Blacklick, Indiana is the kind of crumbling small town most people fight to get away from. Meg Finch almost managed it, before collapsing into a strung-together life of gig work and the perpetual struggle to keep her head above water. Her younger sister Esther actually made it all the way out to the Chicago suburbs, with a job in project management, a husband and a twelve year-old son. Youngest sister Claire didn’t even try to leave, living with her parents while attempting to do good as a social worker for the many desperate families in the area.

Once upon a time, the three sisters were close. That ended one summer when they were kids, as a terrifying encounter with a decaying house and its impossible hallway changed their lives forever. Each girl chose a door. Each girl was given an awful burden. Claire’s was perhaps the most viscerally felt:

QUOTE
Claire froze. She couldn’t tell if the voice had come from the room or inside her own head. The floor rumbled beneath her hands, almost like a purr. The dark seemed to undulate around her, stroking her skin and hair. She thought of the spider on the stairs, but this was different, like if water were solid. The dark bent softly against her arms and neck, velvety and thick. It made her skin crawl.

We’re here with you. We’ll always be with you.

Her voice crackled with tears. “Who are you?”

The darkness pulsed and then she felt the velvety touch move from her neck to her ears, to her nose. It climbed inside and slithered down her throat, viscous and sour. She felt sick, her belly heavy, like she’d swallowed too much water.
END QUOTE

Afterwards, none of them want to talk about what happened in the house or what they saw or experienced. As they grow older, guilt and shame – some of it entirely unearned – push them further and further apart. But then Claire calls her eldest sister one night, saying she’s tired of the pain and is ready to put an end to it all. A frantic Meg races to the abandoned house to find her sister dead, swinging from a noose in a room at the end of that terrible hallway.

Neither Meg nor Esther is able to accept the verdict that Claire committed suicide. Driven by grief, they begin to investigate Claire’s life, both together and separately, as their own hurtful history causes them to lash out at one another. Meg, being more introspective but also more passive than her paranoid, impulsive sister, wonders why they’re really making these choices, especially when their inquiries could be putting another at-risk family through unwarranted agony:

QUOTE
She understood why Esther wanted to do it. Meg had come to the same instant conclusion Esther had. It made sense. Here was a guy with a history of violence who was meeting their sister, a woman who would have been responsible for removing his children from his care, and then she ends up dead. Open and shut, right? But then Meg heard Claire say it again in her head: would it make you feel better?

Would it? Or were they looking for reasons to believe what’d happened to Claire wasn’t their fault? That they couldn’t have stopped it?
END QUOTE

As they begin to unearth what really happened to Claire, they discover too the solution to the mystery that festers at the heart of their family’s shaky foundation. Will the truth finally allow the sisters to grant each other absolution and grace? Perhaps just as importantly, will it allow them to forgive themselves?

The almost-physical manifestations of depression, anxiety and paranoia in this book make perfect monsters for the sisters to battle, even as they find themselves solving far less supernatural crimes. Their prickly relationship, especially, reads so true to life. As an eldest child, I found myself rolling my eyes at Esther in the exact same way I would at my own middle sibling. Perhaps most gratifyingly, I, like Meg, came to appreciate her sister in the end.

Katrina Monroe writes deftly of sibling dynamics and the contradictory compulsion to protect the ones we love by staying away from them. Through The Midnight Door is a thoughtful horror novel for anyone with difficult family relationships exacerbated by mental illness. As it poignantly shows, there is almost always hope for better, if people will only commit themselves to honesty and genuine care for one another.

4/5✨

This one starts slow but is worth it if you love the following: haunted houses, past/present timeline jumping, multiple POV, confronting trauma, and a wonderful resolve.

The characters in this were well-written and the twist(s) were great. This is my first book by Monroe and now I am looking to read more in their catalog! Also, when I see the author is with Poisoned Pen Press, I know they are going to be wonderful!

As always, thank you to NetGalley, Katrina Monroe, and Poisoned Pen Press for this digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars. In Katrina Monroe’s previous novel, Graveyard of Lost Children, I really enjoyed how she combined elements of horror and domestic drama to create novel that was just as emotionally resonant as it was chilling. In Through the Midnight Door, she combines those genres again, but, for me, not quite as successfully.

Through the Midnight Door is at its heart a book about sisters. In childhood, Meg, Esther, and Claire loved exploring abandoned places throughout their downtrodden town – until, that is, they had horrific experiences in a spooky, derelict house. Those experiences haunt them, in ways specific to each of them, into adulthood…culminating in a distraught Claire calling Meg in the middle of the night, before being found dead in that same house of nightmares.

Using horror elements, Monroe explores the devastating effects of intergenerational trauma, destructive family secrets, deep and dark and visceral fears, and the complexities of sisterhood. Her characters are vivid and interesting, and she delves deeply into the psychology and inner lives of each of the sisters. I felt like I really understood their motivations and desires, even if I didn’t necessarily agree with all of their choices (or, in the case of Esther, like them very much at all). I also liked the fact that Monroe set the story in a dying industrial town in the Midwest, which added to the atmosphere and served as a backdrop for the desperation and desolation felt by many of the characters.

I just feel like the balance was a bit off here. I was hoping for more of a haunted house vibe in the vein of The Haunting of Hill House (Monroe chose to place the abandoned house on Hill Street, after all). I haven’t read House of Leaves yet (I just need to find the energy for it, LOL), but I feel like the house’s impossible architecture could’ve been inspired by that novel as well. Instead of leaning into those frightening inspirations, though, much more focus of the novel is placed on the sisters’ relationships and the ways they try to heal from childhood trauma. It’s thoughtful and emotionally rich – it’s just not nearly as scary as I had hoped. There was a missed opportunity to spend more time in that unsettling house, with those magic keys and those doors that lead to the key bearers’ greatest fears.

As a whole, Through the Midnight Door works as a compelling family drama, using a horror lens as a metaphor for trauma. It just wasn’t the horror novel I expected or hoped it would be. But Katrina Monroe has such interesting ideas and such a unique perspective that I know I’ll be drawn to her future novels. Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press for the complimentary reading opportunity.

This novel examined the Finch sisters’ complex sibling relationship that’s complicated by a traumatic past and confounded by a shared supernatural experience that spanned decades. We get to know the 3 sisters through their respective POVs, and understand their backstories through multiple timelines. It’s a slowburn suspense horror that I had a hard time getting into at first. But after the first half, the missing pieces started to fall into place and I found myself devouring this haunting book. Note that guilt and depression played major roles here and I couldn’t help but get sucked into the sinkhole so just be sure to check the TW before you read this book. The ending was bittersweet, but I still had some unanswered questions. If you enjoy horror mysteries and don’t mind the slow suspense buildup, then this is for you. It’s the perfect end-of-summer read — not too scary, but just enough paranormal elements to induce goosebumps.

Thank you @poisonedpenpress for my eARC.

This book hooked me from when Meg answered her phone in the middle of the night to find her youngest sister on the other end, clearly experiencing some emotional turmoil that led her back to a place the sisters swore they would never go back to. Which is in the very beginning so I knew I would have a hard time putting this one down.

I loved the atmosphere, the house is creepy, and even though I'm just reading about it I'm thinking this is a place I would never want to go. The multiple timelines and POV's were woven together so well, that there wasn't any point where I wanted to get back to a certain one. The way the sister's relationship changed and grew from where they were at the beginning of the book was so good and had me feeling all kinds of ways. While I would say this is a slower-burn plot, I thought the tensions and suspenseful moments were perfectly placed and had me reading through the night.

This was my first time reading a book by Katrina Monroe. I hadn’t realized it was a horror novel when I requested it, and I may not have been in the right mindset for such a depressing topic. However, I can't fault the writing or the plot. I just felt it was a little slow.

However, the story of the Finch sisters, reflect a narrative that is both chilling and introspective.

The novel begins with the tragic suicide of the youngest sister, Claire, before delving back into the Finch sisters' childhood summer. During that summer, their adventures took a dark turn when they discovered a strange house filled with mysterious doors and shadowy secrets. Whatever happened in that house left a lasting impact on the sisters, shaping their lives for years to come and culminating with the heartbreaking death of one of them.

This devastating event propels the story into a deeper exploration of grief, guilt, and the complex dynamics of sibling relationships.

The first part of the story reminded me strongly of Shirley Jackson's "The Haunting of Hill House," both in its thematic depth and the way it immerses readers in an unsettling atmosphere. Both narratives explore the psychological intricacies of family dynamics, particularly childhood traumas that resurface in adulthood. The houses in each story serve as eerie vessels, embodying the characters’ deepest fears, regrets, and unresolved issues, creating a sense of dread that goes beyond physical horror.

In the second half, the book takes a different direction, offering a satisfying explanation and resolution—something not always guaranteed in horror novels.

Thanks @netgalley and @poisonedpenpress for my ADC!

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC. These opinions are my own. I was so excited for the description but this one just did not do it for me. Very slow and hard to get into. Hard to engage with the characters and determine their motivations. The concepts of grief and loss are so important but I felt like they got tangled up in this storytelling.

What a haunting and atmospheric story! Loved the eerie vibes!

I enjoyed the plot and loved the dual timelines and multiple POVs! It is very well written and of course I always love a creepy house as a setting. And I liked that it also went into the complexities of sisterhood.

Some sections were faster paced and some slower paced, but overall I was able to get through this one pretty quickly (and would’ve been even quicker if I wasn’t in the middle of a move).

This is also one of my favorite covers!

Definitely a good one to read during spooky season coming up!🖤

I really enjoyed They Drown Our Daughters so I was super excited for this one. It was everything I expected from Katrina Monroe. Through the Midnight Door is heavy on the grief, light on the horror, and kept me reading through the night to find out how this all ends. Straight from the beginning the grief hits you right in the face and continues to grow. Told from all three sister’s points of view in different timelines, the story is haunting and sad and written well. There are plenty of triggers, including death of a child, substance abuse, childhood trauma and mental health troubles. If you like haunted houses, grief and psychological thrillers, Through the Midnight Door is the perfect read for spooky season! Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for my eARC. Through the Midnight Door is available now.

This was such an interesting story. It really gave me Haunting of Hill House vibes. It was creepy and mysterious. If you like these kind of vibes- this book is for you!

An abandoned house has a terrifying hold over three sisters in the atmospheric Through the Midnight Door, the latest from Katrina Monroe.

As kids, Meg, Esther, and Claire went exploring through an old, dilapidated house. What was meant to be fun left them forever haunted, as they each a darkness they never discussed. As adults, all three are struggling, but when Claire commits suicide, Meg and Esther find they will have to face what they have kept buried for so long.

Monroe references Shirley Jackson’s The Haunting of Hill House at the start of the book, paying homage to it, and there is a similar feel to the story. The haunting and supernatural element adds to the atmospheric setting, and the relationship between estranged sisters Meg and Esther is compelling.

The story has a gothic horror atmosphere, but it is also tinged with sadness. The deep regret felt by both sisters is palpable, and it is much more about how fragile life is than anything else. It is much more heartbreaking than it is spine-tingling and is the type of book that could lead to lively discussions.

Rated 4.5 really.

First off...DISCLAIMER: I requested this title on NetGalley. Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press/Sourcebooks for providing an ecopy. This didn't influence my review in any way.

SISTERS IN HARMS

Haunted/cursed/magical/evil houses have been a horror trope for ages, and 2024 in particular turned out to be rife of novels that put them front and center - I've read three in the last weeks alone, and that's only the tip of the iceberg. This is why it's all the more remarkable that some authors are still able to spin a fresh story around spooky mansions, as it's the case with Through the Midnight Door. I'll be honest though - in this book, it's the complex, often frayed relationship between three sisters (and their characterisation as individuals, or with regard to other people) that steals the scene. That's not to say that the house portion of the story doesn't deliver, though I expected a tad more (I'll come to that in a minute), and there's no denying that the other supernatural occurrences sprinkled throughout the novel are appropriately chilling - but the sisterly dynamic remains the core of the narrative, and a strong one at that. Through the Midnight Door weaves sibling rivalry/dependency, dysfunctional and toxic relationships, familial trauma, mental health issues, yet it's an uplifting story in what its protagonists are doing their best to bring justice to their dead sister, conquer the darkness that's trying to engulf them, and ultimately, find their way back to each other.

A DIFFERENT APPROACH

As I said above, the supernatural aspect of the story is fresh and intriguing, and the reveal about the house's powers is a slow burn that only gets enhanced by the use of multiple timelines. I have to admit that I expected a little more from the "impossible home with an endless hall of doors" - maybe it's just that I'm a sucker for parallel universes/alternate realities, and there was so much potential for this story to lean in that direction more than it does. Instead, most of the sisters' visions inside the house are on the short side, and the house's interior itself doesn't feature in the narrative as prominently as I anticipated. On the other hand, I loved the connection between the evil inside the house and the sisters' generational trauma/complex feelings and emotions (not to mention that there's another character who brings their own darkness to the party, and it's my interpretation that the house feeds on it too at some point). It's so much more interesting than your average supernatural haunting, and it gives the story a different, very human kind of depth. Through the Midnight Door ended up being another instance of "I came for the weird magic, I stayed for the characters' journey" for me. Despite my expecting more from the supernatural premise, and a couple of hiccups (see the Cons section above - I'm not going to dwell on them and risk to become boring or spoilery), I found it to be a solid, emotional read that supernatural-horror-meets-family-drama fans shouldn't miss.

Very creepy. Three young sisters explore an old empty house full of corridors and doors, they discover something that makes them very afraid.

This was about mental illness, suicide and grief. Set mostly in the present time and back to 1999.

Full of twists and turns. Meg and Esther struggle with their memories and the death of their younger sister Claire.

Evil characters creeping around and always watching. Very creepy.

Thank you NetGalley and Source Books for a chance to read this E-Book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Captivatingly dark, chilling and disturbing. It reminded me at times of The Haunting of Hill House, which I absolutely loved. Definitely one to pick up for horror and thriller fans.

Snippet from my full review on Cemetery Dance

“The psychological element lent itself well to the story as it developed, and some of the scariest scenes I’ve read came from it. When you get there, fight the adrenaline and urgency and savor each of Monroe’s horrific and brilliant words. The images are stunning. This is a hellish nightmare that readers will be all too enthused to witness. Soon, they’ll realize the only light offered in this deeply unsettling tale is the power of sisterhood.

If you like haunted house stories, The Haunting of Hill House (Flanagan’s or Shirley Jackson’s), horror with psychological flares, and books about family secrets, you will love Through the Midnight Door.

It is my new favorite from Katrina Monroe.“

- Haley Newlin, Cemetery Dance

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the EArc in return for an honest review.

3 sisters 3 keys.

Growing up, the Finch sisters were always close; until that one horrible summer.
Their decision to venture into an old abandoned house changed their lives forever.
As adults, each sister is dealing with their own demons and that fateful trip to the abondoned house is at the root of it. Each sister obtained a key to a door inside the house. They each went inside the door that their keys open and when they came out, they were never the same.

Told in alternate 3rd person POv from each sister, I felt I got to know them and dive into their own personal trauma that stemmed from the events in the abandoned house so long ago.
The past and present timelines worked well on this book. I enjoyed getting little nuggets of information in the past that helped me better understand the present. Everything wrapped up so well in the end.

There were some really compelling parts to this story. Relationships between sisters are complicated. There is love and there is competition. This book showed that perilous balance. It droned a little at parts. Sometimes it was difficult to remember which sister was which of about the first half of the book. I wished they would be more differentiated.

During childhood, three sisters were led to an abandoned house where each entered a different room and confronted evil. Years later, one of the sisters is found dead inside the abandoned house, leaving the remaining two sisters to question what actually happened that night.

This was definitely creepy. The author creates vivid imagery that had me reading quickly at parts, trying to escape from what was occuring in the pages. However, after finishing the book I'm not quite sure I grasped what was happening and why. Even with my confusion, I'd recommend it to horror fans just for the great creep factor.

Thank you poised pen press and Netgalley for a copy.
🏚️Psychological Thriller/Horror
🏚️Old Haunted Abandoned House
🏚️Mental Health Rep
🏚️Then and Now

I absolutely loved this story. The imagery was fantastic and so immersive. It follows the POV of three sisters with a past and now timeline. In their childhood they follow a local boy to an abandoned house. Once they get upstairs there are rows and rows of doors. Each sister magically gets a key to their own door and inside they experience and see something so horrible they never tell each other what they each saw.
Now as adults, one sister tragically dies and is found inside that very house. The remaining two sisters start seeing terrifying and sinister things. They team up to figure out what really happened to her sister and get rid of what’s in that house for good.
Dark, chilling and disturbing. It reminded me at times of The Haunting of Hill House, which I absolutely loved. Definitely one to pick up for horror and thriller fans.

I really enjoyed Through the Midnight Door, it was a slow burn - but I feel like it would be perfect for reading in fall, with a chilly breeze and warm blanket. More detailed review to follow.