Christina Henry’s newest book is a horror-light tale centered around a reclusive horror director and his gothic manor filled with horror movie memorabilia. First off, the premise is fantastic; it has all the earmarks of a thrilling popcorn read: horror movie references, a central plot involving the disappearance of the director’s wife and son, as well as its possibly haunted house setting.

This was a quick afternoon read that kept me entertained. Most readers familiar with horror/thriller tropes will figure out the twist early on. I was hoping for more of a surprise, but it didn’t really take away from the book’s entertainment value. While the frights are few, they are effective. They managed to give me goosebumps a few times. The director, as well as his films, will seem familiar to anyone who loves Guillermo Del Toro films, especially Pan’s Labyrinth. I think that is part of the fun. The reader gets to be immersed into horror movie magic while reading a spooky story. Definitely not Henry’s best, but I appreciated the effort, and the trip down memory lane.

Great book! I read it in one sitting. I would recommend this book to any reader that is a newbie to the horror genre.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this ARC!

Harry was a cool character and easy to like. I loved the horror memorabilia house setting that this book takes place in. It took me forever to get into the story and I just don’t think this book is for me. I was hoping for a heart racing, horror story and it just wasn’t…

This was a slower burn and not truly a horror story per se, it seemed more focused on our MC Harry's life as a mom then about the backstory of the horror. It has the elements of some horror to be honest and some thriller moments as well and the twist at the end was good, but unfortunately seemed to stop abruptly. Almost like it was an afterthought to finish the book. I enjoyed the last half of this book, but I wish there was a bit more to the horror at the ending. It seemed like there should've been a bit more like it was missing something. But, that's not going to deter me from reading more of her stories though because I really like her writing style. I have a lot more of her work and seeing what it's like has me excited to delve into that part of my TBR!! I liked this book and I would recommend it. Definitely rounding up to a 3 1/2 stars.

Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for an early copy in exchange for an honest review.

While I typically like this authors novels, this one felt a bit flat. The bones of the story were there, but nothing was fleshed out in any way. It fells awful to have our main character struggle the whole way through the novel (in occasionally easily preventable ways) only for her to end up even worse off than she was at the start. I had hoped for an epilogue of sorts where she possibly sells the story and gets enough money to be secure at the very least. I also didn't find much of this book particularly scary as the characters go from denying anything scary is happening to outright telling hauntings to get lost. This one was a rare swing an a miss for me.

Thank you so much to Berkley Publishing and Christina Henry for my copy of The House That Horror Built. I have been waiting for a good horror book, and this was just the one. It’s about Harry, a woman who takes a job cleaning the house of a famous horror movie director, Javier Castillo. She has always loved horror movies, so it seems like the perfect job, even though Castillo has been embroiled by scandal. The house is full of scary movie props and eerie costumes, and Harry is trying to keep her head down and do her job without getting involved with anything in Javier’s life.

Then, she starts hearing noises in the house like someone calling for help. She starts seeing things that couldn’t possibly be real, but are they? Then there is a death on the property, and Harry starts to think there is more going on than she thought, and she can’t ignore it anymore.

Thoughts: This was a chilling horror story that was full of just enough creepy things to keep me on the edge of my seat. While everything seemed normal, there would be something paranormal happening in the corner of my eye as I read, making me wonder what was really going on. I loved Harry and Gabe, both great characters and easy to root for. The setting of the house full of horror memorabilia was a lot of fun and the perfect scene for this creepy story to take place.

This book was a quick read and like a horror for beginners. There wasn’t too much depth in this story, and it was mainly straightforward and easy to follow. I think there could have been more horror in this story, and also more underlying subtext as well. I read it in a few hours and still thought it was a fun popcorn read. 3-stars.

Before I wind up deterring any of you from reading Christina Henry’s stuff, let me say that Alice, Lost Boy and The Girl in Red were all huge winners for me and I do not hesitate to recommend them to anyone looking for a dark retelling of a familiar tale. This reimagining of Rebecca, however????

Ooof. What a mess.

ARC provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review! 

Harry Adams is a struggling single mother who works as a cleaner for a reclusive horror movie director. Javier Castillo left Hollywood after a family scandal. He lives in solitude surrounded by movie props. Harry starts seeing and hearing strange things as she works, but she’s determined to ignore it because she needs the job to support herself and her teenage son.

I really wanted to like this. It has such an intriguing premise, but it does not live up to expectations. Given the title, I thought this would have much more horror than it ended up having. There are spooky moments, but they were mild. To me, the scariest thing was Harry’s poverty and impending homelessness. The pace is very slow, the twist at the end is obvious, and the characters aren’t memorable.

I had such high hopes from the plot description here, but sadly it did not work for me much at all. I think I just don't get along with Christina Henry's writing, unfortunately, but I know so many folks who love it and will adore this very zeitgeisty horror novel. (For some reason it seems like all the major authors are coming out with a cinema-centered horror novel this year, perhaps prompted by the success of Silver Nitrate? It's certainly a trend I'm on board with!)

Thanks so much to Netgalley and Berkley for facilitating my receipt of a pre-release copy! Below is my honest review.

So every time I read a Christina Henry book, I end up loving it. This one was no exception!

This one has the ambience, the slow burn buildup, the modern setting but still gothic style, the character depth.

My head had built up this whole theory about the twist that I thought was going to happen, and while the author went a different way, I loved the actual ending.

All in all, an excellent horror read that I highly recommend.

Thank you for this eARC! This book was unique and a fun one! Loved the spooky atmosphere the author created and the characters! Highly recommend if you need something fast paced!

I was super excited to read Christina Henry's "The House That Horror Built" because I loved "Good Girls Don't Die," but this did not meet my expectations. Harry, the main character, is a down-on-her-luck single mother who's having difficulty paying her family's bills and is about to be evicted so she takes a job cleaning reclusive film director's (Javier Castillo) home. It's filled with props from his films, and Harry's a big fan of his films and horror in general. She starts hearing and seeing things, but she's determined the keep this job.

Nothing happened for so long in this book, but I kept going in the hope it was a slow burn and would build to a big finale. I hoped it would have twists and turns I wouldn't see coming and maybe even the characters would become more likable. None of this occurred. The explanation for the horror elements was just blah, and I didn't really care what happened to any of the characters. They didn't feel like real people or make decisions real people would make.

Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group and NetGalley for this ARC.

A masterclass in pacing! The House That Horror Built is the gothic paranormal story that horror fans will eat right up! With exquisite character development and absolutely insane pacing and suspense, this book quickly became a one sitting read. I couldn't take my eyes off the page until we reached the end!

I loved the premise here and I found the characters to be very engaging, but ultimately this one fell a little flat. The execution was poor, the ending rushed and I just felt there was a notable lack of horror in this horror novel. Not a recommend from this horror fan.

I don’t think I was even capable of physically putting this book down. It was the definition of unputdownable. Bravo to Henry for delivering a horror story that delivered on lovable characters, a fantastic gothic setting, lots of meta inner dialogue from the MC, mystery, and some fun spooks and thrills.

Harry is one of the best horror MCs I’ve read in awhile. She’s a scrappy single mom with a tragic backstory and a huge love of horror movies who would do anything for her 14 year old son. The struggle is even harder in the midst of the pandemic with all the jobs Harry is qualified for are next to nonexistent. Enter Javier Castillo. Legendary and award-winning horror filmmaker turned recluse after his teenage son was accused of murder and vanished into the ether with Javier’s wife, Lena. With a giant gothic home called Bright Horses filled with a plethora of horror movie props, Harry finds herself a job as his housekeeper. But there’s a locked room that Harry is forbidden to enter and there’s also a creepy costume that Harry can’t help but feel is watching her every move.

This book was fun and engaging with a main character you can root for.. My only complaint was that the way Harry came about huge information felt a bit too convenient. Harry is very self-aware of horror movies and common tropes so I was just a little surprised by the way big reveals played out. Still enjoyable though because Henry left no stone unturned and everything has an answer by the end. Speaking of the ending, I found it very abrupt but can’t deny that it certainly ended with a bang.

Highly recommend to fans of books by Grady Hendrix, Riley Sager, and Rachel Harrison. Loved the paranormal horror mixed with the gothic setting and mentions of horror films and trivi.a.

I’ve not been the biggest fan of Christina Henry and her horror novels and The House That Horror Built continues that streak with a story that feel is lacking character and actual scares in a horror book.

Thank you to NetGalley for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

Really enjoyed this fast-paced horror/suspense novel! Harry cleans a famously reclusive horror movie director’s house for a living, and of course things go awry when she hears voices and random thumps from the next room. I was a tiny bit disappointed with the ending but otherwise a very solid read. 4.5 stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC of this book.

I am sorry to say that I was very disappointed with this one. This book is meant to be an ode to horror movies and yet I didn't feel that at all. The details of the plot, the depth of the characters, and the so-called "twist" at the end can only be described as shallow. This book felt like the bare minimum was done and that makes me very sad to say. I am rarely too critical about a book but I felt that there was no passion in this story. Our main character, Harry, was a self-proclaimed horror movie lover and yet there were minimal references to back this up. Same for her son, Gabe.

In a book with "horror" in the title, you expect to come across scenes that at least get your heart rate up, if not keep you awake at night. There were only a handful of scenes that you might describe as spooky but honestly the whole thing read like a young adult novel -- sometimes even a junior fiction.

Maybe I had too many preconceived notions going into this one -- it could just be me and others might really enjoy it if they are looking for a touch of horror without the anxiety or dread of the scares. Unfortunately, it was not for me.

Having said all this, I would be willing to give Christina Henry another chance! The premise was fascinating. I just wish the execution had been as interesting.

The premise to this haunted house novel sounded right up my alley, but unfortunately the execution fell a bit flat for me.

Thank you Berkley for another book from Christina Henry (I loved Good Girls Don't Die). The House that Horror Built is my kind of gothic horror read... it gave me some solid Grady Hendrix and Chuck Wendig vibes while also having its own authentic style and voice. Great pacing, a sense of honoring horror tropes, and a for me a strong sense of unease (was the house haunted? was Harry hearing things? something else going on?)... this worked for me.

This is a great moody read, great for a stormy night!

A few notes related to my review: This book feels more character driven suspense/horror, not sci fi per se. I am a fan of Rachel Harrison's Black Sheep and and Carissa Orlando's September House (strong creepy reads from last Fall) and this book in ways reminded me of those books so if you liked those books, check this one out!