If you feel overwhelmed with the amount of cruelty in the world and how many people seem inclined to cause as much harm as possible, then this is the book for you. It's about a group of kids with supernatural abilities being shipped off to a house to be "fixed." A young maid only arrives to search for her missing sister, but she finds both the horrifying reality of that "fixing" and more people to care about than she ever thought she could. Yes, it is a horror, but it's also about the bonds that can form and about how much caring is possible even when up against utter terror. It is filled with so much EMPATHY, and demands to know why that could ever possibly be a bad thing.

“The House of Quiet” felt a bit like a fairytale, due to the character names (e.g. Rabbit, Minnow, Lake, River,…) and the dark, dreamy atmosphere. The plot was sometimes bizarre and unusual, but that made it feel like an original read.

I didn’t always feel fully connected to the book, but I still enjoyed it overall. It left a strong enough impression that I’d consider reading it again at some point.

I am honestly so disappointed that I didn't click with this book. The main issue I had is that the story felt very disjointed and you're thrown into it with no understanding about what is going on, you're simply introduced to some characters who are going to a house and the more I read the more confused I was. The way this story was being told just wasn't working for me and so I closed this title at 36%.

Thank you for the opportunity to read early.

Thank you to Negalley, the publisher, and the author for letting me read an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is all I have to say: I am both amused and flabbergasted at how this book, which had me totally confused and mind-boggled 90% of the time, has left me feeling so much love and happiness by the end. Spectacular 5/5. Amazing work from this author.

White weaves a story that’s part X-Men, part evil scientist, and part confusion in The House of Quiet. It contains good moral lessons and definitely pits rich men against the rest of the world.

While I enjoyed this story, it wasn’t nearly as good as Hide or Mister Magic. Part of that is because answers were frustratingly rare. For instance, you’ll eventually learn what some of the special abilities are, but you’ll never learn if any of them actually go to work for the government, as promised. In reality, it seems like they’re simply screwing over the poor. They make them scrimp and save for years to pay for their kids to have an awakening, but then you’ll find out that (SPOILER) most of the people at The House of Quiet will never leave the property. Making them pay for the ‘privilege’ of losing their child is absolutely hideous.

I’m going to have to round this one down to 3 stars from 3.5. It’s was good, but it lacked that certain something that would have made it great.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an ARC. This review contains my honest, unbiased opinion.

First, thank you for the book in exchange for an honest review.

This book starts out strange. All the names, at first, are animal names and there is an ominous feeling to the book from the start. A house that feels alive, sisters that you can two something dark is about to happen to, and a talk about a procedure.


Honestly, I read this in one sitting. It sucked me in and I had to know what happened. The characters at the house were all intriguing and unique. I love the mystery behind them and their abilities and I love that it started to switch around perspectives.

There are just enough twists and turns to keep you interested and the book is super fast paced for the second half. I would love a second book!

I have a love hate relationship with Kiersten White's work, Mister Magic was one of my favorite books I've ever read but Lucy Undying was one of the worst dracula retellings I've ever read in history. House of Quiet was a quick weird read with White's beautiful atmospheric craft but it just kind of plateaus at the end in an unfinished way that I hope an editor can comb through one more time before release.

This is one of the most bizarre books I’ve ever read. As someone who recently lost a sister I loved the fact that Birdie would do anything to find and save Magpie. This book is unhinged and weird and I enjoyed it.

So anyway, picture this, me at 2 AM, Kindle in hand, having just finished this book. Tears streaming in rivulets down my face. Perhaps in ample quantity to fate aforementioned Kindle to be waterlogged.

Yeah. What started off as an eerie, unsettling story blossomed into the most moving tale of found family and inner strength I’ve read in a very long time.

Vibe-wise, I’d comp to The Umbrella Academy x Miss Peregrine’s x Monster House x The Orphanage. But the story is also uniquely its own, and is not trying to mimic any of those existing stories.

Wow. Okay. Let me go find some tissues now.

Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books for the ARC

A world where a procedure is designed to help children from poor families, giving them a chance at a better life. However, a true civilizational mystery lies hidden in the enigmatic House of Quiet. The further one goes, the more secrets are revealed. Birdie discovers that her sister may be in this house, so she secretly poses as a maid to search for her sister and the truth.

What kind of place is this? A psychiatric hospital? A secret government institution? And what happened to Birdie's sister, Magpie?

Most of the story is told from Birdie's perspective, but there are also other viewpoints, which is interesting. She is searching for her sister, but she realizes that many people in the house need help.

At first, it wasn't too difficult, but with each step, more questions arose, and at times I became confused. I enjoy stories about houses filled with mysteries. There are also children with abilities, which reminded me of the atmosphere in "Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children."

Even though there's tension and intrigue, I found it a bit dull. I liked that the names depend on a person's status in society; some have bird names, others plant names.

Overall, the book is atmospheric, compelling readers to uncover the truth. The characters are teenagers, and I perceived them as such, displaying neither overly mature nor overly childish behavior.

• Secret house
• Superpowers
• Sister searching
• Found Family

I have to admit—this is one of the most unique, claustrophobic, gothic, and complex books I’ve read recently!

At first, I had a hard time getting into it. The world-building is dense and mysterious—the country is divided into North and South, there’s a glaring class disparity, and a procedure exists that’s meant to give children from impoverished families a chance at a better life. But the heart of this story is the enigmatic and eerie House of Quiet, and trying to understand it was like walking through fog.

What is this place? Is it an asylum? A secret government facility? Why are only the children of the rich being treated there, when this program was supposed to help the poor? What kind of “treatments” are happening behind closed doors? Who is the Housewife, the ghostlike figure who glides through the halls, assigning cryptic tasks to her chosen maids? And what really happened to Birdie’s sister, Magpie? Could she still be hidden somewhere behind the many locked doors? Why are so many of the rooms empty? What is the red circle? What happens in the dreams? Can anyone actually leave this place?

From the first chapter, my brain was spinning with questions. And as I read further, I got more questions than answers. The author masterfully keeps us in the dark, and although the pacing felt slow at times (a bit frustrating, I admit!), the creativity, tense atmosphere, and hope of eventual answers pushed me to keep reading. And I’m glad I did, because the ending was satisfyingly eerie and well worth the effort.

The premise:
The story is set in the House of Quiet, a strange, gothic building surrounded by a deadly bog. It's where children are sent after undergoing a mysterious procedure that unleashes powers beyond their control. While it was meant to be a program for those in poverty, every child inside the House is from a wealthy background—which immediately raises red flags.

Birdie, our fierce and determined heroine, gave up six years of her life to work as a maid, saving up enough money for her sister Magpie to undergo the procedure. But when she finally returns home, Magpie is missing—and her parents seem oddly indifferent. Birdie soon learns that Magpie may have been sent to the House of Quiet, and she blackmails her way in, agreeing to act as a spy for Dr. Bramble, who suspects something is terribly wrong with the treatments being carried out there.

Inside the House, Birdie works alongside two other maids:

Minnow, mysterious and possibly hiding her true identity. She seems inexperienced with chores, hinting she may not be who she claims to be.

Rabbit, strange, erratic, and always a bit out of it—yet she somehow becomes the Housewife’s favorite, gaining access to secrets Birdie desperately needs to uncover.

And then there are the patients—affluent teens with unusual abilities:

Dawn, who can transfer her feelings to others.

Sky, volatile and aggressive, constantly testing Birdie.

Lake, a charming liar who thrives on deception.

River, clever, friendly, and suspiciously close with Minnow (yes, there are definite romantic sparks between them!).

Nimbus, the quiet son of a powerful minister. He once encouraged Birdie’s curiosity, leaving books behind that helped her teach herself to read. Now, he's a husk of his former self, needing to be fed and cared for like a child.

And there's another boy, also named River—stoic, silent, and intense—with deep blue eyes that Birdie finds herself inexplicably drawn to.

Birdie’s mission is clear: find out what happened to Magpie. But uncovering the truth might mean risking her own life, as the secrets within the House grow darker and more dangerous with each passing day. Could the truth cost everyone inside their sanity—or their lives?

Overall:
This is a smart, hauntingly original gothic mystery that requires your full attention. It’s not an easy read—it’s slow-burning, purposefully confusing at times, and packed with symbolism. But if you’re open to something fresh and unconventional—a story without clichés or predictable formulas—you should absolutely give this book a chance.

Yes, I felt frustrated at moments. Yes, my head hurt trying to piece it all together. But I loved how weird and bold and imaginative it was. And for that alone, I’m rounding my 3.5 stars up to a solid 4 haunted-house-of-secrets stars!

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books / Delacorte Press for sharing this uniquely strange and atmospheric gothic thriller with me in exchange for my honest thoughts.