Review - A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James

A Box Full of Darkness

by Simone St. James

Release Date: January 20, 2026

2026 Berkley

Ebook ARC; 352 Pages

ISBN: 978-0593200414

ASIN: B0F5PKRY8L

Audiobook: B0F67PW6QM

Genre: Fiction / Horror / Mystery

Source: Review copy from publisher

 

2 / 5 Stars

 

Summary

Strange things happen in Fell, New York: A mysterious drowning at the town’s roadside motel. The unexplained death of a young girl whose body is left by the railroad tracks. For Violet, Vail, and Dodie Esmie the final straw was their little brother's shocking disappearance, which started as a normal game of hide-and-seek.

As their parents grew increasingly distant, the sisters were each haunted by visions and frightening events, leading them to leave town and never look back. Violet still sees dead people—spirits who remind her of Sister, the menacing presence that terrorized her for years. Now after nearly two decades it’s time for a homecoming—because Ben is back, and he’s ready to lead them to the answers they’ve longed for and long feared.

 

My Thoughts

A Box Full of Darkness is one of those books I thought I would give a chance simply because I really enjoyed this author's earliest works and I always want to give the new ones a chance as the concept always sounds intriguing.  This one had an interesting concept, it returns to Fell, the setting of a previous book, there are ghosts involved, and includes my favorite, a decrepit house with a lot of secrets.  However, the mystery never really grabbed my attention and I wasn't invested in what happened with the siblings.  Basically, the whole thing felt forced and silly.

 

The three siblings were the main characters and their stories were told through their POVs. They hadn't really seen each other in twenty years and personally, I don't think the relationship between them was developed very well as it felt forced and contrived.  The dialogue was stilted and focused mainly on superficial things even though the author tried to force some sentimentality with childhood reminiscences that didn't quite hit the mark.  After twenty years of not being interested in the house, it did seem odd that the three would suddenly leave their jobs in order to investigate the house when 'something' happened, as if they can just drop their lives at the drop of a dime.  

 

I did enjoy the creepy vibe of this book and really liked the crumbling house with the forest behind it that no one went into. Boy, as kids they really didn't explore a lot as I would have been all over those woods.  So, imagine the shock when they discover things in those woods they didn't as kids. Imagine! And even though the book took place in the 80s, you couldn't tell because the author didn't really take advantage of the nostalgia of the time period.  Even the mention of the hotel, the setting of a previous book, didn't seem to fit the tone of the book and was jarring. 

 

The plot is kind of where this book missed the mark for me. Let me just say that I did enjoy the creepy vibe of the house and loved the ghost sightings, but those are things I live for in books.  The story itself didn't make sense though and a lot of questions were left unanswered or you just had to suspend belief and just move on.  Um, no.  Too many questions, no explanations, so the book fell flat.  And all of the questions were centered on Ben, his arrival, and his disappearance as well as Violet's sightings of another evil entity in the house.  The plot holes were so big you could drop this book right in them.

 

Verdict

A Box Full of Darkness is one of those book for which I had high hopes, that it would be the type of book I first read from this author, but it was not to be. While I did enjoy the supernatural element and loved the setting, it wasn't enough to get past a plot that left me frustrated and annoyed due to the many plot holes and unexplained elements as well as poorly developed characters.  This book just didn't make sense.