The premise of this book sounded very intriguing and I loved the gothic horror feel to it. However, I felt confused throughout the book and some of that might be contributed to the amount of characters being introduced. The plot of the book focuses on the main character sneaking her way into an eerie house in hopes to find her sister. Kept in this house are children with abilities who are locked away from the outside world. A lot is going on so I understand the focus being switched, but it seemed like her attempt at finding her sister is sort of lost at some point in the story and she begins focusing more on the friends she's made in the house. I did really enjoy the depth behind each character and how they worked together to discover the secrets of the house. I'd rate this book 3.5/5 stars.

"A dark fantasy about a girl who will risk everything - posing as a maid, confronting powerful enemies, and unraveling deadly secrets - all to save her missing sister from the enigmatic House of Quiet.

To save her sister, she must enter the House.

In the middle of a deadly bog sits the House of Quiet. It's a place for children whose Procedure triggered powers too terrible to be lived with - their last hope for treatment. No one knows how they're healed or where they go afterward.

Birdie has begged, bargained, and blackmailed her way inside as a maid, determined to find her missing sister, Magpie. But what she discovers is more mysteries. Instead of the destitute children who undergo the Procedure in hopes of social advancement, the house brims with aristocratic teens wielding strange powers they never should have been burdened with.

Though Birdie wants to ignore them, she can't help being drawn to stoic and silent Forest, charmed by clever River, and concerned for the youngest residents. And with fellow maid Minnow keeping tabs on everything Birdie does, danger is everywhere.

In her desperate search for Magpie, Birdie unearths terrifying threats and devastating truths, forcing her to confront just how much she's willing to sacrifice to save her own sister. Because in the House of Quiet, if you find what's lurking beneath...you lose everything.

Unravel the mystery. Ignite the rebellion."

Interesting fauna inspired names...

A locked room mystery in a dystopian world that, unfortunately, fell flat in its execution.

I believe the biggest issue I had with this novel was the confusion between the worldbuilding and the plot/location. We, as the reader, are given bits and pieces of how the world works, but since we spend much of our story stuck in the isolated House of Quiet, in many ways these pieces feel both incomplete and unnecessary. Much of the worldbuilding, as well as the plot surrounding Birdie herself, is never answered and is mostly just handwaved away even by the last page.

While reading this I felt like I was missing large pieces of the world, as if I was reading the second or third book within this world, and not my first introduction. From the war/conflict on the horizon, the strange machine that creates the powers within the children, to the reasoning for the House Wife and the core of the House of Quiet itself - none of these are ever really answered or fleshed out by the narrative. I kept feeling frustrated that the entire plot was placed in this one location that made it impossible to understand the worldbuilding or plot surrounding the book itself. In many ways, I felt like this book fell victim to having too many ideas without having the room to breathe life into any of them. This book would have strongly benefited by removing large swaths of the background worldbuilding and instead focusing on the people within the House of Quiet itself.

While reading this book, it took me an extremely long time to even understand the plot or how this world worked. For pages and pages I would be reading whatever Birdie was doing on the page without understanding the reasoning for it, or even what was going on at all. Even by the end, when the “twist” or “answers” are revealed, I felt like nothing was actually answered and I finished this book with more questions than I had started. Somehow, the conflict is resolved simply and easily, and yet - with the massive worldbuilding in the background - I finished this book feeling like everything that I’d read and had happened was pointless in the grand scheme of things.

While the description does describe the events of this novel, if you were looking for a gothic mystery trapped in a single location I would suggest looking elsewhere, as much of this book felt confused in its execution and without ever combining the plot with the worldbuilding into one cohesive unit.

Thank you to Netgalley and Random House Children's Books | Delacorte Press for providing me this e-ARC.

A very intriguing premise, which I felt didn’t have all the pay off it deserved. I’ve read a handful of books from White now and I have to say she’s very hit or miss and unfortunately I do think this was more of a miss.

The closest comparison I can make to this book is the movie New Mutants or to Dark Powers by LJ Smith.

I think one of the biggest downfalls for me was this book had way too many characters. I do have to say they all are unique, but switching from Birdie‘s perspective to these other individuals made for a bit of a confusing read that was sometimes hard to follow.

This novel is sold as an older sister, looking to find her missing younger sister, and I don’t think that premise was fully delivered on. Birdie gives up relatively easily when she doesn’t find her sister right away and so while she’s still investigating for the rest of the novel, it seems to have more to do with her new found family rather than her original mission, and entire premise of the book.

I received a digital copy from Penguin Teen Canada & NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

This book wasn't originally my type., but as I gotten more and more through it, I am glad that I stuck to it. The writing style was unique and whimsical. Things did move slow in the book, but at the same time, the author gave us great world building, detail, and when things did happen or twist, it was really worth reading on. The setting is a very dark and gothic setting...a bit magical, as if you are reading through a tale. I had to pay a lot of attention to this book...it was not a quick read and I couldn't really read fast at all. I had to be in the mood for reading to really process this book.

Great plot. The House of Quiet is a place where children sent there has unique powers bought on my a. procedure. It was supposed to be a program for the children of the poor, but instead, wealthy children are in the program. Birdie saves up money for her sister Magpie to get into this program through working as a maid, but when she returns, Magpie has mysteriously disappeared and things just aren't quite the same. So it's a mystery, There were so many twists and turns and the ending wasn't disappointing at all.

Characters were well thought of. They had good back stories and current stories and purposes. They all grew, you felt for most of them, and most of them play a essential role in the plot.

The House of Quiet by Kiersten White follows Birdie, a girl searching for her sister, Magpie. In her search, she gains employment at The House of Quiet where the residents have interesting powers. The closer Birdie gets to people, the more mysteries she finds.

I liked this book, but I didn’t love it. I’m a huge fan of this author and have read several books by her so I was highly anticipating this new book. The way this was written kind of made it hard to follows. Some of the chapters would jump to other characters and it felt very random.

It also felt like some of the world building was missing. I was confused at the beginning but just kept reading hoping that more would be explained and a lot of it never really was. It almost like this book is missing a few chapters at the beginning.

I did enjoy the story and I thought the characters were interesting. I loved this ideas of kids with powers but I just wanted a little more. I think if someone wants to read a book that is vibes heavy for fall, this would be a good one to try!

"She has a job to do, and she'll do it. That's what Birdie's good at. Pushing down her own feelings and getting to work. She doesn't matter. She never has."
Birdie is desperate to find her sister, Magpie, who had some procedure done to her in the hopes that she would develop powers and lift their family up out of poverty. In her quest to find her sister, Birdie finds herself sent to work as a maid at The House of Quiet. Children with abilities are sent to this house to adjust? Honestly there was a lot of world building and back story I think we didn't get to read about because we were so isolated in the house. So sometimes things got a little confusing. The ending was a little vague but left room for a sequel and I'm excited to see where this story goes because it does have a lot of potential and was a real page turner! Definitely worth reading if you want something a little creepy and a lot intriguing!

I was really looking forward to this new release, sadly it was not for me. It had a mix of things I love but plenty I could not grasp. From the very beginning and throughout I was confused… the copy felt very cut and paste and out of order. Maybe that was intentional and may work for some. I will say… what kept my interest throughout was the characters, they were very endearing and I was invested in them throughout. The atmosphere was very detailed and I could vision the location of this haunting house set on a bog. Miss Peregrine X Marvel set in a bog. Also is this going to be a series? Duology? It ended very opened and curious what the finished copy will reflect.

Thank you Random House Children’s Books for the gifted copy.

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The House of Quiet had such a compelling premise, but unfortunately, it didn’t quite come together for me. The synopsis promised something tense and gripping, but the writing felt like it was working too hard—overcomplicating a story that might’ve hit harder with a bit more clarity and restraint.

There were moments where the atmosphere started to build, but they never fully landed. I wanted to feel pulled in, but instead I found myself getting a bit lost in the language.

★ ¾

I wanted so badly to fall into this book. Dreamlike, dystopian, and burning with an undercurrent of political horror and a menagerie of memorable characters (and bog bodies!), The House of Quiet felt chock-full of promise that I unfortunately felt lacked the substance I was searching for so ardently.

My love for this book absolutely falls within the characters. Despite a much larger supporting cast than most books (and most YA titles specifically), each member of the House of Quiet felt fully realized—carrying their distinct airs as people in a way that made the world feel much more vibrant and believable despite its supernatural undertones. Birdie, in her desire to find Magpie, spoke to me a lot: resolute and determined and willing to sacrifice herself to bring peace to those she loved. It was also incredibly refreshing to see the younger children written in a way that did them justice as they struggled with things far bigger than themselves; so often I see authors lose touch of how children and teenagers function, and it makes their interactions feel stilted and awkward as a result. Here, though, the connections between the cast as they found themselves grappling with horrors beyond their comprehension were easily the meat that held the book together to the degree it did.

However, this book felt almost as if it was trying to build a mansion while forgetting the foundation it rested upon. The themes of propaganda as a tool to control a wider populace, a country ravaged by war and oppression, and the wealthy building their empires on the backs of the poor were—though as direct and heavy-handed as expected for a YA book—sound in nature and cognizant of struggle, even if it felt as if the author was afraid to connect them directly to real-life circumstance. This, combined with worldbuilding that uprooted so many questions for the reader (What happened to Birdie's sister, Magpie? What is the "procedure" that changes children irrevocably beyond repair? What is the red window? Who is the traitor in the house?), provided a promise of something that could have been incredible but did not deliver. In attempting this flavor of gothic and mysterious environmental storytelling, so much of the world's workings were left unanswered and unexplored (especially about the "procedure" in question, which disappointed me given its position as a catalyst for the book's events), which left me with a significant disconnect from the plights of the characters I wanted to grow attached to.

Finally, the ending, although hopeful, didn't feel like an adequate closure to the journey we just went on and left many threads that were set up wholly unexplored. (For this reason, even though this title wasn't to my taste, I hope we get a sequel in which we can see more of the meat of the world that was left obscured to us here.)

Overall, what could have shaped up to be a wonderful title felt—regrettably—incomplete for me.

Thank you to Random House Children's and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

e-arc provided by Netgalley

There was something about this book that was confusing to me - I think it might be the way the characters were named that made it hard for me to remember who was who. I do love named chapters and that was a good aspect of this book. Overall this was middle of the road for me but still glad I read it

What an absolute rockstar of a book. It took me way longer than it should have to figure out what was going on, but that was just because I was enjoying the characters so much I wasn't really paying attention. But the way the plot comes together and the way the characters are so carefully exposed is just absolutely masterful. It's such a well crafted read on top of being an excellent plot. There were so many points that had me punching the air with glee as I put clues together, or exciting pieces of information were dropped. This book is spooky but not scary, so even if you are a scaredy-cat you can still absolutely enjoy this book.

The writing was confusing for me and I normally don't keep reading stories like that, but once I pushed through, it was very entertaining. I think it was mainly written that way to keep the mystery, but it made it hard to focus, with the way my mind works. I liked the idea of the book. I also enjoyed a lot of the characters, like Birdie and River, Lake as well. It was also fun discovering what their abilities are and learning the mysteries of the house and the characters that inhabit it.

OK, I don't know what's going on but I don't like it - the last two Kiersten White novels I've tried (this and Lucy, Undying) have just not worked for me, and I don't know why. I love White's writing, as a general rule, but have struggled with these two books despite great premises. This one just felt weird from the opening salvo - I was confused and felt like I'd dropped into the middle of the book (or of a series), in which the world-building and characterizations were already established. I couldn't find my way in, and the feeling only exacerbated as the book went on. This one was not one of my favorites...

The House of Quiet follows Birdie as she enters the House, a pace for children whose Procedure created abilities too terrible to live with, in a desperate attempt to find her missing sister, Magpie. But nothing is as she thought. She finds aristocratic teens who shouldn’t have gone through the Procedure and mystery around every corner. But with another fellow maid suspicious of her and danger lurking everywhere, Birdie must work quickly to guard her heart and find her sister before the secrets of the Procedure destroy her.

Okay, I had such a good time reading this one! It’s so incredibly complex and there’s so many layers to the world building that keep you questioning everything until the very end. I was honestly confused at so many points, but it was a good confused. The book kept me hooked and on my toes and I loved the ending and twists. The author created a dark, eerie, haunting atmosphere beautifully. The setting really shines in this one, especially as they’re essentially trapped there.

I really enjoyed the characters in this one. Birdie was so easy to root for. She’s clever and strong and has this fierce, desperate desire to find her sister. I loved her character arc and her romance with Forest. It was so sweet and the ending was perfect. River, Dawn, Nimbus, and Lake were such good side characters and added some lovely humour. Minnow was also so much fun and I really loved her romance with River. Also her friendship with Birdie. The whole crew was really well written and I’d love to read more stories with them!

If you love dark, gothic fantasies with eerie, haunting settings and mystery, I’d definitely recommend checking this one out!

Thank you to Penguin Teen CA and Netgalley for the arc

I always really enjoy this author's books and this one was no exception. It had a unique premise and every time I thought I had figured out what was happening it would turn out to not be that. I did feel like the book was a bit rushed and I would have liked more of a view into the before and the after, the politics that were going on in the book also felt super out of place at times. The one thing I really loved was the atmosphere of the marshes and the house itseld. I did like her other books a bit more, but I would definitely still read anything by this author.

Ok, so I won't say that this was a favorite of mine. I did absolutely love the author's And I Darken trilogy and I guess you could say I had high expectations. Now the book was decent, the plot was good and I really liked some of the characters. Birdie was a decent main character, but I think my favorite was River. When I got to the last paged and "kindle" turned it, I said "oh!" Because I actually expected there to be another page to read. So I guess you could say I did enjoy the book.

This wasn't my favorite of White's books. It started a little sluggish which I think was supposed to bring suspense, but it wasn't quite atmospheric enough for that. About halfway through the story really picks up and we get into the suspense of who did what and who has what powers. At this point the book speeds up. This is great for readers who want a darker super power book. It could get a sequel and start a series, maybe that was the point for this to be a setup book. I would have liked it better without all the setup, mainly because the world building isn't quite there.

Thanks to Random House and NetGalley for the preview. All opinions are my own.

I won't lie. I was super worried that this was going to be too scary for me (I'm a big weenie). The opening chapters are creepy as hell. But I persevered! And I loved it. Yes, it's claustrophobic and atmospheric and gothic and creepy and confusing. But the characters! I loved these kids to pieces, and there's a lot of heart and sweetness at the core of this story.

The confusion around what is going on with the house and the "procedure" definitely adds to the tension. This isn't fully explained until the end, but at the end of the day, it's really what those in power will do to those with less power that is the true horror. This is a dystopian world, and unraveling the motivations and mechanations of the world reveals the true rot.

But the characters! I loved them all--Birdie, Minnow, Forest, River, Lake, Nimbus, and Dawn are all so precious. There end up being 2 super sweet romances (m/f and f/f). plus there's found family. And the way they all grow and help each other and protect each other just had my heart exploding.
We end on a hopeful note, and I am just cheering these little misfits on to go change the world.

Highly recommend, even if you think you're a scaredy-cat that can't handle horror. You can definitely handle this book!

Wow…. OK, so no hate on this book, seriously, but after 4 weeks of really trying, I finally have to move it to the DNF pile at 50%.
The premise sounded very interesting, and the cover captivated me. However, this was one of the most challenging reads I can remember ever undertaking.
Right off the bat I felt lost. There were several times during the first few chapters that I had to go back and reread because I was so confused. I can appreciate a slow build and the author keeping us in the dark until the time is right, but I felt like I never left the dark. There are so many characters, each of which has their own set of issues. And so many questions that leave you feeling disoriented and ungrounded. When you do finally get one question answered, it just opens the door to even more questions. Personally, I just couldn’t hold onto the story.
I set the book down for a while and decided to come back when I was in a different state of mind. Big mistake. It was even harder to get back into the story and collect my bearings. This is the type of book you need to give your FULL attention to at all times.
And truthfully, it deserves it. I see the potential. I believe this is a great book. For the right reader. Unfortunately, I am not that reader.
If you like slow build, are into dark and mysterious vibes, and aren’t easily distracted, then this is definitely the book for you.
I would still recommend this book to most reader friends and I would never discourage anyone from picking it up, but I would also recommend with a caution.
My lack of interest in this novel will in no way deter me from reading any of the author's future works.

I am very grateful to Random House Children's Books, NetGalley, and Kiersten White for the eARC and the opportunity to read this.