Thanks to #NetGalley and #PoisonedPenPress for the book #ThroughTheMidnightDoor by #KatrinaMonroe. Years ago the Finch sisters, Claire, Meg and Esther stumbled upon a strange home with endless hall of doors. They vowed never to go there again after each entered room which scared them badly. Present day and Claire is found dead in the same house. Esther and Meg are searching for the truth about the shadows and their sisters death. What is the connection. Highly recommend this spooky book!

This story is portrayed from the perspectives of the three sisters in both the past and the present. I was immediately drawn to the atmosphere of this book. The atmosphere is ominous, with a sense of gravity and gloom throughout. I like the idea of a past resurfacing in a mysterious way and forcing the protagonists to revisit a past they thought they had left behind. I particularly enjoyed the sister component of this narrative, as well as how the characters connect with one another and begin to reconcile after growing apart after a horrific childhood. I thought the weaving of the different timeframes and character perspectives was so effectively done that I didn't want to put the book down. This was my first book by this author and I’ll be glad to check out more. Thank you NetGalley for an ARC.

I went into this novel completely blind and I'm so glad I did! What a great mix of multiple genres: psychological thriller, horror, a bit of fantasy. This book had it all. I loved the flashbacks and multiple POVs. This was well written and I can't wait to read more from Katrina.

This is one of those books that I entered blindly and of which I still can not define which genre is more accurate, since it has a mixture of different elements.

Although I found it a super interesting read, I don't think it was the right time to read it, I am a state reader and I think I would have enjoyed it better at another time.

Here we meet three sisters who in their childhood visit a mysterious house, which leaves them too marked in such a way that even in their adulthood they still carry the memories and lack of them regarding that day, but it's not until the little sister commits suicide that they don't start digging with the eagerness to find the answers to their doubts.

The terrifying vibes and marked with family dramas and psychological elements make it a good read for those who enjoy this genre.

So if you are one of those who are attracted to a haunted house to the point of going into it, then this is the story for you (not me, colorful chickens).

I thank the publisher and Netgalley for providing me with this advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinions.

I went into this book blind and it was a great haunted house/horror/thriller book. Loved the sisters story throughout the book! Will be great for spooky season!

I really enjoyed Through the Midnight Door by Katrina Monroe. The author was able to include so many different genres, that I'm not sure which one to categorize it in. The book starts how in very fast past. One of three sisters is on her way to "help" her youngest sibling. The story just unfolds from there. It is told from three sisters' POV's and the sisters have been through a lot of childhood trauma and secrets. At first, I struggled with Meg and Esther's relationship but as the story progressed, I understood their point of views. I enjoyed the creepy haunted house feeling with a blend of horror, supernatural and psychological thriller vibes. I would recommend this book to all that enjoy any of these genres.

Thank you Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for this ARC.

I started this book with a lot of promise. Sisters who had seen something and then it haunted them. However, this book got a little boring to me about halway through and never really recovered. I was kind of disappointed.

A nice blend of psychology and horror. I enjoyed this one, thanks poisoned press for the arc of this wildly h unique read.

Is there a day in your childhood that sticks out in your mind like it happened only yesterday?

For the Finch sisters, it’s the day a boy in town showed them an abandoned house that had a seemingly endless amount of doors and three specific keys, one for each sister. That day changed all three of them, leaving a sort of stain on their souls they were never able to cleanse or forget about. Then, one night, the youngest of the three sisters hangs herself inside the house, an event which opens up old emotional wounds and wakes up memories long since laid to rest. The darkness that claimed one sister permeates all three of them, and now it’s up to the two that remain to keep one another safe and find out what really happened to their little sister.

I felt the same way about Through the Midnight Door as I did about Monroe’s last book, Graveyard of Lost Children: Everything about this book is fantastic except for a single plot point that somehow is just sticking in my craw. Can I tell you what it is? No. That’d be a huge spoiler. All I can tell you is that when this plot point was revealed I felt like a rapidly deflated balloon. That’s how disappointed I was. It’s the kind of disappointment that makes me feel like an author didn’t have the gumption to take a subject or a point to a certain level, to really go for it and write something large. (To be clear, I’m not saying that was Monroe’s intention at all.)

Monroe has done a spectacular job at weaving characterization, worldbuilding, plot, and story in this book. To understand the characters of this book you have to understand the world they grew up in and currently live in, which is a post-2000 American Rust Belt. During the 2000’s, the Rust Belt saw a drop in employment of around 35%, which was over a million jobs. This drop was due to companies in the area not growing along with their rivals in industry and the amount of jobs that were being moved overseas. An unfettered and unchecked pharmaceutical industry was also far too willing to dole out prescription painkillers to white men and women, who sometimes became addicted and then also became dealers and users of other drugs.

Industry towns in the Rust Belt used to be ripe with Boomers working at the plants and sending their Gen X and Millenial kids to university in the large cities, but as the years went on it became harder and harder for parents to send their children anywhere or for children to leave. This is how the family circle of the Finches works and how it informs both the characters and the story. Dad works at a plant, but work has been getting scarcer over the years. Mom has always stayed at home. Their daughters had run kind of wild when they were smaller, but they were as happy as they could be when they knew their parents were struggling to make ends meet. But then there was the boy, and the abandoned house that was somehow creepier than all the other abandoned property around town, and then nothing was ever the same between the three of them.

Poverty, mental illness, child welfare, substance abuse, crime, suicide, strained relationships, secrets, family trauma, gun violence, small town gossip, personal demons, things you wish you could forget, and more are all themes that intertwined at the heart of this book. If you like a book that can bring all of that home tied in a bow, you’re going to like this book.

I was provided a copy of this title by Netgalley and the author. All thoughts, opinions, views, and ideas expressed herein are mine and mine alone. Thank you.

File Under: Ghost Fiction/Horror/Psychological Thriller/Supernatural Horror/Suspense Thriller

"Through The Midnight Door"
by Katrina Monroe
★★★☆☆


Katrina Monroe skillfully balances elements of horror and psychological suspense, in her debut “Through The Midnight Door”, creating an atmosphere that keeps readers on edge while simultaneously delving into the emotional struggles of sisterhood.

The Finch sisters once spent long, hot summers exploring the dozens of abandoned properties littering their dying town—until they found an impossible home with an endless hall of doors…and three keys left waiting for them. Curious, fearless, they stepped inside their chosen rooms, and experienced horrors they never dared speak of again. Now, years later, youngest sister Claire has been discovered dead in that old, desiccated house. Haunted by their sister's suicide and the memories of a past they've struggled to forget, Meg and Esther must confront their past traumas while grappling with the resilience of their bond in a landscape fraught with danger.

Monroe´s debut novel beautifully strikes a balance between terror and psychological suspense, immersing readers in a chilling atmosphere while exploring the complexities of the Finch Sisters. Monroe skillfully tackles themes of trauma and mental health, illustrating how the bond between siblings can serve as both a lifeline and a source of vulnerability, creating a captivating narrative that resonates on multiple levels. The exploration of trauma and mental health is poignant throughout the narrative, and readers may find it very relatable. The sisterhood drama is the story's heart and clearly adds depth to the plot, illustrating how sisterhood love can emerge even from darkness.

Although the conclusion may not be groundbreaking or entirely unpredictable, "Through The Midnight Door" remains a solid read that effectively blends haunting elements with deep emotional moments. Monroe’s storytelling is engaging, making this book a compelling journey worth taking, even if the final revelations don't completely shock the readers.

(P.S.: Thank you to NetGalley, the author and the publisher Poisoned Pen Press, for the eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review)

I received a Netgalley ARC. This review is my honest opinion.

Three sisters, the oldest on the cusp of adulthood, are lured into an abandoned house. On some level they never leave, and their connection to one another is damaged.

This is my third Katrina Monroe book, and definitely my favorite. I love that her wheelhouse is the lives of women, their relationship with one another, and this one hit exactly right. Which is ironic since I'm an only child.

The story concerns, among other things, the deaths of family members, one quite young. There's a lot of talk about darkness, and the darkness is a metaphor inner darkness and depression. One of the sisters has OCD. Self-harm is definitely on the menu for multiple characters. Extreme self harm. Gun violence. A pervading sense of guilt and regret.

The timeline alternates between the past and the present day, which is really effective. I know I wanted to step in and, well, help, fix, prevent.

This being a story about sisters, it's also a story about sisterhood. In the very earliest timeline we see them as a close unit. The oldest sister is making a point of hanging out with her other sisters, who are a fair amount younger, and -- well -- she has her reasons. A local boy leads them to an abandoned house. The abandoned house has rooms (that come and go) and they're each attracted to a room. They don't tell one another exactly what their room holds, and their relationships and support system weakens.

As a Buffy fan -- but a Joss Whedon hater -- I think of the lyric in the musical: Understand we'll go hand and hand, but we'll walk alone in fear. Tell me, where do you go from here? And I think about how abusers, even if they don't fracture bones, fracture relationships. They isolate. Because you don't want the person or people you're harming to have defenders and a support system.

This is a different book if the sisters had been able to talk, to share secrets, to shine a light. At a glance, it's the house that separated them, but Katrina Monroe makes clear over the course of the narrative that secrets and unmentionable topics predate the 3 sisters walking into the house.

As the cliche goes, you're only as sick as your secrets.

The house is scary, and the rooms in the house are scary, and I like a scary house. The sisters hallucinate a dead character -- or is it a hallucination -- and trust me that that's creepy. And also a fabulous metaphor.

I'm giving the book 5 stars because it was creepy and insightful and I get the impression I'll be thinking about it a fair amount. I enjoyed the previous books by the author, but I think she just became an auto-buy.

When sisters Meg, Ester, and Claire are talked into going to a haunted house their lives are forever changed. They go into three separate rooms and each come back with secrets. I really liked that it was horror, but you also get family drama, mental health, and phycological elements. It was a great mix to keep you invested in their lives. You feel the heavy of the secrets the sisters the sisters are holding and the effect it has on them and everyone around them. I really wanted to know what these sisters saw and why they act the way they do the rest of their lives. The sense of being alone and hopeless and wanting your family. It wasn't necessarily scary in the sense in of the haunted house but what it did to the sisters. I really enjoyed the story and the authors writing!

Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and Netgalley for my #gifted copy.

All the creepy vibes!!!! 🙌 I inhaled this one, my book peeps!! Could not put it down!! I was invested in the story and the characters!! 🥰

Highly recommend this one for horror lovers, especially those into creepy houses and grief horror!! Now I need to go read everything else Katrina Monroe has put out!! 👏

Thank you to NetGalley, Poisoned Pen Press, and Katrina Monroe for the opportunity to read the eARC in exchange for my honest review!! ❤️

TW: suicide, self-harm, infant death

Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC copy of this book via NetGalley for review.

This is the first book that I’ve read by Katrina Monroe and I really love her writing. She created a tense and foreboding atmosphere in this story that I loved. This is a mystery with paranormal elements and there were some creepy moments in this story.

Through the Midnight Door is not just a horror/mystery about a creepy abandoned house. The story is also about the bond between sisters, the effects of trauma and grief, and the way that guilt can eat you up inside.

The pacing was slow in parts and I did get a little bored in the middle of the book. The story picked up more in the last quarter of the story. I loved the ending.

I definitely recommend this book to horror/mystery lovers. I want to read Monroe’s other books now.

3.5 stars

I finished this book just in time for its pub date and loved every minute of it. I wouldn't say I liked the author's first book very much but happy that I gave this a try.

One summer, sisters Meg, Esther, and Claire are shown an unusual house with a hall of doors, each opening to different terrors. Since then, their lives have never been the same and it all comes falling when Claire takes her life. This book talks about mental issues and suicide, so be warned. Cleverly written and a page-turner. A must-read for horror fans everywhere.

This is hard one for me to rate. It's a well written story, and I enjoyed the multi genre blend. The story in general is also really good. However, this book was just slow for me and I kept setting it aside, even though I really wanted to know what happned. I also found it slightly hard to keep tack of which sister was which. Could have just been me being distracted by other things and how slow it felt, but these two things together didn't quite work for me.

I would, however check out other books by this author because the writing was really good.

I've been wanting to read a Katrina Monroe book for a while now and I enjoyed this one. I went into this one for the haunted house vibes and the idea of each character having to go through their tailor-made house of horrors. That part and getting to delve into the sisters was fun and interesting to me. It deals a lot with family dynamics, especially between the 3 sisters which tends to be a theme I find hit or miss in horror but this one worked for me. I think it's a very interesting and well-thought out, fresh idea for the horror genre, and if that sounds like something you would like, I would definitely check it out for yourself! I look forward to reading her other books I have on my physical shelf now even more! :)

A huge thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for the eARC!

Through the Midnight Door by Katrina Monroe hits melancholic tones of familial trauma, strife, and darkness that have have a unique resonance through the spectrum of grief. Following the death of their sister Claire, Meg and Esther attempt to navigate the confounding maze of grief. As we all know, the past has teeth and the art of moving on becomes even more layered with difficulty for the sisters for different reasons. Looming large in their memories and their current emotional state is a worn down house from their childhood, one with ever changing doors, keys, and darkness. A lingering look into desperation for closure, Through the Midnight explores the subgenre of grief horror through familiar ideas and tropes, delivering a sense of profoundly emotional dread.

In many ways, this novel feels like a deep character study of Claire, Meg, and Esther as perspectives and timelines shift quite a bit. Dark family secrets that explain Meg and Esther's current anguish slowly reveal themselves as the plot progresses. We spend a lot of time with Meg and Esther specifically as parts of their childhood haunt them, especially through the house on Hill Street (yes, that does feel a *little* on the nose to me). These are all thematic pieces we have come to recognize in stories marred by grief, and Through the Midnight Door is no exception when it comes to tried and true scenes of emotional horror. Normally this kind of thing is right up my alley. However, these aspects felt slightly repetitive. Make no mistake, this is very much a "me" issue, and not a book issue. Meg and Esther's story is deeply traumatic and details the harshness of healing in the face of intense loss. It's raw and painful, but necessary growth that comes with finding closure, ideas that hit the nail on the head but fell slightly short in execution. I still highly recommend this one if you're looking for a deep examination of familial grief horror.

Claire's death leads sisters Meg and Esther to revisit their past- and the trauma-in this horror/gothic/psychological novel that features a very creepy house. Mental health and abuse loom large for these women who are well drawn and sympathetic characters. Thanks to netgalley for the ArC. For fans of the genre.

Cant give 4.5 stars but i would. Great little horror book. Took me a second to figure out if it was like a demon or a serial killer, which turned out to sorta be both. Great amateur sleuthing, talking about family matters and like what happens after trama and working together to find answers. Read it in one day!