“I HAVE WHAT I NEED AND I’LL TAKE WHAT I WANT”

The Drowning House
by Cherie Priest

This slow burn had me HOOKED on the atmosphere and then in the end, it was … fine. A mysterious house washes up on a small island village on the property of an elderly woman who is scared to death … literally. Leaving the grandson Simon who immediately calls for childhood best friends, Melissa and Leo who rush to his aid only to find he has disappeared.
For me it was the main characters that annoyed me and kept taking me out of the atmosphere and feelings that was so amazing in this story.

The author did a good job with a creepy thrilling start with the mysterious appearance of a house washing up, causing Mrs. Culpepper to drop dead and her grandson to go missing. And their is way more to that housewreck than meets the eye! Cue the two friends that used to summer with Simon to find out what happened and to keep the past from repeating itself. The premise was good and the subtle wrongness that Leo and Melissa keep feeling as they both search for Simon and dive into the mysterious past of the house kept me hooked, even when it got a bit confusing with the runes and the two sisters and Gunnar. I wish there had been a bit more explanation about Gunnar's plans and also more history about the sisters and how they learned magic.

I think if the story had gone more into the history, especially why you had the boys in the corners that only some could hear and see, that room in the basement, and what answered Gunnar then it would have been awesome. But is was pretty good and hard to put down and nicely creepy.

Melissa receives a phone call from her dear friend Simon about the sudden death of his grandmother. She and Leo, another childhood friend, rush to the island where they grew up. They discover Simon has vanished and an old house has washed up on shore, a house that might have scared Simon’s grandmother to death.

While the first half of the book felt a bit slow, it picked up significantly in the second half, where I found myself captivated by the magic and the mystery.

The bulk of the story is told through Melissa and Leo’s perspectives with a present time line as well as one that shows them with Simon and his grandmother in the past.

Both Melissa and Leo come with tons of baggage. She’s living in Seattle and enjoys her job as a graphic designer, but she doesn’t have a robust social life. Leo is an up and coming realtor, but he hasn’t found Mr. Right. While they have a common interest in supporting Simon and mourning the death of his grandmother, petty rivalries create obstacles. Once they learn to appreciate each other’s unique talents, they can focus on finding Simon and just maybe saving the world.

Priest excels in creating realistic characters, a spooky mood, and a weird world where old houses are swept to shore, whispers come from corners, and basements are beyond eerie. As a big fan of epilogues, I found this one to be the cherry on the top of a great read.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press, an imprint of Sourcebooks, for providing an Advance Reader Copy via NetGalley.

I had high hopes for this book because the description reminded me of The Elementals by Michael McDowell. However, the book didn't resonate with me, and I didn't connect with any of the characters. I found myself losing interest halfway through. While I didn't vibe with the story, I think others might.

A haunting and gorgeous ride through a psychedelic and thriller of a book. This book did not disappoint. The characters were easy to identify with and the flow kept your interest and a good pace about itself. I didn't guess the ending and that makes me like this book just s bit more.

In all honesty this book grabbed me for the first 6 chapters and then it started to slowly decline for me. I’m all for weird and unusual stories but this was almost too boring and very slow paced for me to be able to enjoy.

Two days ago I got an email saying happy release date and relIzed I hadn’t read one of my most anticipated books yet! So I smashed it out using an ebook and audiobook combo and I’m so happy I did. I came for the sinister vibes and interesting premise, I stayed for the creepy house and immersive writing style! This atmospheric horror kept me hooked until the final page. Also can we have a moment for the cover.

Thanks to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen press for access to an eARC in exchange for my honest review!!

Unfortunately, I had to DNF this one at 30%. I've promised myself that in the back half of this year, I'll stop forcing myself to push through books that I'm simply not enjoying, and I've hit that point with The Drowning House.

I had such high hopes going into this one that I was going to have the time of my life. I mean, a musty, decrepit old house washes up on a beach exuding a sinister aura? It sounds right up my alley. But the first 30% has moved so slowly and the flashbacks have been the most enjoyable part, which is hard when I'm here for a horror story. Also, and this is more of a personal reason, but the two characters you follow for the first act or so of the book are just not very likeable as people, and while I can get behind an unlikeable character, I can't handle that on top of a book that has bored me to the point that I've started other books instead of continuing it. So...yeah. I'd love to try another of Priest's books because the writing is great, but this one just falls flat for me compared to my expectations.

I enjoyed The Drowning House and appreciate getting a free copy from the publisher. There are interesting hints of the supernatural that I really enjoyed without it taking over the book. The Drowning House goes back in forth in time from present day to the mid-1980s and this is done really well, giving you information you need about the relationship of the three friends and their repeated summers on the island, before bringing you back to the present mystery of where is Simon and why is there a house on the beach.

When their friend calls needing help, Melissa and Leo do not hesitate. But when they arrive, Simon is nowhere to be found, and his grandmother, Mrs. Culpeper is dead. As they begin to look for Simon, they notice a strange house on the beach, one that should not be there.

Digging deeper, the friends find a mystery, and encounter an evil that just might kill them.

I really enjoyed this read! It was one of those "hard to put down" books. If you are looking for something with a twist or two, you are not going to want to skip reading this novel.

When Siimon’s grandmother dies under mysterious circumstances, and then Simon disappears, it’s up to his friends to find out what happened.

A must read and will definitely be on my list of top books of 2024! This reminded me of Stephen King’s “It” where we go back and forth in time with a small, tight-knit group of friends who experienced something bizarre as children, and now have to face it again as adults.

I’ve already recommended it for my book club! Thanks so much for the opportunity to read!

Thanks to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Sourcebooks for this copy of "The Drowning House."

This was my first book by author Priest and it was a page-turner! I was furiously reading to see what happened at the end.

And I didn't want it to end since I think this would make an amazing series featuring Melissa and Leo.

Plus I desperately want a prequel (you'll understand why when you read it) which ties into why it would be a fantastic series.

Rating: 3.5 ⭐️

Sentient houses and the spirits of weeping children, the gothic horror girlies are going to love this one!

The undercurrent of mystery and sprinkling of uneasiness sprinkled in carried the first half of this story and then in the 50ish percent mark the horror kicked in and I couldn’t look away!

The love shared between childhood friends Melissa, Leo, and Simon truly is the drive behind this story. Though growing up has complicated some things there are many moments between Melissa and Leo on their mission to find out what happened to Simon that seemed almost like callbacks to their childhood together intertwined with an adult bitterness that comes with age.

THE ATMOSPHERE CHERIE PRIEST CREATED!!!
I was unsettled while being in a crowded public place and that is good eery writing.

SPOILERS:
There was a few things at the conclusion that I did not have answers to and was a tad confused by. I was a bit disappointed that Leo and Melissa never reunited with Simon’s ghost tbh.

Time is supposed to heal all wounds, but in Cherie Priest's The Drowning House, the passing of time and a particularly dark and stormy night may prove that not only are some injuries too deeply embedded to go quietly, but also that home is not always where the heart is. Many thanks to Sourcebooks Landmark and Poisoned Pen Press for the advanced copy to review.

For anyone who has visited Washington State, it's no surprise that the inciting action of The Drowning House is adverse weather. What is surprising, though, are the events and revelations that follow. A decayed, rotting mess of a house returns to Marrowstone Island's shore, although "house" may be a generous term; from the beginning, readers are told point-blank that Tidebury House was never one to provide shelter from a storm. So, when Simon Culpepper soon vanishes without a trace, the mystery house is the least of his estranged childhood friends' worries―that is, until all signs indicate that its origins and his fate may not be so unconnected or coincidental at all.

Priest, the author of works such as Four and Twenty Blackbirds and Grave Reservations, is known for testing the waters when it comes to spookier subjects. This time, she also delves into the complexities of time and the havoc it can wreak on a friendship. Thanks to bone-deep grudges and a classic rivalry, it's hard to tell whether Melissa and Leo were ever really friends, or maybe frenemies at best. But, to their credit, they do come through in the clutch and band together for Simon's sake. The result is a contentious push-and-pull that underscores the overarching plot in a way that will satisfy those who enjoy a good enemies-to-something-else trope. Their flaws and even the occasional bout of pettiness add just enough levity and normal drama to a tale rife with tension and darkness, giving the audience minute distractions from what lurks at the core of the narrative.

As both a reader and a writer, I was drawn to Priest's overall style and flow as much as I was to the story itself. The Drowning House rides in on a gentle wave despite the turbulent situation that is actually being depicted on the page; that wave doesn't retreat, though. It crests over and over again, and just when readers will think it's going to finally pound the sand with everything it's got, it'll surely drag them under with another unexpected, sinister twist. It represents the epitome of ebb and flow in literary fiction, and the author is a master at infusing pretty words and poetic exposition with grim connotations and grisly anticipation.

Atmospheric and chilling, eerie and heartfelt: for those who love a good thriller and are curious enough to dip their toes into the shallower end of the horror genre, The Drowning House is definitely one new title to add to your summer TBR list.

The Drowning House
Written by Cherie Priest
Published by Poisoned Pen Press
Released Date July 23, 2024

I Love Stephen King and now there is a new author in my I love category….Priest is certainly a mastermind when it comes to mystery/thrillers. I could not read it fast enough. I honestly wasn’t sure what sub genre it was going to be ie paranormal etc. What it did turn out to be was something that I had not expected. A house turns up mysteriously on an island after a violent storm. The elderly woman who lived closest to where the house washed up has a heart attack on the beach. To make things worse, her grandson, Simon Culpepper, disappeared and while people looked for him, he was never found. His childhood friends, Melissa and Leo, return to look further but what they find will haunt them. Truly terrifying this book contains haunting twists and turns with characters that are very well developed with issues that come alive as you read this book. I PROMISE that you will LOVE this book as well as the author. Run, run, run to the nearest bookstore and get your copy today. You won’t regret this one.


5+++ stars


Thank you to Netgalley as well as the author and publisher for giving me a copy to read in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

I love me some haunted house stories or houses that are evil.
Childhood friends Melissa, Leo and Simon are reunited when Melissa receives a voicemail and email from Simon. His grandmother passed away but it was like something scared her to death. He asks them to come but then Simon goes missing. They go to the island to find Simon and also learn about the house that got washed ashore the night he disappeared and his grandmother passed.
I loved the premise but it brought in some fantasy aspects that didn’t match. I also struggled to connect with the characters.
I still enjoyed this read and if you have it on your TBR- give it a read!

Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

I requested this book solely for the cover then I read the blurb and thought this was gonna be a good one. I was a little worried about the horror part because I don't read horror books. However in my opinion this book was not scary even in the slightest. I actually found it boring. It did have its moments but I just couldn't get into it. I skimmed the last 10 chapters and still got nothing out of it.

I believe everyone should make their own opinions after reading.

The Drowning House

Any time there’s a return to childhood memories in the form of adult reflecting, I’m intrigued. Especially if it’s got a supernatural theme and The Drowning House has this in abundance along with a strong mystery and an isolated island setting.

The beginning starts off with a bang – a mysterious house washes up on the beach in the middle of a dark stormy night and there’s both a death and a disappearance. Simon, the vanished, manages to get off one voicemail to a close childhood friend, who along with another childhood friend, arrive on isolated Marrowstone Island to find out just what happened to Simon.

This is such a rich atmospheric story – a bit of a slow-burn - and working through the chapters, slowly putting the pieces together was a fun puzzle to put together. I did not see the ending coming and I felt like it tied things up really nicely!

My thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for this gifted DRC!

A sudden death, a static voice message, a missing friend. Three friends grew up together on a small island. They are adults now, have drifted apart, until one reaches out to bring them both back. The grandmother who cared for them all each summer has passed away. But when the 2 friends come back, the one who called them is missing and they aren't sure what's going on.

This is a slow burn. The story takes quite a few chapters to get going. It gives some past scenes, to tie the three kids together, and it gives more context to the present. The story doesn't really get going until at least half way. From there, though, it does get a pretty good clip going and feels like a race to the conclusion.

But the conclusion was a bit of a let down for me. And I never grew on the 3 main characters. I knew little of Simon and found Melissa completely unlikable (right from that first chapter and I never found her be redeemed) and Leo's hunger to sell the house was just ew. I did find the house creepy and, if it had stuck closer to there, definitely would have liked it more.

If you like creepy houses with runes and locked doors, then you might just love this one. I think it just didn't work for me.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

From the moment that creepy house washed up on shore, I was hooked!

When Leo and Melissa arrive on the island to look for Simon they have no idea what they have just walked into the middle of. Simon is gone, his grandmother is dead, and a mysterious house is washed up on the beach not far from Simons's house. The mysterious waterlogged house gives immediate vibes that something is wrong, not only because it seems to have washed up on shore almost completely intact, but walking into the house you feel like someone is watching you.

As Melissa and Leo investigate Simon's disappearance they uncover deep family secrets and a tragedy that took place on the island many years before.
I loved the vibes this story gave from beginning to end. It was eerie, haunting, and thrilling in all the right places. Throughout the whole story I was waiting for the moment we would find out the truth of what happened to Simon and what this other house has to do with it. And when it was all revealed I was not disappointed.

I will definitely be reading more Cherie Priest books in the future!!!