I love the premise of the book. I also love that it plays around with combining literary fiction with folk horror and southern Gothic. The book gets off to a great start with Brad witnessing strange and eerie rituals. The addition of a creepy cult like town was giving me all the folk horror vibes I could hope I was hooked and ready to see where this was going to go.

Where it went was strange and a bit confusing as it rambled along. The author uses writing techniques that are meant to cause confusion for the reader and I’m not sure they are as effective as they could be. This is the part that left me on the fence. However, the last third of the book brings the story full circle and and wraps the everything up in a satisfying way. Overall, I liked this slow burn work of literary horror, I just think the author could have left out all the ambiguity in the middle.

I really enjoyed this story - the atmosphere was very Southern Gothic and was very reminiscent of Michael McDowell. The structure of the book added to the feeling of dread which permeates the pages. I couldn’t wait to see what happened to the characters next. I read both the ebook and listened in part to the audiobook, which is very well read.

2.5⭐️ This has all the elements that I want in a good horror story- small town, cults, crime writer with a dark past, unique female character with a dark past, people being buried alive, etc. but sadly I did not love it. For all the atmosphere that the author tried to build, I just didn't feel any tension or fear. Not all the exposition in the world can save the convoluted narrative, and there was a LOT in this book, plus a whole summary at the end that actually read better than the whole book.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Creepy, dark, everything I love in this kind of book. Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC.

Very creepy! Did not expect the ending. Reminded me of a mix of house of wax and Texas chain saw massacre

Didn't capture my attention and engagement. Interested in trying it again though and hopefully it will take.

I really did try with this book, but something about the writing and the characters absolutely did not appeal to me. The writing felt kind of clunky and the characters were all generally unlikeable. This all goes double for Missy. I don't know, it just wasn't it for me. DNF at 20%

The House of Dust had a very promising synopsis. Seemed like it was gothic with strange small town customs/rituals right in line with one of my favorite genres, Folk Horror. The beginning left me a bit confused so I put it down for awhile. I came back to it a few months later.

Brad, a true crime writer, along with his fiancé Jennifer buy an old house in a rural town. Brad thinks there is a strange mystery here and wants to explore for his new book. Jennifer is coming off of a tragedy (we don’t find out specifics until the end) and needs a safe space to recuperate. The town of 3 Summers is not the ideal place for that. It’s weird, the sheriff is weird, the townspeople are aloof and everything is off.

I was confused for a good portion of book. There are actually two couples, Brad and Jennifer; Walt and Missy. I didn’t realize this till about 100 pages in. The reader doesn’t get much back story on any of the characters until the end when we finally get to read Brad’s article.

I did really like the strange customs and beliefs of the town. There were some really creepy aspects hinging on being buried alive, demons and being nocturnal.

A darkly creepy atmosphere, small-town cultish shenanigans, and characters who you didn't have to get too attached to - The House of Dust was good, but I did have some issues with it.

Like I say, the atmosphere was top notch - there's an ominous quality hanging over events right from the start, a feeling that (as a reader) you don't know the whole story and the parts you can't see are terrifying. I loved the small town with it's rituals and mysterious feeling, and the house itself - they were intriguing and atmospheric and just so creepy.

I could have done with a little more delicacy in the hiding of the "big twist" from the reader - sometimes the author is just holding back information rather than misguiding you away from the truth, and it feels a little clumsy. There were some threads left dangling at the end, too, that I had really wanted to see tidied up.

Overall though, very worth the read.

An interesting read, I was hooked from the first death. But it began to drag after. At times creepy, I believe this is more thriller than horror?

DNF . It grabbed me in the southern gothic theme and it was suspenseful and creepy for the parts I did read. All in all I felt like the story got a bit muddled so it wasn’t for me

I am a member of the American Library Association Reading List Award Committee. This title was suggested for the 2022 list. It was not nominated for the award. The complete list of winners and shortlisted titles is at <a href="https://rusaupdate.org/2022/01/readers-advisory-announce-2022-reading-list-years-best-in-genre-fiction-for-adult-readers/">

Thank you Netgalley and Publishers for the EARC..

It was addictive and had a really creepy setting but it was somehow not worth it. The subjectification of female characters to shame throughout made it little triggering and little off putting for me. So had to DNF

This book has a fantastic concept, a truly creepy setting, and some really beautiful writing. Unfortunately, this was a DNF for me due to some problematic references to female characters. Just because someone is a sex worker doesn't mean they constantly feel dirty or ashamed!

This book solidified that I love Southern Gothic! I consumed this book so quick it was a hard one to put down at night. When I first read the Editor's Note in the beginning it threw me off for a second, I had to double check that this was a fiction novel. And then I was hooked with the first sentence of the first chapter. Two struggling people come together to investigate a house. It's dark, unsettling, and addictive. Loved the writing style and how the story unfolds really kept you engaged. Now I will say I think there are some parts that felt a little dragging and probably could've been left out but I kept reading because I wanted to know what was coming next. I think this is Noah Broyles' debut and I will for sure be picking up more published work. Noah will be a great name for the Horror genre!

Thank you to NetGalley and Inkshares for a free copy in exchange for an honest review.

I left this one unreviewed for 7 months because I simply don't know how to put into words my feelings about it. It's one of those books that may not grab you while you're reading it, but thinking back on it, you'll never stop feeling a bit of existential dread.

I just want to say thank you NetGalley and the publishers for sending me an eARC of this book. I couldn't get into this book. I don't think it was my cup of tea.

I have to confess, I was not able to finish this book. I found it very confusing, unsure of who we were following: Brad, Walt, Jennifer, Missy. I honestly don't know. Other reviews state it gets cleared up later in the story, but it is taking too long to get to that point.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read this book and give a free and unbiased review.

A dark gothic horror story full of haunting history and intrigue. This books was creepy and weird, I can't complain.

I really loved how this story was written. The imagery in the writing was so well done and I could see everyplaying out in my head. The historical fiction part of it was really neat as well. It's one of those books that kind of has you on edge with unease.

I would compare this to or reccoment this one to fans of A House At The Bottom Of A Lake by Josh Malerman, The Chill by Scott Carson and The Lost Village by Camilla Sten.

<i>The House of Dust</i> starts with a suicidal main character who becomes involved in the mystery of a haunted house in a strange town. I was intrigued by the opening and the author does a great job bringing the atmosphere into the setting. The writing is engaging without being too flowery and the characters are off-kilter enough to keep me going. I loved the scene at the midnight school, I wanted more of that kind of spookiness. But a quarter through, the story appears static. I don't mind the changing narrations but I guessed early on that the characters are not who we expect. There are different timelines that confused more than enlightened. I thought the inclusion of the essay at the end was unnecessary, I could have saved time and just read that instead of the whole book. Overall, an interesting premise and setting but is hampered by a puzzling narration and slow pacing.