I enjoyed this in the beginning. The mystery, the dynamics of all the character relationships, and the high tech angle were all drawing points. However, after a while it felt like it began to drag. There were questions I had about some of the backstory and the one on-going mystery of their friend and the house that either a) felt like it took too long to answer or b) didn't really answer at all. This is not to say everything always has to be resolved, but in a book like this, I expected a little more than what I got in those aspects. on the other hand, the things that it did well were done VERY well. The buildup of the tension between Shawn and Billy and Emily, the flashbacks, and the way Boone made it feel "techie" without drowning the reader in "geek speak" were all well done. I thought the love triangle aspect was pretty well developed and that the emotional complexities of the characters were established and relatable. Overall, a decent read that just lost a little too much momentum in the middle for me. 3.5/5 stars

I was so excited for this novel and I really had the bar set high for Boone, but unfortunately he didn't live up to his name in this novel. It had everything going for it at first, but it was just extremely drawn out and boring. I thought all of the characters were dull and I never truly found myself relating to any of them or really connecting or sympathising with them. It was such a let down because the idea behind this novel was so incredible. I really wanted to like it, but unfortunately it wasn't for me.

This novel was sent by NetGalley and Atria Books in exchange for an honest review.

Billy and Shawn started building a computer program years ago in a cabin beside a haunted mansion. Billy left with Emily and Shawn started a company and become a multimillionaire. Shawn wants to start a new project with a program that him and Billy started years ago. He has to talk Billy into taking the project as well as Emily. And they are to live in the mansion that Shawn has rebuilt.
I loved this book. It is my favorite of the year. It has suspense and mystery and horror all in one book.

THE MANSION, by Ezekiel Boone scored points with me in the atmospheric department, but the characters all fell flat for me. While the writing style kept me reading, I have to say that I was overall disappointed in the way this story turned out (as opposed to the others I've read by this author).

Thanks to Net Galley for the gift from Wish List! I loved the Spider Trilogy from Mr. Boone! This is very different, not bad, but not to the level of The Hatching, at least for me. For fans of Techno Thrillers this could be for you. It is not up to the level of a Crichton story, which is the pinnacle when it comes to tech. There is a triangle relationship that also plays a huge role in the story. Sometimes I thought the story got kind of bogged down in the details of those relationships. I did like the technical aspects of a HAL/Alexa like characters and the critique of our modern digital age and the pitfalls and opportunities. I think if the details of the human relationships were a little less detailed it would of streamlined the novel. Getting to the mansion earlier in the novel would of helped also. It does finish well, just took awhile to get there. Definitely pick it up if like horror / tech, just watch out for the bogging down in the beginning! Thanks to the publisher Atria/Emily Bestler Books and Netgalley for the opportunity to read one of my favorite authors!

The Mansion started off a little slow for me with the introduction of characters and explanations of the technology Shawn and Billy were trying to invent way back before Eagle Logic officially took off. But as soon as that was out of the way, I was completely hooked wanting to find out what happened to Billy, Shawn and Emily in that tiny cabin on the creepy property of Eagle Mansion. Especially, since Billy and Emily are back, ten years after their spectacular fallout with Shawn, trying to fix the glitches of Shawn and Billy’s original creation: Nellie.

Nellie’s a far more advanced version of our present-day Alexa or Siri, and Shawn finally got her up and running, but with bugs that his own team of engineers can’t iron out. Nellie’s been installed in the newly renovated Eagle Mansion, a renovation that’s been plagued by questionable accidents with Nellie acting up all over the place. There’s a “ghost in the machine” that makes Nellie unpredictable, and dangerous…

I wanted to know: Was Eagle Mansion and the grounds truly haunted? Or was this just a case of malfunctioning technology? There’s a dark history between Shawn and Billy, even before Emily, slowly revealed through character’s memories as they tackle the problem of Nellie in the present. The revelations were chilling! From Shawn’s own past, to what went down ten years ago with Shawn, Billy and a third programmer who eventually disappeared. Scenes from the past and present made my hair stand on end and my pulse race! I love it when an author can put me on edge, and fill me with tension over what might happen next!

I felt Mr. Boone really dug down deep with his characters in The Mansion compared to The Hatching books. I appreciated that this was a bit more character driven since I love getting inside and finding out what makes them tick! Billy, Shawn and Emily, were all likable and unlikable at times; perfectly imperfect, and it was easy to sympathize with them even when I didn’t approve of their actions.

The Mansion was a book I really wanted to read straight through, but sadly life had other plans for me. Still, every time I picked the book back up, I was again riveted by the story unfolding. Ezekiel Boone created a very different story from his previous series, The Hatching, but both are compelling, and frightening in their own ways. I eagerly await whatever Mr. Boone comes up with next!

A copy was kindly provided by Emily Bestler Books via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Shawn Eagle and Billy Stafford spent two years living in a dilapidated cabin outside of the desolate, empty Eagle Mansion, subsisting on cheap beer and an enthusiasm to create something new. The two programmers worked hand in hand to create the revolutionary technology that they named Eagle Logic. Along the way Emily began dating Shawn and tension soon escalated between the best friends. Eventually their rock solid friendship crumbled away and Billy left the cabin with Emily to start a new life. While Billy got the girl, Shawn got the technology and today is a billionaire while Billy deals with the struggles of staying sober and fixing his broken marriage with Emily.

Years have passed since Billy and Shawn have seen one another. Shawn has recently reached out to Billy to bring him on board for a secret project. He is working to bring to life their former failed project, Nellie, a computer program that can control your home’s every function. Nellie’s skills range from opening/closing the doors, ordering groceries, controlling your car, and anything else you can dream up. She is the ultimate companion and she’s living within the walls of Eagle Mansion. However, something has gone wrong. During the renovation of the mansion there have been multiple accidental deaths and injuries caused by Nellie. In order to understand what’s gone wrong, Shawn must call on Billy for his expertise. Can Billy figure out what’s happening with Nellie or will she continue to wreak havoc on the inhabitants of Eagle Mansion?

THE MANSION is a unique suspense/science fiction story about the powers of technology mixed with a haunted house setting and a dash of drama thanks to a love triangle. I have to say, things didn’t go exactly how I predicted them when reading this book. The opening chapters were all about building up how creepy Eagle Mansion is and then we segued to a ton of backstory dealing with the three main characters of Billy, Emily, and Shawn. I love a good backstory. I love when it provides depth to what’s currently happening in present day. I ended up feeling as though Boone could have cut about half of the backstory out of this book. Things got repetitive for me quickly.

Despite feeling that book hit a lull at times, I will say I was consistently drawn to continue reading just one more chapter. The great part about Boone’s writing in THE MANSION is the anticipation that he builds for how crazy things might get. Well they certainly did get crazy around the 75% mark of the book! I loved the climax to the story, although I did think some character’s reactions were a bit over the top. One thing that truly stuck out to me were Boone’s subtle nods to THE SHINING. In case you haven’t read my review, you can check it out here, but to summarize, I’m a huge fan! I really appreciate when authors shoutout other author’s works in their own. I do wish that several of these nods were either a more central feature to the story or had been expanded on.

I would recommend THE MANSION as a intriguing science fiction suspense read. Don’t be fooled by those marketing this as a horror book. While there is definitely gore and creep factor to the story, I was never scared by this book. I might have wanted a bit more at the end of the day from THE MANSION, but it’s still one that I would pass along to a friend!

Thanks to Atria Books for the free ebook in exchange for my honest review.

From the author that brought us a spider apocalypse (still can't believe I was able to read those) comes a book that people are comparing to The Shining but with a modern twist. I can definitely see the parallels between these two stories.

Billy has messed up his life due to drugs and alcohol - he is struggling and his wife has no idea how bad it truly is. In comes Shawn, Billy's ex business partner. Shawn has an offer to go back into business together again and go back to a hotel they previously stayed at for a few winters. Why are they going back? There are some repairs that need to be done to Nellie (think Siri, Cortana, or Alexa).

There were some moments that felt a little slow on the pacing but I was fascinated and wanted to see how the author was going to incorporate the smart house concept. This is taking the haunted house idea and giving it a completely modern feel. I think that the smart houses are something I would personally avoid having - I don't need everything controlled by my phone. It made me think to my poli-sci classes and how my professor would go on and on about how awful things would be and the likelihood of something going awry (hacking into the systems or the program doing what Nellie did).

I wouldn't classify this as a straight up horror novel - more like a suspense novel. There are definitely sci-fi themes to this as well. If you're expecting horror like The Shining then you might be disappointed, but there are strong vibes from the King novel and definite inspirations.

Overall, I really enjoyed the concept and how the author wove together the past and present for the characters. Of course there's a love triangle that gets involved, but that doesn't become the focus. If you enjoyed Boone's Hatching trilogy, then you will love his new standalone.

I absolutely love the author's spider apocalypse trilogy and couldn't wait to see what else he was going to throw at us and here it is! Something completely different from his other work and I enjoyed it immensely.

Billy's drawn back to this mansion that him and his ex (and soon to be again) business partner and friend, Shawn, lived for a couple of winters, because he's down on his luck and has royally fucked up his life on booze and drugs. His marriage is about to fall apart and his wife has no idea how far they really are in debt. Cue Shawn's intervention to bring him back for a ton of money to fix the glitch in Nellie, this book's version of Siri or Cortana, amplified.

Got that? Good. Now that I've basically regurgitated the synopsis to you - let's talk about the insides. Personally, I was hooked and didn't want to put this book down. I thoroughly enjoyed it from beginning to end. Yes, there are moments where you get that Shining feeling because of a lot of similarities... a LOT.. but here's the thing for me: The Shining dragged for me. While The Mansion did take a little bit to get somewhere and I kept waiting for Nellie to really shine through (see what I did there?), I was pretty much glued to the pages. I enjoyed the past and present views of the main characters. I didn't care about the all too often used love triangle. I don't know you guys, this one just kind of spoke to me. Was it creepy? No. Did it scare me? No. Would I ever live in a house that was (supposedly) that technologically advanced? I'll say no but who really knows. I already got freaked about robot security at the airport so it's hard to say.

This read a bit like a mix of The Girl Before meets The Shining. What Boone excels at his character development and you're going to get more of that than the sci-fi/horror aspect. I wish I had a little more to go on with Nellie and even with the Twins but overall, I'm pretty satiated with this. Don't expect it to be like The Hatching series - this is a complete 180 from that.

Sci-fi/technology suspense is where I would classify this one.

What would happen if HAL from 2001: A Space Odyssey were set up to run The Overlook Hotel from The Shining? This book would happen.

Heavy in The Shining feels...I mean REALLY heavy...I appreciated the ubermodern twist it took. The Shining is one of my all time favorite books, and I know some fans who I could possibly see not liking this or calling it a 'rip-off', but to me it was a solid doffing of the cap to one of Sai King's masterpieces ((in my humble Constant Reader opinion)).

To me, this book reads like a techy-scifi with some horror elements sprinkled throughout. There were a few scenes that really raised my anxieties but I suppose it all depends on what you are afraid of. If you're like me and more than slightly nervous about your Smart Phone, Smart TV or the ever-looming Smart House, this may be a good one for you to pick up. Additionally, I always love a good 'haunted house' story and there were definitely some ghosts woven throughout this book...and twins, don't forget to add some creepy twins in there because regular twins won't do.

The beginning started out a little slow for me but by the time Billy and Emily arrive at Eagle Mansion I was elbows deep in this horrifying goodness. Overall, I found the storyline very readable and I kept wanting to go back for more. I am happy with the way things turned out although the final scene seem a bit too rushed compared with the extended build-up. It all seemed a little too easy in the end. I would definitely read more books by Boone, this was my first, and have been told to check out his Hatching series.

Thank you so much to the publisher, Atria Books, for providing me with a copy to read and review. I really enjoyed this and appreciate the opportunity!

While an interesting premise of a haunted house with AI capabilities, The Mansion didn't grip me nearly as much as The Hatching and Skitter did. Maybe there is something more compelling about spiders, but this one fell a bit flat. I didn't find any of the characters particularly compelling or likeable, which may be part of my issue with the story.

If one could give only a one-word review, that word for THE MANSION would be CREEPY! Starting from a dark place and only getting darker and creepier, this thriller delivers chills from beginning to end.

The Mansion is haunted by ancient prohibition-era ghosts who seem to have possessed the house’s personal assistant, Nellie. The only hope for the inhabitants are psychic twin seven-year-olds conceived on the estate.

Billy and Shawn were best college buddies who spent the two years following college living in a rural hovel near Shawn’s family’s ruined inn in upstate New York. While there, they tried, and failed, to develop the world’s first intuitive personal assistant they nicknamed Nellie. Instead, they developed the first non-binary programming language, Eagle Logic. When Billy runs off with Shawn’s girlfriend, Emily, Shawn becomes a famous tech billionaire similar to Steven Jobs. Billy marries Emily. He then sues Shawn for his share in the creation of Eagle Logic, and loses. Billy begins to drink heavily bankrupting his family until he is forced to enter rehab.

Ten years after initially leaving the hovel and almost two years sober, Billy is summoned by Shawn. Shawn has remodeled the inn into a modern resort called The Mansion and added an ostentatious personal living space called the Nest. More importantly, he has completed Nellie and installed her throughout the Nest. When Shawn asks Billy to fix a few bugs in Nellie while staying isolated in The Nest with Emily over the winter, Billy is quick to accept. Especially after hearing how much money he will make even if he can’t fix Nellie--$50,000 per month tax-free.

There are three parallel plots: present day with Nellie, the time when Shawn and Billy were living in the hovel, and Shawn’s youth in the now burned caretaker’s cottage. It is fascinating to see them twist around each other as the conclusion is reached.

The Mansion is marketed as a horror thriller, where the horror is driven by technology. However, I think it is better described as three, almost gothic, mysteries. There was much more an atmosphere of dread rather than true horror within these pages. Also, the pacing is too slow and syrupy for a thriller. It’s more Daphne Du Maurier than Stephen King or Michael Crichton. Therefore, it is recommended for gothic mystery fans who want to read something more modern than rain swept cliffs and foggy downs. 4 stars!

Thanks to Emily Bestler, Atria Books and NetGalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

I was so intrigued by the premise of this one. A haunted house combined with the technological aspects of it being an AI house had me anticipating much suspense. However, I didn't find this to be suspenseful at all. In fact, I found the storyline of Billy and Shawn's hate along with Billy's drinking repetitive. The amount of backstory in the first 5 chapters was way too much. I just don't think we needed it. I would much rather have gotten to the heart of the story rather than hear about the minute details of everyone's backstories. Like other readers, I think we needed more Nellie, much more. Unfortunately, I skimmed quite a bit of this book which is never a good sign. If you don't mind lots of flashbacks this might be for you.

Thank you Netgalley for the opportunity to preview the Mansion by Ezekiel Boone. This is not a typical scary haunted house book. This is a high speed, techno experient on acid.
Two friends bound by time and experiences separate for many reasons, but they had a "project" that could have been something.
They come together years later to resurrect this "project" - a system that can operate a house - basically do everything. But something is terribly wrong and they will pay the price for their mistakes.
Good Read - something different.

disclaimer: i received a copy of this book via atria/emily bestler books in exchange for an honest review.

i was really excited about this book. i adored ezekiel boone's spider trilogy and really admired his character development and world building. unfortunately, they seemed to have been put away for this story.

there's a house that might be haunted or maybe several of the characters are just extremely unreliable narrators. there's an a.i. that comes across as more of a tantruming toddler than a real threat until she is a threat. there's a past love triangle relived through flashback after flashback and extremely disconnected from the house/a.i. issues that need to be settled.

i think there's an inherent difficulty writing in the 'is it or isn't it' haunted house genre. balancing the story you want to tell while ensuring that you're not just repackaging the originals is crucial for the sustainability of your story. unfortunately, the mansion didn't reach that level for me. instead of focusing on the story i continuously felt like i was trying not to compare pages and pages and pages to other stories in the genre. (for example, emily's tour of the mansion had an unshakable the shining vibe and i literally stopped reading in order to grab the shining and flip to the tour section.)

don't get me wrong, it's a nice story if you're looking for something to waste a few hours of your time with. ezekiel boone has an incredible gift with language in his stories, builds great worlds, and has fantastic character development. unfortunately, this world wasn't one i wanted to visit and these characters mainly annoyed me.

three out of five stars

With technology growing by leaps and bounds, the possibilities are endless - phones that are way too smart, creepy toys that "learn," cars that drive themselves, the list goes on and on. With that in mind, The Mansion certainly piqued my interest. The idea is not entirely new. It's been done in one form or another in movies and books, but just the thought of a house with Nellie's capabilities gives me the willies. That said, this one did have that, but it doesn't entirely deliver on the horror aspect. It's way too slow to be what I would consider scary. We do get a few chills, but so much of the story is repetitive, plus we get tons of backstory by way of info dumps, and lengthy descriptions of everything - and I do mean everything. Granted, some of the backstory is relevant to the here and now, but a lot felt more like filler, dragging the story along. What it all amounts to is a lot of information with a creepy tidbit here and there. Considering what the blurb suggests, this story doesn't have nearly enough of Nellie, who is the most interesting character in the story. It does pick up in the last third or so of the book, but by that point, it's too little, too late to save it for me, and the conclusion is a bit too easy to predict.

Dear The Mansion,

It's not you, it's me.

Gang, it's heartbreak hour. It is devastation o'clock over here in my brain. Because this book sounded good as hell and it still was addicting but I'll admit, this book is a lot longer than it should be. The basic premise is of a haunted house but haunted in many different ways. It's basically a smart house where the AI goes horribly wrong. Have you ever seen the Disney movie "Smart House" that came out in 1999? Go watch that insead.
The novel became very repetitive and even becomes a full fledged love triangle! NOO! Okay, love triangles are a whole other horror element on their own so maybe the author thought it'd fit in this 'horror' novel but NOO I REFUSE!

I loved the detail and atmosphere and that's what made me pick up my kindle everyday but the plot and pacing suffered my enjoyment.

Years ago two friends had a falling out. One went on to become a tech mogul billionaire. And the other became a drunk. A project they worked on before they went their separate ways -- a very complex AI program they named Nellie -- is now almost a reality. Shawn Eagle -- owner of Eagle Technology -- needs his old friend (or is frenemy more correct?) Billy to come tweak the program. When Shawn installed Her at the now refurbished Eagle Mansion for a trial run, Nellie had some pretty severe glitches. It seems she has a mind of her own.....And it's not a healthy one. Does she turn the mansion into a futuristic smarthouse? Yep. But she's also got evil and murder lurking in her source code.

I love this book! Great mix of techie coolness and creepy suspense! I just like Boone's writing and story telling skills. He scared the crap out of me previously with his The Hatching trilogy (Giant angry super spiders.... AHHHHHHHHHHH!) and definitely gave me the creeps all over again in this tale of a smarthouse gone horribly wrong. Nicely done! I am definitely re-thinking my constant whining about how Siri, Alexa and other available AI programs just aren't as functional as I would like. I think Nellie might be just a bit too high functioning. I think I'd rather my AIs stick to knock knock jokes after reading this story. Nobody dies from bad jokes.

Dark hidden secrets. Jealousies. Hatred. Revenge. Deception & lies. Betrayal. Greed. Bad choices. Technology run amok. This tale has a bit of everything. The pacing is perfect, keeping the suspense going until the very end. The characters are completely F'd up....which makes them perfect for the story. And the ending......yikes! Loved it!

**I voluntarily read an advanced readers copy of this book from Atria Books via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are entirely my own. 01001110 01101111 00100000 01000001 01001001 00100000 01100101 01101110 01110100 01101001 01110100 01101001 01100101 01110011 00100000 01110111 01100101 01110010 01100101 00100000 01101000 01100001 01110010 01101101 01100101 01100100 00100000 01101001 01101110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01100101 00100000 01110111 01110010 01101001 01110100 01101001 01101110 01100111 00100000 01101111 01100110 00100000 01110100 01101000 01101001 01110011 00100000 01110010 01100101 01110110 01101001 01100101 01110111 00101110**

The Mansion is not my first Ezekiel Boone book and won’t be the last. The idea for this book is brilliant and kind of scary.

Shawn and Billy used to be best friends back in college. They created something amazing, a computer program called Eagle Logic. But when Shawn’s girlfriend leaves him for Billy their friendship is gone with them. Shawn builds Eagle Technology with Eagle Logic and he becomes a billionaire.
Years go by and during that time Shawn gets richer and more famous while Billy is struggling with poverty and alcoholism. But after troubles with Shawn’s new pet project he asks for Billy’s help. So Billy and Emily go back to the place where it all began, Whiskey Run and Eagle Mansion. And that is when the the real fun starts.

The story is great and Boone gives a real closure. I like it more when I get closure. And the characters and really well developed. I caught myself fearing for all of them despite the fact that I really didn’t like Billy or Shawn that much. But that is not Boone’s fault. He is an exceptional author. I read everything that he writes.

Thank you NetGalley and Atria/Emily Bestler Books for giving me the opportunity to read Ezekiel Boone’s latest book.