The House by Eden Darry is a fantastic horror. A family moves into a new house. It’s everything they dreamed of with space for the kids to play and more rooms than they know what to do with. But sometimes things are just too good to be true.
When we first meet Sadie she is a lawyer in London. She is excellent at what she does and gets paid a lot to do it. Sadie is married to FIn who runs a furniture restoration company and because she earns less than Sadie she takes care of their two beautiful kids, Liam and Lucy.
Sadie is attacked by her former client, Lance Sherry, and before he can do the damage he planned he is scared off and he swears to finish what he started.
With Sherry on the run, Sadie doesn’t feel safe at home and so she moves her family in with her parents. The problem is that Fin doesn’t get along with Sadie’s father and tensions run high. They agree to sell their house and buy another one just outside of London in an area that is more suitable to raising a family.
Fin sets off to find the perfect place for them and when she discovers a house that is in her price range she feels like it might be too good to be true. The place is huge and there is something about it that draws her immediately.
Sadie doesn’t feel as strongly about the house but Fin loves it and she loves Fin so they buy the place.
They move in and strange noises, cold spots and nightmares plague the family. Fin gets less and less sleep and finds herself drawn to the basement and the myriad of secret rooms and passages in the house. Places that only she seems to be able to find.
Sherry is determined to hurt Sadie and he determinedly searches for her but perhaps something else will beat him to it. Something that is already in the house.
The Characters
Finn comes from a poor, scary neighbourhood. She is the main character in the book and we see most of the story from her point of view. As the book progresses she goes from a sweet, kind and loving wife to someone who is increasingly irritated and angry about everything.
Sadie comes from a well off family and she had a good start in life. Her father is convinced she married the wrong person but Sadie loves Fin more than anything and wants their family to be happy.
Lucy is the baby of the family. She is delighted when she moves into the new house because she made a new friend.
Liam is older than Lucy and he knows things that he couldn’t possibly know. When they move into their new house he starts having nightmares so bad that he begins to wet the bed again.
The Writing Style
Eden Darry is on my to-watch list. I am eagerly anticipating her new release because I adored this one so much. The pacing was excellent, combining the thriller stalker with the haunted house was a stroke of genius causing threats from both sides and really putting the pressure on.
The characters were well formed and I loved every word.
The Narration
Kira Omans did the narration for this one and I wasn’t mad about it. Her accents jumped all over the place and she didn’t manage to maintain the same voices for each of the characters leaving me to guess who was speaking at times.
The Pros
I love this book so much that it will get my favourites badge even though I wasn’t mad about the audio version.
The Cons
I wasn’t a fan of the narration.
The Conclusion
If you have loved The Shining, The Haunting Of Hill House (TV show) or The Amityville Horror then you should absolutely get this book. Eden Darry wrote a wonderful horror. It was exciting, captivating and had me on the edge of my seat with anticipation.
I listen to audiobooks while doing dishes and washing. Let’s just say that my kitchen was spotless and all my laundry was done just so that I could find an excuse to finish it. This is easily one of the best books I have consumed this year and I cannot wait for Darry’s next one.
Excerpt from The House by Eden Darry
Upstairs was a little shabbier. It still had the original features, but the hall carpet was mouldy and lining paper was peeling off the walls. There were a lot of water stains on the ceiling.
“Looks like the roof’s knackered.” Fin pointed to a particularly big stain in the front bedroom.
“It may need some attention,” Gemma conceded.
The bathrooms were pretty awful seventies jobs and would need to be replaced at some point, but they seemed fairly functional for now. Why anyone had ever thought an avocado coloured suite was trendy was beyond Fin.
It was the loft bedroom which did it for Fin. The owners hadn’t spared much expense up here. There were new carpets and a walk-in cupboard—a dressing room according to Gemma—and the attached bathroom had a roll-top bath and something Gemma called a rainforest shower. As far as Fin could see, it just meant there were two showerheads instead of one. Sadie would probably like it, though.
“What do you think?”
They were back in the kitchen, and Fin was desperately trying not to show how much she wanted the house. “I have a few concerns, but it looks good.”
Gemma smiled as if she knew Fin was full of shit. “We’ve already had a lot of interest, so I don’t think it’s going to be around for long.” “
Right,” Fin replied. She looked up at the wall and frowned. That’s weird. “There is one thing. I’ve noticed some slightly odd features. The house is structurally sound, isn’t it?”
“I believe so. What sort of things?” Gemma asked.
“In some of the rooms, there’s vents on the internal walls. Or that door in the second bedroom that doesn’t have an internal handle.”
“Well, it’s an old house, you know. Lots of quirks, bits fall off. It’s probably been remodelled over the years—it was built in 1886, you know.”
“I suppose,” Fin agreed. But why would you have a door opening onto a wall? Unless it led somewhere originally. Maybe she’d get hold of the original blueprints and see what work had been done. If they got the house, that was. Sadie still needed to see it. “I’d like to bring my wife for a look if that’s okay?”
“Of course. Let’s go back to the car and book in a time.”
Fin followed Gemma outside. She took one last look at the house and knew she wanted it. Even though it needed further renovation, there was something about it that spoke to her. She felt like she’d come home.
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Bits and Bobs
- ISBN number: 9781635553956
- Publisher: Bold Strokes Books
- Audiobook Publisher: Bold Strokes Books Inc
- Narrator: Kira Omans
- Eden Darry On Twitter
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