I wanted to love this book; great premise, awesome cover..... the story starts out strong but doesn't quite deliver on the horror or suspense. Unevenly paced. Overall it wasn't a terrible read, but it didn't knock my socks off either.

This is the first book I've read from author Jo Nesbø and while it was good, it didn't quite deliver on the horror that this book is aiming towards. For me it didn't work since most of the plot devices used I've already read before, and seen them done better. Also while the main character was not very likeable it took me awhile before I started to root for him. I think with a few minor changes it would be better suited as a YA horror book.

I was pretty excited going into this book, but in the end just didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. Everything felt very rushed and I feel like there was no real character development. The twist at the end didn't even really surprise me or make me feel anything. I think this book is great for some people, but obviously just wasn't the right fit for me

Thanks to NetGalley for an Advanced Reader Copy in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 out of 4 stars.

Richard goes to live with his uncle Frank and aunt Jenny after the death of his parents. He is angry and despite knowing he is being a bully deep down, he can't stop from lashing out at those around him. One night, while loafing around town with another boy, they stop at a phone booth where Richard convinces the boy, Tom, to prank call a name he pulled from the phone book - Imu J.

Then the phone proceeds to eat Tom.

Richard runs home screaming and Frank and Jenny take him to the police station but the police chief is certain that Richard has hurt or killed Tom and is making up a wild story to cover it up.

Richard tells all of this to his one friend, Karen, who writes in her notebook the whole time they are talking, but she seems genuinely interested in what he is saying, and believes that he believes that is what happened.

Richard convinces another boy, Jack, to go with him up to the house where the alleged Imu lives. The house is dilapidated. A tree grows through it, and a swarm of what Jack calls magicicadas hovers above the house. Before running from the swarm screaming, because he hates insects, Richard sees the face of a man in the window of the house.

Richard and Jack go back to Richard's house for dinner and afterward, Richard is yelling at Jack because he doesn't want Jack telling anyone how he ran screaming from some insects, and while he is screaming, Jack begins to shrink and shrink...until he is a magicicada himself.

Despite feeling guilty, Richard is afraid, so he goes to stomp on the bug, which eludes his bully foot and flies out the window.

Desperate to prove his innocence, Richard and Karen do some investigating, which leads them to the library, and some very interesting discoveries, but in the end, Richard is sent to Ballantyne - not quite a prison, not quite an asylum, it has been posited to his aunt and uncle as the place to send wayward children who need some help.

I feel if I go too much further, I would give away the rest of the story. There were three parts, this is all part one. I was really into part one, then part two came along and kind of felt like the rug was pulled out from under me, then part three came around and I was even more confused and was almost getting angry because I felt like I had been duped, but then by the time I came around to the ending, I could see the circular sense to the story, and was rather impressed with how the author made it all work.

This was my first read by Jo Nesbø. I thought he was more of a thriller writer, but this was horror, and reminded me a little of Joe Hill and Ania Ahlborn, though I may have to borrow some of this other works from my sister-in-law to see if he is an author I would pursue.

The Night House is an intriguing story full of twists and surprises. Richard is sent away to live with his aunt and uncle after his parents die in a house fire. Once Richard gets to his new town weird things start happening and people go missing. Richard is the main suspect and he must find a way to prove his innocence. This story was a very quick read as I couldn't get enough. It kept me entertained and surprised the whole time.

4.5 Stars! The Night House has such an amazing story unlike any other I have read, the writing reminds me of Stephen King with such great storytelling, nicknames, and detail. The spooky plot begins with a boy who gets his friend eaten by a phone, turns another into a cicada and then has to save them. However, once you think you have the book figured out there is a plot twist that brings everything back together in an unexpected way! I would absolutely recommend this book to my fellow readers who like spooky, horror, dark forest stories!

Thank you to NetGalley, the Publishers, and Jo Nesbø for an ARC of The Night House. I honestly thoroughly enjoyed this. It was my first book of Jo’s and will not be my last. I did find it a little gruesome (probably not when I was younger), but it was such a fascinating horror read. It was the perfect spooky read I needed to get into spooky season. I found his writing so enticing and it was the perfect length and didn’t drag on.

Eh…

Sometimes you really, really, really want to like a book. And you really, really, really don’t like it. This, unfortunately, is that book.

I’m not sure what I expected here. The first part reads like middle grade fiction, but instead of starring a plucky kid you like, you get…Richard. And Richard should have a certain four-letter nickname to match his personality. It’s also RL Stine level horror without enough camp.

In the 2nd part, we realize that Richard at least knows he was a (insert that four-letter word here), but he’s still irritating and what happens in this section manages to mix bizarre with boring – and that’s hard to do.

Finally, we have section 3 in which the author basically tells us that sections 1 and 2 were a complete waste of your time and you wonder why you even read this.

Most definitely not for me.

• ARC via Publisher

2.5 stars. I’ve not read this author before, but I know his books are very popular. I was intrigued to explore his foray into horror. The horror was more gross-out than scary and the antagonist was silly. Despite a few dramatic twists, this fell flat for me. I at first attributed the amateurish writing to the age/immaturity of the narrator, but it continued throughout the book. Further, nothing about this smacked of reality, from the stilted dialogue to the consistently ridiculous way every character behaved. A story within a story…within a story…is all well and good, but make something/someone relatable and realistic.

Heart pounding thriller that left me on the edge of my seat. I thoroughly enjoyed reading this one. Definitely one of the best books this year.

If you are looking for a “Harry Hole” type novel, than look away. “The Night House” is instead is a brilliantly thought out and intricately woven horror type story. With the deep connections and tie ins that I’ve come to expect from Jo Nesbø. Constantly causing a contemplation on interconnected stories, and endless guessing to the final truth. I will never stop being amazed at the incredible character depths, and hidden facades I try and see beyond. I cannot recommend this book more to any horror or mystery fans. And if you’ve ever enjoyed a Jo Nesbø novel before, then it’s absolute must. What a pleasure, I only wish the story was longer and the characters story could stretch on in part III out of purely selfish interest in the characters story.

What a brilliant mix of psychological thriller, horror, and suspenseful drama to create an absolutely riveting and mind-blowing narrative. Jo Nesbo is at his finest with such a twisty story and I was utterly blown away by the unsettling aura of the characters and the mystery and the ending is pure jaw-dropping awesome!

Full review to be posted on https://www.bestthrillerbooks.com/kashif-hussain

MAN, This was such a good book! I enjoyed it from page one!! This book and the plot and MC was just want I needed right now. I look forward to more from this person!

If I’m being perfectly honestly, I did not start with initially liking this book. The main character was insufferable and the supernatural horror storyline wasn’t captivating enough for me to overlook what I wasn’t enjoying. Well, I feel like a total fool because the book absolutely grew on me! It’s broken up into three parts and each part took the reader in an entirely different direction that made this story so bingey and compelling. I audibly said “omg” multiple times after finishing part 1. Part 1 felt very YA, coming of age, small town horror. Part 2 had my favorite component of coming of age horror, returning to the small town that housed your nightmares many years later. I won’t spoil part 3 but it also featured something I really enjoy in horror.

The Night House read like a fever dream and maintained a level of dread all the way through. I had no idea what was real or fake thanks to the unreliable narrator. I also love books within books and writer characters, so that was really fun! Highly recommend all fans of supernatural, coming of age horror giving this one a shot. And don’t be deterred because it will absolutely grow on you! Trust the process!

Part 1 tells a supernatural horror story where Richard, a boy from the city, bullies kids in the small town he has arrived at and then is blamed for the disappearance of two boys. Part 2 turns to metafiction as we see how the story came to be. Except that Part 2 is actually part of the story and Part 3 is the real metafiction. Nicely structured story as we find out along the way how the pieces fit together to create the horror story in part 1, which itself is deliciously dark and ominous.

Thanks to Knopf, Pantheon, Vintage, and Anchor, Knopf and NetGalley for the chance to read Jo Nesbo's dive into horror with 'The Night House'!

I'd read a couple of Nesbo's Harry Hole series and enjoyed them well enough but not enough to immerse myself in the whole series but, nevertheless, I was intrigued to see how - having dealt with real human horrors - he'd approach the horror genre.

Well, probably unsurprisingly, he's done a fine job with this multi-layered, head-wrecking novel in which we're introduced to Richard (a couple of surnames attached to him).

I'm not sure how much I could write in describing the book without straying deeply into spoiler territory but what I can say is that he dives right into the story - no effort at setup of place or character - and the book is presented in three sections with each one adding more layers to Richard and his story and the inspiration for his experiences.

One of the things I loved about it is that you don't know, geographically, where this is taking place so apart from the horrors Richard and his friends experience it's all quite unsettling in that respect - I suspect that was the author's intention.

Not the finest horror novel I've read but good fun nonetheless.

So, I am really not into horror novels and, at best, this was a rather quirky one.
At 14, Richard Elauved is sent to live with his aunt and uncle at their home in Ballyntine when his house burns down - with his parents in it.
He finds himself an outcast at school and when he becomes the last person seen with a classmate who disappears, he becomes the main suspect.: even though he explains that the boy was eaten alive by the telephone, in a booth..
At this point the story really takes on a life of its own
The story morphs back and forth between reality and an alternate reality - difficult to follow for much of it.
Brilliant writing - being able to keep track of the storyline is a marvel in itself.
Characters are well described - several times and in several different places.
Nesbo is a favorite author but this was definitely not one of my 5 stars.

Thank you to those at Knopf Publishing and Netgalley for allowing me the opporunity to read this story in exchange for my honest opinions. I really enjoyed reading this one. I was hooked from the begining. It was fast paced and mysterious enough to draw your interest. Storygraph feels like it has the best content warnings and there are some you should look into before reading this one. This was my first time reading a book by Jo. I'm a fan for sure. I liked that I wasn't predicting where the story was going so I was glued to the metaphorical page (ebook). A boy who has been orphaned, has been taken in by his aunt and uncle in a small town. The boy becomes a bit of a bully as a way to keep people out and not let himself get hurt. A kid gets killed in front of him and because there is no body, he looks like suspect number one. Continues to do so when it happens again. It's told through first person so you are confined to the same knowledge of what is ongoing. I would definitely reread this one and plan to get a physical copy once it's out in October.

The Night House | Jo Nesbø | ⭐️⭐️⭐️

This book took me a while to get into but I am glad I stuck around. There are three parts to this novel and each one had its own unique twists and turns. This is a hard one to review without spoiling anything!!

The narrator’s perspective and personality were hard to get through in the first part. While the narrator isn’t a reflection of the author, I will put a warning out for some fat phobia and homophobia warnings. It was almost too much for me multiple times.

The twists were interesting and I might reread this now that I know the ending. If you are a fan of psychological thrills, unreliable narrators, and some old-school vibes, I recommend this novel! It wasn’t always my style, but I can see this being a popular favorite for thriller fans!!

Thank you NetGalley and the author for the ARC opportunity! I love the cover as well!

The Night House by Jo Nesbo. This book was written in three parts, each with a new reality. Initially a boy named Richard, whose parents died, is taken in by his aunt and uncle. Richard has a difficult time fitting in and then something strange happens. A schoolmate disappears and then another. The townspeople blame Richard. The story takes a supernatural turn and so begins the stories of the main antagonist. It’s an interest, thrilling ride. Well written and immersive.