoughtful described and vibrant without being overworked. I could easily place myself in the floating hallway of the spite house.

The pace was good for me. I see a lot of folks saying it was slow. Yea it was in some parts but I felt it added suspense. By the last quarter of the book I was flying through the pages to find out what happens.

This was a fantastic debut by Johnny Compton. Make sure you keep him on your radar.

I want to say thank you to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tore/Forge for a digital ARC.

"The Spite House" had an interesting premise, but the writing style was just not for me. The pacing was too slow, and I had a really difficult time getting immersed in the story.

Thank you to Tor Nightfire for the ARC!

An excellent haunting ghost story and haunted house story! A father and his daughters on the run, he decides to take a caretaker position for a Spite house, considered the most haunted house in Texas. This story has multiple pov’s which I don’t always love but in this case you really got the whole story. Great for any horror fan!

A great read by this author. I definitely recommend checking this one out!
Thank you NetGalley for providing a copy of this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

Eric Ross and his two daughters are on the run from a mysterious past - a past that they hint about, but do not fully reveal until the end of the book. They are desperate for money, because Eric can't provide references, and they are too paranoid to stay in one place too long. Then Eric stumbles upon an ad for the Masson House in Degener, Texas. The Masson property, notorious for being one of the most haunted places in Texas, needs a caretaker of sorts. The owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there. Provided the house’s horrors don’t drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them. The job calls to Eric, not just because there's a huge payout if they can make it through, but because he wants to explore the secrets of the spite house. If it is indeed haunted, maybe it'll help him understand the uncanny power that clings to his family, driving them from town to town, making them afraid to stop running.

I had never heard of a spite house before, so after I read this, I did a deep dive to find out all I could about them. That, in itself, was really interesting. This story was not only fascinating, but it was also creepy, and chilling. It was told in the POV 's of many of the different main characters, which I loved. The book has a gothic feel and was full of plot twists. If you are a fan of horror, then you will want to check this out.


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Thanks to NetGalley and Macmillan-Tor/Forge for this read that just did not work for me. When you say slow...I mean slow when it comes to this book. I was not enjoying it as it is and the fact that I read so much to get nothing from it, made it even worse. The book was easy to read but it was going nowhere for me. I just was not having a good time reading it. This is the second book this year that I read that expected you to love the book without a book being provided.

Wow...I just read that this is Compton's debut. My goodness, I expect some good things from him.

Southern Gothic set in middle of nowhere Texas, black lead characters. So much to unpack just there. The characters are realistic and exactly as relatable as they should be. Each one gets an opportunity to carry part of the story from their own POV. It does get a little confusing (wait, who's talking?), but that built some of the low-level fear/anxiety a good horror novel has in it.

The house...it isn't a character of it's own, like many a good haunted house story has. No, the Masson House harbors hauntings and haunted people. However, its haphazard construction feel does makes it creepy in its own right.

Overall, a solid first offering from a new voice. It's a good scary story and while not everyone's cup of tea, I can see a teenager or two staying up late to read.

1.25/5 stars! I don't really have anything good to say about this book. It was not adult horror and was laughably structured. This could maybe work as a YA scary fiction story if it was edited differently. But it just didn't work as a whole for me. Additionally, there were some major icky topics that I think a lot of readers would take personally. Overall, this book is just not it. 1 star because the cover is pretty.

I received an advance review copy for free through NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily

I enjoyed this fresh take on a haunted house story! I’d never heard of a spite house before this. There’s a lot going on in this book and we get several different POVs. I enjoyed the first half of the book the most, where we got to know Eric, Dess and Stacy. They had their secrets and were obviously running from something, but I didn’t realize how huge or scary their secrets were until almost the end of the book. It felt like there was almost too much happening at the end of the book, and everything wasn’t wrapped up nicely at the end, but it works in this case.

A can’t-put-down haunted house story.

On the surface The Spite House is everything I love in a scary story: a haunted house, a man with a shady past on the run, a child with mysterious abilities, and a too good to be true kindly old woman. Eric is on the run with his two daughters, and he comes across an ad for a job as “caretaker” for a house that may or may not be haunted. The money he would make from this job would set him and his girls up for a while so he goes for it. He has his own reasons for digging into the paranormal including an encounter when he was a little boy… but knowledge is going to come at a steep price.

Johnny Compton (in what I was shocked to learn is a debut novel) does an amazing job of drawing you in from the start, I was riveted and read the whole thing in one sitting. You think you know the story that you’re getting and suddenly he throws some curveballs at you! There are a couple of things that I wish we had the answer to, but unless we want the same fate as Eric we may never know…

Thank you to NetGalley and Tor Nightfire for the digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

Right from the beginning you're hit with mystery, what the heck is going on with this family? Within the first few chapters there's a couple left leaning political view points that has absolutely nothing to do with the story, doesn't feel safe driving through "the red" with people that have blue lives matter bumper stickers. Laughable. Thankfully it was limited to that. Each chapter is dedicated to a different characters perspective, which was nice when you were looking forward to learning more about someone. It did make for some story overlapping and repetitiveness. Overall it was a slow-paced haunted house/ghost story. More mystery than horror.

This was really a 3.5 star read to me. I think that the first part of the book was very interesting. But then it falls more and more flat as Compton tries to explain the "Spite House." I think some of the origins should have been left fuzzy to make the mystery better. I felt pretty letdown by the time we got to the end of the book. It just didn't go together with what we had read before.

"The Spite House" follows Eric Ross who is on the run with his two daughters, Dess and Stacy. We don't know why Eric is on the run, but he's desperate for work. When he sees an advertisement talking about him staying in the Masson House of Degener, Texas. The woman who owns the house wants someone to stay there and take notes. After beating out some "ghost hunters" Eric and his two girls stay there and things start happening. Because it appears that Eric and his daughters have "helped" wake up the house.

There are other characters in this one, besides Eric and his two girls. We also follow Eunice (the woman who owns the house), Dana (she works for Eunice and knows more than she is saying), Max Renner (part of a husband and wife team who stayed at the house before Eric and his daughters), Millie (a reporter), Masson (who is behind the house being built) and others. The book follows everyone through a present and past timeline. The book doesn't manage to jump back and forth swiftly enough for me. I felt lost a few times because there's no set-up for some of the people and you have to keep reading to realize their connection to the overall story. I honestly thought that Compton should have just focused on Eric and his daughters and that's it.

The setting of the house was great and used to great effect. I wish that Compton hadn't tried to over explain the house's origins as I said earlier. The first lines in the book were similar to "The Haunting of Hill House" so that made me eagerly anticipate what came next.

The ending as I said was a bit of a letdown.