“We think the haunting of Steele House started long before that.”
Hendricks Becker-O’Malley is trying to adjust to her new life in her new town, but it’s difficult to blend in when all eyes are on you. Especially when those eyes are suspicious of your past. You see, Hendricks has no digital footprint. No social tracking and no way for anyone to find out any information about her life before moving. So, naturally, people want to know about the girl who moved into Steele House. The house a little girl died in three years prior.
Danielle Vega had me pleasantly surprised with her writing. This book is classified as a YA yet the syntax reads like adult fiction - not that either style is inferior, I just typically prefer adult fiction lit. I slashed through this book in a couple days 1. because the story is short, 2. because it’s written well and intriguing for a campfire tale. That being said, there are a number of negative reviews under Goodreads that cite numerous clichés but I interpreted that to be the point of this work. It’s a spruced up, modern day telling of a classic haunting. The clichés didn’t bother me because they were effective and fun.
The relationships are typical. You aren’t going to find an original character, but the slight additions to their plights make them more interesting than most. The love triangle was a bit ridiculous, I will say, especially the final revelation. It made me realize why I had such ridiculous expectations of love when I was a kid because this is how relationships are portrayed. But as an adult, knowing this is NOT the way it works (haha ), I can appreciate the corniness.
Overall, fun ghost tale with some unexpected gorrific scenes that really satisfy the horror fiend within me.
Mona Kabbani is a horror fan, book reviewer, and writer obsessed with psychology and the human condition. She emulates the conflict of the good versus the bad and all the inbetween in her work while providing an entertainingly horrifying experience.