The House of Dust is a dark and thrilling southern gothic that will give readers nightmares.
Thank you to Netgalley and the Publisher for the opportunity to read and review this title. All opinions and mistakes are my own.

The House of Dust is a terrifying gothic horror thriller that grabs your attention from the very first sentence.

Brad and Jen move from Nashville to Three Summers, Tennessee, making a fresh start at Angel's Landing, an old plantation house. Little do they know that for centuries evil has kept its occupants hostage. Cycles of darkness emerge in the scorching heat of the sun.

The atmosphere and the different stories were my favorite part. However the book's pacing is a bit too slow for me and all the stories merge together in a way that can be very confusing for most readers.

I really enjoyed this book. It starts with a bang and leaves you trying to pick up the pieces for the rest of the book. Definitely an author to watch out for.

Did not finish at 66%. This book had a very slow, long lead in. It was obvious to me very early on that there were two parallel timelines going on, and it wasn’t Brad and his fiancée alternating POVs. The whole Adamah/Queen of Hearts thing didn’t seem to jive and was just weird for me. I couldn’t get into it. I used to be a huge horror fan but the horror books of today just aren’t the same as 20-30 years ago. I will not be posting any reviews of this one in my IG. .

A writer for Southern Gothic magazine travels the American South writing articles about the small towns he encounters. His latest town Three Summers, Tennessee may be hiding much more sinister secrets than the average. He uncovers a very strange past that all centers around the people that have lived in The House of Dust over the years.

This story follows multiple perspectives over several different timelines of people who have lived in this old worn down plantation house. These timelines could be hard to follow at times, but became more clear and distinct as the story went on. As a story that covers a century of residents this was not a fast read. At nearly 450 pages it is quite a time investment, but it is an investment worth making.

The setting of this rural Tennessee town was dripping with southern gothic atmosphere. The poverty stricken town and decaying opulence of the plantation house create an undeniable dark mood. A lot of time is spent on creating this ambiance. Cults, crimes, violence, and death are all being caused by something living in The House of Dust.

If you are looking for a chilling folk horror story with a ton of southern gothic atmosphere spanning generations I would recommend this novel for you.

At first I thought the book has a slow start and things will make sense to me after a few pages.. but pages turned to chapters and I couldn't connect the story or the characters.
It was slightly spooky but nothing to keep me hooked.
After reaching around 40% I lost the will to complete.

How is this not everywhere right now? If you like novels that make you look over your shoulder or give you the sense you’re being watched by a malevolent being, look no further. I have got to hand it to Broyles for the expert way he captured the essence and feeling of atmospheric heebie jeebies. Told in multiple POVs across two different timelines, House of Dust is an excursion into the dark depths of a small town and their horrifying beliefs.

I was gifted an uncorrected digital copy and did struggle at times with timeline due to the choppiness of the uncorrected format. More than likely that won’t be an issue with the final, but I do recommend paying attention to which character is from what time period and who the POV is for. Like I mentioned, there are excellent scenes that made my skin crawl and at times regretted reading this at night. I found an excellent mix of classic horror story and a hint at Lovecraftian vibes throughout the plot. Some parts are not for the faint of heart with mild animal cruelty and scenarios with children.

This is a fairly lengthy novel. For me, I would’ve preferred a less is more approach. There is a good bit of descriptive scenes and research escapades that went on longer than expected. I found myself more eager for Missy’s POV than Brad’s by the end. Though, Brad brings a lot of juicy background to the story. The length and filler got to me though. Don’t let that dissuade you, I adored what was crafted in these pages and for that alone would recommend to horror readers. I also recommend not going by the synopsis. This is SO much more than that little slice of a blurb and packs a very interesting ride you won’t see coming.

Thank you Inkshares for the opportunity to read this perfectly Spooktober novel for an honest and unbiased review. All thoughts are my own. True rating 3.5/5.

This book was a good combination of southern gothic blended with psychological suspense and horror. It was an inventive plot. It did throw me initially when it was jumping from one time to another without any indicator. However, once I figured out that it was part of the mechanism for telling the story a piece at a time, it made more sense.

The main character, Brad is a struggling crime writer. Everything in his life is failing - - he's haunted by events from his past, his fiancee just broke up with him and he can't come up with any new story ideas. He has a run of unfortunate events which lead him to the town of Three Summers. It's located in rural Tennessee and is chock full of eerie houses, creepy characters and mysterious occurrences. Three Summers is the home of strange occurrences that have been happening for hundreds of years.

The story rotates between the present and Brad's account of events and the past where a story unfolds which details the history of Three Summers and its inhabitants. Everything will come together as Brad uncovers the truth behind the creepy town.

Thank you to NetGalley for this ARC. I voluntarily chose to review it and the opinions contained within are my own.

I'm interested in finding more Southern gothic mystery to read and I'm glad I was able to find this. The House of Dust is a compelling debut full of twists and turns. The narrative follows a non-linear route, recounting from the past and the current timeline. The author did a brilliant job in keeping it consistent through the alternating perspectives. Although the plot is the main driving force for me, I still find the writing a little hard to follow. At most, the author went over and beyond with the imagery and sadly cause the pacing to halt. It was a little disappointing to read in the second half of the book. Overall, I look forward in reading Broyle's next book.

The one thing I want to say about The House of Dust before I get stuck into my main review, is to stick with this book. It's such an incredibly slow burner, but please give it chance before you put it down, it's well worth the read.

I feel like there is right place to start with my review of this one, because there are so many different strands to the book it's hard to find the best thing to bring up first!

The House of Dust was like no other book I had read before, from the very opening pages where we learned about Brad and the magazine he was writing for, to the very end of the book where everything (at last) seemed to fall into place. The story itself was very slow to start with, and you'd be forgiven for being a bit confused as to what was actually going on, but once things started to unravel and make sense it was just wow.

Every page kept you guessing where it would head next, whilst also building this incredible story in your mind, of which anything could happen.

Broyles writing lent itself well to the eerie feel of the story, as the paragraphs he wove, and the words he used built up a picture of our surrounding brilliantly. The author really seemed to be able to bring the parts of the plot to life that brought the most thrills and chills, whilst also using an incredibly descriptive, but in no way boring, style of writing for the rest of the book.

Because it's a slow burn the atmosphere and intrigue are also slow to build, but it's as if you've fallen down a rabbit hole, you feel compelled to keep reading.

The one thing that did let The House of Dust down was it's characters, which is a shame as they were such a huge part of the book! I just found them really hard to keep a track of and to understand, in no way were they terribly written or were just downright awful... I just struggled with really connecting to them.

That being said, The House of Dust was a truly superb read, one that I am very glad I stuck with and continued reading, even though it took me a lot longer than it should have (that's a me issue haha). All of the elements of this book came together to create this tense, eerie and excellent read.

Please, if you are planning on reading this book stick with it! It will make seem to slow to start with and there are time jumps (mid chapter) but once you get your head around that it's well worth the read.

A writer and a prostitute walk into a decaying mansion…

No, that’s not the beginning of a cheesy joke, but rather the plot of this gothic mystery.

The House of Dust is a terrifying gothic horror thriller that grabs your attention from the very first sentence.

“I got off the interstate to commit suicide.” -Bradley Ellison.

Told in alternating and mirroring timelines, Brad and Missy slowly learn the history of Angel’s Landing and uncover the strange rituals and beliefs of this small town in Tennessee. Who is the Queen of Hearts? What is her purpose? Are people actually being buried alive? Who is Adamah?

While the premise of this book is very intriguing, I found the story to be scarier than other books of this genre. Broyles does a fantastic job depicting the atmospheric and claustrophobic setting, frightening me to the point where I had to put the book down to decompress. While I believe the writing is excellent, I had a hard time reading the ARC, as it was choppy, disjointed, and difficult to follow. Unfortunately, this effected my entire reading experience and I hope that these issues are remedied by the time of publication. While I did appreciate the story, I just don’t this this is my type of book. If you are a horror or zombie junkie, you just found your next favorite read.

Trigger warning: suicide, cults

3.5/5 stars rounded down

I spent the early part of this book confused. It was not easy to follow. It quickly picked up pace, and I then loved it.

I don't know what I expected from this book, but I didn't get anything like it. The book is confusing (I guess that's on purpose?) and hard to follow, and I found that I didn't really want to expend the effort. It's disappointing, because I love all the elements that make up this book: the damaged characters, the mysterious "lost in time" southern town, the dreamlike unreality. It just didn't work for me here. Maybe if it had pulled together cohesively within the first few chapters, it would have been different, but I just kept saying "huh?" the more I read. I probably would have still read the whole book, but the editing leaves much to be desired, so much so that it was taking me out of story just as much as my confusion. I DNF @ 32%.

This a wonderfully dark Southern Gothic horror tale, and is most definitely the most atmospheric story I have read this year. Very dark and twisty and incredibly original. Highly recommended.

Creepy? Sure. Gothic? Possibly. Dark and depressing? Yes. The House of Dust was well written. The prose was entirely enjoyable to read. I feel like there may have been a need to reign it back in at times. When you go this dark it can be difficult for the reader to stay with you. It is a careful line to walk. Noah Broyles stepped over the line a few times.

This book unfortunately ended up being a DNF for me. Aside from the fact that I just wasn’t engaged, it seemed rather confusing and I decided not to continue on with finishing.

Great story concept and ideas but it fell really flat for me. Too many descriptions that really made the story drag on and on and on. And I didn’t really like any of the characters. The writing is exceptional and the delivery is really fun.

I truly just did not enjoy this book. I struggled to get to 40% and by then I didn’t even want to pick it back up. I spent way too long attempting to understand what was going on and it ruined the book for me.

It seemed like it was going to be fantastic at the beginning, but it went downhill from there. It’s very dreamlike and utterly confusing. I have to assume this was on purpose, but I couldn’t follow the story well enough to care about any of the characters at all.

I’m sure this is someone’s cup of tea, but it was just not for me.

I will not be leaving the review on social media or goodreads as it is not my intention to do damage to sales. I will still promote the book on its publishing day. Thank you so much for the opportunity to read it early.

Unfortunately, as much I tried I just couldn't get into the storyline. I found myself being confused and frustrated by timelines and the multiple points of view and I couldn't connect with the characters. It just wasn't for me.

"Deep in the heat and silence of rural Tennessee, down an untraveled road, sits the forgotten town of Three Summers. Mere miles away, on an overgrown river island, stands the house that once presided over the grand plantation of Angel's Landing, moss-draped, decrepit. Waiting.

Failing crime writer Bradley Ellison and former prostitute Missy Holiday are drawn to this place, fleeing a world turned against them. For Brad, it is work - he must find a compelling story before the true-crime magazine he writes for judges him expendable. For Missy, it is recuperation - four years at the club have left her drained.

But the price of peace is high, and soon Brad and Missy discover that something hides behind the quiet. Something moves in the night. Something that manifests itself in bizarre symbols and disturbing funeral rites. Something that twists back through time and clings in the dust of the ancient house. A presence they must uncover before their own past catches up with them."

If you haven't noticed by now, I LOVE haunted house books!