by Christina Henry
Release Date: May 14, 2024
2024 Berkley
Ebook & Audiobook ARC; 317 Pages
ISBN: 978-0593638217
ASIN: B0CFPKP9PF
Audiobook: B0CGRYRD4W
Genre: Fiction / Horror
Source: Review copy from publisher
1 / 5 Stars
Summary
Harry Adams loves horror movies, so it’s no
coincidence that she accepted a job cleaning house for horror-movie
director Javier Castillo. His forbidding
gray-stone Chicago mansion, Bright Horses, is filled from top to bottom
with terrifying props and costumes as well as glittering awards from his
career making movies that thrilled audiences—until family tragedy and
scandal forced him to vanish from the industry.
Javier values discretion, and Harry always tries to keep the house immaculate, her head down, and her job safe. Then she hears noises from behind a locked door, noises that sound remarkably like a human voice calling for help. Harry knows not asking questions is a vital part of keeping her job, but she soon discovers that the house may be home to secrets she can’t ignore.
Javier values discretion, and Harry always tries to keep the house immaculate, her head down, and her job safe. Then she hears noises from behind a locked door, noises that sound remarkably like a human voice calling for help. Harry knows not asking questions is a vital part of keeping her job, but she soon discovers that the house may be home to secrets she can’t ignore.
My Thoughts
The House that Horror Built was a huge disappointment for me. I wasn’t a fan of the main character as she whined for pretty much the entire book, and that’s in between hearing things that go bump in the night and just carrying on like it’s nothing because, after all is said and done, she is a single mother and nothing is worse than that. Can you hear the sarcasm there? I spent 300 pages listening her whine about being a single mom. It wasn’t being a single mom that was the problem, it was the fact she had a huge chip on her shoulder and as soon as anyone said anything negative about riding buses or doing anything she did with her son, she immediately got defensive and really annoying.
Harry was the MC and was the most contradictory character in the book. You were witness to her thoughts about everything and everyone, but she constantly judges people which leads her to leap to ignorant conclusions about them and events, waves off things likes things moving in the house as if they are nothing, and bases all of her current problems on her childhood which is also contradictory as her suffering during that time period doesn’t really align with her current behaviours, only being used as an excuse for them. Most of her worries really amounted to nothing so the backstory was kind of useless in this situation. She thinks of herself as this strong person who makes good decisions for her son, but I definitely did not see her this way at all.
The rest of the characters are kind of lumped into one-dimensional ones that I couldn’t really separate or name after having read the book.
The plot was so slow and nothing really happened for about 80%. I really wish I had DNF the book as it was a waste of my time. Most of the time was spent with Harry cleaning the house, worrying about money and how she was going to find another apartment, and that was pretty much it. Yeah, the backstories were thrown in there somewhere, but they didn’t really enhance the plot at all. The last 20% is where all the action happened, but it happened so fast I am not really sure what exactly happened. So, we’ve got nothing, nothing, nothing, plot, ending, done. Where’s the tension, the mystery, the action?
Verdict
The House that Horror Built just annoyed me to bits. I love haunted houses, I love horror, but I did not love this. Books don’t have to be gory to scare the crap out of me, and even if there had been some type of mystery included I may have elevated my rating, but there really was nothing I could grasp. The plot and the character development just weren't there. This was a very painful read. And while I do not recommend this book, consider taking a look at some of the other books by this author, such as The Ghost Tree.
Harry was the MC and was the most contradictory character in the book. You were witness to her thoughts about everything and everyone, but she constantly judges people which leads her to leap to ignorant conclusions about them and events, waves off things likes things moving in the house as if they are nothing, and bases all of her current problems on her childhood which is also contradictory as her suffering during that time period doesn’t really align with her current behaviours, only being used as an excuse for them. Most of her worries really amounted to nothing so the backstory was kind of useless in this situation. She thinks of herself as this strong person who makes good decisions for her son, but I definitely did not see her this way at all.
The rest of the characters are kind of lumped into one-dimensional ones that I couldn’t really separate or name after having read the book.
The plot was so slow and nothing really happened for about 80%. I really wish I had DNF the book as it was a waste of my time. Most of the time was spent with Harry cleaning the house, worrying about money and how she was going to find another apartment, and that was pretty much it. Yeah, the backstories were thrown in there somewhere, but they didn’t really enhance the plot at all. The last 20% is where all the action happened, but it happened so fast I am not really sure what exactly happened. So, we’ve got nothing, nothing, nothing, plot, ending, done. Where’s the tension, the mystery, the action?
Verdict
The House that Horror Built just annoyed me to bits. I love haunted houses, I love horror, but I did not love this. Books don’t have to be gory to scare the crap out of me, and even if there had been some type of mystery included I may have elevated my rating, but there really was nothing I could grasp. The plot and the character development just weren't there. This was a very painful read. And while I do not recommend this book, consider taking a look at some of the other books by this author, such as The Ghost Tree.
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