(MINOR SPOILERS AHEAD)

This book was great! It takes a lot for a book to scare me, but ghost stories and ghosts showing themselves are the one thing that truly freak me out in books. The first time that Hattie shows herself to Helen, I didn't yet know if she was angry and wanted revenge, or if she just wanted help with something. I was reading before bed, so I definitely got a little creeped out at that point. But, then it continued to get interesting. The writing style was great and included realistic dialogue between the characters. I was right about one of the twists at the end, but not the other, so it was nice to still be surprised by something. I enjoyed this book and would recommend it! 4/5

An interesting concept- a couple moves onto this new land to escape from their previous lives. Nobody in the town wants them to come because of the multi-generational story of a witch who was killed on the property. This smudge on the history of an otherwise fine town has been haunting the occupants for decades.
When the couple starts seeing apparitions of the witch who died, they try to figure out what she's telling them, before they end up with the same fate as her.

A very slow read for me til the halfway point, when the flashbacks started, then it picked up some. I didnt really care for any of the characters either and can't say exactly why. None of them seemed all that sympathetic. Even Olive was kind of obnoxious. Also, why did no one ever point out that even if Olive did find the treasure, she wouldn't get to keep it so no, it would not solve her problems? Treasure belongs to the landowner.

All in all, just okay.

*ARC via netgalley*

One of the most intriguing and breath taking books on the spirit world. As Helen and Nate begin building their dream home, strange things begin happening....items missing, ghostly figures seen....and Helen feels drawn to find the clues that will lead her to someone she is supposed to save. Their quirky teenage neighbor Olive has been drawn to the boggy area as well in search of a legendary treasure left by a witch in the early 1900s. You will be guessing til the very end whether these spirits are real and whether they mean to harm or to protect. Absolutely excellent.

“The Invited” is a blend between a psychological thriller and a classic ghost story. It kept me legitimately creeped out! McMahon is a talented writer who crafts great characters that span across time. Any fans of thriller and horror should check this title out! It does wrap up nearly at the end, so while you get a fright through the book it won’t leave you feeling existential dread at the end.

Would you intentionally invite spirits into your home? What about if you knew they had an important message for you? Jennifer McMahon explores these questions in her latest horror novel, The Invited, which comes out tomorrow, April 30. If you’re a fan of haunted houses, historic ghosts, and women who defy expectations, you won’t want to miss this one!

History-obsessed Helen and her nature-nerd husband Nate make the bold decision to abandon their comfy suburban lives and embark on an ambitious project: building their own home from scratch. After purchasing the perfect spot of land in rural Vermont, they learn that the bog on their property is said to be haunted by the spirit of Hattie Breckenridge, a woman hanged there for witchcraft almost a century before. Helen yearns to connect with Hattie, and it seems that Hattie is just as eager to get a message to Helen. Though she knows her skeptical husband will disapprove, Helen begins incorporating objects into their new home that will invite the spirits in. Meanwhile, Helen and Nate befriend a local rebellious teenager named Olive. When Olive’s mother disappeared last year, everyone said she had run off with another man. But what if that’s not what happened? While Helen chases after Hattie’s ghost, Olive searches for Hattie’s legendary buried treasure, along with any clues to what really happened to her mom.

The Invited brings elements of the Gothic into a modern story in some new and exciting ways. The most Gothic aspect of the story is its focus on setting. In this case, instead of moving into a home that is already haunted, Helen and Nate are constructing their own haunted house piece by piece. Even the story itself is structured like the house, with the title of each section reflecting a phase of construction, such as “Foundation,” “Framing,” and “Floors and Trim.” Moreover, the action of the story is deeply tied to its sense of place. Apart from the house itself, the bog around it is particularly spooky with its legends of ghostly animals and buried bodies. Helen studies the surrounding area’s local history in order to learn more about Hattie and her descendants, and she visits the physical locations of important events. Throughout the story, we see evidence that spirits become anchored to physical objects and that settings can hold onto history in a very literal sense.

One of my favorite things about this book is the way that it blurs the lines between different genres. At first glance, The Invited seems like a pretty straightforward horror story. It even appears to fit neatly into a particularly trope-filled subgenre: the haunted house story—even if it does so in an unusual manner. But as the book goes on, the reader slowly begins to realize that even though the ghosts are terrifying at times, they are not the true source of horror in the story. In fact, this isn’t a horror novel at all, but a mystery/thriller. Hattie’s spirit is here to warn Helen that someone is in danger—and not from the ghosts. Helen must follow the clues she’s given by the spirits in order to stop another tragedy from striking Hattie’s family.

McMahon is one of my favorite authors. I automatically purchase anything she writes. She unsettled me and keeps me engaged and this one was no different!

THE INVITED by Jennifer McMahon leaves a lasting impression. Even though I guessed a small part of the mystery before it was revealed, the author completely surprised me with the who, what, and where. Highly recommend this nail-biter!

In the beginning, we learn about Hattie Breckenridge and her daughter Jane in the year of 1924. Jane does something unthinkable, but it’s Hattie’s psychic ability that is her demise. Accused of witchcraft, she’s hung by her neighbors. The very same neighbors who came to her for herbal remedies and affairs of the heart.

We’re pulled into the present by Helen and Nate, a couple who decide to quit their teaching positions, build a home, and live off the land. They use Helen’s inheritance to start their new life on 44 acres in Vermont. They live in an old trailer during their construction, something they’re doing most of by themselves.

Helen and Nate witness several creepy things on their haunted land. When they meet a young girl, Olive, they realize some of the creepiness was her trying to get them to leave. Olive’s relatives influence more mystery. Helen is fascinated with the history, but will it be her downfall in a place she can’t control?

I love these slow build stories. Each weird or creepy thing that happens makes me more anxious to read faster. The back-to-basics theme is a favorite of mine, so I like Helen and Nate’s side of the story. I love a good ghost story, especially when it’s filled with history of lives past. Because Helen is a history teacher and curious because of it, it reminds me of the Archaeology adventures I love so much. Her need for more knowledge carries the mystery forward. Science guy Nate is a good balance for Helen, even though he gets weird with his obsession, too. Olive just adds more oddities to the mix until it all falls together at the end.

I’ve had THE WINTER PEOPLE by Jennifer McMahon in my print TBR since 2016, unread. It’s one of those books I picked up on sale because the title reminded me of one of my favorites by Phyllis A. Whitney.

When THE INVITED popped up on my feed, I couldn’t believe the coincidence. The house on the cover resembled some photos I took years ago down a country road at twilight. The place creeped me out and made me think there was a great ghost story behind it.

I just had to request this book for review. Who could deny so many subtle and not-so-subtle hints? I’m so glad my intuition was right. Finding new-to-me authors has become one of my obsessions. I enjoy the journey of finding them as much as discovering their talent.

Author Jennifer McMahon is my new favorite find. I love her style of mixing current day with the past, using ghosts as the pathway.

THE INVITED is the perfect creepy mystery without all the violence and gore of today’s thrillers. It reminds me of the 70s Gothics I love, but with a new modern twist that I bet today’s reader will appreciate. Those of us who cut our teeth on the Gothics of the 60s, 70s, and 80s will find many of the fun techniques we love in this novel. But for the inexperienced reader, THE INVITED will lure you in, then make you look for more when the last page is turned.

I loved everything about this book. The characters were engaging and fooled me more than once. The mystery is excellent with all the right creepy feels you need in a ghost story. Do bad things happen? Yes – this is a crime-filled thriller – just without the violent, gory details it doesn’t need.

The story holds its own without any tricks. The characters and the mystery move the story forward at a great pace. I could feel the tension building in the characters as I rushed to the conclusion. I was tense and curious with them, as well as anxious for answers to all the questions generated by events past and present.

Jennifer McMahon’s bio on her site is telling. I can see so much of her in this novel. I loved the do-it-yourself house construction and living off the grid moments. This book really has all the bits I love in a novel.

I highly recommend THE INVITED to lovers of Gothics, ghost stories, mysteries, and archaeological dig type stories. This one has it all with a positive ending that made me smile.

Review and photos by Dorine, courtesy of TheZestQuest.com. You can see my photos at my site.

This was just my jam! Ghosty elements, a nice little mystery and super atmospheric! I loved McMahon's The Winter People and The Night Sister but was disappointed by Burn Town. Glad to see she went back to what she does so well Gothic!

I might be the outlier, but I just could not get into this book. The premise was interesting, as was the history of the Breckenridge women, but the book lacked a spark and even lacked spook.

Another excellent, fast paced, well plotted novel from Jennifer McMahon. If you are a fan of spooky folklore, ghost stories, and family mysteries, you will enjoy this novel. I did not see the plot twist at the end of the novel coming.

I'm always cautious about giving a book 5 stars. I think I need to "feel" something. And usually, I do. This book was different.

I was pulled in, but felt that the story itself was slow-moving. Perhaps it was, but as I kept going, it made perfect sense and no longer full slow. Suddenly it was fast paced and working out things that weren't all that obvious. Sure, I was able to figure out one of the secrets, but the others, the end, it all came wrapped perfectly.

As someone who is interested in this type of family history, the suspense and mystery of piecing together the past, I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I liked the way it unfolded; the background of the characters; the multi-view chapters. A truly great read.

Okay y'all, this book was CREEPY. Normally I'm a very pathetic person when it comes to ghost stories and scary books, but I loved the author's book, Winter People, so I wanted to read this one as well. It did NOT disappoint! There's a mystery, history, and a lot of gothic New England scariness. It was so haunting, and I loved the mix of old and new, historical and contemporary. If you enjoyed WInter People, or just like a really creepy, mysterious read, this book needs to be at the top of your list!

5 out of 5 stars for The Invited by Jennifer McMahon.

The Invited’ is way out of my comfort zone cos I am a straight-up wuss. I do not watch horror movies, try not to listen any ghost stories and don’t ever read scary books. The last scary book that I read was Verity, and even that was possible because of ‘The Office’ playing in the background.

This book was one of the better written scary books. It has a proper plot, lot of spooky scary moments but also a lot of mystery. Had so much fun reading it!

I first want to thank NetGalley and the publishing house for a free electronic copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. I say 3.5/5. It is about some "flatlanders" who move out into the countryside and purchase land right next to a haunted bog. The area where these people chose to build their house has had a long history of "witches" having lived there. Some unfortunate things happened in the past to the family on that property. The wife who moves and builds there, is drawn to seek out objects with connections to the family in the past, and incorporates them into her new home. And things start to happen.
I love haunted stories. This one read just like an episode of "A Haunting". I liked it. I will recommend it to other paranormal/thriller readers. I had been wanting to read this author and overall I am not disappointed.

Man, I REALLY wanted to just fall deeply in love with this book. I wanted to be enthralled, mesmerized, and enchanted. I wasn't.

This story is told from multiple viewpoints and crosses time so you have to pay attention to that piece of things but even aside from that, the story just took too long and then suddenly it was done. Does that make sense? The gist of the story? Hattie was hung in the early 1900s for being a "witch." Helen and Nate buy her land in the 2012's and start building. Olive is the 14 year old neighbor whose mother mysteriously disappeared a year ago and the two of them were searching Helen and Nate's property for rumored buried treasure. Crazy things start happening and people believe the ghost of Hattie is causing harm to people.

I was captivated the first few chapters. Couldn't stop turning the pages, and then suddenly I didn't want to read it anymore. Have you ever read a book that intrigued you, it fascinated you, you NEEDED to know how it ended, but it was work to read it? That was this for me. I felt as though there was so much unnecessary "filler." Conversations that weren't necessary, pages and pages and pages to get to the small point being made. So much beginning and then suddenly it was done. I had to go back and read the epilogue a couple times to understand how it really ended. It was an overall let down for all the work I put into to getting to that point.

Thank you to Netgalley though, for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2831704100

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC. I received The Invited by Jennifer McMahon awhile back and have attempted to read it a few times and it just hasn’t kept my attention. It follows the story of a city couple who decide to make a lifestyle change and move to the country. This novel opens with a scene that took place a long time ago and resulted in the deaths of many people by a large fire. Currently, the couple ends up experiencing things during the building of their new home that leave quite unsettled. I just couldn’t connect with this story, which stinks because I really like this author.

So there are witches, a haunted house, and a treasure hunt-what’s not to like? Nate and Helen quit their teaching jobs for a more simple life and begin building their new home in the country and they keep adding pieces with a “history” and that stirs things up quite a bit. There is a good mystery in this one and honestly I didn’t figure it out until it was revealed.

It's been a long time since I have read a book that gave me the creeps so much, that I was afraid to go to sleep. The Invited is most definitely one of those books that is sinister, full of mysteries and a page turning suspense that keeps the reader on the edge of their seat until the very end. Reads like a classic New England ghost story but it packed with history, genealogy, and different perspectives both past and present. We come upon Helen and Nate-who have recently purchased a large plot of land in a small town where they decide to build their dream home. As they get to know the land itself, the people in the town begin acting strange towards them. Helen is determined to uncover the secrets of the town, the bog they live next to and the people that she befriends. This was a great book, I'd suggest leaving the lights on if reading at night !

In the clearing stood their nearly finished house: their dream house, their haunted house, a home for the dead and the living. A place where Hattie and her family could gather. An in-between place.

A panorama adventure awaits for Helen and Nate. A young couple living in the big city dreaming about having their own place in the country. A place that their passions can flourish. Helen's passion for history. As a history teacher, anything she sees, she imagines the history behind it. Her love for history is contagious with all those she meets. Her husband Nate has a passion for animals and nature. Their new acquired property has both their passions and more. They got their place for a steal as the previous owners left suddenly and tragically. The place is haunted by the turn of the century woman named Hattie. A woman who was falsely accused of witchcraft and hung on her own property.

Nate & Helen begin their housing adventure with building the house using pieces of history related to Hattie and her family which brings the past to the present. It also brings young Olive into Nate and Helen's world. Being a neighbor, Olive has always been drawn to bog which sits on her neighbor's property. Her mother has suddenly disappeared, leaving Olive confused and hurt. Her mother and her believed a treasure was left behind before Hattie was killed. A treasure Olive believes will bring her mother back. The relationship between neighbors changes as they begin to help each other with the past and working together to find peace for Hattie.

I was surprised on how much I enjoyed this read. I am not a panorama fan but I like a good mystery with engaging characters such as the Invited. There was some surprises but also the author lead you along as the mystery of Hattie and her family came into fruition. Helen and Nate were bohemian type, free spirited in their drive and passions and were perfect to bring the past and present peace.

A Special Thank you to Doubleday Books and Netgalley for the ARC and the opportunity to post an honest review