A horribly claustrophobic gothic haunted house debut! I loved the depth of each character especially THE house! It left me very unnerved and looking over my shoulder at every turn. It beautifully crafts the bond weaved through generations of both love and hate. It truly shows the depth of love for family and what one would do to protect their loved ones even through generations and the unknown. Incredible debut novel and I cannot wait for more work from Mr. Compton!

A creepy tale of a house built by spite and the ghosts that haunt it! Eric Ross is in hiding with his two children, in desperate need of cash flow, he accepts a gig where all he has to do is live in a supposedly haunted house. It’s never that easy, is it? Both his past and the house’s collide in a terrifying conclusion that left me freaked out, curled up in bed at night.
I had a really great time reading this and fell in love with a lot of aspects of this books. First off, I have such love for both of the daughters, Stacy & Dess. Both were calm and collected throughout and it highlighted how “different” the past they are running from is. Next, the house’s petty past in being built. Sadly, I could see that situation actually happening, in the same way we see people erect giant middle fingers to irritate their neighbors. Last, the ending was a perfect one to me. I won’t spoil it but it felt like everyone got what they really wanted/needed in the end. Can’t wait to add a physical copy to my bookshelves!

What a phenomenal debut! This is Southern Gothic horror at it's best. There are some pacing issues and their are a lot of POVs - but I found that the POVs worked, and the pacing left a lot of room for tension.

There are truly so many layers to this story that I know that I missed things. I can definitely see myself picking this one back up again.

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a chance to read this novel in exchange for an honest review.

So…
I didn’t like it.

Don’t get me wrong it has its awesome moments that really sucked me in…
But…

I didn’t like it. It took me forever to get into it, and then when I did get into it… well it let me down. I can’t quite explain it but it just didn’t hit all the points for me. It felt hollow to me almost, almost like just as the story got good the story just fell off and then the end came and it was just meh.
I’ll still recommend it, because again how I feel isn’t how someone else will feel about it. This just missed the mark for me.

I loved the back story and the characters but honestly I felt like some of it was overkill. There was a lot of story that was just too much info. Some of it felt as if it was not relevant to the story and could have easily been left out. However I love a ghost story and the story line kept me interested enough that I had to finish it. The ending was great!

Eric Ross and his daughters are running from something, running through Texas, which Eric finds a job offer that he can't refuse. Basically, a wealthy woman is paying to stay in a haunted house. The house in question is a "spite house." Eric takes the job, not really sure what to expect.

This is the leadup to Johnny Compton's "The Spite House," a taut, interesting haunted house story, with masterful tension and suspense. Eric and his daughters Stacey and Dess are so memorable as characters. I was definitely along for the ride until near the end, which confused me a bit. However, I do recommend this book for anyone who likes a more psychological or atmospheric gothic haunted house story.

Single dad Eric Ross along with his two daughters mysteriously up and left his life in Maryland for Texas. Eric is desperate for money when he comes across an ad for the Masson House in Dengener, Texas. The Masson house is notorious for being haunted and the owner is looking for proof of paranormal activity so someone to stay in the house and record any strange occurrences. Eric believes this will be a great opportunity since the job offers a huge payout and because Eric is curious about the supernatural world.

I love ghost stories and especially those about haunted houses so I was immediately drawn to The Spite House’s synopsis.

My favorite part of The Spite House was the atmosphere in the Masson house. I also enjoyed learning about the house’s history, who built it and why. I also really enjoyed learning about the main character Eric and uncovering his mysterious past. There was also an unexpected twist that completely surprised me.

The only thing I didn’t like about this one was there were a lot of things left behind at the end and several issues that went unresolved. But overall I enjoyed The Spite House. Johnny Compton did an excellent job with his debut novel!

The Spite House by Johnny Compton will be available on February 7. Many thanks to Tor Nightfire and Netgalley for the gifted copy!

A modern gothic told with a charming family on the run for SOME REASON we don’t learn until late forces them to move into the dreaded, haunted SPITE HOUSE deep in the heart of Texas.

The first 1/3 of the novel is its most tense, as we first meet the family — the relationship between Eric and his eldest daughter Dess is a real highlight — and see them on the run from their past. The book covers familial issues, systemic racism, and the corruptible power of money in a really refreshing way, which is kicked up a notch once Eunice — the owner of Spite House — is introduced.

Unfortunately, I feel the book lost steam when we arrived at the house. The terrifying thing at the center of the book ended up feeling all the less tense and frightening as we saw and learned more about it. Some of the twists that were intentionally kept from us at the start of the book was also bothersome. We’ve learned so much about these people, so why not trust us and the writing with that information earlier?

All in all, a solid chiller and debut with a ghost story more about the ghosts in our own lives and communities than what simply has returned from the dead. Definitely worth a read and I’m interested in what Compton will do in the future.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and @tornightfire for the review copy!

3.5 stars

The Spite House was a unique twist on a haunted house story. This southern gothic horror novel was set in current-day Texas and follows a single father - Eric Ross - and his two daughters Dess and Stacy as they run from a dark past.

When Eric and his family arrive in Degener, Texas - a town practically owned by a tech millionaire - they are presented with a "great" opportunity - live in the mysterious Masson House and provide proof of its paranormal activity in exchange for a generous payout.

What ensues is a wild and rather complex plot spanning multiple generations of trauma, and obviously, spite. While I loved the multiple perspectives and diverse characters, there were some side plots that were never fully resolved.

I had never heard of a “spite house”, so I got a history lesson along with my ghostie story, and plenty of ghosts there are. Ghosts of dead children. Dead soldiers. Wrongly murdered black men in what is very similar to a KKK attack. The list goes on and on. And that doesn’t include the disappearances that have gone unexplained over the years. There’s also a family curse. If there had been a rabid dog in the story, I would have suggested that there was something for everyone in this little page-turner.
And it is a page-turner, albeit a slow one.
Eric, Dess, and Stacy are on the run. We finally find out why, but it is imbedded so deeply into the last third of the book that the less patient reader will have DNFed before finding out the full story behind their escape into anonymity.
Eric Ross is hired by Eunice Houghton to find out the secrets of the spite house. Prove that the ghosts are real so she can bring in scientists and researchers who can study the phenomenon and possibly break the family curse.
On premise, it sounds good, but it was a really dry read.
The characters are a little too stereotypical and tend to fall a little flat.
I wanted to love it, especially since the first third of the book had me hooked with wanting to know the reason why Ross and his family fled their home with little more than the clothes on their backs. By the time I got to the 80% point, I found myself skimming, just to say I finished it.
4 stars for idea, 3 for character development. 3 1/2 overall, but I would be willing to read Compton’s next book because I think he shows promise.

There were so many strong things about this book that I was a little bummed to rate it only 3 stars, but I felt like both the end dramatic scene was too messy and the wrap up too neat… It left me feeling unsatisfied. I also struggled with the way the breadcrumbs of the back story were sprinkled throughout. I loved the idea, but it felt almost like he wrote the book, then went back and added teasers at random. That all said: it was SPOOKY and I was glad I don’t live alone when I read it at night! And it kept me turning pages because I was invested in the characters and all their weirdness and in understanding what happened (which is part of what made the end disappointing- I wanted more). All in all, a really solid horror story and I’d definitely read more of his books!

Eric Ross is a father in this book that is a bit down on his luck. He's been looking for ways to make money and moving in and out of hotels with this two daughters, Dess and Stacy. Fortunately, Eric eventually finds that there is a caretaker needed for a spite house - something I personally did not know anything about. This spite house is known to be haunted. If Eric can make it through a duration of time there, he could come out with a substantial amount of money. He learns quite a bit about the history of the house while he's there, including who built it and why it was built on that specific piece of land.
For a debut, this is pretty good. It doesn’t knock anything out of the park in my opinion, but it does set up a decent way to slowly build up. I was happy and a bit impressed. The story was interesting. The settling was great. I wasn’t overly fond of the ending, but I am excited to see how the author grows from here on. I wish there were some things clarified a bit better and that does appear to be the general opinion.

Eric and his two daughters are on the run from a mysterious past in Maryland. When they find a house in Texas they are paid to stay in, he thinks they’ve found their break. As he details the events of the home as part of the deal, he hopes they make it through.

I love a classic haunted house story. This one was certainly creepy. I loved the scary parts; you definitely don’t want to read it at night. There were some slow moments when getting into the history of the house and the history of the characters but the scary parts made up for it.

“What else would a house like this feed on but lives? All of Degener knew it, too, but they had him come here with his children, hadn’t even tried to warn him, they had just let him-“

The Spite House comes out 2/7.

The Spite House was an interesting read. I enjoyed the story though I did feel like it was missing a little something to elevate it up to the next level. I had never heard the term "spite house" before now and I like the concept quite a bit. If you like haunted house stories I would definitely recommend giving this one a read

Thank you NetGalley for the advance read. 3.5 stars. I've never heard of a Spite House before and what they mean and thanks to this book now I do. Eric Ross is running from his past with his two daughters. Leaving everything behind, including his wife. Looking for jobs on the runs is hard, especially when you can't really tell anyone who you are. In comes the Spite House and the horrors within. Definitely a job I would want to take on.

3.5 stars rounded up to 4. This was a really solid haunted house story!

I personally enjoyed the first half with all of the build up and anticipation a bit more than the second half, but overall I had a really good time with this story. I really loved the family dynamics and following a father who would do anything (even willingly live in a haunted house) to protect his daughters.

There was also a really interesting reveal relating to a few of the characters, but I wish it would've been explored even more because it was one of my favorite parts!

There were more POVs in this story than I was expecting - you get POVs from nearly every character featured in the story - which I thought was a cool way to build the bigger picture of the story. I wish we could've also gotten journal entries from the previous tenants of this haunted house to add to the "creep factor."

This book also taught me what a "spite house" is, and I thought it worked out as a great device for a haunted house story.

Thank you to the publisher for granting me an ARC via NetGalley.

I have seen this book all over tiktok for MONTHS and it lives up to the hype. I read this slowly trying to take it all in. Get the ambiance of it all. Thank you so much for this ARC.

I really, really wanted to like this book. Then I spent nearly two weeks reading it in small chunks and the best I could say was that it acted as a terrific soporific. I set it aside at 58% without intention. I may pick it back up, or I may not. Then I listened to an interview with the author on the "She Wore Black" podcast. If you are a fan of horror/gothic fiction, I highly recommend it to you. The host, Agatha raved about this book and I enjoyed the insights from Johnny Compton. So many weeks later, having read 4 other books and watched multiple movies in the interim, I picked it back up and braced for a riveting conclusion. It never came. There are creepy elements in this book, but a whole lot of unanswered questions. The setup takes too long and it never really follows through with its promise of being creepy. I'd never heard of a Spite House before and agree that they are an excellent premise for a good ghost story, this one just isn't it.

I do love a creepy haunted house story! And this one was a delight... I wasn't familiar with the concept of a spite house before this book, so didn't initially know what everyone was talking about until I turn to Google - but what a brilliant concept to work into a haunted house tale!

This book had it all - creepy crawly unexplainable events, mysterious backstories, a blurring of the lines between life and death, curses, near misses and narrow escapes, and the love of a family underpinning it all. Compton has crafted a delightful tale that sent shivers up my spine and kept me furiously turning pages to see what would happen next...

I really enjoyed exploring the familial relationships here, and the way they did not play second fiddle to the underlying ghost story. Rather they were an essential part of everything that was going on, and I really think it made the story feel richer than your traditional ghost or haunted house story. I'm a sucker for great characterization and the combination of protective and fearful instincts in opposition to a never ending sense of curiosity about what was *really* going on was very dynamic.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one!

I liked the Spite House, I thought it was a cool haunted house story. It had layers. I really enjoyed the writing style of having each chapter from a different characters perspective, up to around a dozen of them. The story moved along on a linear path but by having different characters tell different parts of the story it allowed the plot to be revealed in a slow and interesting way. And that was probably my favourite part of the book, was the slow drip of new information being added. You might miss it if you're not paying attention. It reads like a mystery in a horror book.

The only downside of the book for me was that there wasn't quite the payoff I was hoping for at the end. In fairness to the author though, I should probably re-read the book and there might have been some small details I missed that would have made the ending more satisfying. Good book. Four stars.