🏚️ F R E A K Y F R I D A Y review 🏚️ featuring “The Drowning House” by Cherie Priest!

BOOK REVIEW: 🖤🖤🖤/5

Simon, Melissa and Leo grew up spending their summers on an isolated island in the Pacific Northwest called Marrowstone Island. Simon’s grandmother Mrs. Culpepper always watched over them because she knew they weren’t alone on the island and she wanted to protect them from ancient evil that lurked throughout the island.

In present days, Melissa and Leo receive a message from Simon that Mrs Culpepper has (literally) been scared to DEATH by a mysterious house that washes up on the shore behind her house. After sending the message, Simon disappears and cannot be found. Melissa and Leo rush to the island to try to find their old friend and are SHOCKED to see the washed up house. Together they must fight against evil and the history that has haunted the island forever 👻!

Thank you kindly to Cherie Priest @poisonedpenpress @bookmarked @netgalley for my advanced digital copy in the exchange for my honest review! This book releases on July 23, 2024!

3.5 stars. This is a gripping thriller right from the beginning. The character, the detailed settings all add up to a great read. I did not see some of the twists coming. This is not my normal read but I would recommend this to others. The only thing that kept me from rating this higher was the lack of explanation for the magic. I wish there would have been a bit more throughout the book about Gunnar, the machine and where the magic came from.

This read was eery and unique as an environmental horror. It took things outside of the typical thriller realm. It had a steady pace, with solid character development. It was an enjoyable read.

DNF 🫣

Ugh, man, I wanted to love this book. I mean, I tried really hard - I got 80% in and I just could NOT do it. The premise sounded great, so I was excited. I went into this book thinking horror, but it definitely leaned more into fantasy. Which is fine, but not what I was expecting so maybe that’s why it fell so flat for me?

There was one ghost in the whole 80% I read. The rest of the time the MCs were researching and driving around. The MCs were kind of annoying as well. All in all, this book was just too slow for me and the plot was lacking. I hate leaving bad reviews, y’all know that, but I also want to be honest. These are my thoughts and opinions, and if this book has been on your tbr, please still give it a try - just because it wasn’t for me, doesn’t mean it isn’t for you.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Publishing for the arc of The Drowning House by Cherie Priest. I jumped on this on because I love all things creepy and this had an overall unsettling feeling. I was hoping it was a bit more interesting in the beginning but the slow burn is done to help execute the second half. This would make a great read around spooky season but also a great beach read.

If creepy and atmospheric slow burns are your thing...then you NEED this book!

Unfortunately, that's not really my thing. I felt there was too much relationship focus and not enough creepy house focus.

I was a fan of Priest's steampunk series and have enjoyed her recent foray into the comedic supernatural, but had never read a horror story by her so I was excited to get The Drowning House. I enjoyed the creepy mystery of Mrs. Culpepper's death after a mysterious house washes ashore and the disappearance of her grandson, Simon, though when Simon's two friends Leo and Melissa arrive to try and find Simon, I wasn't so fond of Leo as he "helped" Melissa figure it out. The alternating POV with the current mystery and the flashbacks to the three friends were smooth and eventually you see why Leo is such a pill, but it is a bit annoying getting to that point. Good mystery, great atmosphere, supernatural more than super scary, and I look forward to recommending it this summer! Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for the early access in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book has me on the edge of my seat. I really loved the pacing in of the plot and the characters were interesting without being overly complicated. It was an easy read which I love and I'll definitely read more by this author.

I want to thank NetGalley and Poison Pen Press for this advance readers copy.

The Drowning House, by Cherie Priest, is a dual perspective, dual timeline story about happenings on a remote island in the north west. The story follows Simon, a well-to-do pre-teen, living with his grandmother after a tragic accident killed his parents. Simon is one of three kids growing up among the few residents in this town not even big enough for a real fire department. Melissa, the second child is a summertime visitor that spends all her time on the island with Simon and at his grandmothers house. Leo, a few years younger, is the third to join the crew and stays with his aunt and uncle. In typical 80’s fashion, they’re a bunch of unsupervised kids roaming around doing whatever comes to mind.

In present day, Melissa receives a voicemail and text from Simon informing her his grandmother, Mrs. Culpepper died suddenly. Simon asks for her help and Melissa and Leo return to the island they spent so many childhood summers. When they arrive, Simon is missing and there is, quite literally, a battered house washed up on the shoreline. It is up to Melissa and Leo to figure out what happened to Simon before it’s too late.

First of all, I’d like to say I went into this book blind and had no idea about any of it. I didn’t so much as read the authors blurb. While I’m not typically a paranormal or fantasy girl, this book kept me glued to the pages. It starts off simple enough, drifting back and forth between time periods, building each character as the years went by. There’s little hints of something supernatural going on, but nothing overtly obvious. As the present day story takes over, you can see how well the author prepared the reader for the quirks and mannerisms each person developed, and why. The character development was absolutely flawless and played out so smoothly.

The only con to this story that I had, was imagining the scenes in the basement. I found this author used such vivid imagery from page one, but I still struggled through that part. Maybe it’s just me? Overall, I highly recommend this novel- even if it isn’t usually your cup of tea! I can absolutely see this book being adapted into a movie!

An atmospheric horror novel that jumps back and forth in time, showing the development of the friendship between Simon, Melissa, and Leo, as well as some of the mysterious events that culminate in the happenings of the book after Simon’s disappearance.

The dynamics of the relationship between the three are well-developed, including after Simon’s disappearance, as he seems to be the fulcrum of the friend group. The setting was perfect and almost became another character, but I would like for there to have been more exploration of the horror aspect of the story, I think there was potential for a bit more “plot” here. That aside this was a really enjoyable read and I highly recommend it!

I found this book to be slow, boring, and just overall hard to get into. Once things finally started going I was so lost that it didn't really matter what was going on due to me not having any idea what was happening to begin with.

I went into this book with high hopes based on the premise. I was hoping to get pulled in but the first half of the book was slow and I really did not connect with any of the characters. I pressed on and will say the second half got more interesting with more puzzle pieces being given. The ending was good and ties up some of the answers needed. I enjoyed the book and encourage you to pick it up and try it for yourself.

Thank you Netgally, Cherie Priest and Poisoned Press for the ARC of The Drowning House.

Simon lives year-round with his grandmother, Mrs. Culpepper, while Melissa and Leo visit their families each summer. They have been friends since childhood, and even though the years have passed, they have remained in contact. One night, Melissa receives a frantic phone call from Simon and soon she and Leo come back to the island.
What they find on the beach makes no sense. What they don’t find is Simon and their search for him begins. They soon find out that there was a lot more to Mrs. Culpepper’s story than they ever could’ve imagined.
Told in the past, and in the present by Melissa and Leo, I had no idea what was going on. Only that strange things lurked in every dark corner. I was hooked from page one. Relatable characters, and the location, Marrowstone Island was the perfect isolated setting. I won’t say more for fear of falling into spoiler territory. I will say it’s a story about friendship, secrets, and all manner of things that live in the dark. 4.5 stars.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Cherie Priest for providing me with a complimentary digital ARC for The Drowning House coming out July 23, 2024. The honest opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really love this author. I think her writing is amazing! She does suspense and mystery really well. I enjoyed the mystery surrounding the house and I think the sea plays a big part into the dark and suspenseful setting. Things are revealed bits at a time. I really liked the different time periods. I think it comes together really well. The house as a character was really good. I think I didn’t relate to the characters as much as I would’ve liked. I would’ve liked a little more growth.

I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys mysterious sea stories!

Anticipated as one of the most gripping horrors of summer 2024, The Drowning House plunges readers into a haunting and atmospheric thriller. After a violent storm washes a mysterious house onto a Pacific Northwest beach, Simon Culpepper vanishes, leaving his childhood friends Melissa and Leo to unravel the sinister mysteries of Marrowstone Island.

As they navigate old rivalries and deep-seated grudges, Melissa and Leo uncover dark secrets about the house, its builder, and the malevolent forces it harbors. Award-winning author Cherie Priest crafts a propulsive and terrifying story that explores the lengths we'll go to protect those we love.

The Drowning House will captivate fans of supernatural thrillers, blending compelling mysteries and chilling horrors in a deeply immersive narrative.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. The genre is listed as “Horror”, but I found this to be more Suspense with a Supernatural element. I would recommend this to readers who are looking for a spooky Fall read that isn’t over-the-top gory or terrifying.

The narrative follows two POVs in 3rd person, set in dual timelines. Although we were switching between characters, I found the plot easy to follow.

Things I liked about this book:
* Norse Magic
* Deserted Island with a mysterious past (but not too tropey)
* Housewreck (70-year-old haunted house washes ashore during a storm)\

Things I didn’t like:
* There were a lot of aspects of this story that I found interesting but were glossed over (like how people forgot about the haunted house when they looked at it, the ghosts, and the supernatural action in the climax)
* Other elements were given more time on the page that I felt distracted from the main conflict (for instance, the main characters kept stressing about their jobs in the face of their impending doom)

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. 
The Drowning House will be available on July 23, 2024

I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, this book was just lacking substance for me. My mind wandered multiple times and it did not really hold my interest.

The basis for the story was good, but I just did not see it come across in the writing.

[arc review]
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Drowning House releases July 23, 2024

The Tidebury House washes onto the shore of a residential beach, 70 years after it was last seen. Its sudden reappearance causes a fright so great that it results in the death of one person and disappearance of another.

This story is told from the multiple perspectives of the kids who grew up spending summers together on the island with some flashback chapters interspersed.

The Drowning House is extremely slow in its plot progression and probably could have been condensed by a good hundred pages.
I was really hoping that the abandoned, washed-up house would have felt like a character, but it barely played an active part.
The world building and lore surrounding Tidebury was poorly executed, making it difficult to get a clear understanding of “the corner” with the boys, the phone call with three dimes, the motivations behind some of the ghosts, or even the magic system.

With all of the flashback chapters, it was a detriment not to include Charlotte’s first person perspective of when the house disappeared the first time, and how the surrounding islanders reacted in the aftermath of such an event.

As far as main characters go, Leo and Melissa were pretty one-dimensional, with their main personality traits amounting to competing with each other over who knew Simon more, or who loved him more.

I think this could have been something really cool if the author took the time to expand upon the history of the houses and the Culpepper family instead of spending so much mundane time with Leo and Melissa.

The best read this year thus far. This book had me riveted from the start. Written in dual timeline but in about a week’s time in present day this story covers unfortunate events that had to occur in order to let Mrs Culpepper rest in peace.
Simon is her grandson and together with Melissa and Leo they summered together through childhood on Marrowstone Island.
Simon called on these two friends when his grandmother dropped dead on the beach during a storm. Then Simon disappears before Melissa and Leo arrive. During the week that follows events occur that will take these two friends through emotional, physical and the psychological evil that once was kept hidden from them in their childhood.

I am so sorry to say that I did not love this one. The setting was what drew me in, and I loved that aspect of the book. But the execution of the plot and characters was just not what I was hoping for. The ending was chaotic in my opinion. I’m sorry I didn’t enjoy it more.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.