A creepy house washes up onto shore. A woman drops dead from shock on the beach. Her grandson leaves a very brief and ominous message about her passing with his estranged childhood bestie. She is urged to return back to the place where she spent most of her childhood days. Only to feel betrayed upon arrival when she finds that he is nowhere to be found. She begins her hunt to find out where he is and what actually happened making her return a vicious game of digging up the past and piecing everything together. Only to unbury hidden secrets containing the most unexplainable power.

Ummmm...Expect things to get weird, like really fast (I mean a house wreck, have you ever heard of such a thing?) Beliefs do have to be suspended momentarily here and there, but that is one part of the plot that I found hugely intriguing.

You build a closeness with these characters, as you do experience flashbacks of their past while focusing on the present day. You get to see the good, bad and the ugly parts of their lives. Really lifting their personalities right off the page.

Not gonna lie It's a slow burn for sure! Much of the intensity and excitement doesn't really take place until the last 25% of the plot. Which I can totally see why this one wouldn't be for everyone because despite the uniqueness and intensity of the plot you would expect to get things moving a little more quickly, but it does unfortunately move at a snail like pace. But when that very intense, very suspenseful ending arrives be prepared to fall into a state of shock yourself.

With all that said I had a great time with this one. It's not an all-time favorite but I didn't hate it either. I have found myself thinking back to the uniqueness of the plot numerous times and I can truly say I've read nothing quite like it before.

Thank you to Cherie Priest ,Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for the advanced invitation to be one of the early readers to visit the Drowning House.

The Drowning House is the perfect kind of horror for people who love thrillers but think horror might be a bit too scary for them, as it’s kind of a blend of the two genres. This was my first book of Cherie Priest’s and now I want to go devour her backlog 😍!

Set in the Pacific Northwest on a small isolated island, we return after the disappearance of Simon, and watch as the other two childhood friends Melissa & Leo attempt to find out where he is. What they discover is far darker than they ever imagined, as they put old grudges behind them to stop the evil coming to the island.

The Drowning House is rich in atmospheric horror, folkloric vibes, and a haunting story. The characters are well drawn out, and the story will carry you away with the tide! Highly recommend this one for your Spooky Season TBR, or if you’re in the mood for a good read.

This book is not advertised correctly on Netgalley. I would not have agreed to review it had I known it was supernatural. Please fix this!

This book was unusual and fun. I wanted more of a horror vibe, but I did enjoy the mystery aspect. I most appreciated the complex characters and the Gothic vibe. A good book to get you out of a slump.

Absolutely loved this book. The title threw me in and the cover. Imagine that house washing up from the ocean. Pretty amazing concept something that you wanna find out more about in this book. I wasn’t disappointed this book had everything a thriller should have. The concept of writing the narrator everything just made it wonderful. Thank you, NetGalley and publisher for providing this, copy of the audiobook

A haunted house full of secrets, magic and mystery. This was a bit excentric and a bit slow for my tastes. The premise started out intriguing. A house washes up on the shore after some mysterious deaths of the owner of the land. And then the weird stuff starts to happen. I really didn't understand the ending or the reason behind the mystery of the house. But otherwise, a great friendship and some old weird magic lore.

Thank you to the publisher for my copy.

Was immediately pulled into this book by the blurb however did not end up loving the authors writing style unfortunately, made for a slower read and the characters weren't all the likeable but I did enjoy the story line itself. I mean who doesn't love the idea of a house with an evil personality?

The Drowning House was a weird one for me, which was especially sad because I LOVE Cherie Priest's series The Booking Agents. This was definitely a very far departure from that kind of cozy crime mystery, and it had all the witchy, eerie, and gothic vibes that make for a perfect fall read. However, I thought the pacing got bogged down by the inclusion of the 1985 timeline as well as the other viewpoints minus one at the very end. I would have been perfectly fine staying in the present time exclusively from Melissa's viewpoint.

The audiobook is narrated by Mara Wilson, and I thought she did an excellent job of heightening the seclusion and creepiness of the storyline. I love an isolated location and the setting at an exceptionally spooky house on a rural beach was perfection. Wilson is probably what kept this from being a DNF for me and in between the disjointedness I felt and some aspects that were just plain bizarre (I kept thinking wth as I was listening), it was mostly a miss for me. That being said I know some readers will truly love it, so I wouldn't let my review stop you and there were many elements I did love.

This book started off intriguing and I could get behind the story of it. I liked the characters and the writing. About 3/4 of the way through it lost me however and I just didn’t love the ending. The whole thing is a made up magical story, but the end just seemed to unbelievable for me.

Better than expected. I found this highly engaging and an enjoyable read with multiple flawed characters.

Thank you so much to Poisoned Pen Press for the free e-ARC in exchange for an honest review! I foolishly didn’t realize I’d been sent a NetGalley copy of this until after it published, but it made for a very atmospheric late-summer read. I ended up reading it on audio instead, once I realized that it’s performed by my favorite audiobook narrator of all time, Mara Wilson!

As you likely know by now if you’ve been following me for a while, all you need to tell me is that you have an eerie book set in Washington state, and I’ll read it in a heartbeat.

When I learned that the drowning house was set on a Washington island, where an ominous wrecked house washes ashore, bringing death and a disappearance in its wake, I knew I was in.

Elderly Mrs. Culpepper is out for a walk on Marrowstone Island’s beach during a storm when she spies a wrecked house on the shore that quite literally scares her to death. Her grandson, Simon, reaches out to his two childhood best friends to notify them that the old woman who cared for them during their summers on the island has passed, but before they can get back in touch, he vanishes. Melissa and Leo must put aside their differences and petty rivalries for Simon’s attention to find out what - or who - may have caused their friend to go missing.

Melissa and Leo are both fairly selfish and annoying, but I couldn’t help but appreciate Melissa’s bluntness. There’s something fun sometimes about following unlikeable characters.

Though Marrowstone Island is fictional, it reminded me heavily of Whidbey Island, one of my favorite places to visit in the state. I loved the nod to the old fort, and appreciated many of the references to Seattle and its quirks. I also really enjoyed how well Priest incorporated Washington’s Nordic immigrant history, even going including runes in part of The Drowning House’s supernatural themes.

There were parts of this that I liked, but it also felt like it wasn’t fully baked. It was trying to do a lot at once, and while it was atmospheric, it was more complicated than it needed to be. I appreciated the opportunity to read it nonetheless!

The horror genre has no shortage of creepy, haunted houses, whether it’s the home of a serial killer, as in Sarah Gailey’s Just like home or the abandoned house of Jo Nesbo’s The Night House. It’s unlikely, though, that a mysterious house washing up on a beach has ever played the starring role of a novel. Using a novel perspective on the well-known, Cherie Priest crafts a singular and unpredictable narrative full of tension and terror in her 25th book.

Full review: https://westwordsreviews.wordpress.com/2024/09/09/the-drowning-house-by-cherie-priest/

The premise is really interesting unfortunately it just didn't really live up to it's potential for me.

Even the Epilogue which I felt was going to explain something, didn’t, and left me wondering why it was there at all.

This one kept me on the edge of the seat and turning the pages. I recommend for a good autumn vibes read!

I couldn’t get into the story just as I thought. Not disappointed but need more depth, I think. I can't remember when was the last time when I read a book in which the whole plot was 100% equal to what was written in the blurb and nothing more. There was no surprise there, no resolution to any of the plot threads and the whole story was blatantly predictable and painfully dull.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. However, it didn’t keep me engaged the entire time. The pace in the first half was slow. However, I loved the paranormal/supernatural elements of the book, but the execution just fell flat for me.

The Drowning House
⭐️⭐️⭐️
Author: Cherie Priest

I requested a digital advanced readers copy from NetGalley and Poisoned Press and providing my opinion voluntarily and unbiased.

Synopsis: 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.

My Thoughts: The premise was interesting… haunted house, ghosts, mystery… however, it fell a little flat in execution. Overall, it was an enjoyable read that I would recommend to other readers. Marissa and Leo, once childhood friends, return to Marrowstone Island when a house washes (yes a house) ashore and their dear friend, Simon goes missing, and his grandmother is dead. Even though Marissa and Leo were close as childhood friends, they have grown apart in the years since. Now, they must put their differences aside and work together to find their friend. This is a classic whodunit with a haunted house and some evil thrown into the mix.

The story is written in third person POV in an alternating narrative between the past and present, by Marissa and Leo. Our two protagonists are flawed characters, a bit unreliable, and tough to connect with, and not especially likable. Melissa is a bit abrasive. Leo was all about selling this house, that has possible clues of their missing friend, and throwing the missing case secondary to the sale. The characters were well developed with depth, banter, mysterious, and intriguing. The author’s writing style was complex, suspenseful, twisty, and somewhat engaging. The character’s backstories were built up in a slow burn with a good mix of present day happenings and past flashbacks, with the information spread out across the novel. The plot is developed in twisty layers with some unpredictability and a paranormal flare. The supernatural evil was blended well throughout the novel and a nice world was built. The ending was thought-provoking and satisfying.

Overall, this was an entertaining read, a bit of a slow burn, a good amount of twists, and had a paranormal twist to it. The plot was explored well enough with just a few plot holes left. The author does a good job with setting the scene and tone, a creepy claustrophobic atmosphere. I generally do not like any type of paranormal or fantasy book, however, this one is done in a way that is enticing and intriguing. I would recommend this story to other readers who love a slow burn novel with supernatural elements.

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️



✨Fast Paced
✨ Horror - Thriller




✨If you are looking for a Stephen king kind of vibes this is a great start for a horror theme.
The story was dark and gripping every chapter.
The story was divided to 2 timelines so it might confuse some other parts.
As the friendship goes on to this story, secrets started to unveil.
All great read. Some parts are just confusing if you are not used to dark horror parts.




✨ Thankyou @poisonpen press for the opportunity to read this arc for a honest review.

The Drowning House by Cherie Priest is a horror novel, but mostly it's an atmospheric mystery.

First, let me thank NetGalley, the publisher Poisoned Pen Press and of course the author, for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.


My Synopsis:    (No major reveals, but if concerned, skip to My Opinions):
Simon Culpepper has lived with his grandmother on Marrowstone Island since he was a child.  His parents died when he was small, and his Grandmother took him in.  In the last few years, he has been looking after her.  She just celebrated her 100th birthday, but she is still a strong lady.   When a violent storm hits the small island, a two-story house washes up on the shore outside their bungalow.  His Grandmother rushes out in the middle of the night to meet it.  She falls to the ground, dying from fright.  Simon calls one of his best friends, Melissa. to please come and help him.  He'll explain when she gets here.   He hangs up, and when Melissa later tries to call him back, the police answer the phone.

She calls their friend Leo, and they both head to the island.  When they arrive, Simon has vanished.

Simon, Leo, and Melissa, all played together as children on the island, mostly under the watchful eyes of Mrs. Culpepper.   Although decades have passed, they all kept in touch, with Simon as the anchor.  Leo and Melissa were never that close, but they will have to put their differences aside if they want to find out what happened to Simon, and what is going on with this strange house that appeared out of nowhere.


My Opinions:
I really enjoyed this.  Although it sometimes moved very slowly, the premise was really good.

It was a very atmospheric ghost story.  An island in the midst of a violent storm  A mysterious ghostly house, and some secrets held by the Grandmother.  The author doled out information fairly slowly.  Combined, the result was a creepy, somewhat suspenseful read.

I loved the relationship between childhood friends that spent their summers together (probably because I had some similar friends with whom I have kept in touch -- although for considerably longer, and without any ghostly/witchcrafty aura).  Also without the cattiness.  But bottom line, the friendships felt real -- the different dynamics, but the love shared between them.  I didn't particularly like Melissa, but in the end, she came around.  I absolutely loved Mrs. Culpepper.

The story was written through both the perspectives of Leo and Melissa.  It was also in different timelines.  It worked well, but I think this may be why it dragged.

 Basically, it was a haunted house story, with great characters.  I loved it.

“It’s bizarre, right? The way the house is so… slippery. Just slides right out of your mind, the moment you’re not looking at it.”

A mysterious house washes up on the shore of an island in the Pacific Northwest, and then an elderly woman named Mrs Culpeper dies under mysterious circumstances. Her grandson Simon reaches out to his old friends for help, and then he vanishes. The house is odd, there are ghosts.

The premise is really interesting unfortunately it just didn't really live up to it's potential for me.

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.