Anticipated as one of the most gripping horrors of summer 2024, The Drowning House plunges readers into a haunting and atmospheric thriller. After a violent storm washes a mysterious house onto a Pacific Northwest beach, Simon Culpepper vanishes, leaving his childhood friends Melissa and Leo to unravel the sinister mysteries of Marrowstone Island.

As they navigate old rivalries and deep-seated grudges, Melissa and Leo uncover dark secrets about the house, its builder, and the malevolent forces it harbors. Award-winning author Cherie Priest crafts a propulsive and terrifying story that explores the lengths we'll go to protect those we love.

The Drowning House will captivate fans of supernatural thrillers, blending compelling mysteries and chilling horrors in a deeply immersive narrative.

Overall, I enjoyed this story. The genre is listed as “Horror”, but I found this to be more Suspense with a Supernatural element. I would recommend this to readers who are looking for a spooky Fall read that isn’t over-the-top gory or terrifying.

The narrative follows two POVs in 3rd person, set in dual timelines. Although we were switching between characters, I found the plot easy to follow.

Things I liked about this book:
* Norse Magic
* Deserted Island with a mysterious past (but not too tropey)
* Housewreck (70-year-old haunted house washes ashore during a storm)\

Things I didn’t like:
* There were a lot of aspects of this story that I found interesting but were glossed over (like how people forgot about the haunted house when they looked at it, the ghosts, and the supernatural action in the climax)
* Other elements were given more time on the page that I felt distracted from the main conflict (for instance, the main characters kept stressing about their jobs in the face of their impending doom)

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the ARC. 
The Drowning House will be available on July 23, 2024

I was sent this book in exchange for an honest review.

Honestly, this book was just lacking substance for me. My mind wandered multiple times and it did not really hold my interest.

The basis for the story was good, but I just did not see it come across in the writing.

[arc review]
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for providing an arc in exchange for an honest review.
The Drowning House releases July 23, 2024

The Tidebury House washes onto the shore of a residential beach, 70 years after it was last seen. Its sudden reappearance causes a fright so great that it results in the death of one person and disappearance of another.

This story is told from the multiple perspectives of the kids who grew up spending summers together on the island with some flashback chapters interspersed.

The Drowning House is extremely slow in its plot progression and probably could have been condensed by a good hundred pages.
I was really hoping that the abandoned, washed-up house would have felt like a character, but it barely played an active part.
The world building and lore surrounding Tidebury was poorly executed, making it difficult to get a clear understanding of “the corner” with the boys, the phone call with three dimes, the motivations behind some of the ghosts, or even the magic system.

With all of the flashback chapters, it was a detriment not to include Charlotte’s first person perspective of when the house disappeared the first time, and how the surrounding islanders reacted in the aftermath of such an event.

As far as main characters go, Leo and Melissa were pretty one-dimensional, with their main personality traits amounting to competing with each other over who knew Simon more, or who loved him more.

I think this could have been something really cool if the author took the time to expand upon the history of the houses and the Culpepper family instead of spending so much mundane time with Leo and Melissa.

The best read this year thus far. This book had me riveted from the start. Written in dual timeline but in about a week’s time in present day this story covers unfortunate events that had to occur in order to let Mrs Culpepper rest in peace.
Simon is her grandson and together with Melissa and Leo they summered together through childhood on Marrowstone Island.
Simon called on these two friends when his grandmother dropped dead on the beach during a storm. Then Simon disappears before Melissa and Leo arrive. During the week that follows events occur that will take these two friends through emotional, physical and the psychological evil that once was kept hidden from them in their childhood.

I am so sorry to say that I did not love this one. The setting was what drew me in, and I loved that aspect of the book. But the execution of the plot and characters was just not what I was hoping for. The ending was chaotic in my opinion. I’m sorry I didn’t enjoy it more.

My thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this book.

**Review: The Drowning House**

If you're into supernatural thrillers, *The Drowning House* by Cherie Priest is a must-read. The story is both emotionally gripping and downright terrifying, with well-drawn characters, a haunting setting, and a plot that keeps you guessing till the very end.

A violent storm washes a mysterious house onto a rural Pacific Northwest beach, stopping the heart of the only woman who knows its significance. In the chaos that follows, her grandson, Simon Culpepper, vanishes. This prompts his childhood friends Melissa and Leo to search for answers on the small, isolated Marrowstone Island.

The real meat of the story is the complex relationship between Melissa and Leo. They have to put aside old grudges to find or save Simon, the guy who originally brought them together. As they dig into the island’s secrets, they have to confront their pasts and figure out if they were ever truly close.

Priest builds suspense masterfully, with Melissa and Leo uncovering the dark history of the sinister house on the beach, the enigmatic man who built it, and the evil he’s bringing back. The pacing is spot-on, with every twist pulling you deeper into the mystery.

Marrowstone Island itself adds to the chilling vibe. The storm-battered beach and the creepy house create a perfect backdrop that heightens the sense of dread.

This novel dives into themes of friendship, redemption, and the lingering impact of past traumas, making it an engaging and thought-provoking read.

Thanks #NetGalley for my advance copy of this book. #TheDrowningHouse

I found this book to be incredibly unsettling! It hooks you with a creepy, gradual build-up, then thrusts you into an adrenaline-fueled rollercoaster. This story, with its multiple POVs, left me feeling completely on edge. This is a wild ride that you definitely shouldn’t miss.

This is a great book if you are dipping your toe into the horror genre or don’t like gore.

This book is spooky and atmospheric. This would be a perfect book to read on a dark and rainy day.

Simon, Melissa and Leo have been friends since childhood. Now years later as adults. Simon has gone missing and it is bringing up horrors from the past.

This past takes a new look on the Haunted House sub genre. It is fast paced and keeps you on your toes until the very end. You never know what you are going to read as you turn the page.

This book has little to no gore and more relays on the feelings this book gives you.

Genre: Horror
APK: Ebook
Pages: 425
Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Series or Standalone: Stand-alone

4.5 stars Multiple Narrators, Nonlinear Timeline, slow build but great ending
“Clichés won’t save us now,”

What a fascinating hook to this story. The Drowning House grabs you from the first page with it's strange appearances and disappearances. Charlotte Culpepper is the perfect opening narrator and delivers an opening chapter that is movie worthy. We then get multiple other points of view along with flashes of memory in between. The plotline divides into two time periods where we witness Chalotte's grandson and his friends as children and now adults.

Although not gothic in time period, it did remind me of a witchy version of Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier with it's huge seaside manor, mysterious death and focus on things washing ashore.

Cherie Priest really did well creating a creepy mysterious atmosphere with this book. It has this great The Fog/The Mist quality of scariness with the main villain emerging from the fog and appearing in shadow. It was just the perfect amount of tension. The characters were relatable and the prose, well written. For most of the book I was afraid it was a bit too cozy for me but by the end <chop chop> it came around. Although off page, it delivers on light gore. If you like atmospheric horror with a touch of magic/cosmic horror it's definitely worth preordering. Now I NEED the prequel with Gunnar and Alcesta Lorentzen, née Ellingboe. I'm invested in phone calls to other demensions now. I will be ordering a signed copy.

"The giant, salt-crusted object was festooned with seaweed and battered by ocean debris; it was covered with cracks and broken glass and it had a teetering lean that said at least two of its corners were buried in the sand."

“My girl, you must be careful. Some people in this world …they catch a glimpse of something they don’t understand, and they let it eat them alive. Don’t be one of those people.”

I continue to be amazed by Net Galley and forever grateful for getting read books early. The latest book that I just finished reading was The Drowning House by Cherie Priest.

In The Drowning House, one night a house washes up on the shore of an island. An old woman runs out of her house nearby and what she sees scares her to death. Her grandson, who lives with her, disappears soon after. His two childhood friends, after receiving a message about his grandmothers death, come out to the island to be with him and find him missing. Their desperate search for their friend leads them to find much more than they bargained for!

The book is really spooky and very well written. And yet. The book doesn't feel complete. The friends search for their friend drags on for a really long time and the result...well...I won't spoil it. I just wasn't happy with it. Its not just that though. The ending to the book feels rushed and the very end, the epilogue, makes no sense. I'm not sure why that was the epilogue. The Drowning House is such an unsatisfying read.

I don't regret reading the book. I liked the writing and liked the two friends. I even liked the flashbacks to when they were kids. Though even there it felt like some key flashback, some reason for the flashbacks, was missing. The Drowning House feels like an unfinished puzzle.I wonder if the writer is planning a sequel.

I guess a sequel would help explain the rushed ending, but there didn't seem to be any sign that a sequel was in order. I feel like I have a bad taste in my mouth with that ending. Not everything needed to be explained but it felt like there were things with the characters that needed wrapped up and instead things got left on the table.

Even so, I would recommend this book to Gothic horror fans. I think there's an audience for this book. Perhaps they'll like the ending better than I did.

The Drowning House by Cherie Priest comes out on July 23rd, 2024. Hey! Thats my birthday too!

I’ve long been a fan of Cherie Priest’s dark fiction, and jumped at the chance to read The Drowning House when Netgalley offered the chance to read the ARC. From the beginning scenes, which develop the friendship of three lonely kids in an isolated island community to the wildly intense final scenes, the tension builds as old loyalties are tested.

Everything about this story—the setting, the characters, the way magical power is both threatening and mysterious—made me want to keep reading. I loved watching Leo and Melissa grow as people even as their relationship changed and faced incomprehensible challenges. Their loyalty to their friend Simon and his grandmother gave them a believable reason to carry on in difficult circumstances. And the way the secrets of the story reveal themselves piece by piece made for a truly epic read.

"The housewreck was two stories tall and once it had a sloped roof, perhaps...The walls were so opaque, so pale, they could have been made of frosted glass...in the afternoon haze, they were luminous. Every corner of the place dripped, and every tiny noise echoed in the cavernous interior."

Late one night on Marrowstone Island, a house washes ashore next to Charlotte Culpepper's house. At nearly 100-years-old, she cannot believe her eyes. Not because a house has suddenly appeared on the beach, but because she knows the house. And she is the one that rid the world of it the first time. She warns her grandson, Simon, to run, but how can he when his grandmother, whom he has lived with for most of his life, is in peril?

After receiving an email from Simon about his grandmother's demise, Melissa contacts their childhood friend Leo, and both make for the island. Problem is, Simon has now disappeared. Melissa and Leo are saddened by Mrs. Culpepper's death, but are even more distressed about Simon. It's a small island; where could he be?

Well, this was weird. The housewreck and Simon's disappearance happen immediately, then through flashbacks from their childhood summers interspersed with the current issues at hand we slowly come to realize what the heck is going on. This is a very slow burn, but definitely a hot one! I loved the Epilogue, that was really the Prologue, sewed together all the background bits and tying them into a bow. It's an interesting premise for lovers of the atmospheric books with loads of tension.

"A violent storm washes a mysterious house onto a rural Pacific Northwest beach, stopping the heart of the only woman who knows what it means. Her grandson, Simon Culpepper, vanishes in the aftermath, leaving two of his childhood friends to comb the small, isolated island for answers - but decades have passed since Melissa and Leo were close, if they were ever close at all.

Now they'll have to put aside old rivalries and grudges if they want to find or save the man who brought them together in the first place - and on the way they'll learn a great deal about the sinister house on the beach, the man who built it, and the evil he's bringing back to Marrowstone Island.

From award-winning author Cherie Priest comes a deeply haunting and atmospheric horror-thriller that explores the lengths we'll go to protect those we love."

There's not many authors who are must buy for me. Cherie Priest is one. If only so I can get the undying devotion of her cat Monty.

'The Drowning House' by Cherie Priest is a paranormal horror novel that promises an intriguing premise and an eerie setting. While it delivers on these elements, the book falls short of meeting its full potential.

The story follows Simon Culpepper and his two childhood friends, Leo and Melissa, as they investigate a mysterious house that washes ashore near Simon's home. When Simon disappears, Leo and Melissa must put their differences aside to find him and uncover the secrets of the haunted dwelling.

The premise of the novel is certainly enticing, with its haunted house, ghosts, and ancient evil. However, the characters fail to resonate with the reader. Melissa's abrasive personality and Leo's questionable actions make it difficult to root for them. Additionally, the constant sniping between the two can become tiresome.

The narrative structure, which alternates between past and present and between Leo and Melissa's perspectives, provides some depth to the story. However, the pacing can feel uneven, with some sections feeling rushed while others drag.

Despite these shortcomings, the novel does have some redeeming qualities. The sections from the past are particularly well-written, and the author does a good job of building tension and creating a sense of dread. The supernatural aspect of the story is also handled well, with a believable and chilling atmosphere.

Overall, 'The Drowning House' is a decent paranormal horror novel with an intriguing premise and some well-written sections. However, the unlikable characters and uneven pacing prevent it from reaching its full potential. Fans of the genre may still enjoy the atmospheric setting and supernatural elements, but those looking for a more well-rounded and engaging story may be disappointed.

I love any story about an evil house.

We follow Melissa and Leo who are arriving to support Simon after his grandma passes away and Simon is missing. They help to find Simon and the story unfolds from there. This starts slow and doesnt pick up until almost the end. There was not enough action in the story to keep me engaged. This was not a HORROR novel more of a coming of age novel.

This fell flat for me and just never picked up.

Thanks NetGalley for letting me read and review.

Honey, this book was really good. I am so glad I got to read this. I did not wanna put it down at alllll. It was a wild ride and I can't wait to put it on my shelf in July.

The beginning of The Drowning House started out strong. The middle sort of dragged and lost my interest. The ending picked up again, but by then it was hard for me to be fully invested after the slow moving middle. There are some creepy vibes going on, but not one that will haunt me in my nightmares. If you don't mind slow burns then you will really like this one.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I love an evil house book but this was a little flat. It spent so much time setting the scene I was expecting a big pay off in the second half and we didn't really get one. I didn't care about any of the characters which didn't help. I don't think you can have a book where there is one sort of a wacky plot (an evil house) and characters that are unpleasant. A book needs to chose one or the other.

Weird mentions of weight/fatness.

When Melissa and Leo arrive to support their friend Simon following the death of his grandmother whom they have known since childhood they find Simon missing and a washed-up old house on the shores of Mrs. Culpepper’s land, the frightful discovery of which might well have been what caused her fatal heart attack. The story unfolds in a then and now narrative between searching for Simon and the shared experiences of the main characters’ youth. Unfortunately, the slow burn plot didn’t compel me with enough action to be a thriller or critical reveals to be a mystery, and I struggled to stay engaged. I didn’t connect with the characters and tired of the search for Simon which yielded little tension. It felt like more of a coming-of-age story than a horror-thriller, which wasn’t what I expected. Thank you to NetGalley, the publisher, and author for the ARC of The Drowning House.