atmospheric, spooky, funny, sad, thrilling... this book is all the things! I really enjoyed each character, the plot was perfect, and even though I already had an idea of the twist or surprise, i still thoroughly enjoyed it.

After hearing so many rave reviews for Chrstina Henry's book, Near the Bone, I was ecstatic to read her new release, The House That Horror Built. Unfortunately, it was a letdown for me. The novel promised a blend of spine-chilling suspense and intricate family dynamics, but I struggled with the slow pacing that left me disengaged. The concept of a haunted house with a dark history that is owned by a famous horror director sounded right up my alley, but the plot twist was so predictable that I don't think you could even call it a twist. It also lacked vivid descriptions that I needed in order to feel immersed into the story, and I was super disappointed by the ending. I am hoping this is just a one off, and that I will enjoy a different book by Christina Henry. 

Thank you Netgalley, Berkley, and Christina Henry for the advanced digital copy.

The House That Horror Built is out now!

Thanks so very much to Netgalley and the publisher for kindly providing me this e-ARC in exchange for an honest review. I do reviews on my main social media platforms and will be providing my full review there. Thanks again!

The House That Horror Built by Christina Henry is a shockingly captivating slow burn horror that gave me that gruesome goosebumps type of feeling. Christina Henry is a very talented writer & I would love to read more of their work.

There’s horror where the gruesome action startles you as it jumps out right from the start with slashing accuracy or there’s the kind that is a slower, almost quiet kind of haunting whisper that keeps you up at night….this book is the latter.

The House That Horror Built is great for fans of…
🎬 Horror Genre
🎬 Gothic Mansions
🎬 Horror Movies

This is a book that requires some patience. I was glad that I kept reading because the ending was creepy & a great conclusion to this atmospheric tale.

Massive thanks to NetGalley & Berkley Publishing for the gifted copy, which I voluntarily read & reviewed.

The House that Horror Built
Written by Christina Henry
Read by Lisa Flanagan
Book 119/250
Genre: Horror
Format: Audio/Digital, ARC
Pages/Time: 336/9hr 10min
Published: May 14, 2024
Rating: 9/10
Narration: 8.75/10
Horror: 👻👻👻


“Resentment is a familiar meal when you can’t afford contentment.”

Another entry in the “Stressed-out Parent” subgenre of horror, The House that Horror Built is a terrifically spooky haunting. Hauntings aren’t normally one of my favorite Horror tropes, but it is executed so perfectly by Henry, that this book is impossible not to love. The horror has the mix of supernatural and realistic that I love, and the character work is very well done. And the ending was phenomenal. I did see bits of how this book was going to end, but holy cow some of the reveals were insane!

I usually really love Christina Henry but I couldn't make sense of any of the MC's actions and I was just not invested at all. DNF at 26%

I loved the setting of Chicago since I live there. The city, the architecture of the house in the book, even the main character going to Jewell- Osco to shop felt familiar. I enjoyed the pace of what happens in the book and the dual points of view.

Another great Christina Henry book! One of the most amazing authors of our time. While Stephen King has become a bit too wordy for me, Christina Henry never wastes a single paragraph drawing me in to fast paced action, creeping chills, and intense characters you can relate to. Harry Adam’s is a devoted and sensitive mother who is doing her best from a very young age with no support to give her son the things she never had: acceptance, freedom, love, respect. But she’s having a hard time keeping a roof over his head and food on the table. As a discreet young woman and a horror movie fan, landing a job working as a house keeper for an elusive and brilliant horror movie director seems like it would be a perfect vocation, but there is something very wrong with Javier Castillo and his house. The props he so lovingly displays seem to move on their own and a disembodied voice whispers through the walls, To make matters worse, Javier, who lost his own family, has taken an extraordinary liking to Harry’s impressionable son and is pulling him closer into paranormal danger as well human danger. Thrilling from start to finish, it may not start out with a bang but it gains speed and never hits the brakes. I can’t wait for more. I’ve read every Christina Henry novel so far and I am a huge fan!

Harry finds a position working as a cleaner for famous horror movie director Javier and finds some things to be strange in his house but she just wants to keep her job. As her life slowly ends up incorporated with Javier's, the strange things become harder to ignore and soon she finds herself and her son to be in danger. Overall, a horror story that reads more like a mystery suspense and only really brings the horror in the last bit. Much of the book was spent on the difficulties Harry faced with her financial and housing situations and the ending is rather open ended.

Generally speaking this had a really great setup. MC and her son get pulled into the orbit of a horror movie director. MC has been attempting to lift herself out of poverty, but has lost her waitressing gig thanks to the pandemic. Then her apartment gets sold to developers and she's told in no uncertain terms she's got to get out, so a job she must have and the horror movie house needs cleaning.

Unfortunately there's a murder mystery afoot, and she gets dragged into it. This was probably a four star read for me most of the book, but then it ends so abruptly and gives us no closure to the MC's living status that I felt a little bummed about all of that character building at the beginning. What happens to her? What was the point?

"The House That Horror Built" by Christina Henry features a really intriguing premise: saving the life of a single mother who, upon treading into a gothic mansion belonging to a reclusive horror director, reveals horrifying secrets within the walls. Yet this novel—though atmospheric and with one of the most brilliant premises—falls sheepishly short of expectation.

Among the more superior elements of this novel is its setting, which is atmospheric, vividly describing everything down to the last detail. Henry deftly weaves a sense of portent and unease inside Javier Castillo's graystone mansion, forbidding and kitted out with chilling costumes and props from his illustrious career in horror filmmaking. Such contrasts between luxurious surroundings and sinister secrets underneath give substance to the narrative and draw it into a world where nothing is as it seems.

Moreover, Harry Adams is a very charming protagonist whose determination to feed her son makes her dive into the mystery of strange happenings that occur within Bright Horses. She comes through, then, as a type of character whom one would cheer on while she sneaks through the treacherous corridors of a mansion and explores the dark secrets that lie within.

It's not all gravy with "The House That Horror Built," however. The concept, interesting as it is, execution-wise, occasionally feels predictable and formulaic. In this regard, certain twists and revelations might easily be anticipated far enough in advance to completely blow their impact and leave the reader wishing for more surprises.

Additionally, some readers may find the pacing of the novel to be a bit uneven, varied at times with dragging and rushed parts. It is through this inconsistency in development that the reading experience as a whole could be hurt, which in turn could deviate some readers from the story at large.

Overall, "The House That Horror Built" is a delicious brew of mystery, suspense, and supernatural intrigue that fails to live up to its full potential. Although Henry's atmospheric prose and compelling protagonist draw the reader in, there could be a leave of wanting more with the incorporation of predictable plot twists and uneven pacing. Notwithstanding that, gothic horror fans may find some things to like here, but for those looking for a tighter plot and more emotionally resonant story, perhaps.

This is such a great horror novel for those who are new to horror... as for me, although there were some aspects that were gripping and suspensful, overall, this one was a bit boring. At times, the plot felt messy and the ending seemed very abrupt to me. It was enjoyable, but not my favorite horror of the year.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

3.5 stars

I really wanted to like this book because it has two very good plot twists, which I normally like, but the lead in felt a little too long. The creep factor didn't come in until about 65% in and I almost dnf'd it before that point. I'm glad that I did read the ending because it was really interesting, but I wish it had a bit less of build up.

I also wish I could say more about the book, but can't because I'll give away spoilers, which I don't want to do.

If you don't mind a slow build horror book, then I'd say give this one a try. It has paranormal scenes, true crime plot points, and is set at a creepy house of a horror movie director whose left his prime.

Harry is cleaning for a famous horror-movie director. First, off how cool it would be to work for a famous movie director where you could get to see props of some of your favorite movies all the time! That would be pretty cool.

One day, she was cleaning, and she heard voices from behind a locked door. I could feel the internal struggle she was having when she heard it. On one hand she is a single mother who can barely keep a roof over her and her son's head and food on the table so she needs to keep her job or does she get involved & possibly lose her job. She isn't really even sure she heard anything at all.

This book was not what I expected. Although, I'm not sure what I expected since I never read the synposis 🤣! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. I read it on the way to Legoland, on the way to Daytona, and while my kid swam at the pool. I love being the passenger princess. 🤣.

This book is set during the pandemic when restaurants are just beginning to open again. I only mention this because some people don't want to read any books set during that time.

If you like horror novels and don't mind a book set during the pandemic, check this one out. I'm marking it, Bargain.

I'm not sure I'd re-read it, but I might consider lending it to a friend so we can chat about it.

I was super excited to read this book but in kinda let me down. I enjoyed the writing style and overall premise but it was super slow and nothing really happened until like the last chapter of the book.

Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for the ARC!

Thank you to Berkley and Christina Henry for the chance to read ‘The House That Horror Built'! I loved the previous Henry books I read AND I love the idea of a reclusive horror director living in a gothic mansion, so I expected to absolutely adore this book. I typically really enjoy the way her books are written, but this one just didn't seem to have the same style as previous works. I hate to say it, but there was just no oomph to this one. I kept double checking that it wasn't being marketed as YA, as the writing and plot came across a lot more juvenile than I can usually expect from this author. I can see how this book would be good for those wishing to dip their toes into the horror genre. I really wish I'd enjoyed it more but I look forward to hearing from patrons who are more likely to appreciate this one.

Being a horror genre fan, this title immediately drew me in but I really am not sure I’d categorize it as horror. It was more like gothic goosebumps children’s scary story with a bit of humor mixed in. In fact, if this book made it to the silver screen I couldn’t help but picture the MMC as Jack Black. Don’t let this review deceive you, it still contained a haunted gothic mansion filled with all the horror props that would give most people nightmares, on top of some kind of ghostly haunting taking place, and a poor single mom down on her luck trying to ignore the things going bump in the house while she was trying to hold on to her job to care for her son. It was entertaining and fun, but for me not scary and not as dark for my usual tastes, which is okay but what doesn’t scare me may scare you so beware!

⭐️⭐️⭐️

𝘼 𝙨𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙡𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙤𝙧𝙠𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙜𝙤𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙘 𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙡𝙪𝙨𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙧𝙧𝙤𝙧 𝙙𝙞𝙧𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙢𝙗𝙡𝙚𝙨 𝙪𝙥𝙤𝙣 𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙛𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩𝙨.

I have such mixed feelings about this book… the premise sounded so interesting and right up my alley. I honestly had such high hopes going into it for some reason.

Unfortunately, the story just fell short for me. I really wanted to love it as the eerie feeling had me spooked and invested. Honestly, I don’t know if it was the wrong timing, but I just couldn’t focus on what was going on. I kept getting confused along the way.

I will say, that it started out super interesting and I was sold at the beginning… however, the ending just was not for me. While I can appreciate what the author was doing, it didn’t work for me.

I also felt like the story would abruptly lose me and shift too quickly - especially that ending!

I also wanted more of a scary aspect. Yes, it had the paranormal atmosphere with the creepy house, but nothing really “spooked” me. The eerie horror movie references were a great addition though!

I absolutely loved the gothic setting, but the plot was just too messy for me personally. I have mixed feelings about this one.

Thank you so much NetGalley and Berkley for the review copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you Berkley publishing and netgalley for my review copy. All opinions are my own.

This was a slow slow burn. Which isn't usually a problem with this author.. Usually we have a lot of buildup or tension with the atmosphere.. but for some reason this didn't really deliver much in any aspect. If there were more sinister happenings right in the beginning of the book, it would have kept the intensity and interest more.. But for the most of the book I wasn't even sure if anything paranormal or weird will happen. Everything kind of happened really fast in the end, and we were left with that. I was disappointed to say the least.

Overall a good idea, with a great theme, but something was just missing for me and didn't win over previous books by this author.

Thank you @berkleypub and @prhaudio for the free #gifted copies of this book and including me on this book tour.

Single mother, Harry, has instilled two things in her son: 1) Respect and kindness are required. 2). There’s nothing more entertaining than a good horror movie.

After struggling to find work, Harry landed a cleaning job at an old house owned by a former horror movie director and overflowing with horror movie relics, and it didn’t sound like a bad option.

But then, as they always do, unexplainable things start happening.

With a slow build into the action, Henry took her time in painting these characters. We get a deep dive into Harry’s mind- the struggles of being a single mom, the hardship of living at near-poverty levels, and I found myself easily cheering for her and her son, Gabe.

As with most haunted house storylines, this house has a heartbeat all its own. There’s a creepiness that emanated from the movie props, making them feel as though living entities. Eeriness seemed to loom in the air of the house, but the plotline never quite reached the sense of foreboding I craved.

Though this is labeled a horror read, I found it to be more horror-light or even horror-adjacent. With no gore and little action until the last chapters, this book felt creepy rather than downright scarry. It would be a great starting point for anyone wanting to give the horror genre a try.

🎧 Narrated by Lisa Flannigan, I felt as though I was right there in Harry’s mind. From her instincts as a mother to her determination towards what’s right, Flannigan brought the essence of Harry to life. Her depiction made this a quick and easy read.