Every so often, you stumble upon a gothic novel that doesn't just tell you a creepy story—it gets under your skin and refuses to leave. House of Splinters did exactly that to me. The second Belinda Bainbridge walks into The Bridge, Laura Purcell had me completely hooked. The atmosphere is so heavy and unsettling that I swear I could feel the damp cold of those decaying hallways and hear something scratching behind the walls.
Belinda has spent her whole life living in her mother's anxious shadow, so when she finally becomes lady of the manor, she thinks her real life is starting. But The Bridge? It's not just a house. It feels alive—soaked in grief, greed, and something way older and darker than any human evil. Nothing grows in the garden, the servants won't stop whispering about past tragedies, and worst of all, her son Freddie seems weirdly drawn to these creepy wooden figures—the "silent companions"—that stand around the house like they're watching everyone.

What Purcell does so brilliantly is keep you guessing the whole way through. Is Belinda actually losing her mind, or is the house genuinely out to get her? The answer creeps up on you slowly, and before you know it, you realize every strange shadow, every midnight knock, every creak has been building to something all along.

The writing itself is gorgeous—rich and elegant without ever feeling like it's trying too hard. It's like watching candlelight dance across faded wallpaper: beautiful and delicate, but when the flame flickers just right, you catch glimpses of something terrifying underneath. The pacing pulls you in gradually, almost hypnotically, until the final act hits like a freight train and left me genuinely gasping.

But what really got me about House of Splinters is how much heart it has beneath all the scares. Yes, it's atmospheric and creepy as hell, but Purcell also digs into grief, family legacies, and the impossible weight put on women—especially how quickly they're labeled "hysterical" when they're the only ones brave enough to see what's really happening. Watching Belinda quietly come undone felt painfully real, and Freddie's eerie innocence just cranked up the dread even more.

And Nathan—oh, Belinda's unexpected brother. He shows up all charming and helpful, but there's something rotten lurking beneath that smile. His arrival kicks everything into overdrive, unearthing buried secrets and old sins that had me tearing through pages like my life depended on it, desperate to see which ghost would get the final say.

If The Silent Companions put Purcell on the gothic map, House of Splinters proves she's not going anywhere. This is a story about legacy, madness, and what happens when you try to live in a house that absolutely does not want you there.

By the time I finished, I didn't just feel spooked—I felt like the story had claimed a piece of me. The Bridge isn't just a backdrop anymore; it's a character that's going to stay with me for a very long time.

This is a slow-burn masterpiece that builds into an absolute crescendo of terror. Gothic horror doesn't get much better than this.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Huge thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the digital review copy. All thoughts are my own—and yes, I'm still a little haunted.

House of Splinters is a historical horror following Belinda and her family as they move out of London and into their ancestral home in the rural countryside following the death of her husband Wilfred's father. However, Wilfred is keeping secrets from Belinda about the truth behind his family's history, and those secrets come to light over time in horrifying and gruesome ways.

4.5 stars rounded down - another excellent read! I finished this right after finishing another horror novel, and both of them were so good! This story was atmospheric, spooky, creepy, and had just a touch of gore in all the right places. This was another story I could only bring myself to read during the day - and that's how you know a horror story is doing its job well!

I enjoyed the characters a lot, I adored Wilfred as a father and husband to Belinda, especially given how women were prone to being treated at this time. Belinda was incredible, I loved her strength and devotion as a mother, and loved how she stood up for herself and for her children. I thought the silent companions were excellently creepy, and I liked reading about the backstory of Anne and her daughter. I thought the reveals at the end were fantastic, I didn't expect them at all, but I thought the way the reveals and explanations tied into the plot were done really well.

I learned while reading about this book that it's actually a sequel (or prequel?) to another story set in the same location, so that's immediately going on my TBR to read shortly.

My thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I can't express how GOOD this was. So delightfully eerie and genuinely creepy that I had actually had to turn my lights on. I know some are going to find the pace of this slow, but trust me there was no other way the story should have played out. I thought at one point it was going to slow down too much and go from slow burn to snails pace, but before I could even worry, Laura had my pulse racing and heart pounding.

Every character felt so alive - including Bridge Manor. Creepy dolls and haunted houses with a heavy dose of dark family secrets, it's the perfect recipe for a gothic ghost story. And it DID feel like a classic ghost tale.

I can't wait to get my grubby hands on a physical copy AND to finally dive into The Silent Companions.

Thank you to Blackstone Publishing & netgalley for the arc!

I was thrilled to return to the dank, decaying world of The Bridge in this brilliant companion novel to ‘The Silent Companions’ by Laura Purcell, the modern master of the gothic ghost story. A very different plot, but one that once again features our favorite uncannily creepy two-dimensional friends, the silent companions of the original book’s title. I would read ten novels set at the Bridge and featuring Hetta and her lot.

Thank you to Netgalley and Blackstone Publishing for a copy provided for an honest review.

If you enjoy a creepy gothic haunted house story, I have just the book for you. The Silent Companions has been my go-to recommendation for a gothic chiller for years. I was so excited to hear that the author was revisiting the setting of The Bridge, a remote estate in the English countryside. This story takes place prior to the events in The Silent Companions so it can be read stand alone and I certainly hope you enjoy it enough to seek out The Silent Companions immediately.

Belinda is excited to be moving with her husband to his late father’s remote estate with their son after feeling smothered by her anxious mother for years. The home and grounds are in quite the state of disrepair and she’s looking forward to all the projects though her husband is dismayed to find the neglect has penetrated to the extent of the farm and tenant houses with very disgruntled tenants and locals. When Wilfred’s brother arrives to join the family from abroad, he brings a different dynamic with eerie stories of the family home.

Filled with family secrets and an ancestral home that exudes unease in its inhabitants, the atmospheric setting of The Bridge is the perfect backdrop for this gothic suspense that kept me on the edge of my seat. I loved the family histories combined with local legends filled with community and familial animosity. Is the house haunted? Who is behind the hauntings? Is it a disgruntled employee, a tragic ghost from the family’s past or both? I love suspense when it’s mixed with possible supernatural causes and this was just the book to keep me guessing.

Recommended to readers who love a haunted gothic chiller and dysfunctional families.