Rating: 4 ⭐️

House of Monstrous Women is a gothic horror set in 1980s Philippines, where a childhood game turns deadly in a labyrinthine mansion. Think Clue meets The Haunting of Hill House but with witches, political unrest, and a game where the stakes are life and death. While I did enjoy this one and its unique plot I did want more thriller vibes.

Thanks to @berkleypub and @berkleyromance for the free published copy and e-ARC and to @prhaudio for the review copy of this audiobook!

Trigger warning—do not read this one if you are afraid of bugs! This slow burn thriller set in 1980s Philippines is unlike anything I’ve read before. Josephine, along with her brother and his girlfriend, heads to the creepy home of her childhood friend and crush who may or may not be an Aswang—the Filipino term for a shapeshifter that shares traits with vampires, ghouls, and witches—to play a deadly game of hide and seek through the house’s maze of interconnected rooms. Whoever survives till morning will have all their wishes come true.

Despite the strangeness of the tale, bathed in Filipino mythology, I found myself drawn to Josephine. She’s a sympathetic character as she battles shapeshifters, humans, and mythological creatures, using just her wits and determination. We see all the other characters through her eyes, and her love for them gives them depth.

The plot is super creepy. It takes a while to get there. The first half of the book is slow paced. But then the game begins and all the horrors break loose. It is visceral, gag inducing, terrifying, and gut punching by turns. But the ending is very satisfying.

I ended up switching to eyeball reading about 30% in because the narrator had a very sing-song cadence that kept pulling me out of the story.

If you’re looking for something new in the horror genre, this one’s for you!

House of Monstrous Women by Daphne Fama is a perfect mixture of gothic horror, Filipino folklore, feminine power and historical fiction. This is a bit of a slow burn but with my favorite amount of unease brought upon the reader through creepy, atmospheric writing. Really enjoyed this one and can't wait to read more from Daphne Fama!

The atmosphere of this one was strong. Similarly, the setting was beautifully described and incorporated throughout, adding to the atmosphere. There were also many cultural details that were incorporated in small ways. This was wonderfully done and aided in bringing the setting and characters to life.

This is one of the few recently published books I’ve read that has been touted as a gothic fiction that actually felt like one. Part of what contributed to this and the strong atmosphere was the author’s writing style. It was immersive and descriptive without being overwritten. There were moments that were genuinely spooky and kept me flipping the pages, keeping me up past my bedtime several times.

While this is a bit of a slow burn, I prefer that in my gothic horror reads as it allows you to really get situated with the characters and setting. This is an excellent spooky fall read. Many thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for allowing me to read this work. All thoughts and opinions expressed in this review are my own.

Georgia pages and beyond: a month’s worth of must-reads from Peach State thrillers to epic fantasies

By Tom Mayer

Tmayer@RN-T.com

It's always time for a good book, and this month’s new releases span Atlanta suspense, gothic horror, sweeping fantasy and thoughtful meditations on aging. Whether you crave a Buckhead murder mystery, a reimagined "Mulan," or Louis Sachar’s adult debut, there’s something for every reader — thrillers, literary gems, and more.

'Bless Your Heart' (Crooked Lane Books) by Leigh Dunlap
Atlanta takes center stage in this debut thriller about the murder of a wealthy Buckhead Little League coach. Detective Shay Claypool, a single mother from the opposite side of town, is thrown into a world of privilege and secrets that tests both her instincts and her patience. A sharp blend of social satire and suspense, it’s a page-turner that Southern crime fans will devour.

'House of Monstrous Women' (Berkley) by Daphne Fama
Set against the turbulence of 1980s Philippines, this gothic horror novel traps its heroine inside a childhood friend’s home, where a sinister contest unfolds. Witchcraft, rebellion and survival blur together in a narrative that’s as unsettling as it is urgent. It’s a chilling pick for readers drawn to haunted houses with a political edge.

'Escaping Denver' (Blackstone Publishing) by Teague Bohlen
Spinning out of a hit podcast, now in its fifth season, this novel plunges readers into the dark mysteries beneath Denver International Airport — conspiracies, shadow governments and worse. What begins as an adventure quickly turns into a desperate fight for survival. A must for fans of speculative thrillers and immersive, multi-platform storytelling.

'I Become Her' (Thomas & Mercer) by Joe Hart
On their honeymoon, Imogen’s husband, Lev, vanishes overboard and reappears with no memory of what happened. When fragments of his past surface, Imogen’s doubts spiral into suspicion. With its tightly wound tension and emotional undercurrents, this novel will appeal to fans of psychological thrillers such as “The Last Mrs. Parrish “The Couple Next Door.”

'Some Recollections of St. Ives' (Skyhorse) by David Mamet
Told through a wry perspective, this novel masquerading as a memoir of the fictional Charles Hollis, captures four decades at the venerable St. Ives School. Pulitzer Prize-winner Mamet (“Glengarry Glen Ross”) blends sharp observation with satire in a story that probes the traditions, hypocrisies and private codes of academic life. Lovers of campus novels and literary fiction will find plenty to relish.

'The Magician of Tiger Castle' (Ace) by Louis Sachar
Known for “Holes” and other classics, Louis Sachar makes his adult fiction debut with a whimsical, Renaissance-inspired fantasy. A reluctant magician, a kingdom in peril and a princess whose heart defies politics form the backbone of this playful yet thoughtful tale. Part memoir, part fairy tale, it’s a reminder that Sachar’s gift for storytelling only deepens with time.

'Eternity’s Blade' (Blackstone Publishing) by William Collis
Prince Soh’shoro lives in a valley where no one dies — until he discovers the dangerous magic … to kill … within himself. Trained by warrior monks as an assassin, he must confront not only an outside world bent on shattering his people’s fragile immortality, but the question of whether eternity is worth killing for. Fans of epic fantasy and martial-arts-inspired adventure will find themselves swept away by Collis’s richly imagined debut.

'Something to Look Forward To' (Random House) by Fannie Flagg
The beloved author of “Fried Green Tomatoes” returns with a collection of interconnected stories, each offering a different spin on the resilience of an American life. From a great-grandmother bridging generational divides to a city dweller reinventing herself, Flagg captures the humor and heart of everyday survival. A warm, witty reminder of why her storytelling endures.

'The Dragon Wakes with Thunder' (Ace Books) by K. X. Song
This second half of Song’s duology (“The Night Ends With Fire,” 2024) reimagines “Mulan” with grit and grandeur. Imprisoned and betrayed, Hai Meilin faces rebellion, supernatural bargains and a dragon demanding his due — in blood. A sweeping tale of loyalty, power, and identity, it’s a fitting conclusion for fans of feminist fantasy sagas. It’s also a beautifully produced book with illustrated endpapers, maps, edging, and a cover. No question: Buy the hardcover of this one for the bookshelf and the audio version (Natalie Naudus narrates) for the storytelling. But before you do either, begin with “The Night Ends With Fire,” as beautifully packaged and told as part 2.

'The Old Man by the Sea' (Europa Editions) by Domenico Starnone, translated by Oonagh Stransky
At 82, the storyteller Nicola reflects on a lifetime of overlooked details from his seaside home south of Rome. When he’s drawn into the orbit of a younger woman and her family, his final years take an unexpected turn. Starnone weaves memory, humor and melancholy into a meditation on what it means to keep imagining until the very end. Europa always picks international stories of the highest quality and this one is a superior example.

And that’s the monthly wrap-up: From Atlanta’s dark secrets to Rome’s quiet shorelines, from dragon battles to Louis Sachar’s long-awaited adult debut, the month delivers a remarkable range of storytelling. Whatever your shelf leans toward — thrillers, fantasies or quiet literary gems — this month offers a book worth holding onto.

Find the review at multiple newspapers and magazines, including at:
https://admin-newyork1.bloxcms.com/northwestgeorgianews.com/tncms/admin/action/main/preview/site/rome/news/local/georgia-pages-and-beyond-a-month-s-worth-of-must-reads-from-peach-state-thrillers/article_d1c31d96-3d88-4fef-8d54-b290cb89a7e1.html

Overall I had a lot of fun while reading this, but I don't think it's something that will stick with me long term. I did really like reading horror set in the Philippines, with traditional Filipino monsters, and the backdrop of the 1980s Filipino dictator running parallel along the main story, and I think it's a shame this wasn't picked up by any horror sub boxes. The writing generally feels pretty polished for a debut, and I'm looking forward to what the author comes up with next.

I’m not really sure what to write. It’s a story as old as time. Men underestimating and dominating women. But it’s a clever arrangement of it in a Filipino folk tale.

A family ends up playing a game where the winner gets what their heart desires. Winner takes all. Survive the night in a huge storied house. Everyone hunting you.

So different from what I normally read and so very intriguing. What starts as a slow burn, slowly ramps up pace and tension.

I was drawn in from the start and loved the writing style in addition to the plot.

Jensen Olaya does an expert job narrating the audiobook. She nails the creepy atmosphere while still making Josephine relatable. Such an interesting listen.

Such a slow burn was a little hard to get into I almost dnf and then it really picked up and I had to finish it

Thank you for the free book @penguinrandomhouse and @berkleypub! #penguinrandomhousepartner #berkleyIG #BerkleyBookstagram. Thank you for the free audiobook, @prhaudio!

Omgggg. The creatures that gave me nightmares as a kid finally made it to the mainstream publishing world and I’m sooo happy to share this book with you!!

This comes out next Tuesday!!!

One of my favorite genres ever is horror and there is a good reason for it! I grew up watching Filipino horror movies and the amount of spooky creatures/ urban legends there is infinite!! I’ve been waiting for a long time to have them featured in a book and omg it’s finally here!!

I binged this book like crazy! Literally took me 2 sittings because of how much I’m into it. The audiobook really helped with binge reading needs! The narrator did a good job bringing this story to life!

Our characters are playing a creepy game in a creepy house with lots of history and creepy urban legends! Townspeople also believe that the people who lived in the house are witches! And friends, if you love witchy stories, do yourself a favor and get introduced to Filipino witchcraft with this book!!

I went into this blind so I feel like you should too. But if you want a synopsis, I’m going to give a very brief one:
Josephine was orphaned at a young age. She unintentionally got left with taking care of their childhood home and she just really wants an escape. Then she receives a letter from her childhood friend inviting her to play a game. If she wins, she can have whatever her heart desires.

That’s all I want to say about the plot 😂

Go read it, friends!! Highly highly recommend if you love gothic horror and witches!!
As for the spook level, don’t worry. I don’t think it’s that creepy! It’s more atmospheric and really features a different kind of horror that I hope will get more attention!

💭 Any other books that you guys want to read before the summer season ends?
☕️ my seasonal reading brain can’t pick between keep reading summer reads or start reading Fall books 😂

Gorgeous horror that is both firmly rooted in a particular time, place, and culture and also universal in the terrors it evokes.

Daphne Fama's writing had me hooked from the first page. The story is a slow burn, but I love horror stories like that. I haven't read many books with creepy houses, but I enjoyed this. The description of the house was great. It felt like I was in the house with them; sometimes it felt like the bugs were in the room with me. I also loved learning about Filipino culture and folklore. I loved Josephine's story of her navigating generational trauma while wanting love and independence.

I would recommend this book to anyone looking to read a Gothic horror.

If you want a book that feels like a nightmare you can’t escape this is it. Written with so much detail you can feel the breath of the ghost haunting this house on the back of your neck and the creepy crawlies of the hive skittering across your skin. I’m just so amazed by Daphne Rama’s ability to blend folklore of some of the scary creatures filipinos grow up on while also shedding light on the tumultuous history in the late 1980s Philippines under President Marcos.

Some of the other things I liked about this book:
▪️ There are characters that are incredibly frustrating or even downright villainous. I love when there are characters that are pushed to their limits or behave in ways that actually get me yelling at my book lol
▪️The main premise is a game called tagu-tagu that’s like hide and seek. I liked the idea of these four childhood friends playing a version of this as kids and now playing a higher-stakes, life-or-death version of this game.
▪️The house! It was like a living breathing thing. With so many rooms, some just full of junk, some holding so much grief it’s like it’s alive, and don’t even get me started on the kitchen or the basement with it’s tunnels. Plus, the servants of this house are all controlled by the hive and the visual of them giving chase and behaving like the very bugs controlling them freaked me out. Like this book truly horrified me!!!

**Many thanks to Berkley and Daphne Fama for an ARC of this book!**

Part gothic horror, part historical fiction, AND part childhood friendship gone wrong...this genre-bending mashup puts our Filipino heroine, Josephine, in the line of fire as she attempts to recover from the horror of her father's dismal political campaign amidst the Peoples Power Revolution in 1986. It is her long-lost friend Hiraya who offers to host her, along with Josephine's bestie Gabriella and her brother Alejandro, who has been helping to parent her in her father's stead) at her mysterious seaside home. Josephine heard the rumors growing up about Hiraya - rumors claiming she is a witch, and the creepy house and legion of unsettling servants doesn't really help this image. Hiraya has also been called an aswang (shapeshifter) and Josephine doesn't quite know what to make of this information....but she takes a chance on her old friend and brings her compatriots with her to the remote island. (Honestly, does ANYTHING go right on a remote island? EVER?!)

But what starts as a visit to this odd home quickly 'shapeshifts' into something else entirely...and to survive, Josephine begins what she thinks is a simple game of 'tagu tagu' (or hide and seek)...but is actually a deadly game of survival. You see, this creepy house (known formally as Ranoco House) has an appetite of its own...and the only way to satiate it just MIGHT be human flesh. With her life hanging in the balance, Josephine doesn't have a choice - it's time to play, and play to WIN. But when she discovers even more horrifying truths about her friend AND just how the house keeps running in this remote locale, will it be too late for her to escape its horrifying clutches?

Historical gothic horror can be a LOT to handle...and I'll be honest, in this instance, I felt like I had my hands FULL from the jump. With absolutely zero (or perhaps, embarrassingly, LESS than zero) knowledge of the Peoples Power Revolution in the Philippines, I had absolutely no context of the political climate that set off the string of events at the start of this book...and I honestly wish that I had, because things only got more complicated from there. As much as I feel Fama tried to keep this character list fairly short, I STILL had trouble remembering who was who at times or what their individual histories were at any given moment. There seemed to be hints of a romance toward the beginning of the story, but I felt this dropped off after a certain point and I was left wondering why it had seemed important in the first place.

This is also a BONAFIDE slow burn, which is also a bit problematic for me in general...and with all of the muddled confusion in part one, it became even more difficult to remain patient until the bitter end. This is simply an instance where having a background in the subject matter (or at least an introduction, including exposure to Filipino words that were used often and I had never heard before) would just have helped the reading experience: there's no way around that fact. Once the premise IS finally set and The Game begins, THIS is where things start to get interesting...and also a bit grotesque. (I finished this while reading dinner - I STRONGLY recommend not reading this while you are attempting to eat. Unless the thought of nibbling on bugs somehow DOESN'T turn your stomach....in which case, you just might be a lizard. But I digress...) The stakes are high and I definitely was invested to an extent...but I ALSO was wishing that the book just dove a bit deeper into the game a bit sooner and left out some of the 'backstory' in the beginning.

The brightest part of this one, however, is an EXCELLENT author's note...you know, the kind where it makes you wish you could just listen to the author talk about their book for an hour. It was so heartfelt and moving and explained so much of the motivation behind the book so effortlessly that I wish I had either a) read it BEFORE starting this one for some perspective or B) wish I just connected with the text more because I just genuinely felt bad for not appreciating it the way others might.

And let's just put it this way - if this is only Daphne Fama's DEBUT, then consider me hungry....or rather, Fama-shed, for MORE!

3.5 stars

This is a Gothic horror book that is set in 1986 Philippines. We have the backdrop of the political crisis that is going on in the country and the struggle of the people is well representative in our main character Josephine. She ends up at her friend who is rumored to be a witches house and finds herself Trying to play a game to win. It’s a really interesting promise and this is the kind of horror book that I do enjoy because it also has a deep mystery set throughout the book.

Josephine is the only member of her family to still live in their family home, and every day she is haunted by the memory of her parents and their deaths. When a childhood friend (and crush) reaches out to her to come visit and play a game from their childhood, Josephine sees this as a chance to reconnect with her friends and her brother who lives his life away from her in the city. Whoever wins the game gets whatever their heart desires…but at what cost?

While this book did have a bit of a slow start, I enjoyed reading about the Filipino folklore and history. I don’t think I’ve ever read a book set in the Philippines and liked how the story tied into the political movement that was happening during the time period. Once the game begins - wow! It does not let up until the very end. The Ranoco House felt like a living, breathing character itself and this book gets bonus points for making my skin crawl on more than one occasion. There are so many truly grotesque moments between the body horror and all of the bugs. The author’s writing really invokes all of your senses - it felt like I could smell the sweet rot Josephine describes and I’m not even ashamed to admit I checked to make sure there weren’t any bugs on my arms (there weren’t 😂).

I was really impressed by this debut and I can see it being one of my favorite horrors of the year. Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for a review copy.

House of Monstrous Women was dark, eerie, and completely addictive. Daphne Fama’s writing had me hooked from the first page, and I loved the mix of gothic atmosphere and sharp storytelling. An absolute must-read if you like haunting, twisty tales.

Josephine is taking care of her family's home while her older brother is in Manila, and her father's political campaign floundered. Her childhood friend Hiraya invites her and her brother to visit, saying that if she wins the games they used to play, she can get whatever her heart desires. But she's missing information, and the house isn't what she thought it was.

Taking place in the mid-1980s Philippines, at the height of the Marcos dictatorship, the story evokes the desperate air that the poor and downtrodden had. Josephine del Rosario and her brother are the only two survivors in her family when her father was killed. His campaign against corruption didn't just flounder; he was assassinated, and likely by his opponent, who was in the same camp as Marcos, for all that they lived in the countryside. The Ranoco family had been talked about before, that the women were witches or aswang, a kind of Philippine creature that is a cross between a vampire and a ghoul. Those who won games against the aswang earned a boon, and Josephine definitely wants one now. She is isolated in the house she grew up in, with her brother spending their inheritance on his education and failing businesses. The game will pit the players against each other, and there's supposed to be only one winner per pair.

We see the interplay of superstition and myth with the modern world. At least, modern for 1986. People think old beliefs should be ignored, but sometimes there's a small kernel of truth. That's where this novel lives. Along with radio broadcasts of Ferdinand Marcos making speeches in the midst of rioting before he escaped by helicopter, we have the players fighting for their lives. It's an interesting juxtaposition, though we follow Josephine through the horrors in the house and the Ranoco family as she discovers them. Without spoiling it, the decay, rot, and terrible wounds inflicted on people had happened for generations. It's generational trauma as well as political and mystical. It truly takes pain to find the good in the world, to earn a happy future.

House Of Monstrous Women by Daphne Fama, set in 1980s Philippines we meet Josephine her parents were killed by the Ferdinand Marcos regime after her father ran for public office.. this is why her brother has been staying in Manila after their father‘s death it seems Alejandro has taken up the plight for the family. when her childhood friend Herrera invites her to her family home Josephine is happy to go not only does she really like her and her sister but secretly has a crush on Herrera. not only does Josephine go but so does her brother Alejandro and Josephine’s ex friend Gabriella, something that is totally shocking to Josephine. Josephine has always loved being at the sister‘s house despite the rumors of them being a witch because she loved the games they played as children and little does she know but they’re going to play games again only these have more serious implications. also staying at the home brings up lots of questions for Josephine because she learns her mom also stayed there years before and after having a tour of the home Josephine feels freaked out in her dreams doesn’t help the situation it seems there’s a Suwanee that haunts the Homestead and this includes the visiting Josephine also where is Herrera sister Sitipa? just know this is a horrible review about a book that is so awesome it really should be made into a movie I mean just those crawling servants freaked me out and I was just reading the book I couldn’t imagine seeing that in a movie. If you love books that give you a creepy feeling while reading it with Gothic overtones and a likable protagonist then you’ll absolutely enjoy this book. It is written about a Filipino folk tale called the swami who takes fetuses from pregnant women but not all in one night it is overtime but it seems this swami has long-term goals. Such a great great book it is just so good there’s so much more I want to say just know do not take this review verbatim because while my review is all over the place it’s basically what the book is about just with way more detail and better writing.#NetGalley, #TheBlindReviewer, #MyHonestReview, #DaphneFama, #HouseOfMonstrousWomen,

A horror novel of a young woman who is trying to save her brother, Alejandro, and protect during the political upheaval in the Philippines in the 1980s. Several references to Aquino and Marcos in this novel, but the real subject is the horror that parasites are infecting people and taking over.
It starts with an invitation to her former friend's home, but the game she is invited to play is all about survival. Josephine realizes that her brother has been infected and her former friend Hiraya's family are witches who spew curses.
Will friendship and love win out in this game of survival? Will Josephine be able to break the curse?
Interesting that it was set in the time of the country's governmental change toward peace. While not a fan of horror, this had some redeeming qualities.

This was way more intense than I thought it would be and I’m here for it. The description and lore within this was so captivating and creepy. Holy crap I haven’t read something this creepy in awhile. Aswang…terrifying. Creepy crawlies and all the bugs omg. Plus witchcraft mixed with cultural lore mixed with history…chills.