I promised to read the next book Kiersten White wrote, after I devoured the magnificent Lucy Undying last year. The House of Quiet creates its own world and mythology, but it was just as compelling and just as enjoyable.

In a world where children are named based on their social status, Birdie goes in search of her sister Magpie. You see, there is a procedure that can grant children special abilities, which in turn can give their parents a better life, and Magpie had the procedure done while Birdie was away working as a maid. When Birdie came back, their parents had a very nice house, but couldn't tell her where Magpie was or what had happened.

Through some conniving and blackmailing, Birdie is sent to the House of Quiet, where these special children are sometimes sent to recuperate. She finds a motley bunch of kids, a near catatonic House Wife, whose existence is devoted to serving the House's needs (!), and a Cook who seems to drink so she can forget.

The House is built in the middle of a bog, so there is no chance to escape, and Birdie can't trust anyone in the house, either, especially Forest, the boy who will not speak, and who has the most captivating eyes.

This book had everything I want in a gothic horror novel - a heroine I could cheer for, a cast comprised of people, each with their own agenda, and a series of reveals that each had me turning the proverbial (digital) page to get to the next one. Birdie is everything, and I enjoyed every visceral, claustrophobic moment.

This book is eerie, elegant, and full of secrets It’s part locked-room mystery, part dark fantasy, with a dash of rebellion and a whole lot of heart.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for an advanced reader copy

The House of Quiet by Kiersten White is a third person multi-POV YA gothic fantasy. In order to save her sister, Birdie takes a job at the House of Quiet, a home for children who have had the Procedure to give them special gifts, such as the ability to control the feelings of others, but those gifts are too terrible for them to be out and about in society. But Birdie notices that another one of the maids doesn’t seem to know much about housekeeping and starts to suspect something else is going on. Birdie will find out the secrets of the House of Quiet and the reason beyond the Procedure as well as helping the other children.

This is kind of like a somewhat stripped down Stranger Things where it’s doing the teen horror thing, the mystery aspects, the lead looking for a lost friend/sibling, and the children having psychic powers forced upon them. It doesn’t have the same feel to it as Stranger Things as there is a bit of a tonal difference and the setting is quite different on top of the lack of 80s pop culture references that made it a love letter to a time gone by. This has a more Victorian vibe and the overall conspiracy aspects are more linked to the mystery rather than something X-files is like the adult story line in Stranger Things.

The genre is a bit more tricky to neatly box because it’s ultimately a paranormal gothic horror mystery in a secondary world. It’s blending a lot of different genres but the consistent feature is the atmospheric prose that is embedded in Birdie’s narrative voice and the horror that comes up in a few other POVs when they have a chance to be seen. Because it’s the gothic elements that really seem to shine, I would say that this is more of a gothic than anything else, leaning towards a gothic mystery. The secondary world aspects are featured the most strongly in naming conventions and bits and pieces the reader gets over time of how northerners are treated.

The idea of a procedure in order for young children to get powers and technically everyone has access to it as long as they can pay for it is both very cool and reflective of capitalism. Everyone has equal chances in theory, but the truth is that most people don’t and in order to get that access, someone has to pay the price. In the case of Birdie and her sister, Magpie, Birdie didn’t get to have the Procedure done and had to start working at a very young age so that Magpie could have one. There is also an overarching concern for all of the children who have had the Procedure as something has clearly gone very wrong in how they are treated versus the wealthy who are benefiting from their powers.

I would recommend this to fans of Stranger Things and readers of gothic fantasy who want a mystery plot

DNF at 8%. I found this book really confusing in the short span I let myself read it before giving up. It was hard for me to understand exactly what was going on. Usually when that happens I'll just more confused as the story goes along and the payout isn't worth my continued reading. Maybe I'll go back to it in the future because I like the author.

𝙴𝚋𝚘𝚘𝚔 𝚁𝚎𝚟𝚒𝚎𝚠
🌟🌟
DNF at 31%. Honestly, I'm just confused about what is going on in this book. I think it's just too many characters for me to keep up with, and honestly, I don't want to have to think too hard while I'm reading. Sorry, I wasn't the targeted audience.
I can see a lot of people enjoying this story. I just wasn't one of them.

Thank you, NetGalley, and Random House for the ebook in exchange for my honest review.

𝑅𝒶𝓉𝒾𝓃𝑔: 🥀🥀🥀 ᴏᴜᴛ ᴏғ 𝟻 ᴇɴᴄʜᴀɴᴛᴇᴅ ʀᴏsᴇs

𝑅𝑒𝓁𝑒𝒶𝓈𝑒 𝒟𝒶𝓉𝑒: sᴇᴘᴛᴇᴍʙᴇʀ 𝟿, 𝟸𝟶𝟸𝟻

𝑅𝑒𝓋𝒾𝑒𝓌:

ʜᴜɢᴇ ᴛʜᴀɴᴋ ʏᴏᴜ ᴛᴏ ᴘᴇɴɢᴜɪɴᴛᴇᴇɴ & ᴅᴇʟᴀᴄᴏʀᴛᴇ ᴘʀᴇss ғᴏʀ ᴘʀᴏᴠɪᴅɪɴɢ ᴍᴇ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛʜɪs ᴇ-ᴀʀᴄ!

𝒯𝑜 𝓈𝒶𝓋𝑒 𝒽𝑒𝓇 𝓈𝒾𝓈𝓉𝑒𝓇, 𝓈𝒽𝑒 𝓂𝓊𝓈𝓉 𝑒𝓃𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝓉𝒽𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝓊𝓈𝑒.

𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝒬𝓊𝒾𝑒𝓉 ɪs ᴀ ᴅᴀʀᴋ, ᴛᴡɪsᴛᴇᴅ ғᴀɴᴛᴀsʏ ᴛʜᴀᴛ ᴅʀᴀɢs ʏᴏᴜ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴀ ᴘᴇᴀᴛ-ʙᴏɢ-sʜʀᴏᴜᴅᴇᴅ ɪɴsᴛɪᴛᴜᴛᴇ ᴡʜᴇʀᴇ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄ, ᴄʟᴀss, ᴀɴᴅ ᴄᴏɴsᴘɪʀᴀᴄʏ ᴄᴏɪʟ ᴛᴏɢᴇᴛʜᴇʀ ɪɴ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴍʟɪᴋᴇ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ. ʙɪʀᴅɪᴇ ɪɴғɪʟᴛʀᴀᴛᴇs ᴛʜᴇ ᴍʏsᴛᴇʀɪᴏᴜs ʜᴏᴜsᴇ ᴀs ᴀ ᴍᴀɪᴅ ᴅᴇᴛᴇʀᴍɪɴᴇᴅ ᴛᴏ ғɪɴᴅ ʜᴇʀ ᴍɪssɪɴɢ sɪsᴛᴇʀ—ᴀɴᴅ ᴡʜᴀᴛ sʜᴇ ғɪɴᴅs ɪs ᴀ ᴄʟᴀᴜsᴛʀᴏᴘʜᴏʙɪᴄ ᴡᴏʀʟᴅ ᴏғ ᴀʀɪsᴛᴏᴄʀᴀᴛɪᴄ ᴛᴇᴇɴs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴇᴇʀɪᴇ ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀs, sʜɪғᴛɪɴɢ ᴀʟʟɪᴀɴᴄᴇs, ᴀɴᴅ sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛs sᴏ ᴄʜɪʟʟɪɴɢ ᴛʜᴇʏ ᴇᴄʜᴏ ɪɴ ᴇᴠᴇʀʏ ᴄᴏʀʀɪᴅᴏʀ. ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀᴄɪɴɢ ɪs ᴘᴀᴛɪᴇɴᴛ—ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴛ ᴛɪᴍᴇs sʟᴏᴡ—ʙᴜᴛ ᴛʜᴇ ᴀᴛᴍᴏsᴘʜᴇʀᴇ ɪs ᴘɪᴛᴄʜ-ʙʟᴀᴄᴋ ʀɪᴄʜ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴛʜɪʀᴅ-ᴘᴇʀsᴏɴ ᴘᴇʀsᴘᴇᴄᴛɪᴠᴇs ᴀᴅᴅ ʜᴀᴜɴᴛɪɴɢ ᴅɪsᴏʀɪᴇɴᴛᴀᴛɪᴏɴ, ᴀɴᴅ ᴏɴᴄᴇ ᴛʜᴇ ᴘɪᴇᴄᴇs ᴄʟɪᴄᴋ ɪɴᴛᴏ ᴘʟᴀᴄᴇ, ᴛʜᴇ ᴘᴀʏᴏғғ ɪs ʙᴏᴛʜ sᴀᴛɪsғʏɪɴɢ ᴀɴᴅ ᴇxᴘʟᴏsɪᴠᴇ.

𝒯𝓇𝑜𝓅𝑒𝓈 & 𝐸𝓁𝑒𝓂𝑒𝓃𝓉𝓈:

✨ ɢᴏᴛʜɪᴄ ᴍᴀɴᴏʀ ᴍʏsᴛᴇʀʏ
✨ ʜɪᴅᴅᴇɴ ɪᴅᴇɴᴛɪᴛɪᴇs/sᴇᴄʀᴇᴛs
✨ ғᴏᴜɴᴅ ғᴀᴍɪʟʏ ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴛᴇᴇᴛʜ ᴠs. ᴘᴏᴡᴇʀ-ʜᴜɴɢʀʏ ᴇʟɪᴛᴇs
✨ ᴍɪssɪɴɢ sɪsᴛᴇʀ / ᴅᴀɴɢᴇʀᴏᴜs ᴏʙsᴇssɪᴏɴ
✨ ᴄʀᴇᴇᴘʏ ᴍᴀɢɪᴄᴀʟ ʙᴏᴀʀᴅɪɴɢ sᴄʜᴏᴏʟ ᴠɪʙᴇs
✨ sᴜᴘᴇʀɴᴀᴛᴜʀᴀʟ ᴀʙɪʟɪᴛɪᴇs ᴡɪᴛʜ ᴄᴏɴsᴇǫᴜᴇɴᴄᴇs
✨ ᴅᴀʀᴋ ғᴀɴᴛᴀsʏ/ᴅʏsᴛᴏᴘɪᴀɴ ᴠɪʙᴇs

𝐹𝒾𝓃𝒶𝓁 𝓋𝑒𝓇𝒹𝒾𝒸𝓉: sʟᴏᴡ ʙᴜʀɴ ᴀɴᴅ ᴀᴛᴍᴏsᴘʜᴇʀɪᴄ ᴛᴏ ɪᴛs ʙᴏɴᴇs—ɪғ ʏᴏᴜ ʟɪᴋᴇ ɢᴏᴛʜɪᴄ ғᴀɴᴛᴀsʏ ᴅʀᴇɴᴄʜᴇᴅ ɪɴ ᴅʀᴇᴀᴅ ᴀɴᴅ ᴛᴇɴsɪᴏɴ, 𝒯𝒽𝑒 𝐻𝑜𝓊𝓈𝑒 𝑜𝒻 𝒬𝓊𝒾𝑒𝓉 ᴅᴇʟɪᴠᴇʀs, ʙᴜᴛ ɪᴛ ᴍᴀʏ ɴᴏᴛ ʙᴇ ғᴏʀ ʀᴇᴀᴅᴇʀs ᴡʜᴏ ᴡᴀɴᴛ ғᴀsᴛ-ᴘᴀᴄᴇᴅ ᴀᴄᴛɪᴏɴ.

ʜᴀᴘᴘʏ ʀᴇᴀᴅɪɴɢ!
𝒜𝓈𝒽𝓁𝑒𝓎
ʙᴏᴏᴋsᴛᴀɢʀᴀᴍ: @ᴛʜᴇᴛᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅᴘᴀɢᴇ
ᴡᴡᴡ.ᴛʜᴇᴛᴀᴛᴛᴇʀᴇᴅᴘᴀɢᴇ.ᴄᴏᴍ

Title: The House of Quiet (HoQ)

Author: Kiersten White- I read Lucy Undying, and it was 5/5 read

Publication date: 9-9-25| Read: 9-4-25

Format: e-Book 304 pgs.

Genre:
*YA
*Mystery
*Fantasy
*Paranormal
*Gothic

Tropes:
*sentient house
*magical powers-think X-Men
*class division
*geographical conflict - North vs South (steals children from the North)
*secret identities
*found family

POV: 3rd person single

TW: h drugged, murder, experiments on children, kidnapping

Setting: Sootcity

Summary: Birdie is a maid assigned to HoQ to find her little sister Magpie after she had "the procedure" that gave her powerful magic. The cure is getting treatment at the HoQ, but Birdie learns the HoQ isn't what it seems.

Heroine: Birdie/Kestrel-16, drawn to Forest

Other Characters:

*Magpie-12, Birdie's sister who underwent the procedure and disappeared
*The Housewife-assigns the maids' work
*Rabbit-a maid, has a drinking problem
*Forest-stoic, doesn't speak (can make people do anything he speaks)
*River-a clever charmer, she likes Minnow
*Minnow-a maid and spy
*Cook-runs the kitchen
*Minister of finance-Birdie blackmailed him to get assigned to HoQ
*Dawn/Sky/Lake (sees the future)/Nimbus (a mind reader)-all children @ HoQ w/ magical gifts
*Dr. Bramble- runs the machine for the procedure
*Hawthorn-the tutor, captures children for the procedure
*Arrow-a rebel who comes to HoQ to kill Birdie but becomes her ally
*Iron-a traitor who had the procedure done and joined Dr. Bramble

My Thoughts: Once I got the characters straight, I was able to enjoy this unconventional fantasy. It made me think of AI and what if they took over? Who would be spared-just the wealthy? This was a great commentary on revolution, greed, and protecting the vulnerable. The ending was satisfying yet left the door open for another book.

Rating: 4/5
Spice level: 1/5 kissing only

Thanks to NetGalley, Random House Children's Books|Delacorte Press, and Kiersten White for this ARC! I voluntarily give my honest review, and all opinions are my own.

The House of Quiet is a chilling, twisty descent into a place where silence is survival, power is punishment, and love—for your sister, your self, your found family—might be the most dangerous thing of all.
Set in a world where magic isn’t a gift but a curse to be cured, this novel follows Birdie, a girl with zero powers and too much willpower, who blackmails her way into the most secretive place in the country: a house in the middle of a deadly bog, where children are “treated” after the Procedure unlocks monstrous abilities.
She’s not there to be healed. She’s there to find her sister.
What she finds instead?
A house filled with wealthy, powerful teens who shouldn’t be there.
A staff that smiles with knives behind their backs.
A roommate named Minnow who sees everything.
And two boys—Forest, who never speaks, and River, who never shuts up—each with powers (and secrets) of their own.
And slowly, too slowly, Birdie begins to understand:
This place isn’t about healing.
It’s about hiding.
And what’s really being kept quiet... could burn the entire world down.
Expect:
💀 Gothic horror meets dystopian dark academia
💘 Queer slow-burn romance (with emotional stakes, not just life-and-death ones)
🕰️ A crumbling house full of secrets, surveillance, and locked doors
💥 Repressed magical trauma + classism + secret experiments
🖤 Sisters who would burn the world for each other, even if it’s already burning
Kiersten White masterfully blends creepy atmosphere with gut-punch emotional resonance. The House of Quiet is about the lies we’re told to keep the powerful safe—and the people brave enough to unravel them.
Perfect for fans of:
House of Hollow by Krystal Sutherland
Miss Peregrine’s Home for Peculiar Children but darker and angrier
Wilder Girls meets The Secret History
Anyone who loves their fantasy with psychological depth, slow dread, and found family through fire
TL;DR:
The House of Quiet is a beautifully written, spine-tingling tale of magic, sisterhood, and rebellion wrapped in velvet and shadows. It's the kind of book you read with a flashlight under the covers—and keep thinking about long after the last page.

I received this arc from NetGalley and Random House Children’s Books in exchange for my honest review!

Overall thought: a decent story with a banger of an ending!

For being a shorter book, this took me MUCH longer to read than i was expecting. I had to go back many times at the beginning before i figured out the formatting of the chapters and how the wording of the titles told you whose POV you were reading. Once i was good on that though it became an easy read.

The best part of this book was hands down the characters. I love how you got to know each one of them so by the end there was no confusion and they all felt like family. You know everything about them and each one is very important to the story. With that said, i think the characters do become the main part of the story and the plot kind of falls off for a bit and then comes back fast and hard at the end.

This is definitely a decent spooky season read for anyone looking for a gothic atmosphere and a creepy setting.

I’m unsure if this was a format issue for me and would have done better on audio…?

Slow and heavy and claustrophobic
I spent a lot of time kind of confused about who was who and what was really going down. I’m actually interested in a reread now that I know the ending maybe not focus on what’s happening as much as the gothic feel of the book. On audio…
Huge Kiersten White fan.

I’d say go into it expecting to ride the vibe and understand later?

It was good. It wasn’t Mister Magic but I still thought it was smart, well crafted and eerie.

Thanks to netgalley and random house pub for an eARC

A really enjoyable read, with fascinating characters, a unique level of worldbuilding and a twisting plot. A compelling novel!

Atmospheric and quiet, this book is the perfect gothic blend of creepy and mysterious. Let it be known, that it is a slow burn, though, and often purposefully obtuse. Readers should not expect large info dumps or for their hands to be held through every revelation, as much of the backstory and world building is implied. Still, it is a rewarding read with a solid plot, satisfying ending, and an endearing cast of characters. I loved it and found it wholly unique. I'm honestly really hoping for a sequel. It wraps up in such a way that a second book is hardly needed, but I would truly just love more time in this world and with these characters.

An interesting YA mystery following a maid as she embarks on a quest to find her sister. Very intricate world building that is done quickly and efficiently to draw the reader right into the story. Some romance, drama, mystery, thriller, and fantasy elements combine in this tale.

White has done it again! A fabulous page-turner that scares and delights at every corner. I found it delightfully spooky and perfect for a fall read.

After loving Lucy Undying earlier this year I couldn’t wait to get my hands on this one. This was such an interesting concept and I had so much fun with it. I loved the vibes and it’s definitely perfect for the spooky season.

Having read all of Kirsten White's other novels I was very excited to read this one . A cross between X Men and Miss Perrigrene the premise is intriguing . Birdie enters the House Of quiet to look for her sister . The house of quiet is a strange gothic building in the middle of a bog filled with children that have had the procedure . Families save for years for children to have the procedure. . This is a strange gothic twisty novel full of questions. The characters are excellent and well rounded . You've probably never read anything like this .

The House of Quiet by Kristen White is one I have mixed feelings about. While I appreciated the FMC’s story and her quest, I personally found it hard to get into at times and even had to set it down a couple of times. The storytelling felt a bit vague, and I struggled to fully grasp the “procedure” within the book or the actual reason for it. That said, the last part of the story does pick up and had me more engaged. Overall, I’m still not quite sure how I feel about this one, but I appreciate the opportunity to read it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for providing me with this ARC.

First Line: The dizzy game was Magpie’s one request before Birdie goes away.

Reasons to Read:
Deadly Institution 🏚️ — The House of Quiet hides children with dangerous powers, but no one knows what really happens to them after the Procedure.


Sister’s Quest 🕊️ — Birdie infiltrates the house as a maid, risking everything to uncover what happened to her missing sister, Magpie.


Twisted Secrets 🕵️ — Aristocratic teens with unnatural abilities, watchful servants, and sinister truths turn Birdie’s search into a fight for survival.




Rating: 🏚️ 🏚️ 🏚️ 🏚️ + 🕊️

Thoughts: While this was on my TBR for September, I did actually read it the last few days of August. This book is beautifully written. We follow mostly Birdie, but also a few different characters of the children who live in the house. There is a lot going on that is surreal and a mystery of what is going on with the kids in addition to Birdie trying to find her sister. This book is not gory and a little different from this author’s previous works. And it might be my favorite one of hers I have read.

3⭐️

I think I'm going to have to give up trying Kiersten White. This is the third book I have read and it's another just meh it's ok. I haven't found that they have fell a bit flat.

This one was dark and eerie. As a reader you are just not quite sure what is truly happening. The premise seemed really interesting. This gothic setting that feels a bit like an insane asylum. However the pacing was off on this one and was incredibly confusing at times. Trying to keep track while feeling overall bored.

I might give this one another try if I get my hands on the audiobook. As a physical read it just wasn't for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and Delacorte Press for this advanced reader copy. My review is voluntarily my own.

Mixed feelings about this book. It was an interesting concept, and I loved the inclusivity of the characters.
However, the first half or so was a bit dull--just the MC doing things and complaining she wasn't finding her sister. Almost gave up on the book, but then it picked up.
The whole "procedure" thing was a little too vague (why do they need a huge structure to do it when one of the characters has a portable device that does the same thing??). It didn't make a ton of sense what the POINT of the procedure was. What do those who have it go on to do? And the whole sister/house mother thing didn't make ANY sense at all. I basically have no idea what the point of that part was.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.