Much like the spite house itself, this book sucked me in and wouldn't let me go. I think that the author absolutely nailed the ending. I couldn't put it down and highly recommend!

3.5 stars rounded up. Do you remember the episode of Seinfeld where Jerry is returning a blazer, and when the saleswoman asks him the reason for the return, he responds, “For spite”? Well, same idea here, just with way less humor: In Johnny Compton’s The Spite House, it’s a narrow house high on a hill that was built “for spite,” and its dark history has echoed down through generations, earning it a reputation as being one of the most haunted places in Texas. When single father Eric Ross comes across an advertisement offering a six-figure reward to anyone who can live in the house and provide proof of paranormal activity, he sees an opportunity to finally offer his daughters, Stacy and Dess, some stability. They’ve been on the road for months after leaving Maryland under mysterious circumstances, living in hotels while Eric works side jobs for cash. Eric is drawn to the job not just for the money, but also because of the Spite House’s troubled past. Maybe plundering the house’s secrets will help him understand his own family’s darkest secrets…if it doesn’t drive him mad first.

The Spite House is one of the more original haunted house novels I’ve read, featuring a house that absorbed all of the negative energy that went into its construction and later occurred within its walls. As a result, the house itself becomes the malevolent entity, and Compton does a brilliant job of describing its grim, unsettling nature and its fraught history. The first walkthrough of the house was truly creepy. There’s a looming sense of dread in the narrative, which is only increased by the layered, complex plot. Compton reveals the secrets – both the house’s and Eric’s – at just the right moments for maximum reader impact, which kept me engaged the whole time. I never knew exactly where Compton was driving me, but I was definitely invested in the ride. I was also fully invested in the Ross family: Eric, Stacy, and Dess. With vivid, thoughtful characterizations, Compton made me care about them and their fate.

The Spite House is an impressive debut novel that explores inherited trauma, familial love, and privilege in unique and chilling ways. There were a few too many points-of-view for me and some elements that were unfortunately left unresolved at the end of the book, but overall The Spite House had a Gothic vibe I really enjoyed, and characters I genuinely cared for. And it led me to do a deep dive into the history of spite houses, which was absolutely fascinating. I recommend both researching spite houses, and reading The Spite House.

"The Spite House" by Johnny Compton is a fantastic read that creeps up on you and doesn't let go. This book is a brilliant mix of suspense, horror, and gripping storytelling. Compton really knows how to build tension and keep you glued to the pages.

The characters are super interesting and well-developed. The protagonist has this unique blend of toughness and vulnerability that makes you root for them from the get-go. Each character adds a new layer to the eerie atmosphere and the overall plot.

The pacing is just right—there’s never a dull moment. Compton’s writing style pulls you right into the spooky setting, making you feel every bit of the suspense and chill. It's like you’re living the story yourself.

If you're in the market for a book that’s equal parts creepy and thrilling, "The Spite House" is your go-to. It’s an exciting, spine-tingling read that’s hard to put down once you dive in.

Now this author knows how to write! The scene building is great, the pace was perfect, and the characters were amazingly thought out. Well done, definitely will be recommending this book to others

I love a great classic haunted house story and this didn't quite hit that mark for me, but I did think it had a really great twist on the story that I really enjoyed. It was easy to stay locked into the story.

The Spite House is an interesting novel. It was good, the writing was good and the pace was good. I enjoyed reading it, but I felt like everything could have been more flushed out if they added an extra 70-100 pages. There was alot of potential that was cut. It felt confusing at some points like I was missing something. It's a solid 3 stars.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this e-arc in exchange for my honest review.

Johnny Compton crafts a solid haunted house story for his debut novel, but doesn't flesh out the more unique elements he brings to the table here as much as I would have hoped for.

The Spite House offers up some tantalizing promises that I wish Compton had more fully explored. Eric has an obsession with ghosts and during a phone interview with Eunice in the book's opening chapter describes his theory that "sometimes the past has sort of an echo that catches up to the present." It's an intriguing concept and once that I wish Compton has developed more fully beyond the typical haunts and scares of this particular horror sub-genre. Maybe I just had my expectations set too high, but once Eric's theory was laid out I was tantalized with promises of temporal anomalies and multi-dimensional gateways. We do get some of that via the dreams cum flashbacks Eric experiences once in the spite house, but it's never quite as intriguing or next-level as 1 had hoped for.

I was also disappointed that we didn't get a more direct through-line into Eric's experiences within the spite house. Instead, Compton gives us a shorthand look at what Eric is going through by couching it all under the experiences others have had within the spite house. Eunice had previously hired a husband-and-wife ghost-hunting team, but they largely feel extraneous to much of the larger happenings here, despite charging us into the book's climax when one of Eric's daughters is abducted. We get told a lot about what Eric should be experiencing, but we never really see it directly until very late in the book and through some subtle bits of self-reflection.

For as much as the spite house itself is built up to be this grand and frightening monolith of horrors, we never get to see enough of it to really buy into its fabled multi-generational legacy. Compton tells us a lot about its past, and while the Masson house is

certainly rich in history, I really wanted to see more of its manipulations and damage wrought in the present. I wanted to see Eric and his daughters dealing with the confounding and inexplicable nature of the spite house, but we never get quite enough to truly satisfy. The Spite House does have some intriguing angles to it, particularly the mystery of why Eric and his children are on the run. Compton serves up a truly wicked explanation that took me completely by surprise.

Unfortunately, it's another element that is never really given a satisfactory explanation. It offers up some neat background but, given that we're ultimately expected to just go along with it, it also comes as a pretty big ask without more information to ground it.

Therein lies my biggest issues with The Spite House. Compton has some really terrific ideas, but they never really come together as fully as they should, nor are they mined deeply enough to exploit their fullest potential. If Compton had explored some of these ideas more attentively, the book would have been stronger for it. That said, I'm certainly curious to see what Compton does for his next book based solely on the promise he shows in this debut and the tantalizing ideas he brought forth here.

I loved this twist on a haunted house and the characters Compton created fully developed. I've told so many people about this book and plan to tell more.

Loved this super creepy read. Before I read this book I had never heard of a Spite house. This book gives the haunting vibes. Loved all the little details.

The Spite House by Johnny Compton is so much more than a haunted house story, but also seems to have got a little lost along the way while trying to be different than the status quo. While I appreciated the diverse range of characters, and the differing familial relationships, and perspectives, every direction this book attempted to go seemed to fall short. The differing perspectives helped with the pacing of the story but also made it hard to get to know any individual character enough to really be emotionally invested in their outcomes. There were some inventive "haunting" and horror aspects in this story, but it read more like a thriller with some historical elements than a genuine horror novel.

I had high hopes for The Spite House, but it did not live up to the hype. There were a few scary moments, but I was hoping for so much more. It was very slow moving, and a lot of different POV's that took away from the story instead of adding to it. Would not recommend.

The Spite House by Johnny Compton was one of my anticipated reads of 2023. Unfortunately, it was a DNF. I don't normally review books that I do not finish, so I will just leave it at that.

Thank you Netgally for the ebook. *2.5 stars* this was the least scary haunted house story I’ve ever read… so slow, too many POVs, not enough atmosphere nor was it character driven.

Creepy, thrilling and haunting. This haunted house book deals with grief. We follow a father which is cool because I like to see perspectives from male protagonists when it comes to parenthood.

I’d say this book leans more gothic than anything but overall a good read.

Rating: 3.75 leaves out of 5
Characters: 3.5/5
Cover: 3.5/5
Story: 4/5
Writing: 5/5
Horror: 2.75/5
Genre: Horror/Thriller
Type: Audiobook
Worth?: Yeah

Want to thank Netgalley and publishers for giving me the chance to read this book. Coming into this book I wasn't sure exactly what to expect and I am thankful for that. What I got was a swirl of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House mixed with Stephen King's The Shinning, but even with this Johnny made it into his own world. Where I was disappointed with Shirley's work, Johnny picked up and made better.

The narrator did an amazing job, reminding me of James Earl Jones, and made a haunted house... inviting.

All in all the story was good and worth the read. I say it leaned heavier on the gothic more than the horror. Was it creepy? Yes. Did it make me second guess going into the dark parts of my house? Yes. But all in all it was poetic in justice. Johnny showed how anger and hurt can fester into a generational curse.

New fear unlocked. And it’s not at all what you would expect…

It’s probably also not the fear this book also intended to be the forerunner in its list of nightmare inducing moments, but as a highly anxious parent, you get what you get.

The Spite House was an interesting read with a lot of secrets and a whole lot of, you guessed it, spite. Did I think it is the most terrifying book on my horror-filled shelves? No. Do I still think it’s worth reading? Absolutely.

Compton’s writing style is alluring and thought provoking. He is a master of story building and knows how to draw his audience in quickly. Although The Spite House didn’t quite live up to the terrifying hype, I still thought it was a great book.

If you’re new to the horror genre and want to dip your toe into a variety of nightmares but still be able to sleep when you close the covers, this is the book.

This was a fresh and new take on the classic haunted house story. The mystery surrounding the family was intriguing, and I really appreciated the history of the land/haunting. There were a few too many POV's to really find myself attached too the characters. I really enjoyed the audiobook along with reading the book, very atmospheric and added an extra level of spooky! Really looking forward to what the author comes out with in the future.

If you’re looking for creepy, this book is for you. Eric accepts a job where he has to move into a house with his two daughters and record any evidence of paranormal activity. I purposely didn’t pick this book up at nighttime cause it was creepy!! However, it wasn’t paranormal the whole story through. There were other points of view of the story that helped develop the plot. I did find it to be a little slow, which is why it’s not a five star read, but definitely a great debut book.

I am a sucker for a haunted house story. Ever since Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House, I immediately gravitate towards this sub-genre.

Eric Ross knows that he cannot stay too long in one place. He has left everything behind and taken his girls with him. The problem, he can't provide references to get a job to support them all. So, when he sees an ad for The Masson House in Texas, he jumps on it. All he needs to do is serve as the caretaker of the house and provide the owner with proof of paranormal activity. Can't be too hard right? If Eric can survive and live in this house, maybe he will understand the reason why his family has to keep running.

This book is 261 pages so needless to say it moves at a breakneck speed. There are multiple POVs and backstories that you as the reader have to keep track of. It is kind of hard to do that with this book because of the pace of the narration. However, this is a good slow burn gothic horror story so if that is something that you enjoy, I recommend that you grab this book!

The Ross family is desperate for money, a place to stay, and above all anonymity. So the advertisement for a short stay in a haunted house is perfect for them. After all, they've had experience with death, and ghosts, and fear. Never mind that the last people to stay in the house ran away from it in terror and went straight to a mental hospital. Never mind that the creepy old lady who owns the house and runs the town has ulterior motives for keeping them near. Never mind that the man who built the house still looks out from the fourth floor window of the house he built to spite a bunch of orphans. The Ross family is there to make something happen, even if Eric doesn't admit as much to his daughters.

This was an interesting take on a haunted house. We know right away that ghosts are real, so there's no hundred pages of jump scares and figures seen out of the corner of one's eye. Open the door and those ghosts are on the other side like hello, what took you so long? The whole town walks around seen ghosts every day. The question isn't whether the house is haunted, it's whether being haunted is worth the money. It's certainly worth reading about.