3/5

The Drowning House had such a cool concept, a creepy decrepit house suddenly shows up on the beach and the only person who knows what it means mysteriously dies at the same time. I was really hoping that this concept would hold up and be fleshed out but what was given didn’t feel very satisfying.

The story is pretty slow burn, paranormal atmospheric and a bit creepy. A combination I would normally really enjoy, but in this case the pacing was very off from what would have made this a good read. The beginning was super promising and very interesting, but it very quickly slowed to a crawl with very little progress. I really wish the middle section had more. It needed more mystery, more creepy, more info. Anything. I was so desperate to learn more that I got tired of waiting. And by the time the ending finally rolled around I was pretty indifferent about everything and no longer had much enthusiasm left. Honestly, I ended up skimming the last 20% just to get through it.

The characters are also quite grating. It worked in the beginning, a fun dynamic between friends/rivals with a complicated past and present, but it quickly devolved to squabbling and was just really annoying. I wish there was more to them by the end, some growth or maturity or something that let them change into something better.

The only thing that did work was the concept and a few small pieces along the way. I think there is something still there, it just needed to be refined and edited.

Overall the story did not live up to expectations which is a huge shame because it had such good promises, just not good execution.

This is a novel with supernatural elements that works as both a thriller and a horror novel.

A house washes up on shore on a small island during a storm. Mrs. Culpepper is a woman almost 100 years old and she seems to know what the house is and it frightens her literally to death right on the shore.

Her nephew is with her when it happens but he disappears after reaching out to his two long time best friends who live off the island.

Now it's up to these two friends to figure out what happened to him and why there's something malicious stalking them on this island. Along the way, there are many secrets to discover and the truth is something horrifying.

Shout out to NetGalley for my ARC of this book! This is the second book I was approved to read and review and I am excited to have been given this opportunity. That being said… this wasn’t my favorite novel. It was well written, Cherie did a stellar job of writing from the 3rd person. I enjoyed how each chapter jumped to a different persons perspective, and sometimes even a different point in time.. but that’s about all I was really enjoying towards the end. It was a verrrry slow burn (not literally though, lol that ending with the fireworks) and to be honest, I just don’t know if the explosive (Heh) ending really justified how slow and almost monotonous most of the book was. To be fair I was also expecting it to be more of a spooky thriller, and it ended up falling more into a dark fantasy vibe. Again, so grateful for the opportunity to read this! I would try another book from this author, this one just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I’ve read many reviews that describe a book as “propulsive,” and I always understood that to mean they were fast moving. After reading THE DROWNING HOUSE, I have a whole new appreciation for the word. The characters in this book are literally propelled through the action of the last half of the book (which is of course fast-paced) and the reader is likewise propelled through the book’s pages. There are forces at work that keep the characters racing to what they hope will be a positive resolution while making it impossible for the reader to look away in spite of, or perhaps because of, the dread that seeps through the words.

The book moves back and forth from the present to a couple of decades ago when the main characters spent time as children on an island off the coast of Seattle, and eventually to many decades prior to that when forces were put into play that resulted in the horrors that those children, Leo and Melissa, now grown to adulthood, face. An unprecedented and violent storm takes place through partly natural and partly supernatural means as Leo and Melissa fight through the storm to save their island, and perhaps far more.

The writing is, as I said, propulsive. It is also incredibly atmospheric, immersing the reader in the isolation of the setting, the feel and sound of the storm, and the terror of the situation. The book is a sort of mashup of horror and thriller, and I think that works well. It gave me lots to think about as I attempted to sleep after finishing it. My one complaint about the book is the epilogue. It was unnecessary and added nothing to the reader’s understanding of the book’s events. I wish the author had left it out since, as the book’s final words, it cast a pall upon the experience of reaching the terrifying ending of the rest of the book.

This is a novel with supernatural elements that works as both a thriller and a horror novel.

A house washes up on shore on a small island during a storm. Mrs. Culpepper is a woman almost 100 years old and she seems to know what the house is and it frightens her literally to death right on the shore.

Her nephew is with her when it happens but he disappears after reaching out to his two long time best friends who live off the island.

Now it's up to these two friends to figure out what happened to him and why there's something malicious stalking them on this island. Along the way, there are many secrets to discover and the truth is something horrifying.

For the most part, this novel seamlessly puts together a mystery wrapped in supernatural terror while we get to know things that have happened in the past which will undoubtedly have consequence in the present.

I really liked how these little clues from the past would pop up and, as the characters get closer to the truth about the strange creepy house that just washed up on shore, the tension builds and the story takes us into even stranger directions.

I would say this is closer to a thriller than a horror novel. It has all the story beats and arcs you want from a good thriller and is easy to read and get into.

I recommend it for those who like a good mysterious blend of thriller and the supernatural.

If you are looking for a spooky, atmospheric, creepy read..this is it!

The characters were well fleshed out which can be hard to come by in a horror story. I loved the thriller aspect, as well. It had me flipping the pages that much quicker.

The atmosphere was what I loved most about this read.

Simon, Melissa, and Leo spent the summers growing up together around Simon’s grandmothers house, the ever present Mrs.Culpepper, on a small island in the Pacific Northwest. Years later, Melissa received a strange voicemail and email from Simon who stayed on the island to care for his grandmother. Mrs. Culpepper has died and Simon has gone missing. Melissa and Leo head to the island to find their childhood friend, but the mysteries of the house they spend so much time in are coming to light and creating danger to everyone on the island.
Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

Priest is back in top form with this spooky tale of childhood friends reunited by tragedy. A deeply atmospheric tale of witchcraft, ghosts, and climate change. Recommended!

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for sharing an ARC in exchange for a review.

Cherie Priest’s The Drowning House has a lot in common with Stephen King’s writing. Namely: great character moments, eerie slow burn…and an ending that absolutely does not stick the landing.

I really enjoyed my time with Leo and Melissa, and the weird little pocket of cosmic horror Priest has crafted on Marrowstone Island. The flashbacks with the little bits of supernatural spookiness sprinkled in were very effective. Priest’s prose does a fantastic job of painting the island in moody, rainy greys.

The Drowning House’s tone is certainly deliberate, but very rarely did I feel like it was dragging. It’s surprising then that the ending felt so rushed. I wouldn’t have wanted every single aspect of Gunnar’s powers or motives spelled out, but it was all so vague that it deflated the climax. The fate of Simon is left to the reader’s imagination, which felt like a missed opportunity for some great horror. The story also just kind of…ends. I don’t know if this was meant as a sequel setup but it’s very abrupt.

Despite its flaws, this a solid horror novel. If this turns out to be the start of a series, I’ll happily read a sequel.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of "The Drowning House"! My review is unbiased and honest!

Cherie Priest is a good author. She paints a creepy picture with a great backstory that's unlike other books that I've read. She's just not the author for me. She is a little bit wordier than I prefer, so I had a hard time getting through this because she kept the story simmering instead of letting it boil too hot.

If you like a good mystery with a little bit of a creep factor (not much, imo as a horror reader), you may really enjoy this one. I was a little disappointed at the ending-- but it all works out okay.

Either way, it wasn't my favorite book I've read this year but it is well written, so I'd recommend to mystery fans. It releases in July of 2024!

On Marrowstone Island, best friends Simon Culpepper, Melissa Toft and Leo Alvarez spend every Summer together. Three "Goonies" who enjoy fireworks, swimming and shooting slingshots around Grandmother Culpepper's property. After Leo nearly drowns, he begins to see strange things in the shadows and hear faint cries at night. Mrs. Culpepper knowingly assures him they are harmless.

Years later, Mrs. Culpepper is found dead and Simon is missing. With only a cryptic email from Simon to go by, Leo and Melissa return to Marrowstone. A whole house has been washed up on the beach and shockingly no one pays it any mind. It's no storm wreck, but a sign that something or someone has returned. No longer naive children, long forgotten conversations begin to take on new meaning. Together, Leo and Melissa learn that Mrs. Culpepper had an estranged sister, Alcesta, whose mysterious, power-hungry husband might be behind all of it.

The premise is what really grabbed my attention, however I was left a bit disappointed. Leo and Melissa are loyal to a fault, and that's admirable, but their undying love for Simon seems forced. Leo and Melissa have been pining for him for over 20 years and still bicker over him. As far as we know, Simon is an ordinary guy, so why was he so extraordinary to them? Because we learn so little about Simon, both Leo and Melissa come off as self-centered with only some character growth at the end.

Aunt Alcesta had the potential to be a really compelling character, like her sister Charlotte, but her role was to simply provide the exposition. But how did Charlotte, Alcesta and Alcesta's husband come to obtain such hidden occult knowledge? How exactly did Simon disappear? The darkest parts were far too brief. I definitely needed more of Simon's family history to fully piece this one together.

Thank you again, Poisoned Pen Press for approving my request for "The Drowning House"!

I have a fraught relationship with Cherie Priest's horror novels: I love every premise and I love her richly developed, lived-in worlds and characters. The plots...tend to misfire for me, and this book was no different. It's a very slow novel, and that really worked for me for the first half, even though 99% of the time that would be my chief complaint. But Priest's worlds are so cozy to dive into, so I didn't mind at all. Once the plot engine fully kicked in, though, I kind-of hated it? The writing became repetitive (this book should have been WAY shorter imo), and the story itself was a bit childish and sparsely developed. So it was a profoundly mixed bag (as was 'The Toll' from the same author).

I wanted to love this book but it fell flat for me.

The beginning started out great but I quickly lost interest in the messy middle, I did enjoy the last part of the book. Essentially, beginning and end were great, middle not so much.

With that said, I would still read this author again and I would recommend this book because it has great bones and others may quite enjoy the story.

First I want to thank Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the arc.

The Drowning House by Cherie Priest is a horror story about a house that comes up on shore all of a sudden. There is a death from this house washing up on shore and then a mysterious disappearance which brings 2 childhood friends back to the island in which they spent so much time. They are in search of their friend who has disappeared after the death of his grandmother.

This book has a slow start to it but it wasn't a bad slow start like so many other ones can be. The atmosphere of the island and the houses were amazing. It made you feel the story progress with it. Melissa and Leo seemed to bicker A LOT. Everything was a competition with them and while it does get annoying, the reasoning behind it makes a lot of sense. They are trying to find their friend Simon afterall, emotions are high.

There are a lot of flashbacks in this book which are done really well. I enjoyed them a lot and they let you get to know the characters and what happened to start to set up the story through it.

However, I feel like some of the story dragged a little bit towards the end of it. There are twists to it that I didn't see coming that would bring it back for a bit but then it would drag again.

The Drowning House was labelled as a horror story but I'm not so sure that it's really what it is. There are some horror elements but not really scary or shocking. I was kind of expecting a more creepy factor to some of the story. I did enjoy the story a lot and the descriptions were really well done.

Thank you Netgalley & Poisoned Pen Press for an eARC 🔥

“The Drowning house “ by Cherie Priest is like a dark, twisted carnival that lures you in with its sinister atmosphere and doesn't let you go.

You see, this house, it just shows up on the beach one day, like some sort of macabre gift from the sea. And Simon, poor Simon, he's just gone, vanished without a trace. His friends Melissa and Leo, they're left to pick up the pieces, but they've got their own demons to deal with. Old rivalries, grudges, and secrets that refuse to stay buried.

And then there's the house itself, looming like a malevolent presence, full of strange noises and creepy whispers. It's alive, watching and waiting for the perfect moment to strike. You'll feel the hairs on the back of your neck stand up as you read, like something's creeping up behind you.

Cherie Priest masterfully weaves a tale that's part horror, part thriller, and all kinds of messed up. It's a dark reflection of our deepest fears, the kind that'll keep you up at night, wondering what's lurking in the shadows.

Thank you NetGalley for the arc!
This would be a great book for a thriller lover who likes some magic with their mystery. There were a few tense, literally haunting moments, but other than that there was maybe one scene that I would call horror. Besides suspense and magic, this book had lore, runes, ghosts.
I felt like the pacing was slow, and while there were a lot of mundane details, there was a dearth of details in areas where I wanted them - like the villain's motivations, and the sister's relationship - especially for the length of the book. There was an epilogue that offered some answers, but I felt like I still had too many questions at the end.
That's not to say the ending was ambiguous, so don't let that scare you off, it was more what the author chose to focus on.
The premise was interesting with the house washing ashore that no one seemed to notice until they were told about it, I just wish the house had played a bigger role.
The author did a good job connecting the present to the flashback scenes. They seemed like nothing but character development, but were actually pertinent to the plot, while also introducing us to the missing grandson in the past.
If you're looking for an easy to read suspense novel with a twist, this is the book for you.
Read from: Feb 18, 2024 - Feb 21, 2024

Mrs Culpepper has lived on the island a long, long time. She outlived her husband, and her children, and in her final years, lives there still with her grandson. Until the night a terrible storm deposits a house on the beach - a house that she sent to the bottom of the sea decades before.

Now her grandson's childhood friends must figure out the unfolding danger, and how to keep terrible things out that someone else has been trying to let in for a long time.

Natural magic, eldritch horror, childhood trauma, and avenging Volvas - this is a terrifying novel that will make your skin prickle and the sound of water send a chill down your spine. :chef's kiss:

I wanted to like this book more but it was soooo slow to get going. I felt like it dragged on forever. It was a looong time to finish.

This is not my typical genre, but I'm glad I gave this book a try. When a mysterious house washes ashore and the sight of it makes someone die, you know it's off to a good start. There is a foreboding feeling right from the start and it doesn't let go until the end. This story is creepy, mysterious, haunted and full of secrets that will have you turning page after page to find out what the heck is going on.

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press and Cherie Priest for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I wasn’t expecting to love this book as much as I did, but instantly I was sucked into the search for Simon. A beautifully written tale, taking turns I never knew were there, highly recommended from me!