Sadly, this was a DNF for me. I'll admit it's been years since I read Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House so I can't speak to comparisons between that and this novel that the Jackson estate endorsed. I suspect I might not be a target audience for this type of horror as I have a very hard time continuing when a MC sees a plethora of bright red flags but proceeds with seemingly zero reflection or awareness of the situation. I just can't... and so, I stopped reading pretty early on, about 23% through. It's certainly got a creep factor that would probably be great for readers who don't have the same aforementioned hangups and enjoy the atmosphere a haunted house provides.

*A copy of A Haunting on the Hill was provided to me by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

This was one of my most anticipated reads for fall and I almost forgot to review it. 😫 I’ve been a huge Shirley Jackson fan for years so when I heard about this book I couldn’t wait to get my hands on it. This is the first book to be authorized to use Hill House and I was pleased to return to it. This is a slow burn horror with gothic vibes so if that’s your thing then this book is for you. I will say I pretty much disliked all the characters. That being said though I really enjoyed the story. It had gothic classic horror vibes with some modern elements. Overall, I was pleased to return to the Hill.

I'm a huge fan of Shirley Jackson and The Haunting of Hill House, like I voraciously consume that shit, so when I saw that this was going to be a queer retelling of it, I was so so excited, but A Haunting on the Hill fell really flat for me. I was really disappointed by how uncompelling the characters were, and generally how stupid some of the decisions they made seemed. Like they would do things that made me want to scream at them through the pages, and honestly I just couldn't. Like really, you're gonna move into that house after that, but x10. Also I personally find it as a massive ick when things like "vape pen" are used in writing, it just seemed like the author was trying to relate with the youth, but without grasping how slang etc is used, so it felt very inorganic. I think that this book really would have benefitted from more subtelty on all fronts when it came to that and the plot. But, maybe those are just my own unreasonable icks.

Thank you Net Galley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review, I really appreciate it.

This book had potential, unfortunately it wasn't able to capitalize on it. If it had been more about the house and less about the characters it would have been better. The play aspect was weird. The characters were not that interesting.

Elizabeth Hand's attempt to recreate the atmosphere of Shirley Jackson's original fell quite flat for me. The dialogue was mundane and repetitive amongst all the unlikeable characters with the characters' voices sounding the same. This also contributed to an inability to truly differentiate each character. Overall, I did not find this one to be as engaging and haunting as was expected.

This one didn’t do it for me. I was pretty bored throughout the majority of the book and had trouble wanting to pick it back up and finish it. I actually DNF’d A Haunting of Hill House because I was absolutely bored and was waiting for horror, and this just seemed the same for me. I want to be spooked and creeped out and scared when reading a horror novel, but this didn’t give me those feelings.

I love the Cass Neary series of novels that Hand has written so as soon as I read the description of this novel, I knew I wanted to read it. It was well written and very atmospheric. Perfect to curl up with on a dark and stormy night, it is a wonderful addition to the Hill House legacy.

I still have chills after finishing this book but also feel like I'm going to move on very quickly. Rarely do I wish for things to be fully explained, but I think this book would have benefitted from things being a bit more spelled out. The beginning dragged a bit, and it was very jarring to have a POV switch after 20 chapters of being single POV.

I was not a fan of the original Haunting of Hill House and this book was a little better. I think the idea of recreating the book is awesome and love the idea! I wanted it to be a little spookier.

A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand is the first approved return to the Hill House in Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House from Shirley Jackson's estate. Hill House is a character that Elizabeth Hand respects and adds more mystery to it. No characters from the original The Haunting of Hill House or relatives of characters make an appearance. There is a bit of dialogue that Shirley Jackson had in the original that was used in a cool way. The history of Hill House was glossed over with only a little bit added in the 70 years from the original, which I feel was a wasted opportunity. The book is very female-centric with only one male in the new cast of characters, which I liked since Hill House has had a deeper connection to females. The LGTBQ longing or relationship that was read between the lines in the original The Haunting of Hill House is front and center with a lesbian couple and a bisexual. The narrative is told from the perspective of the four main characters which usually change with every chapter. The pacing of the story is very slow at the beginning, a couple of times I thought about not finishing. The pace finally picks up a little after halfway when the stuff at the house starts happening. The second half is way better-paced than the first half and leads into an exciting climax. The horror aspect is my psychological and leans more into the threat of horror that only slightly manifests. This is the same thing I said about The Haunting of Hill House which I found slightly more terrifying than A Haunting on the Hill. I read A Haunting on the Hill thanks to Netgalley and Mulholland Books in exchange for a review. A Haunting on the Hill was published on October 3, 2023.

Plot Summary: Holly is a writer/theatre director and has just received a grant to be used for her play which is an old stage play about a witch and a devil that she is turning into a musical. Nisa her girlfriend is a singer-songwriter who will bring soul to the musical influenced by jazz and blues. Holly has tried and failed at staging a production before and wants everything to go smoothly and have a retreat to finely tune the writing, acting, and songs. Holly on a trip ends up getting lost and discovers Hill House which draws her in with its gothic look and knows this will be the perfect location for her workshop. Holly is warned slightly about the history but is determined to rent the place and the owner gives in. Holly is accompanied by Nisa, Stevie, a bisexual actor/soundman that Nisa has had an affair with but Holly doesn't know, and Amanda, an aging star who has been out of work since her castmate was killed as she pushed them from the catwalk and the rigging failed. Hill House at first welcomes them, then starts revealing secrets that will mess with the guest's psyche. Practicing a play about a devil possessing a witch is just what guests think they need from Hill House, but Hill House needs its guests to stay forever.

What I Liked: I Liked the LGTBQ relationship was out front and harkens back to the original The Haunting of Hill House secret between-the-lines lesbian relationship. The comparisons to acting as embodying the souls of those who passed. The descriptions of Hill House and how it is treated like a character. The neighbor Evadne is a witch who tries to protect others from the house and is the best character (only in three scenes) if only she were in more scenes or forced to enter the house. The musical numbers were very poetic. The climax was exciting and well done. I liked how Jackson's dialogue was worked into the story I picked up on it right away.

What I Disliked: The story goes all in with a mysterious hare. I never found it to be creepy or scary and yet the hare is in so many scenes. There is a verse that I did not find that compelling that does talk about hares, but too many hares. The one scene in the fireplace was the only time it was needed and would have been creepy if it was the first time the reader saw it. The play within the story sounds like a mess I needed a lot more explaining to get behind the story. The pace was way too slow at the beginning. The lack of history of Hill House in the last 64 years was disappointing. All the characters seemed very wishy-washy and could not connect to any of them. I wanted more connection to the original novel than what we got. Stevie's psychical description was all over the place from muscular to scrawny, I did read an early copy so hopefully this was caught and changed on publication.

Recommendation: The original is classic because of its characters, dialogue, and creepy setting which is Hill House. A Haunting on the Hill has one of those elements Hill House, and it wasn't enough for me to recommend this to all of my followers. The people who will like this novel are thespians with great introspection on acting and what it does for and with the soul. I don't think there is enough for me to recommend this to fans of the original. I liked the LGTBQ representation but it needed more interesting characters to hold the reader's attention. This is the second book I have read by Elizabeth Hand would recommend Curious Toys over A Haunting on the Hill.

Rating: I rated A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand 2 out of 5. The novel was close to the two-and-a-half mark but not enough to change my rating to a three.

TW: Drinking, covid mention, drugs, language, sexual assault of a minor, suicide (mention), mental illness, sex

*****SPOILERS*****
About the book:Holly Sherwin has been a struggling playwright for years, but now, after receiving a grant to develop her play, The Witch of Edmonton, she may finally be close to her big break. All she needs is time and space to bring her vision to life. When she stumbles across Hill House on a weekend getaway upstate, she is immediately taken in by the ornate, if crumbling, gothic mansion, nearly hidden outside a remote village. It’s enormous, old, and ever-so eerie—the perfect place to develop and rehearse her play. Despite her own hesitations, Holly’s girlfriend, Nisa, agrees to join Holly in renting the house out for a month, and soon a troupe of actors, each with ghosts of their own, arrive. Yet as they settle in, the house’s peculiarities are made known: strange creatures stalk the grounds, disturbing sounds echo throughout the halls, and time itself seems to shift. All too soon, Holly and her friends find themselves at odds not just with one another, but with the house itself. It seems something has been waiting in Hill House all these years, and it no longer intends to walk alone . . .
Release Date: October 3rd, 2023
Genre: Horror
Pages: 336
Rating: ⭐

What I Liked:
1. Short chapters
2. The cover is cool
3. Same world as Hill House
4. I did like the that there was a same sex couple

What I Didn't Like:
1. Chapters end in odd spots
2. Omgosh I hated the acting play aspect of this book
3. Boring
4. I don't like any of the characters

Overall Thoughts:
Something felt as though it was missing from this book that The Haunting had.

Parts about the plays were dry and boring to me. I don't care about plays so page after page of them was just boring to me.

All the characters just feel so one dimensional to me.

One of my favorite things about the Haunting of Hill House was how fast we see Eleanor start to break down. She's already pulled down emotionally from the abuse she suffered from taking care of her mother. Then we jump into that her sister is trying to sell the house she lives in within a few days of their mother dying. Then we jump into her going to the House. I just feel like in this book there's none of that desperation; there is no sadness. It all just feels like these uppity rich people just want to go and make a play based on someone else's misery. It was hard for me to feel for the characters because I didn't care for the characters. They're so New York that they come off full of themselves and like they deserve everything. Case in point Holly sees the House and then decides that she's going to go and rent it even though there's no signage saying that this house is for rent. Then Nisa, her girlfriend even goes and they start telling this realtor that they are going to rent the house and then it happens. I rolled my eyes at that.

And then the buildup to get to the house and actually get them into the house feels so drawn out that I absolutely felt like I was losing interest. I struggled to want to carry on reading about these people.

I'm sorry I ended up having a dnf this at 50%. I just could not read about them talk acting and the play anymore. It all just became so annoying and boring. These characters were so dull. I knew that there was going to be some parts that talked about acting but I didn't expect it to be the only thing these people could even talk about. It's like these characters didn't have a life or personality beyond the play and their parts.

Final Thoughts:
This was not what I expected. It was so different from what I thought I was getting. The overuse of drugs and drinking took me out of that this was even supposed to be in the same world of Hill House. It reminded me of the movie franchise using the name but then totally butcher everything about it.

I did have the book and the audiobook. I read the book when I wasn't doing things and put the audiobook on when I didn't have my hands free; I preferred the book. I think its nice to have a book that has sound effects on it but if a book is written on its original format and can't stand on its own than you shouldn't rate it higher because of the audiobook.

Another thing - the book says it; "The first-ever novel authorized to return to the world of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House" What does that even mean? Is the book copyright protected that no one can mention characters or the house from the original novel? I did find a good article saying that all it means is that Shirley Jackson's family said "Go ahead just pay us and you can use it." New York Times Article

I am so so disappointed that I didn't like this book. I love Shirley Jackson and I loved The Haunting of Hill House, but this book should not be associated with it. It just ends up being sex, drugs, and this stupid play.

It reminded me so much of Mona Awad's Alls Well. Now she was able to write a book that had plays in that was interesting and I enjoyed that book.

I will say that I did like that there was a same sex couple. Shirley Jackson had Nell in her book and since it was the late 50s wasn't able to come out and say she was gay, but it was hinted at in the book and the wonderful movie from the 60s.

IG | Blog

Thanks to Netgalley (ebook) and Mulholland Books (physical book) for this advanced copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is an homage to The Haunting of Hill House but it's nothing like The Haunting of Hill House. It's kind of campy, and I didn't find it very compelling.

Thank you to NetGalley, Elizabeth Hand, and Mulholland Books for an e-ARC of A Haunting on the Hill.

I really enjoyed the Haunting of Hill House so this book had A LOT to live up to. I am still unsure how I feel about it, but I do know that it left an impression on me.

To start - the author's descriptions are perfectly creepy. I absolutely love reading about creepy old houses and Hand did not disappoint with her descriptions. I really felt like I was there at the house getting snowed in with the characters.

Additionally - there were weird supernatural elements to this book. It was so strange but also somehow fit the narrative. From the strange black rabbits to the weird door. I don't know how I felt about them, but they somehow just fit.

I will say, I wasn't super attached to any of the characters which did make the book a bit hard to get through. They were all very flawed people, but I think that was the author's intent. It was almost as if she wanted you to feel like these characters deserved what was coming to them.

If you like horror and the supernatural, this is definitely worth the quick read!

I LOVE me a good spooky house story, but this one didn’t quite hit the mark. The house took more of a back seat to the character's, and it fell flat for me.

The House on Haunted Hill is my favorite black and white movie that I watch every spooky season, and I love the original Shirley Jackson book, A Haunting of Hill House, so any book that is related to this I am all in for, and this one I immediately grabbed when it was available. The audiobook is absolutely the way to read this, the way the sounds were woven in was genius and only enhanced the spooky atmosphere for this book. The house was a creepy character itself, and was an integral part of the story as you would expect it to be. Overall I enjoyed this one, it was perfect for spooky season and was a wonderful tribute to the original.

Thank you to Mulholland Books, NetGalley, Hachette Audio and LibroFM for the copies to review.

When you think about classic horror novels, Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House is definitely on many horror enthusiasts lists. The book, originally published in 1959, has been adapted into several movie and TV versions over the years. And now, finally, there is a sequel, A Haunting on the Hill, the first authorized novel that returns to the unsettling and mysterious world of Hill House.

A Haunting on the Hill follows the story of Holly Sherwin, a struggling playwright who stumbles upon Hill House while on a weekend getaway upstate, looking for a place to develop and rehearse her play.

Holly is immediately taken in by the ornate, if crumbling, gothic mansion, nearly hidden outside a remote village. She convinces her girlfriend, Nisa, to join her in renting the house out for a month, and soon a group of actors, each with their own ghosts, arrive. However, the house's peculiarities start to become apparent: strange creatures stalk the grounds, disturbing sounds echo throughout the halls, and time itself seems to shift. As the group settle in, they find themselves at odds not just with each other, but with the house itself. Something evil has been waiting in Hill House all these years, and it will no longer walk alone.

Elizabeth Hand has done an excellent job of capturing the essence of Shirley Jackson's writing style. The novel is packed with suspense and terror that slowly builds throughout the story and leads to a truly horrifying conclusion. The book's pacing is remarkable, and the way the story is told creates an intense and immersive reading experience. Hand's writing adds an excellent layer to the lore created by Shirley Jackson, making it feel like a new chapter in the world of Hill House.

One of the novel's significant achievements is its portrayal of the characters. Each character is unique and well-rounded, with their own distinct backstory and motivations. Throughout the book, we see the characters struggle with their own personal demons while being tormented by the house's entities. This adds an extra layer of fear and suspense that makes the events of the book all the more disturbing.

The haunted house trope has been used countless times in the horror genre, yet somehow Elizabeth Hand has managed to bring something new to the table. Her approach to the haunted house story subverts expectations and keeps the reader engaged. The way she describes the house itself is almost like it's a character, with a personality and motivations of its own. This portrayal of the house adds an extra layer of horror, making the book feel like a dread-filled journey into the unknown.

A Haunting on the Hill is a must-read for fans of Shirley Jackson's The Haunting of Hill House and for anyone who loves a good horror story. Elizabeth Hand has created a suspenseful, frightening story that captures the essence of Shirley Jackson's writing style while adding a new layer to the lore she created. The way Hand describes the characters and the house itself adds an extra layer of terror to an already scary story. The pacing of the story is perfect, with the ending being a satisfying conclusion to the events that came before it. A Haunting on the Hill is a fantastic addition to the world of Hill House!

DNF at 25%. Unfortunately, this was boring to me. The only thing happening was Holly talking about her play for 25% of the book. Nothing creepy happened. This a slow burn and I like my horror more fast paced. Thank you for my ARC.

Return to the world of Shirley Jackson's Hill House in this sequel by Elizabeth Hand. Holly is a struggling playwright, closing in on her big break after receiving a grant to finish developing her play. She, along with her girlfriend Nisa, rent out Hill House and fill it with actors as they attempt to develop and rehearse the play. However, Hill House has other plans for its most recent tenants.

I went into this book with some hesitation as The Haunting of Hill House is one of my favorite classic horror stories. But Hand has done the classic justice. She has kept the spirit of the original, while infusing her version with a wonderfully modern cast of characters. Holly and Nisa are wonderful characters. They felt like spiritual successors to the unexplored aspects of the relationship between the original's Eleanor and Theodora. This book was engaging, fast paced, and delightfully spooky.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for this ARC. I am leaving this review voluntarily and all views expressed are my own.

Dude, I’m an atheist, but all the main characters in this book totally could learn some lessons from Proverbs: Pride goeth before destruction, And an haughty spirit before a fall. Better it is to be of an humble spirit with the lowly, Than to divide the spoil with the proud.

These people are greedy to the point of avarice: filled with envy, lust, pride, privilege, and ambition. They won’t listen to warnings. They won’t listen to each other. They won’t even listen to their own instincts. They trod over grounds not their own and are surprised when things go wrong. Even when they are told to go, they stay. When things go awry and it’s clear they might be in danger, bruised egos refuse to give in.

One could say they were doomed from the start.

This is my huge problem with A Haunting on the Hill, and the sole reason I can’t rate this book five stars: I hate them all. I don’t hate them in that, “I love to hate you,” way. No. I just find them all either plain annoying or they just plain disgust me and I want to throw my Kindle at them. It’s hard to fully enjoy a horror novel when you can’t really find anything redeemable about your so-called protagonists.

Other than the characters, I found everything else about this novel to be spectacular: the ambience, the plot, the pacing, the world building, and the supporting characters. The fact the book seems like it was almost written like it hopes to be adapted for the big screen someday was a touch annoying, but I’ve seen that before and it wasn’t that huge of an issue.

One of the things I enjoyed the most in this book were the murder ballad excerpts. Can we talk about these? These lovely murder ballads? I was here for every single time a ballad came up in this book. They were my favorite part of the book. Not only did they add color and character to the plot of the book, but they added so much nuance to the book as a whole. An absolutely brilliant touch!

I’d say that if you can stand the characters, you’ll adore it. If you can’t stand the characters it’s still a totally worthwhile read.

I was provided a copy of this title by NetGalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. This review has been written freely, without any recompense. Thank you.

File Under: Ghost Story/Gothic Fiction/Horror/LGBTQ Fiction/Psychological Thriller/Sapphic Romance/Supernatural Horror/Thriller

This book was chillingly good and an appropriate modern companion to Shirley Jackson's original. Thriller to include this title in my recent round-up “The Haunted Bookshelf,” highlighting spooky Halloween season-themed reads for the Books section of Zoomer, Canada’s national culture magazine. (see column and mini-review at link)