i really liked Katherine as a character, the whole plot was great and I really enjoyed reading this. It was a good thriller and I would recommend it.

The Corruption of Alston House by John Quick was a solid ghost story.

From the very first page, I connected with the main character, Katherine, as well as the storyline. The plot got better and better as the story continued. The author was descriptive enough that you could play out a movie of the book in your head. I loved how the author took several different tragedies and use those to move the ghost story ahead. It made the whole “ghost concept” easier to believe. The story moved along, the characters ranged from funny to crotchety, and the book was hard to put down. I would definitely read more by this author.

Thank you to John Quick, Silver Shamrock Publications, and NetGalley for the opportunity to review this ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ book.

If you love haunted houses, then you'll adore Alston House. Unlike its present owner, who swiftly loses her fascination for the place - but what to do? The story rattles along like old chains down a staircase, there's a surfeit of "boo!"s and scares galore, and it doesn't matter that people have been writing variations on this exact same tale for as long as words have existed, in the hands of a skilled author, the terrors never get old.

*First off I want thank NetGalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing for sending me an ARC digital version of this novel by John Quick*

With this being my first time at reading anything by author John Quick, I will definitely be looking forward to reading him again. Those who follow me on my YouTube channel AreYouIntoHorror know that I love LOVE a haunted house book.....well this one had me reading it from start to finish in one day.....finished it at 4:45 a.m.!! After I finished, I looked at what others thought of this book before writing this.....and I was so surprised by how many people thought this was a slow burn horror novel? What!!? This was anything but slow.

I must admit upon starting Corruption of Alston House, I immediately thought of that house in Long Island, you know the one. As I read on, I was completely hooked by Quick's writing style, he brought me a main character (2 actually with the House being the 2nd character, and it is one!!) In Katherine that I cared about quickly.

The creep factor and the haunting, or better word as the title says, the corruption of this house terrified me. When you are abruptly and shockingly thrown into a graphic meeting with the first ghosts in this book, your jaw will drop with a response that you will soon not forget! Quick takes you on a horrific ride that you will want to make sure you have your seat belts on for, because this roller coaster has it all; horror, graphic scenes of murder, rape, ( warning ahead) both of adults and children so if you have a problem with that be forewarned. The reason I did not give this a 5 star review was there was a bit, just a small one page bit of silliness towards the end that I didnt think worked in with the horrors of what it would be like to live in and share a dwelling with something that was so horrible, mean, disgusting and dirty. Upon the finish of this, I was exhausted and so upset that it actually had tears of sadness and joy running down my cheeks, yes it made me cry. Be ready for the "Corruption of Alston House" and of your nerves and dreams. Look for video review sometime today after I get it edited and posted on my channel AreYouIntoHorror on YouTube.

*Disclaimer: Though I was granted a free ARC, this had no input on how I reviewed and or rated this book, all my feelings were 100% true and honest*

Hi all!
Today I am back to review another new release - The Corruption of Alston House by John Quick  - which was published in December 2019. I was permitted to read an ARC (Advanced Reader Copy) thanks to NetGalley. This adult-fiction, horror novel follows Katherine, a recently divorced woman who yearns for a fresh start. She moves to a quiet town and purchases a mansion called Alston House, which needs a lot of work. After a while, she begins to witness paranormal activity and an evil, haunting presence that wants to control her. It's up to Katherine to figure out what is going on and how best to beat a ghost that is damned. As always, I am going to provide my honest thoughts and let you know whether I think it's worth checking out or not. Without further ado, let's get into it!
Trigger Warnings: rape, sexual abuse, physical abuse, suicide and paedophilia.

 This is a snapshot from my NetGalley account
WHAT THIS BOOK DOES RIGHT 
The best part of this book is the plot. The story was interesting, intriguing and extremely spooky. If a writer manages to scare me, they are doing something right. I was genuinely creeped out at times. I wanted to know who or what was haunting the house and the mystery surrounding it. There is a little bit of a twist at the end that pushed my star rating up. I was really happy with the direction it went in. I was also pleasantly surprised by the rich history of the house and it's former inhabitants. If you want a scary, haunted house story, this is the novel for you. 
WHAT THIS BOOK DOES WRONG 
My biggest pet peeve with this book was the writing style. I don't want this to seem like an attack on the author, but he is a male writing from a female's perspective. Now there is nothing wrong with that...if done well. John Quick sexualised Katherine so much, it felt really unnecessary. In fact, it was almost perverse at times. He was obsessed with her walking around the house naked or the wind arousing her nipples or her wanting to pleasure herself. It seemed in poor taste and to be perfectly honest, it felt a little seedy. There was also a lot of 'telling not showing' at the beginning, but the writing did improve as the story went along so I cannot complain too much.  
OVERALL STAR RATING 
I gave this book 4/5 stars. It won me over by the end.
If you are interested, you can order a copy here.
I hope you enjoyed this honest review. Let me know your thoughts down below. I appreciate all feedback. Thanks for reading!
Peace & Love xoxo
Disclaimer: I am not being paid or sponsored for this post/products – all my thoughts/opinions are my own

It was a risk buying Alston house, buying it virtually on the internet, Katherine had seen the house needed extensive renovations. But it was in a small popular town in Tennessee, called Poplar Bend and she was hoping she could turn everything around.

Katherines life has already been on a downward turn as of late, filled with heartache and tragedy and buying this house was something she hoped would bring everything back to normal.

Although, what the real estate agent did not tell her, was that Alston house had a long history and the darkest of secrets within the town. One of the homes former residences never left, even after death, and now his sights are set on her.
Can she uncover the truth? Or will she become another victim of Alston house?

The atmosphere of this book is electric, and when the author is describing the house, you feel like you are actually there and can feel the whisperings, see the shadows.
The story is consistent and a brilliant horror story, it is a page turner and if you love ghost stories, then this is one for you! Would truly recommend.

Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC of this book. I really enjoyed this one. Quick is an excellent author and I want to read more by him.

I read an advanced review copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks so much to #NetGalley and #JohnQuick.

I was so excited to read this book. I love spooky haunted house stories. This one was set in Tennessee where the main character Katherine, a painter, had just moved to for a fresh start. Her young son had died a year earlier. She purchased the house sight unseen because the price was right but she had little info on the history of the house.

Katherine begins the many renovations on the multiple story house amidst immediately. The second floor however she decides to wait on because it seemed to bed the most work and also it creeped her out. Also soon after moving in she paints a painting in one evening which is a record for her. The thing is, she doesn't remember painting it, other than beginning. She had no idea where her inspiration came from our who the figure in the painting is.

Strange things begin to stay happening in the house,especially on the second floor which she mainly carefully avoids. After several scary happenings she decides that it is her fate to find out what happened in the house and to try to rid the house of the bad spirit that occupies it.

Overall this book was enjoyable to me but I would have liked it to move at a faster pace. I thought the antagonist (evil spirit) was very creepy and scary at times. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes a good ghost story but doesn't mind a slow pace.

**Reader beware of triggers: rape, incest, child abuse, etc...**

It is no spoiler to state that this story involves a house that is haunted. As the story continues you learn that the house is not the only thing that has been corrupted by the evil that inhabits the property and the local population have been complicit in several nefarious acts.

The book takes a long time to move forward to the denouement but there is a cumulative effect of information about the main character Katherine which provides added context to what transpires. A broken marriage and another family tragedy lead to the main character seeking a new start in a new location.

When reading a haunted house tale, I always think why on the earth the character or family does not leave the property immediately on the first sighting of something untoward. This question is answered categorically as you realise that Katherine feels that she has nothing left to lose so why should she leave?

The story took slightly too long for things to get going for my liking. However, my perseverance was paid off as I enjoyed the last third of the book far more than the first third.

Would I read something by this author again? Possibly

Thank you NetGalley for my ARC.

Katherine's life has been on a downhill turn, filled with tragedy and heartbreak. When she bought Alston House in the small Tennessee town of Poplar Bend, she hoped it would be the chance to turn things around, center herself again, and get serious about her art. True, it was a risk buying a house virtually sight unseen through the internet, but she knew it needed some extensive renovations, so what could go wrong?

What the real estate agent never told her was that Alston House had a history that was among the darkest secrets in the small town. As Katherine begins to put her life back together, she discovers there is more here than meets the eye. One of the home's former residents never left, even after death, and now he seems to have set his sights on her. Can she uncover the darkness at the heart of the town and overcome her personal ghosts, or will she become one more victim to the town's hidden hearts?

For those who enjoy the haunted house genre, they will be satisfied. It is a good read overall.

Fab! A gothic horror story that has a great narrative. Although the story may feel "familiar", the author's excellent narration carries you, the reader onwards.
The beginning, well.......perhaps a little slow paced?!? But, in my opinion, this just all adds that little bit more to the prickle of apprehension and the fingertip feeling running up your spine. Really sets the reader up for a brilliant climax. I will definitely be recommending THIS one. An excellent start to 2020!
Thank you to the author, the publisher and netgalley for my arc. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

Katherine has lost her son the year before she buys the Alston House. She wants to make the move to Tennessee a new start for her and her painting career. The house needs lots of work but she finds the third floor a great location for her bedroom and studio. After a few days strange things begin to happen. She is able to finish a painting in one night, she has never done this before. Then she starts to see ghosts too. Luckily she makes new friends.
I enjoyed this book a lot, it wasn't crazy scary but just the right amount.

4.5/5

Minor spoilers

A borderline southern gothic ghost story, with a disarranged Victorian mansion, and malevolent but subtle spirits. This is a creepy read in time for the holidays.. After all, there are creepy Christmas connotations in this one.

Katherine Ransom has experienced a lot in the past year-an unnerving divorce with a minimizing husband, the untimely death of her only child (an interesting story in itself), and instead of dwindling on her own misfortune , decides to subsist by moving from Charleston to the reclusive Tennesseean township of Poplar Bend. She gets a steal on the local ‘haunted house’, and despite the wear and tear of the local property, it somehow manages to stimulates her vanishing artistic ability.

Immediately, Katherine starts to experience all the shock horror that comes with the desolate mansion, as well as the ostracizing town. One would expect humorous Southern dialect between Katherine and the locals, but Quick chooses a consequential and obstinate approach for character development, and I believe it serves this book well. There is quite a bit of seriousness in here that justifies the lack of humor-suicides, kill pacts, pedophilia, etc.

Thanks to NetGalley for the free download.

I have read other books by this author and really enjoyed them, but for some reason I just could not get into this particular book. I stayed with it as long as possible but my interest was never piqued. Disappointing.

The Corruption Of Alston House has a slow, slow build, but once it gets going, everything becomes clear.

Katherine buys a house, sight unseen, Little by little the story come out - her marriage didn't work, a fresh start is needed. The house, itself, is surrounded by rumors....One of the previous owners is rumored to have never left.

This story is about justice and prejudice and horror....the horror of human beings.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Although a rather formulaic story the writing style kept you going through to the end with little difficulty. Haunted house with active ghosts, previous owner died violently and mysteriously, house on sale well below market value, bought by young woman starting a new life after traumatic murder of her son, she interacts with ghosts, discovers the nasty secrets and gets them sorted. It's formulaic as I said. The main ghost is a particularly nasty former owner who, with his wife, took in, abused and then murdered young children behind a facade of utter benevolence. There's a bit too much of Kat, the new owner, wandering around in her undies, at best, then being propositioned by the ghost as well as seeing him up to dark deeds with a young girl and as soon as we knew of the brick-up door in the cellar we knew what was behind it. Still, how Kat survived both the ghosts and the strange people of the town some of whom knew, and condoned, what was going on kept me reading. Enough for a wet Sunday afternoon in the depth of winter. Thanks to NetGalley and Silver Shamrock Publishing for an advance copy in exchange for my honest review

All my life since early childhood I've railed at Injustice and promoted the Underdog. THE CORRUPTION OF ALTON HOUSE certainly ignited that mindset. "Corruption" indeed. Some mightily evil characters indeed populate this book, and so do too many of those to whom 18th Century statesman Edmund Burke referred: "The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing." In other words, those who turn their backs and ignore injustice, or worse, serve it.