Quick and Dirty
-historical horror
-gothic vibes
-Louisiana setting
-racial injustice and slavery themes

After reading and loving The Reformatory earlier this year, I was eager to pick up this brand-new BIPOC historical horror. Not only did Sandeen deliver on the atmospheric prose, but she also crafted a group of unforgettable characters that added next-level tension and drama. I’m all for books set in my beloved home state, and this one nailed the gothic Louisiana (near New Orleans) setting, complete with some very fun accents and local vernacular. The curse-breaking aspects of the book were fun to follow, but some of the family drama felt a little over the top at times. Ultimately, I felt like this one had a lot of potential to be epic, but I struggled with the YA vibes. But that shouldn’t stop you from picking up a copy! If you enjoy books that reflect on racism and the importance of acknowledging our messed up past, you’ll want a copy of this new book.

This story is phenomenal. It’s a bit different than what I usually read as it’s slow paced, southern gothic, historical fiction. But man does it deliver. This is far from your traditional haunted house story. It explores so many themes that I really can’t discuss without spoiling the story. Highly recommend. Excited for more from this author.

Read if you like:
🧭 Historical Fiction (1960’s)
🏚️ Haunted Houses
🪄 Curses
🫂 Found Family
✨ Supernatural Aspects
👻 Ghosts
📿 NOLA setting

The vibes in this book are immaculate! If you like New Orleans, ghosts, curses, and weird families then this book is definitely for you!

This one is a horror in genre, and historical fiction set in the 1960’s that discussed cultural of the south at that time, racism, and colorism, and those themes were all really well executed, especially the colorism as that was a huge focus of the narrative and the story telling throughout the book.

I also really enjoyed the mystery and how it unraveled layer by layer throughout the book and how that also kept me engaged in the story telling and what was going to happen next!

Thanks so much to PRHA for my gifted audiobook and to Barkley for my gifted ARC!

If you're looking for a seasonal book that isn't over the top scary or gory, this is it. Set in 1962, Jemma Barker seeks to escape her life in Chicago--and the ghosts she sees everywhere--by taking a job as a tutor for a wealthy New Orleans family. Except that when she arrives, she discovers that she's actually there to break a generational familial curse. It's a classic Gothic novel with some New Orleans flavor and a fabulously haunted house.

4.5 The tension in this novel is off the charts. I am usually not a fan of historical fiction but this book was absolutely perfect in displaying historical elements. The entire book was paced perfectly in my opinion. I will always think of the Duchon family because of how absolutely insane they were. I wish the ending would have been different BUT it was perfect. I recommend this book to everyone. The only reason why it is not five stars is because it started to get a bit too repetitive towards the end. Thank you to Berkley and Netgalley for the E-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

"I curse all the Duchon blood."

A great southern gothic mystery - with cruses and heavy family secrets.

Jemma's life is a bit up in the air. She's recently left her current boyfriend, lost her job and really needs a new start. So when she finds a job listing that pays well, provides room and board AND they want her right away, she gets herself there as fast as she can.

Once she arrives, however, the job is not quite as described. The story kicks off from there. It's a sad, heavy story that made me so angry and shocked. The haunted feel of the house and the family was well done and I enjoyed the creepy feel to it all. Heavy themes and a bit long, it did end well and was entertaining!

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.

Thank you to Berkley publishing and PRH Audio for my review copies.

This was quite a tale. Historical fiction mixed with lots of generational pains and griefs. It is gothic - dark and bleary, with lots of dark secrets. There are ghosts around every corner, and a curse that has locked the family inside.
Jemma, a long lost girl from the family of Duchons gets a job on their estate that is mysterious, but well paying. And as a young Black girl that needs to escape her situation, she doesn't ask a lot of questions just makes her way to the Southern state of Louisiana. As the secrets are revealed, Jemma learns that her mother cursed for family, and got her off the estate for safety. She needs to understand why, and what darkness is keeping this family locked in a generational curse.

There are a lot of secrets and they are revealed quite early. It was a lot of back and forth conversation, and IMO not enough of haunting and tension. I wanted to be spooked - and maybe it is that I listened to it and not read it, it took away from being immersed in the gothic setting of the house and being constantly surrounded by ghosts. I did like the creep factor from the family - the typical, I'm better than you, rich, controlling family that is oblivious to the fact that they deserve what they are getting. If I sweep it under a rug - it didn't happen mentality. I love creepy families with their sick views of the world and how it should work.

A good debut, and I can't wait for this author to flourish.

Good story, maybe too many twists and repetition. Super slow burn, I felt like it could have been shortened a bit to maintain reader focus.

A teeny bit too long for me but a solid meditation on the curse of lies, and the different types of forgiveness.

Jemma is a great character to follow - complex, self-aware and self-reflective, contemplating notions of herself as a woman, a human, a Black woman, and a Black woman with a darker complexion. There is so much at work here, and it was painful to read but that also made it incredibly powerful. I especially enjoyed the juxtaposition between realizing we love people while also accepting that sometimes they're horrible, and sometimes they won't change no matter how much they know they can be better. Sometimes it's better to walk away with our peace.

The haunting in this book, or the curse, just kept getting worse. Every chapter felt like another darker and darker revelation came, another horrifying detail of the decay in the Duchon house. It will haunt you if you let it.

Thank you to Berkeley Publishing Group and NetGalley for providing me with a digital copy of This Cursed House by Del Sandeen in exchange for an honest review.

It's 1962. Jemma Barker's life has fallen apart. After a nasty breakup, the death of her father, a failed suicide attempt, and a lifetime of seeing ghosts, she needs to get out of Chicago. So she doesn't really think twice when she receives a mysterious job offer from a wealthy family in Louisiana. She's a teacher by trade, so she assumes that she'll be acting as a private tutor.

Upon arrival, she quickly recognizes her mistake. After finally making her way to the grand, old home of her new employers, she is informed that she is not, in fact, a tutor because there are no children in the house. She's been hired because the family believe for Reasons, that she is the only one who can break a curse that has been laid upon them. It is very hard to give any further details on the plot without spoilers.

This Cursed House has endless layers and details;. Every other page seems to have another startling reveal, another twist. Jemma is a flawed, human character but fierce and determined. The psychology of her character, while frustrating at times, makes perfect sense within the greater themes of the story.

In short, it's a creepy, twisted, wild ride that dives deep into the issues of pride, vanity, family, emotional connections of all sorts. Into history, racism, and tradition. Into guilt, blame, and generational trauma. It's not just haunting because it's weird and startling; it's thought-provoking in the best of ways. It's an impressive debut,

Recommended for readers who want to be kept guessing and want new developments often., and for readers who want a story that they can mull over for a long time to come.

Historical fiction is not my jam at all but this was so well done. I devoured this book! It’s the right amount of spooky! I loved the different levels of family drama, and twists. The colorism within the family was so interesting

This was a great premise and I loved that it was set in my favorite city, New Orleans. For a debut, it was good. However, I felt like there was a lot of telling and not enough showing. The writing felt too in my face with what was happening and didn't leave much up to the reader to discover. I'd read more from this author in the future though.

I flew through this atmospheric southern gothic. Set in 1960s New Orleans, it follows a young woman escaping her troubled past, who takes a job at a decaying family estate. What she thought was a tutoring position turns out to be much more sinister, as she discovers the house is cursed. The curse claims a life every seven years—on her birthday—and she might be the only one who can stop it.
The protagonist is well-developed and easy to root for, with perfectly written tension between the other characters. The social commentary, centered around slavery, is powerful, delving deep into the weight of generational trauma.
Overall, this is a perfect read for spooky season and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes a slow burn horror.

THIS CURSED HOUSE, by Del Sandeen, is a 1960s Southern gothic horror debut about a young Black woman, Jemma Barker, leaves Chicago and the spirits she’s always seen for a new start in New Orleans. Hired by the mysterious Duchon family, she soon learns they’re under a curse and believe she can break it. Light-skinned enough to pass as white, the Duchon family looks down on Jemma for her darker skin. As she unravels their dark secrets, she discovers she’s deeply connected to their century-old curse.

THIS CURSED HOUSE is a historical fiction ghost story, dealing with family and generational secrets, but mainly touches on colorism and racism. Twigger warning now for those who may want to read this book. Jemma is an amazing protagonist and one that I absolutely loved getting to know. She has a full personality and is so easy to root for. The suspense is skillfully woven throughout the story, though the pacing occasionally lags. This book was very slow moving, and I almost gave it 3 stars, but the ending was spectacular, so I decided to compromise and give it a 4.

First, I have to talk about the feeling I felt hearing about NOLA, canal street, Meterie, and the famous Beignets! It 💯 made me miss being in a place that I love! Also, our FMC moved to New Orleans from my home city, Chicago, so this one immediately caught my attention because of the geographic locations. Aside from those things, I loved this gothic, paranormal, found family, family secret, spooky book!

Reading how Jemma’s family treated her because of her darker skin had me rolling my eyes for sure! It was a bit of a shock to Jemma as well as she travels to this strange atmospheric place with the shock of the new area, and the strange welcoming she received. I loved how the author seamlessly wrote this one which I’ll say here that it is perfect for this season. I can hardly believe it was a debut! Looking at the cover, you’re in for exactly what the cover depicts. I highly recommend reading this one to find out the secrets of the Duchon family! I must also mention t that the audiobook was also perfect to listen to. You can’t go wrong with picking this one up In any format!

This book is full of secrets, spirits, and good ole Southern Gothic charm. And a touch of voodoo. This is the perfect book for glocktober 🎃

Many thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for this eARC of This Cursed House by Del Sandeen. A debut novel, this has some predictable elements, but is absolutely enthralling and I found myself thinking about Jemma and the plot when I was not reading. I will definitely recommend this to my library patrons who enjoy gothic horror, ghost stories, and/or suspense novels.

I love a Southern Gothic, and this one hits all the right notes while still managing to spin a new variation on a familiar tune. My two favorite things about this book are that each time you think you have a handle on the story, a new secret comes to light that takes you another layer deeper, and the exploration of colorism within the black community as another facet of racism. Too many twists and turns in a story can be exhausting, but in this case, I was always excited to see another layer unveiled because I didn't want the book to be over yet.

It’s 1962, and Jemma is a young Black woman living in Chicago. Due to some recent upsets in her life, she doesn’t have much tying her to the city. So when she receives a mysterious invitation to work for the Duchon family in New Orleans – one that comes with a hefty salary – she jumps at the chance for a new beginning. But when she arrives at the family’s plantation, she is greeted with hostility and derision. The Duchons are Black, but their skin is light enough to pass as white, and they look down on Jemma for her darker skin tone. Jemma soon realizes that she was lured to their home for much more sinister purposes than the tutoring job she expected: The Duchons are cursed, and they think Jemma can break that curse.

Steeped in Southern Gothic atmosphere, This Cursed House is slow-burning historical horror with commentary on racism, colorism, and the South’s grim history of enslavement. The book is set in the 1960s, a period of racial unrest in the South, and Del Sandeen ties this back to the time of slavery a century earlier. All of this social commentary is explored in a narrative that is at turns chilling and emotional and features dark family secrets and complicated family history, generational curses, restless ghosts, and a claustrophobic and unsettling atmosphere. These are heavy themes, but they're handled with a deft touch – especially considering this is a debut novel.

The are moments where the pacing lags, but in those moments the strength of Jemma as a protagonist carries the narrative. She has a big personality, and I enjoyed following her growth as the novel progressed. The Duchons are well-developed characters as well – much less likeable, but still intriguing and thoughtfully-rendered, with interesting character arcs.

For many horror readers I imagine This Cursed House will come across as a bit tame; even for social horror, it doesn’t venture too far into the graphic or macabre. But it works as a Gothic ghost story, intertwined with the South’s complicated, dark past, and is an impressive first novel from Del Sandeen. Thank you to Berkley Publishing Group for the complimentary reading opportunity.

Historial Fiction • Family Trauma • Paranormal
Pub Date • 8 October 2024

Thank you @berkleypub and @prhaudio for the free finished copy and audiobook!

As the title suggests, this southern gothic takes place in a cursed house with a cursed family in New Orleans. That’s where Jemma Barker finds herself employed, fleeing Chicago after losing her job and leaving her cheating partner.

Unless Gemma can break the curse, they’re all trapped inside the property, where someone will die every 7 years to the day, as has happened for the last 30 years.

Although classified as horror, this is light on classical horror elements. Yes, there be spooky spirits and other paranormal elements. But the true scary parts are found in the racism and colorism that has persisted through many generations, including in the Duchon family, who have been white-passing for a century or more, one of the first free “colored” families.

I enjoyed this read, in large part due to my buddy read friends, as we discovered one more oddity, one more twist, another not-quite-right thing happening within the confines of This Cursed House.

If you like a gothic southern with some paranormal elements, and beaucoup family trauma, give this one a try!