3⭐️

Eric Ross and his two daughters are on the run from their past. They left everything and everyone they know behind, including Eric’s wife and the girls mother. Without being able to get a legitimate job, Eric feels like the odd ad he finds for the Masson House in Texas is the lucky break they needed.

The Masson House, well known as one of the most haunted places in America is in need of caretaker. The owner is also hoping to find proof of paranormal activity and in exchange the caretaker would be paid a huge sum of money. Eric feels drawn to the job not just for the payday, but he’s also hoping to finally understand the uncanny that continues to follow his family.

Based on the story subject matter itself, this could have been a great read. I normally love multiple POV’s in a story but for some reason it really didn’t work with The Spite House. I feel like we got the POV of such insignificant characters in an attempt to draw the story out but it just drew everything out too much. The story also felt a bit choppy which made it hard to follow.

I did like the characters and enjoyed the relationship between the Ross family. Their back story until about halfway through the book felt very dramatic and it drew me in. But once you find out why they were actually on the run it felt kind of lackluster. I think I also would have liked more on Eunice and Emily’s hatred of each other and how Eunice is able to control the town so easily.

Thank you Netgalley for providing this ARC to me!

I did not get the chance to read this one. I honestly forgot I requested it and got held up with other arcs. This is another one I am scanning the shelves for though as I did really like the description of this title.

I love a haunted house story. And this one was not an exception. I was very interested in both the family’s backstory as well as the house and ghosts’. However, I didn’t love the ending as I felt there were a lot of loose threads.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for my digital ARC

The Spite House by Johnny Compton

The Renner's story was so creepy! The descriptions of the house are absolutely fantastic but the pacing wasn't my favorite. The story felt like it was very slow for 2/3 of the book and then ran to the finish line. I'd still be very interested to read more from from Compton.

Would recommend for readers looking for a heavily haunted house with a family drama twist

A Spite House: a building constructed or substantially modified to irritate neighbors or any party with land stakes.
Once you learn this term, phrases like "they built that monstrosity" take on a whole new meaning. Thank you dear author for the enlightenment.

This is a haunted house story with several points of view that meanders in some parts and then races to the finish. What does that mean? That means the pacing was off. It might have been the number/alternating POVs and the many narrative threads that caused this, but let's move on. Even as someone that doesn't like scary movies or anything with too much gore or... most horror in general, I can't stay away from a haunted house story (even if it keeps me up at night). This one didn't keep me awake at night. It promised more scares than it delivered. The characters were fine, but I didn't really care much about them. It introduced plotlines that didn't really go anywhere, and the payout wasn't worth the investment.

If you enjoyed Haunt of Hill House, don't mind being a little confused, and are not put off by unfinished plotlines this might be for you! I would even consider rereading this in the fall during the spooky Halloween season and see if my mood then grants a greater appreciation for this book. I would like to see what this author comes out with next.

Eric Ross has left his entire life behind. Leaving his job, his home, and his estranged wife, all to ensure the safety of his daughters. All to escape the mysterious incident that leaves them unable to stay in one place for any amount of time. But a life on the run is an expensive life and Eric needs money desperately. An ad for a job in Degener, Texas seems almost too good to be true. The Masson property wants for a caretaker. Its owner wants someone to prove that the most haunted place in Texas has actual paranormal activity and is willing to pay a small fortune to someone who can complete the job. The spite house calls to Eric, tugging at his curiosity regarding an old family story. Tugging at the root of what has left his family on the run.

I find myself having a hard time talking about this one without also making it about how I would go about the story. Which is more than a bit frustrating because there is a solid core to Johnny Compton's The Spite House that deserves to be talked about rather than around. And the book has some truly fascinating background lore that I would love to see more done with. But that lore also comes with a strange balance of things feeling both under and over explained.

This is a story with a bloodline curse and people who came back from the dead and the echoing effects of those mysterious revivals. This is a book where a house that should not exist can haunt a town so thoroughly that the wealthy old woman who wants to prove the existence of something after death has to put out ads in other cities to find anyone willing to step inside it. A book where, very occasionally, people just show back up after their deaths ready to jump back into their lives. The ideas are pretty brilliant and are, in many ways, concepts that could carry a book on their own. But the execution is not always there. The house is such a big scary thing that it almost feels like trying to explain the hauntings makes it less interesting, no less dangerous but far less intimidating. The bloodline curse winds up feeling tertiary to the plot despite being the reason Eustice is more or less sacrificing people to the house to begin with, in no small part because the way it was explained felt incredibly off hand.

The revival thing feels like it got this the worst though. We keep coming back to these unexplained returns, people coming back from absolutely certain death seemingly completely unharmed. It is the core of how most of the supernatural events in the book can occur due to it creating impossible places and people, like a thin spot in reality. But it also feels weirdly hollow and under thought through in places. Like, for instance, Eric clearly thinks that there was something supernatural going on with his grandfather and that something similar is happening in the Masson House. He wants to know more about all of this, the mechanics of it, the why's of it, but it does not feel like the reader ever really gets to understand what he is looking for. There is one clear reason, but events suggest that it cannot be the only reason or even, perhaps, the most pressing reason for his search. It feels frustratingly nebulous.

Frustratingly fractured as well, the various characters and hauntings and histories feel like just too much for one book. Like Eustace and the blood curse and her whole deal with trying to prove the existence of an afterlife for selfish reasons could have been amazing, especially with her supporting cast. The Eric and his daughters in the spite house could have been an amazing book, with the contrast of a father trying to protect his girls contrasted with the angry dysfunctional family that haunts the house. The revival aspect all but begs to be gone into deeper, I have so many questions about how it works and how the thin spots it causes affect the world. But all of it put together feels fragmented in a way that Compton probably did not intend, especially with the sheer number of view point characters killing a lot of the tension that might have been built up with fewer explanations of side details.

I have a lot of notes on The Spite House, most of them boil down to me poking at bits of the book to see how some differences might have changed it. This was an enjoyable book, one that I would like to see more of. Compton is clearly a talented writer and, while this is his debut novel, it looks like he has some short stories published. So I definitely want to keep an eye out for more of his work in the future. The Spite House gets a four out of five for me, both because it was an enjoyable if rough read and because I still find myself poking at it.

Grab this book and get ready for a creepy and compelling story. I was sucked right into this book on page one. The family seems so mysterious and you have to wonder what dreadful secret they are hiding. The house is dark and unwelcoming, as befits it's name, I had forgotten what a spite house is, but the author was kind enough to remind us all. It's a small building meant to block a view or irritate others in some fashion. This place is a twisted mess that just keeps pilling onto Eric, the father and hero of the story. I enjoyed learning about Eric and his family as much as I loved the spooky happenings at the house. I highly recommend this book to any one who loves haunted house stories.

Spooky and spinetingling. i lovedit.
Many thanks toMacmillan-Tor/forge and to Netgalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me an advance reader copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

Whoa! I was not expecting such a thrilling book that would actually give me chills while reading! When a horror/ghost novel has that affect....you should read it now! Sometimes I feel more jaded towards "scary" books as I get older, but this one reminded me of reading Stephen King as a youngster on a stormy afternoon! It had that kind of lasting impact! Looking forward to more books by Johnny Compton!


Description
A terrifying Gothic thriller about grief and death and the depths of a father's love, Johnny Compton's The Spite House is a stunning debut by a horror master in the making—The Babadook meets A Head Full of Ghosts in Texas Hill Country.

Eric Ross is on the run from a mysterious past with his two daughters in tow. Having left his wife, his house, his whole life behind in Maryland, he's desperate for money—it's not easy to find steady, safe work when you can't provide references, you can't stay in one place for long, and you're paranoid that your past is creeping back up on you.

When he comes across the strange ad for the Masson House in Degener, Texas, Eric thinks they may have finally caught a lucky break. The Masson property, notorious for being one of the most haunted places in Texas, needs a caretaker of sorts. The owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity. All they need to do is stay in the house and keep a detailed record of everything that happens there. Provided the house’s horrors don’t drive them all mad, like the caretakers before them.

The job calls to Eric, not just because there's a huge payout if they can make it through, but because he wants to explore the secrets of the spite house. If it is indeed haunted, maybe it'll help him understand the uncanny power that clings to his family, driving them from town to town, making them afraid to stop running.

I liked this one, it was very well written and would be perfect for spooky season and all year round story about a familia who moves into a haunted house due to financial hardship. Well done for a debut novel and love, love, love the cover.

Alright, I LOVED this one! I wasn't sure what to expect, but it blew me away. I enjoyed all of our narrators--particularly Eric himself and his older daughter. The characters felt compelling, and I was VERY intrigued by the direction the story was taking. I guessed some things before the end, but I never felt like that spoiled the journey.

It was a very spooky, atmospheric book, laced with commentary on social issues. The history angle--and the story of why the spite house was built--was very well done, and very interesting.

There are some loose ends, at the close, if that's something that might put off readers, but it didn't bother me. I think it worked well with the narrative, and I frankly like to be left wondering sometimes.

Tragic, atmospheric, spooky, and character-driven--these are all things I enjoy in a horror novel. Highly recommended, and I'll be watching for more of Compton's writing.

Give me a haunted house story any day! I love something atmospheric and scary with a creeping sense of dread, and The Spite House delivers. There's also complex family relationships, mental/emotional struggle, and real world challenges that serve to anchor the supernatural components of the plot. I like that each character has distinct chapters, and that the characters are developed - it really helps to have someone(s) to care about as you are reading. Plot is great, but it can only take you so far. Thank you to the publisher and to Netgalley for allowing me to read this novel in advance. I did end up buying a physical copy, as well.

⭐⭐⭐.5 -- A well-designed cover that provides some hints about the genre, style or themes of the book.

The Spite House by Johnny Compton is a gripping Gothic thriller that revolves around Eric Ross, who is on the run with his two daughters. In search of money and a safe place to stay, they find an ad for the Masson House in Degener, Texas, which is reported to be one of the most haunted places in Texas. The job requires them to stay in Spite House and document any paranormal activity. What could go wrong?! 😉

I love a good haunted house story. That aspect was thoroughly enjoyable and kept me invested in the story. Compton’s writing style is also excellent, and he expertly weaves together multiple points of view throughout the story. That said, there were so many perspectives that the plot became a bit bogged down, and that made the pacing of the story inconsistent. It also felt a bit drawn out in the final chapters.

The major issue I had with this one was that there were unanswered questions, which left me feeling a little unsatisfied with how things ended. But overall, for a debut author, Compton delivered a solid read filled with intriguing characters and heart-pumping horror. If you’re a fan of horror, ghosts, and haunted houses, then this book is definitely worth checking out!

**ARC Via NetGalley**

This gothic thriller involves a haunted house and the people living around it. I had an off and on again relationship with this book and at times struggled to keep going. In the end, the twists and the way the multiple points of views pulled together this ended up being a strong four star read for me. It is not often that I don't see a twist coming but this one definitely caught me off guard and the ending was a complete surprise.

I feel like 3 star books get overlooked because they aren't necessarily amazing, but I think this is a solidly good book. If you read a lot of horror type books you may not LOVE this book, but I think there's a good chance you will enjoy it. My issue with it was that I found it a bit repetitive and not very horror-inducing.

The Spite House by Johnny Compton
⭐️⭐️⭐️

Thank you to Netgalley and MacMillan-Tor/Forge for the eARC to read and review!

Eric Ross is on his way to a new home with his two girls, finding odd jobs here and there to make some money on the way. When he comes across an ad for a caretaker position at Masson House in Texas, he applies. This job is worth a lot of money, but Eric will have to live in a haunted house and survive in order to get paid. The question is, will he make it?

This was a haunted house story that fits well around the spooky season. I read it in April, but it's still a spooky read! I enjoyed the story and the concept, and Eric and his two girls, Stacey and Dess. But the story jumped through six to seven different points of view, so at times, it felt a little jarring to switch perspectives so much.

I understand switching perspectives helps us see the full story of what happened in the past and present, but maybe changing it from seven to four would have been a better fit.

There was a major plotline around Stacey, and toward the end of the book, we get more on why they are going to a new place. I felt like when we heard about the story behind Stacey, it was a unique idea, but it left me confused and wanting to know more at the end.

The entire story felt thought out, and I enjoyed it. But the ending wasn't my favorite, I didn't feel like we got much of what their mother thought about Stacy at the end of the story and I wanted more about that part and what their mother thought. I can't say more because it's a major spoiler if I elaborate. I also wanted more about the ending. I can't say what I want without spoiling it, so what I will say is I was left a little confused because I was under the impression that if Eric helped "them" he would be free of The Spite House. That's all I'm going to say on that.

I enjoyed this book for the unique idea around it, but it didn't work for me as much as I had hoped. Although it wasn't really for me, I would still recommend this book to anyone who likes a haunted house story!

I was drawn to The Spite House by the eery cover, and I am a sucker for a good haunted house story. A haunted spite house was a fresh take on the typical old Victorian haunted house. Johnny Compton wrote an enthralling horror story full of family drama, a father's love, ghostly encounters, and pure terror. The story kept you guessing, and the ending was both horrifying and sad. I enjoyed reading about the Spite House.

Daaaamn! This was like The Conjuring level creepy that plays out like NetFlix's The Haunting of Hill House. A father and his two daughters are in hiding. Once in Texas the father in desperate need of a job any job applies for a paranormal documenter. Where they can stay and get paid for staying in this creepy haunted spite house as long as they keep record of everything. The house, the land, the people of the town, especially the old lady who hires him, there is just something off about the whole thing, but then again the dad and his two daughters have a secret of their own.0
A satisfyingly creepy story.

I loved the premise of a desperate dad on the run with his two daughters. He becomes the caretaker of the most haunted house in Texas. The job pays well and all he needs to do is record any strange occurrences. He is concerned that has no idea why the house is so haunted or why this spite house was built in the first place.

While our main character has several legit questions, they won't compare to the amount of head-scratchers that pile up as you read this book with more POVs than one novel needs. I'll avoid mentioning the spoilerish questions in case you're reading this, or plan to.

I really wanted to enjoy The Spite House. Author Johnny Compton is a capable writer but the unanswered questions will drive you to madness faster than spending the night in a haunted Texas spite house.

‘The Spite House’ is one of the strongest horror debuts I have read in a long time, if not ever. The structure and narrative are so well crafted, and the atmosphere is almost reminiscent of the slow-build dread of horror classics like ‘The Grudge,’ ‘The Wicker Man,’ or ‘The Elementals.’ Compton expertly builds his story’s foundation with a deliberate, character-driven mystery before pulling the rug from under readers’ feet the moment the anticipation of the nightmare-inducing haunting reaches a boiling point. This is as good as southern gothic and haunted house horror get. Not to mention the emotionally fraught themes of how far a parent will go to protect his children— from threats both alien and familiar— and the way traumas can continue to haunt us long after we think we’ve escaped them.

If you have trouble committing to a slow build but love a good haunted house, I very much recommend the audio version of this novel. Adam Lazarre-White’s narration infuses the pace with an emotional suspense that might draw in readers more accustomed to an early hook. However, if you love a well executed slow burn horror with an incredible and harrowing payoff that will stick with you long after closing the back cover, any format will suit you more than fine. ‘The Spite House is one hell of a debut and Johnny Compton has immediately become an instant-read author for me.

Thank you so so much to Netgalley, Johnny Compton, Macmillan Audio, Macmillan-Tor/Forge, and Tor Nightfire for the opportunity to experience both an advanced e-galley and an advanced listening copy of ‘The Spite House’ in exchange for an honest review.