In this first authorized return to the Haunting of Hill House Elizabeth breathes Shirley’s world back into life through haunting prose and unsettling imagery. As a devout fan of Shirley Jackson I was pleasantly surprised with this.

To follow in the footsteps of Shirley is a hard act to follow and no easy task. I’m happy to say Elizabeth has managed to maintain some of the original flavour whilst adding her own individual flair.

This does not feel like a continuation of the Haunting of Hill House and is not a retelling. More so a separate work that could be considered to be a tribute. It could be read as a stand-alone for those who are curious without having read Shirley Jackson. That being said, if you have read the Haunting of Hill House you will most definitely compare the two. It’s inevitable. There are a few nods to the original story that Shirley fans will appreciate.

Whilst the Haunting of Hill House is not overtly scary it has an unsettling sense of dread that pervades the entire novel. A Haunting on the Hill did not quite hit in the same way but there were a few genuinely creepy moments. The atmosphere of the story feels perfect for Autumn and lends itself perfectly to the supernatural elements presented throughout. Haunted house fans will be pleased.

The characters are not at all likeable nor very interesting and this is where the book unfortunately falls a bit flat. This may simply be personal preference though.

Overall a wonderful nostalgic tribute to an iconic haunted house story!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with an ARC to read and review!

The Haunting of Hill House is one of my favorite books of all time, so of course I was very excited to read the first-ever authorized Hill House novel. Unfortunately, Elizabeth Hand had some big shoes to fill, and her new story did not live up to my expectations.

Holly Sherwin is a playwright who has struggled to jumpstart her career. She finally receives a grant to develop her play and just needs some more time to perfect it. While on a weekend trip with her girlfriend, she comes across the haunting and chilling Hill House. Despite the locals telling her that she should steer clear of it, she decides it would be the ideal place to stay and finish developing her play.

Holly, her girlfriend, and two other actors in the play come to stay at Hill House for a month so they can rehearse and further develop the play. Hill House quickly shows its cards, and its new inhabitants soon become haunted by their own ghosts and, obviously, Hill House itself.

My largest issue with this book was that I couldn't stand any of the characters. I thought they were all a little insufferable in their own ways (I think if I had to be around Holly's obnoxiously singing girlfriend I would have lost it very quickly). Because I disliked the characters, I didn't feel any connection, and could care less about their hauntings. I think many of the horror aspects were done well (creepy rabbits), but that didn't make up for the rest of the book. I usually don't feel right comparing books, but I feel like it is impossible to read this and not compare it to the book that it was inspired by/based on. I had high expectations, and I feel let down by this. Hill House adaptations can be done well (The Haunting of Hill House Netflix adaptation), but unfortunately, this isn't one of them.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mulholland Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

First, I wanted to thank the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me an ARC to A Haunting on the Hill. I have not personally read Shirley Jackson’s Haunting of Hill House, though since it is on my TBR I was super excited to read Elizabeth’ Hands take at a sequel. I have to say the book fell a bit flat for me. I was hoping for much more fear invoked by the house. Instead, the only slight fear involved a rabbit outside. This book kept me interested enough, but definitely at points I felt like I wanted to read something else instead. I appreciate the inclusiveness of the cast of characters, although I noticed they all seemed a bit shallow. Because of this, I didn’t seem to care much about what happened to any of them. I wasn’t invested in any of the characters in particular. I do think Hand is a good writer, and I wouldn’t tell anyone not to read this. Especially if you are a fan of the original. Give it a shot.

This is the first authorized return to Shirley Jackson’s Hill House so of course I expected some moments. To be honest, it was fine but a little lackluster than what I expected. The story was fun and I like the locked door scenario with the winter storm outside but the women warning them to stay away was a bit much and while there were spooky moments, nothing really scared me.

The story does feel like a piece of Jackson’s world and the twisty natures of the people it focuses on is fun. Although, I will say that if you have a chance to listen to the audiobook for this one, I would HIGHLY recommend it. The reader is fantastic and the song bits are creepy. Also, there are lots of little sound effects throughout that will make you start to question if maybe the house is getting to you. It was a lot of fun in that sense because the slow psychological unraveling feels real.

This was a fun read but not anything that I would read again. Maybe I missed something?

I didn't realize this was a companion book/sequel to the Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. After some research, and reading how amazing most people seem to think that first book is, I'd like to put this one on hold so that I can read The Haunting of Hill House, hopefully over the holiday season when the mystery and thriller season dies down (haha) a bit. Then I'll read this.

After that I'd love to come back and share my thoughts!

I definitely expected more from this one when I saw that the estate of Shirley Jackson approved this. It's highly atmospheric, so it has that going for it. Other than that, I found it to be a bit silly at times. There was only one character who didn't annoy me. The ending felt highly rushed. Overall, a bit of a mixed bag. It looks like other readers enjoyed it a bit more. 2.5 stars rounded up.

“When you’re confronted with something deeply strange or obviously implausible in a book or movie or painting, you know it means something. It’s a symbol, a clue. A warning. But in real life, that’s not necessarily how it works.”


A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand


QUICK SUMMARY 🖊️
We return to Hill House in this first ever authorized novel. Holly a struggling play writer stumbles across Hill House while on a weekend getaway and thinks this is the perfect spot to develop and rehearse her newest play, and with the grant she received this was made a reality.

FINAL THOUGHTS 💭
Thank you @NetGalley & Mulholland Books for the copy of #AHauntingOnTheHill .

Okay friends. You’ll have to bear with me while I gather my thoughts. As most close to me know, I love Shirley Jackson AND I’m a huge fan of slow burns. So I was totally expecting to devour this one up.
This unfortunately wasn’t the case. Although I absolutely loved the atmosphere the author gave us, I couldn’t stand any of the characters and slow burn was an understatement, everything happened so quickly I couldn’t enjoy it when happened. There was nothing then boom, then boom it was over as fast as it started.
Maybe my expectations were set too high because Hill House is one of my fave books, and maybe that’s my fault.

I am grateful to have received an eARC of this title to review from @netgalley. A HAUNTING ON THE HILL by Elizabeth Hand is a spooky return to the world of Shirley Jackson’s THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE. Hand’s novel is nothing short of a triumph, creating a book for 2023 readers that propels many of the themes and ideas in Jackson’s timeless original into the present century. The motif of theatre is woven into much of the narrative, with the idea that actors may be possessed by their characters a central concept of the novel. Yet, what if the character doing the possessing is no divine muse but rather Jackson’s absolute reality under which no organism can remain sane? When Holly, Nisa, Stevie, and Amanda arrive at Hill House to rehearse Holly’s new play, this is the question they will unwittingly explore. In many ways this book takes ideas and pieces of the original and twists or refreshes them for both fans of Jackson and new readers alike. Where Jackson wrote of spiritualism, Hand writes of Wicca and neopaganism. Hand allows a sapphic romance to live, breathe, and struggle on the page: combining both the subtle hints of a queer relationship between Eleanor and Theodora and the dysfunctional relationship of Eleanor and her sister. The theme of a demented place, a house that feeds upon its inhabitants and pulls at the strings binding their relationships and very sanity to the point of unraveling floats to the surface in Hand’s books just as it did in Jackson’s. In a major stylistic departure from Jackson, Hand has ramped up the scares, and presents a book that will please modern horror readers who might find Jackson too much of a slow-burn. Although a case could be made that every character in the book is unlikable, I somehow still enjoyed getting to spend time with each one. Some questions were left unanswered, but perhaps some mysteries in Hill House are best left to walk alone. Overall ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫

In this super atmospheric slow burn horror, A Haunting on the Hill adds a queer spin to the (I think was already queer) classic The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. The first authorized sequel to take place at the infamous Hill House, I had huge expectations for this one. And I think that was my mistake. I love a lot about this book. I love the setting, I love the reality bending atmosphere of Hill House, and I like a lot of the vibes and mood of this book. However, I really didn’t like any of the characters and I found the pacing way slower than I expected. The scares are more eerie than scary. That’s totally fine, but it wasn’t what I wanted at the time that I read this. I think fans of the original who are looking for a creepy slow burn type of horror will like this one.

I'm posting my review on my instagram @boozehoundbookclub in October!

“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 . . . “

Okay first off, Holly, why are you so hell bent on renting this house when everyone is telling you not to?!? This story has all the paranormal aspects that I love for a haunted house story. I especially liked that the house used the characters insecurities against them. It also has witches and a witches familiar, so it’s a great spooky season read. However, I did not like the characters. Normally this doesn’t bother me in a story, but damn, these ones just sucked. They all had insane egos and I’m surprised they didn’t all just kill each other 😂 I did enjoy the ending and felt that it was wrapped up very nicely. I suck as a person and haven’t read Shirley Jackson’s book yet…don’t yell at me it’s on the TBR. I did watch the tv show and was obsessed. This is probably the reason I wasn’t head over heels in love with this book. It was enjoyable and a pretty quick spooky read

This book checked all the boxes for a gothic mystery and is the perfect fall read. I enjoyed getting to know the characters. This was a quick read for me, perfect haunted house vibes and great for the fall season. Very atmospheric and eerie that will leave you with a sense of dread. 4 stars

Thank you to the publisher #partner for gifting me an ebook and audiobook via @hachetteaudio @librofm

I’ll start off by saying that this book is best experienced via the audiobook narrated by the most amazing @carolmondavo with extra sound effects to scare the heebie-jeebies out of you! Best listened during nighttime!

A Haunting On The Hill is a nod to Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting Of Hill House which it references a few times. This book was also given the green light by the Shirley Jackson estate, which alone should tell you how excellent this book is.

Holly Sherwin stumbles on a beautiful, gothic mansion when she loses her way off a beaten path. The house immediately strikes her as a perfect 2-week getaway for her and her girlfriend, Nissa, to produce a play that Holly has been putting off. Sure enough, Holly gets plenty of red flags and direct warnings from people familiar with the house, but Holly ignores them all and begins her stay with her full crew of 5 people. As you can imagine, things start going downhill (pun intended) from Day 1 because the house has other plans for all of them.

While this book is supernatural horror, it’s also psychological horror, my favorite horror trope. The plot and settings are deliberate and discreet, somewhat of a slow burn that you must patiently enjoy to reach that slam dunk, horrifying ending. This is a perfect Halloween read if you want a visceral story that makes your skin crawl but without all the blood splatter. Again, please do yourself a favor and get the audiobook!

Wow… this one was definitely different and I really enjoyed reading it up until around the 75% mark. The later parts just didn’t do it for me, but this one definitely hooked me in!

I’m a huge Shirley Jackson fan and The Haunting of Hill House is one of my favorites. So of course I’m going to be a bit skeptical and extra critical of any author trying to tell a story about my beloved Hill House. Needless to say, I was pleasantly surprised with what Elizabeth Hand created here.

A Haunting on the Hill centers around struggling playwright Holly Sherwin. While on a weekend trip, Holly comes upon a hidden, gothic mansion and feels this would be the perfect place to work on her upcoming play. Along with her girlfriend Nissa and a couple of actor friends, Holly rents the house for a month to work on a play. Soon after the group arrives, the group discovers strange creatures on Hill House grounds, and at night they start hearing disturbing sounds. They soon realize that something has been waiting all these years in Hill House and it no longer intends to be alone.

First off this isn’t a retelling of Jackson’s Haunting of Hill House, instead, it’s more of a tribute to the story. I think Shirley Jackson fans will appreciate this one because if you pay close attention, Hand gave a few nods to Shirley Jackson’s original story.

Supernatural horror is my favorite type of horror, especially haunted house stories and A Haunting on the Hill delivered! The story is atmospheric with several classic horror elements including, witches, a witch’s familiar, demonic possession, and of course ghosts. The characterization was great and I enjoyed learning all of the characters' backstories. I also liked how the author made Hill House a character too.

3.5
I was incredibly excited for this one, as I recently read Shirley Jackson's Hill House and really enjoyed it. That being said, I don't think I'm necessarily a huge fan of it, so this one didn't have a ton to live up to for me. I think it did a fabulous job. The atmosphere was nearly spot on and I can tell why exactly this is the first novel to be certifiably in this same world.

Thank you Mulholland books and Libro.FM (hatchette books/audio) for the review copies of A Haunting on the Hill. Elizabeth Hand deftly honors Shirley Jackson's Haunting of Hill House with this modern take on the haunted big house in a eerily desolate area with a thoughtful examination of creativity, storytelling/playwriting, and artistic personalities. There is a effective sense of tension, uncertainty, and gothic dread built into this book. I loved the atmospheric writing, the development of Holly's play and the characters brought into to read it...and way that her girlfriend was weaving those eerie lullabies into the play (I liked how that was a connection to Jackson's work in particular) and the idea that the house had life and lives... that it was waiting but also living.
Excellent option for the haunted house fans and a win for the scary reading season.

Firstly, I am a BIG fan of THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE (Shirley Jackson) because THE HAUNTING (1998) was my first–and favorite–scary movie ever. So when I got older and realized it was based on a book, I devoured that book. When I read this book was the first book licensed to return to the world of Hill House, I knew I had to get my hands on it. While the connections to the book are more subtle, other than the house itself, it’s still a great read for fans of THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE.

A HAUNTING ON THE HILL follows Holly who rents out Hill House for two weeks with her girlfriend, Nisa, her best friend Stevie, and the well-known actress she cast for her play, Amanda. The group plans to hunker down at Hill House for dedicated time to rehearse and perfect Holly’s play, Witching Night. However, it doesn’t take long for some ominous and unsettling things start to happen to the group.

I really loved the descriptions of the house, much like Jackson, Hand gave the house humanistic features in her descriptions:

“Still, I found its facade weirdly compelling. It’s jolie laide, I told myself, like one of those actors whose unconventional features shouldn’t conspire to beauty but somehow do.”

“The exterior design was terrible, all those windows and doors aligned to suggest a deranged face.”

I also had strong theories on the ending throughout the novel, based on HILL HOUSE and small connections made in the story, that were then overturned completely. It really kept me guessing and intrigued, as well as looking over my shoulder when I heard any noise. There were real spooky vibes that brought an entirely new feel to Hill House.

This is the last time I’m going to compare it to HILL HOUSE, but while I feel like the ending to HILL HOUSE wraps up well with an explanation of the paranormal activity, A HAUNTING ON THE HILL definitely leaves more for interpretation It gives you some clues, some threads to follow, but it doesn’t definitively tell you why the house is the way it is. And I really love that about this one.

It was not at all what I expected, and it really made its own story around Hill House, but even still I really enjoyed it and found it quite creepy and atmospheric. I highly recommend it, particularly for a spooky season read!

Thank you NetGalley and Mulholland Books for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Oof. I'm at 66%, and I just can't push myself any further.

I'm feeling only irritation. We have moments, more like blips, when I think, finally, something intense and eerie is going to happen. Then it passes in a blink, and we get lots more tedium.

ALL of the characters are horrible. Not just unlikable. They're insufferable.

Lots of drama between these frenemies, if that's your thing. It's absolutely not mine.

DNF

Wow. This definitely exceeded my expectations. This is the first novel authorized to return to the world of Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House and Jackson would be proud!

Hill House once again shines as the best character in the book. And that’s not an insult. I love when the setting works like that and it’s a huge reason I enjoy gothics. While Jackson’s novel was very subtle and a masterfully constructed psychological literary horror, this was much more overt and I had so much fun with it. I especially loved the nods to the original work and some fun surprises.

Now, every character in this book was selfish and awful. If that bothers you, this isn’t for you. Plus they’re theatre geeks. As a former theatre geek, I can confirm how freaking weird and obnoxious we can be. But if you love watching characters descend into madness and experience some creepy paranormal activity, pick this up! If you’re familiar with Jackson’s novel, you’ll appreciate it way more but it’s still a great spooky season haunted house read regardless. It’s a slow burn but eerie all the way through.

I signed up for this ARC purely because it had to do with Hill House and I love Shirley Jackson's novel as well as the Netflix adaptation and this book was perfect for spooky season.

Holly is a playwright and she rents Hill House with an acting and production team for her play about Elizabeth Sawyer, an old and bad tempered witch who seeks to avenge herself on her heartless neighbors. Her wife also joins along as a singer to perform creepy witchy folk songs during the readings. While the crew is there, strange things start to happen, and the team starts to understand why the cleaning and cooking staff will not stay past dark. Horrifying images start materializing, involving a black hare, and everyone starts to easily losing track of time as the house becomes more alive.

This book was very descriptive in the playwriting, acting, and production process. I thought this was the perfect follow up to Shirley Jackson's novel, as it didn't try to develop that story any more, but rather kept a lot of the same creepy and atmospheric elements with Hill House as the setting. It also nods to supernatural horror with many references to witches, the devil, and ghosts. The author did a great job slowly building the suspense and I would recommend adding this to your October reading list!