Special thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author of this ARC. I enjoyed it


I loved the story of this book. Haunted house books are my favorite. I’m not picky when it comes to ghost stories usually, as long as they end up being actual ghosts and not metaphors or other non-supernatural explanations. That is infuriating to me. Thankfully, I didn’t feel that way here.
Quinn is the only survivor of an alleged haunted house that took her family when she was six years old. This has caused her to work at keeping people away from similar situations as best she can. She is a realtor with a talent for sensing a house’s “personality”. She meets her match in Crator House. She reaches out to a paranormal team for help. These characters were fun, if a little flat. I cared about what happened to them at that moment. This story is just what it says it is. I can’t complain about that.
I found this story fun, if a little bland. I have no real complaints but I wasn’t blown away either. I would recommend this to anyone who loves ghost stories. It was enough for me.

I received an ARC of Curse of Crater House in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the story. It was a very creepy horror story with interesting characters. There was a lot of twists and turns that made you want to keep reading. The author did a great job writing the story and I would read more books by her.

Not for me at all. I had a little doubt about this story going in, and I was right. This is not my kind of horror novel, and I don't think this author is for me.

A house is not a home if it’s haunted.

As the only survivor of an alleged haunted house, Quinn has spent years ensuring that no one else will endure what she has. Thanks to her special ability to sense a home’s personality, she uses her position as a realtor to make the perfect match with prospective homeowners and ensure harmony between them. But her talent is tested when she encounters Crater House. It is sentient. It is calculating. It wants occupants for all the wrong reasons.

Desperate, she seeks outside help. Team Spectral has all the equipment and eagerness to prove this is a major haunting and cleanse it, but Quinn questions if the ghost hunters realize what they’re in for. Crater House knows her and the ghost hunters intimately. It is prepared to twist time and reality. If they don’t quickly learn how to expel what has turned it rotten, Crater House is going to devour them.

I really enjoyed the first half of this book and Arcadia’s characterisation of the troubled Quinn with her traumatic past and supernatural connection to houses, particularly Crater House and it’s implied ‘dark’ past.

I was fully invested in where this book was going and the likely battle of good vs evil that Quinn and her team of ghost hunters were going to face. However, for me it dragged and then ended without much of an umphhhhh.

I really wanted to enjoy it more but for the length it took me to get through it I feel like there was no real answers at the end and the link to Quinn’s childhood seemed contrived and quite confusing. Shame as it had potential.

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This is the first haunted house story that did not end the way I thought it would. I will not give spoilers but just say this book was incredible. I could picture myself with Quinn as she tried to find out what was wrong with Crater House. I cannot imagine having the ability to feel how a house feels. It would help so that people would not buy or rent an unsuitable home but not help the person who tried to deal with all those emotions. I would definitely recommend this book to those that enjoy haunted houses.

The Curse of Crater House takes a rather new look at the old haunted house trope. What if a haunted house knew you? What if it knew what you were most afraid of? Your deepest darkest secrets? Things that literally no one else has ever known? Quin is a realtor that tries to help a friend see what is wrong with a house that it sent a woman running out of the house, screaming about a nursery, never to return. Quin survived a haunted house as a child and it seems this house knows that. It knows all about her and the team of ghost hunters that come to help. It shows them the things they are most afraid of, including abusive family members, missing people, darkness, changing rooms, and fire.

Ultimately, I thought this was a pretty spooky read, however, I wanted a lot more development of the characters. At one point one of them runs off into the cornfield and disappears and I really didn't care that much. I wasn't attached to him like I wanted to be. None of the deaths affected me because I wasn't really close to any characters.

3 Skull Read

Haunted houses make for an excellent backdrop for any horror story. It’s one of my favorite tropes in both movies and books. 

Curse of Crater House gives that trope another breath of fresh air, by giving the main character special powers. Her work as a realtor, combined with her ability to “sense” houses' personalities, was great. Bringing in a team of ghost hunters made the whole thing even better. 

There were a lot of extremely creepy moments throughout this book, and I don’t get scared easily. The author surely knows how to set the tone for spine tingling creepiness. 

What I didn’t like was that the characters seemed rather hollow, and were missing personalities. Also, the ending (and I don’t want to spoil it) was an extreme letdown. 

Thanks to Netgalley for the review copy.

Quinn is a realtor who is able to sense a home’s personality. She’s often praised for her perfect matches. When a co-worker tells Quinn about her horrifying experience at The Crater House, Quinn makes her way out to see the home. She immediately makes a connection and feels something sinister inside. With the help of a team of ghost hunters, they try to rid whatever may be lurking inside The Crater House.

The story starts off strong. There are plenty of unsettling moments that gave me chills. Although the premise of this story is interesting, it did take me a while to finish. There were moments where I didn’t feel completely glued to the book. I was hoping for a stronger pull that would make me want to finish this book in one sitting.

Arcadia did a wonderful job describing every inch of the Crater House. It felt very immersive. I was hoping for more towards the end, but it could also be left open to a potential sequel. Thank you to NetGalley and Xpresso Book Tours for this eARC in exchange for my honest review.

Quinn is a survivor of a haunted house. She is a realtor. She has a special talent. She can sense a house’s personality. She tries to match up people with the “right house.” Quinn doesn’t want anyone to experience what she did when she lived in a haunted house. When she comes upon Crater House, she is concerned. It is sentient. It wants people but for all the wrong reasons. Worried, she gets paranormal help. She wonders if the ghost hunters know what they in for. She will be there with them. Crater House seems to know her and the ghost hunters too well. Will they be able to get the weird, rotten thing out of the house before it’s too late? Crater House has other plans.

It is well written with unexpected twists and turns. I definitely go scared at times besides chills. There are plot twists which I didn’t see coming were expertly done. It’s a great book for horror fans.

Quinn is a real estate realtor, she matches people with their dream property, what people don’t realise is Quinn can sense the feelings in the properties, she also has a past which she doesn’t want people to know about or question her about.

Now Ali one of the other realtors has a problem with a house she is selling. Could Quinn help? Does she want to put herself in tat situation?

This is a great paranormal story with a few twists and turns That keeps you interested.

Thankyou to NetGalley and the author, Rose Arcadia, for the opportunity to read Curse of Crater House 8n exchange for an honest and unbiased opinion.
I thought the book was a good read but would have liked for more character development.

this was a really well done horror novel, the atmosphere is really well done and spooky. I enjoyed getting to know Quinn and thought the plot was really unique.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I guess the best way to describe my experience is, I was very aware I was reading a book whole time. Not a bad time, an okay average time. I liked the beginning and the premise, as well as the title and the book cover. An atmospheric read for October. The descriptions of the house being inside a crater, at the beginning and the end, were really good. It was described well---this coming from someone who has been in several craters. A good concept with the main character Quinn working in real estate and coming from a "haunted house" in her childhood and feeling houses have personalities.

It is a nice time but not overall terribly satisfying. Fun but a little forgettable with time. I think there wasn't really anything new said and nothing that sent an actual chill down my spine. The characters were only there to be objects for the plot and we don't get any real feeling or belief. It was pretty fast-paced without really any depth. But it was enjoyable for a quick, one time read. No real resolution at the end, it really just tapers off. But hey, who can resist a haunted house story?

To start with this book had me gripped. It was chilling and had me hooked from page 1. The opening chapter just set the story up entirely. I wanted a suitably creepy story for spooky season, and for the most part, this didn't disappoint. It felt very 'Hill House' in the nature of the story, and I devoured it in one sitting.
Although I liked the concept and enjoyed most of the writing, I felt that the ending was rushed and the story and character developments weren't explored enough. The back story for characters were examined briefly but I feel the story would have benefitted from more. It felt as though you got to around 80/85% of the way through and then it was a race to the end, with less and less explanation, which took it down a few stars for me, as it got a little confused and I felt the ending didn't quite pack the punch I was expecting from the rest of the book, There could have been so much more to it.
However, having said that I did still enjoy it and I think it would make a good TV series, if that were ever an option. I would say it isn't for the faint of heart, The author has a real sense of what scares people, particularly in the setting of a 'haunting' but I just felt that the end and lack of character development left a lot to be desired. This book really does have incredible potential, I just don't think it's there yet. The author could add to the book by 10-20% in length and still not go overboard, but tie everything up nicely.

I read this so quickly! I loved it! It reminded me so much of Darcy Coates’ style of writing. I’m always in search of a good paranormal book, and I just found it! I felt like the style of ghost hunting they did too was very accurate even if the haunting may not have been. I will definitely be recommending this book at work!

I'm giving this book 2.5⭐ rounded up to 3.

I just finished reading and I kind of need to let out a sigh, release the tension and confusion from what I just read.

Here's the good: For a short book like this, which I imagined would be offered in kindle unlimited or for 99 cents or free, I was pleasantly surprised. The book held my interest, had decently likeable characters with some backstories, and actually had some very tense and spooky parts. I may even go so far as to say scary parts that caused some minor (but good) anxiety.

Here's the not so good: The characters, while likeable were still very two dimensional in some ways and lacked a bit of substance. The story just really needed more work and perhaps feedback for the author to help this book become great. Besides the spooky/scary parts, it left me with a feeling that it was just a cute, underdeveloped story. BUT, truly, this book has great potential, it's just not fully developed yet. Also, the ending left me unfulfilled. The characters didn't get the ending I thought they deserved and it just kind of ended suddenly, leaving tension and confusion and a general bad taste in my mouth.

I think this author and her story telling has some great ideas, a real sense of what scares people in a haunted house setting and has a ton of potential. I just needed more substance and less confusion to truly enjoy it.

Curse of Crater House tells the story of Quinn, a realtor who is much more when it comes to houses. We recognize from the first chapter that our main character has experiences with the paranormal, and her traumatic past won't remain in the past as she faces a house that becomes more violent over time.

In the house is a horror that steals unborn children, and how does this correlate to when Quinn was six and her entire family was burned to death save herself? And how exactly. will a paranormal investigation team help her out?

This debut surprised me by being better than generic horror copies. One, we have a women who sells houses by sensing what said houses want in "companionship". If a house wants a lonely old man, well, it better get one or else everyone else is getting spooked! It's more than that, though. And deeper.

Two, not so bland characters. I actually enjoyed reading about Quinn and seeing her unravel throughout the novel. Her insistence on making sure the houses are at peace with everything they need, rather than how the clients feel. Also, the way she's able to push down her past trauma to create a brighter future for other people. Her past is far more secretive the farther in we read, and I enjoy seeing her slowly return to that dark state after having gotten away from it.

Off the bat, however, I have grievances. I'm white so obviously I'm not the person to completely point this out as problematic, but there were quite a bit of references to the character of color via animal connotations such as calling her "tigress" and implying no one can ever spell her name right because it's "unique", as well as the fact that her entire character is seen as sexually frivolous. There were also unnecessary fatphobic moments that weren't important to the story but were deemed important enough to be pointed out by side characters and main character narration. It was a little overkill and inappropriate. Also, a reveal at the end involving the past of a child who was neglected and killed because of a disability and disfigurement? I thought we were done with these tropes, but okay.

Otherwise, the story was pretty good for what it was and brought something new. I was stressed in the third half and excited to find out the big secret of the house, but unfortunately it was sort of ambiguous.

There were also times I shook my head at. One moment the lead investigator believes, then he doesn't, then he does again, and I kept thinking... where's the consistency? Though, I did enjoy the modern humor of, "Have you ever seen a horror movie? Shit hits the fan when people split up." That was nice, I appreciated that.

However, the ending didn't explain much. A lot happened, yes, especially to throw back to Quinn's own past and... secrets.. but I somehow found myself confused. So what does the house want? Why did she survive? What actually happened in the house? A whole book full of questions that were left unanswered. It's not the kind of ending where you think, "Huh maybe I should go back". No, she just.. drives away, leaving the scene behind. What about the evidence, considering the fire wasn't real? What about the handprints? The bodies? What happens next?

Despite the tediousness of not knowing anything at the end and wondering, alone, what the Hell was left out... It was pretty good, if not for the slight narration choices the author should have refrained from putting in. I'll leave that to someone qualified, but it left a bad taste in my mouth when reading.

A not so bad horror book about haunted houses with an interesting cast with good scares. A must read if you enjoy reading about a character whose experienced the paranormal her entire life, with a group of investigators who want to prove the paranormal, and run into trouble, it's for you!

Also, a thanks to NetGalley, I was pleasantly surprised.

I chose this horror for Spooktober and I have to say, I am not spooked! Do take my review with a grain of salt because I have a high tolerance for supernatural horror so this one was a little underwhelming for me. I really enjoyed the concept of the story though. It had all the horror elements checked out.

The story starts off strong with a little introduction of Crater house and what it is capable of. This part hooked me in right away. Then enter Quinn, a real estate agent, who has a feel for houses. She can read the auras each house is giving out and match them with suitable owners. Basically, like a house whisperer! Her friend, Ali asked her to come and feel Crater house and what she felt made her blood curl! Quinn is determined to find out the house’s history and hopefully make sure Crater house is safe for people to live in again. She enlist a group of self proclaimed ghost hunters to help her with the investigation and cleanse the house of evil. Things spiral downhill from there…

Quinn desperately wants to be a skeptic of supernatural causes and it feels as though she is running away from her own horror experience as a child. All she wanted was to live a normal life but alas, that didn’t happen. I did enjoy her perspective and how she communicates with houses. There were some haunting scenes in the story that really adds depth to Crater house but there were also some scenes that were rather confusing. I wished there could be more character development and more research history done for Crater house because the last few chapters felt a little rushed. I did enjoy the open ending of the story, it leaves room for the reader to interpret Crater house’s or Quinn’s future.

Reading this takes me back to the times I was moving houses. My mom would always say to me, “Make sure you feel the house, okay? If you feel uncomfortable or heavy once you enter, leave immediately!” That usually creeped me out every time I went for a house viewing but thankfully most of the houses I went to gave me calm, cosy vibes! I don’t know if this is just an Asian mom thing or a general mom thing but this is one advice I am happy to take.

Thank you Netgalley and Rose Arcadia for the arc!

I was glad I got to read this book during October. I read this book in a day. I could not put it down. At the beginning I was little confused what was going on and than I got it and really enjoyed this book. There was twists and turns I did not see coming. It was nice to read a book that had a different ending to a happy ending. The story is about Quinn who had a childhood experience and is trying to lead a normal life . Her job is working with houses and she sense when they have positive and negative energy. Her friend asks for her opinion and that’s when she comes across crater house. This has a complete different feel to any other house she’s been in and this is not in good way. If you like horror stories you will love more . I will definitely read more books by this author.
Thank you NetGalley for letting me read this book.

I am so glad that I was approved to read and review this ARC! I was in the mood for a good haunted house book and I got it.
Quinn Finch is a Realtor that has a feel for houses. Her colleques call her the "House Whisperer". She knows when a house is good, and when it's bad....or dangerous. The Crater House is bad and dangerous and if anyone can ever live in it safely Quinn needs to have the house tell and show her why it is the way it is. She enlists the help of three self proclaimed ghost hunters based on the fact that the leader says he can cleanse Crater House and one dark night they sneak in to see what Crater House has to show and tell them. Show and tell it does!
I enjoyed the allusions to a tragedy in Quinn's childhood that made her infamous, like the creepy little girl in the cemetery that says to her "they want to know why they're dead and you're not".
I recommend this book to anyone who simply loves a good old haunted house tale to read on a dark, stormy night. The moral of the story....if a house give your bad vibes, listen.. That's the house talking to you.........!
#Netgalley #CurseOfCraterHouse