I don’t read a lot of Southern Gothic but this one sounded interesting because of the 1960s setting. I really like the main character Jemma. And the book was atmospheric with just enough creepiness. The book was hard to put down.

When Jemma Barker is offered a job working for the Duchon family in New Orleans, she thinks her luck has changed. She recently lost everything. Her father, her boyfriend, her job and she has no reason to stay in Chicago. This could be the fresh start that she so desperately needs.
But this family had selfish reasons for reaching out to Jemma. There are no children, and they did not hire her to be a tutor. The matriarch, Honorine, believes that Jemma is the only person who can break the curse that is keeping her family prisoner. They cannot leave their house and every seven years; a family member dies a gruesome death. How can this family think that Jemma can help them? All will be revealed in this creepy Gothic tale.
I must admit to yelling at Jemma more than once. She had something this family desperately needed, yet she still took an awful lot of their abuse. I would have been like bye-bye until you write me a big fat check and learn some manners!
I hope that doesn’t sound like I didn’t enjoy this book, because I did. I just hated seeing Jemma hurting. The Duchon family honestly didn’t deserve her help or sympathy. This was a slow burn that had me guessing what was really going on with this family as I furiously flipped pages. I couldn’t believe that this was a debut.

This Cursed House is a grippy Southern gothic with horror elements. In 1960s Chicago, Jemma, a young black woman with a special ability to see spirits, escapes her broken life to work for a New Orleans family for a substantial salary to start over.

But when she arrives, she finds out that her ‘position’ is nebulous and that the Duchy family has brought her to their house hoping she can break the family’s curse which doesn’t allow them to leave—and kills someone every year.

The secrets unfold slowly keeping the pages turning as the stunning and shocking—and sinister reveals are made.

It’s hard not to give spoilers as there are so many! But readers will enjoy the rollout of the family history from all the angles and the reveals of the mysterious past as Jemma has to embrace her gift and her past while learning about herself and her own family’s history. Always a fan of a Gothic, I loved the setting of this book, and the time period which is of change in itself.

Lovely writing.
Thank you to NetGalley and Berkley for allowing me to read this advanced copy for an unbiased book review

A young woman in Chicago is lured by the prospect of a tutoring job to an old Southern mansion . Once there however she discovers that the job is not that of tutor at all and the family is horrid to her. She is connected to them in a way she didn’t expect and is there really just to break a curse that her mother placed on them at her birth. Horrible people but the story is a good dark, mysterious tale of voodoo, curses, and what happens when cousins marry cousins too many times. My thanks to the publisher for the advance copy.

"This Cursed House," a Southern Gothic horror novel by Del Sandeen, follows Jemma Barker, a young Black woman who leaves her life in 1960s Chicago to work for a mysterious family in New Orleans. Ignoring local warnings about the plantation, Jemma becomes ensnared in a chilling and atmospheric ghost story. The novel explores themes of generational curses, family scandals, and the supernatural.

Overall, "This Cursed House" is a remarkable debut that promises much for Del Sandeen's future works. It is a must-read for fans of gothic horror and those who appreciate stories that delve into the darker aspects of family and history. The novel's strengths far outweigh its minor weaknesses, making it a compelling and thought-provoking read.

**3.5 out of 5 Star Review: This Cursed House by Del Sandeen**

*This Cursed House* by Del Sandeen is a debut novel that dives deep into the heart of Southern Gothic horror, blending historical fiction with elements of the supernatural. Set in 1962, the story follows Jemma Barker, a young woman seeking a fresh start who lands a promising job at a mysterious plantation home in New Orleans. What begins as a hopeful new chapter quickly unravels into a tale of curses, ghosts, and the haunting legacy of racial trauma.

**Thoughts:**
Sandeen does a commendable job of setting the scene in the Deep South, creating an atmosphere steeped in history and tension. The Duchon family’s plantation home, with its dark secrets and oppressive aura, serves as the perfect backdrop for a story that explores generational curses and the lingering effects of slavery. The novel is rich with themes of race, trauma, and the insidious nature of inherited guilt, making it a thought-provoking read.

Jemma Barker is a strong protagonist, and I appreciated how Sandeen portrayed her resilience in the face of increasingly strange and sinister events. However, I found myself frustrated with some of the decisions she made, particularly regarding her loyalty to the deeply flawed Duchon family. Despite uncovering disturbing truths about the family and the house, Jemma’s reasons for staying felt somewhat unconvincing, which detracted from the overall impact of the story.

The novel’s pacing is another point of contention. While the slow burn allows for a thorough exploration of the house’s dark history, there are moments where the story drags, making it feel longer than necessary. The middle section, in particular, could have benefited from tighter editing to maintain the reader’s engagement.

That said, Sandeen’s commentary on racism, colorism, and the long shadow of enslavement is where the novel truly shines. The use of Southern Gothic elements to critique societal issues is well-executed, adding depth to what might otherwise have been a straightforward haunted house tale.

**Final Thoughts:**
*This Cursed House* is an ambitious and atmospheric debut that will appeal to fans of Southern Gothic horror and historical fiction. While it has its flaws, particularly in pacing and character motivations, the novel’s exploration of race and generational trauma gives it a unique and powerful voice. Del Sandeen is clearly a talented storyteller, and I’m looking forward to seeing how her writing evolves in future works.

Thanks to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review. If you enjoy slow-burn horror with a strong dose of social commentary, *This Cursed House* is worth a read.

The debut novel at hand is truly remarkable. As a genre, gothic novels have a long-standing reputation for delving into complex and deep issues. This work uses the genre well to show how a curse can slowly ruin a family. It also shows the darkness in dysfunctional families. Additionally, it deftly explores the concept of family and challenges the conventional notion of what defines it. The expertly crafted suspense and well-placed plot twists only add to the overall eerie atmosphere of the novel. Furthermore, the underlying message of forgiveness adds a poignant depth to the narrative. However, while the novel excels in many aspects, I could not help but feel that the setting and ambiance were somewhat lacking. In gothic literature, the vivid depiction of the surroundings often takes on a character of its own, improving the overall impact of the story. In this case, the Southern Gothic elements could have been used more effectively to create a stronger sense of atmosphere. Nevertheless, I have no hesitation in proclaiming this book as one of my favorites of the year. It is a poignant and thought-provoking read that will surely stay with me for a considerable time.

This one didn't quite hit the mark for me, especially with the characters, but I believe others will enjoy it more.

Loved this one!

It’s perfectly Southern Gothic and positively creepy.

I loved our Main Character, was horrified by her newfound family, and was immediately transported to another place and time.

Now, my family is New Orleans Creole, and this passé blanc family raised way too many memories. I’m not sure of the author’s background, but if she’s not Creole, she certainly knows them!

Loved this history and the mystery of this one!

• ARC via Publisher

A southern gothic novel about a family curse that is tied to mysteries from the past. Woven within is a consideration of the power of forgiveness and love and the damage done by hatred and anger. Set in 1962 in New Orleans, the book tells the story of Jemma who grabs at the chance to leave the end of a bad relationship & the death of her father by heading to New Orleans to work for a rich family. The longer she stays with the reclusive Duchons, the more questions she has. The author does not shy away from discussing racism, colorism, and the damage vengeance can do

Ever since I read the description of the novel “This Cursed House” by Del Sandeen in library and blog previews, I knew I was dying to read it, and it's one of the best novels I have read in 2024. It starts off with a young woman, Jemma, who gets a letter, in August 1962, telling her that she’s being offered a position with the Duchon family of New Orleans. All the letter says is that she has the ‘qualities’ that the family wants, and that she would get free room and board in addition to pay.

Sandeen immerses the reader into the way New Orleans was in the early 1960s -- the French Quarter, the Treme, and all of the segregation of Jim Crow laws.

This isn't a spoiler, because it's in the description, I think: the house that Jemma has agreed to work at is a plantation. People Jemma meets on her bumpy ride to get to the Duchon place warn her to go back to Chicago, where she has left a relationship in a painful way and where her father has passed on. But without much money to her name, she doesn't have a choice.

For the rest of the novel, I can't give away anything about the Duchon family and what they're hiding. When Jemma finds out, bit by bit, it sickens her to her core. What I *can* say is that there are ghosts everywhere. And that it doesn't take long for Jemma to find out that the real reason she's here is not for her tutoring skills as a teacher, but for something far worse.

One of the things that this novel did a fantastic and excellent job of was highlighting the very complex and intertwined issues of two things: the first is the issue of colourism. For folks who are not aware, one of the things that impacts Black people as well as those who may be multiracial or mixed race, having partial African ancestry, is the notion that the closer to white you are, the better you are. The darker-skinned you are as a Black person, and you'll have lighter-skinned Black people looking down on you, and discriminating against you. When we go back to the early 1700s and 1800s to the very connected histories of Louisiana and Saint Domingue (the name of Haiti prior to the Haitian Revolution), we find that there were classes of people who enforced these white supremacist systems. In Haiti, the mixed-race and usually lighter-skinned people there were known as 'les affranchis.' They carried themselves as if they were white and had all the same rights as their Western-European descended colonizers. In Louisiana, you had a class of 'les gens de couleur libres' or 'free people of colour.' They, too, like their Haitian counterparts believed that the closer to white they were -- the lighter-skinned, or preferably if they could pass for white -- that they were superior in all ways and that they were an elite upper crust of society who believed they could move as freely as the whites did in antebellum New Orleans.

The second thing that this novel does is it introduces readers who don't already know about the extremely complex and painful issue of some of these gens de couleur libres who were enslavers. To put it more bluntly, Black people owning other Black people. And I have to provide one important historical note here: in many, many cases, the only way that a recently emancipated and formerly-enslaved person could free the rest of their family members -- particularly their spouse, parents, children, and other relatives -- was to purchase them from the enslaver who owned them as property, and to become their new owner. So yes, it is true that in some cases when a formerly-enslaved Black person who had purchased or otherwise been granted their freedom sought ways to reunite their families and to free their still-enslaved relations, the only way to do that was to purchase them and become their new enslaver (technically) and to become their new owner.

However, a sidebar to this is the case of Marie Thérèse "Coin-Coin" Metoyer, which I have been studying for years. Marie Thérèse is an important case because she started out her life as an enslaved person and was owned by a white woman. She started a relationship with a white French dude named Pierre Metoyer, and rumours spread around the Cane River region and in New Orleans society that she was a concubine or a prostitute. So Pierre purchased Marie Thérèse from her enslaver, married her, and made the decision to manumit or give her freedom. Of the ten or so children they had, he freed some of them but not all. And when he left property and estates to Marie Thérèse, she eventually purchased enslaved people of African descent and owned them as property with seemingly no issues or ethical objections to how she could do something like that to her own people.

Some historians have suggested that the reason could be that knowing the horrors of slavery herself for her early life, she wanted to spare her children from ever going through the same thing, so she figured "better other people of African descent than us."

Without spoiling anything, all I will say is that family lineage plays a very significant role in Sandeen's novel and that the ways it comes out, particularly with Jemma's experiences throughout the novel, are very staggering and hit hard.

This novel has all of the aspects that readers who can't get enough of haunted house stories will want, and more. It's got all kinds of Southern Gothic creep factors to it, historical ties, and family secrets in spades.

Additionally, this novel seeks to use the form of entertainment to educate people about the realities of chattel slavery while trying to strike a balance between the present-day narrative and Jemma's quest to push back all the way, as hard as she can, on what her family is so desperate to hide, and to shine the light on all of the horrific things that are part of that house.

While some of the narrative felt rushed or repetitive toward the end of the novel, with the protagonist having already stated several things and that unintentionally having the effect of dulling the impact of her otherwise breath-taking revelations, this novel remains one of the best I've read all year. I'm going to pay very close attention to anything Den Sandeen does next!

Wow, what an amazing debut novel. Gothic novels have always had a history of exploring deeper issues. This one uses the genre perfectly matching the rot and destruction of a curse to the same that is found within the hearts of this awful family. It also plays into themes of what family truly is and how it doesn’t always look how we think it should. The eeriness and build up paired with strategically placed twists was done expertly. This book was heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time especially with its themes of forgiveness. The only area I felt was a little lacking was the atmosphere. I feel that gothic novels are made stronger by the descriptions of the settings and surroundings of the story sometimes taking on a character all their own. I feel like it could have been more present especially when you have the “Southern Gothic” presence to play with. But this is definitely one of my favorite books this year and one that I think will sit with me for a long time.

I can’t remember the last time I finished a book this quickly and man is it going to be the perfect read for spooky season.

‘This Cursed House’ brings us down to New Orleans offering opportunities to Jemma as she accepts a job offer with a reclusive family at their estate but it’s not without its fair share of secrets and as she gets closer to the family, and the skeletons in the closet, she finds more than she’s bargained for and may not make it out alive.

There are so many layers to this and I am very eager to speak with other readers who can better discuss the struggles of race and identity as it relates to those in this book. I am not qualified to do that as a white woman however this is ghost story and to leave out one of the main reasons they became ghosts in the first place would do a disservice to the story itself.

Running from the past was a strong plot point to not only motivate our main character but also those around her as she had to work inward in order to uncover the tragic history of those around her and following her on that journey is one I absolutely loved and there were times when I absolutely agreed in letting those who can be so hateful suffer but finding strength in spite of those who wish to see you fail is what makes us stand apart.

Our characters here are so well done and Jemma stands out as someone to root for from the second we meet her. Her relationships, both good and bad, ground her in a way that makes you want to stand at her side and face off what is to come. There is a lot of hate and cruelty amongst some of the other characters we meet and this sort of self loathing that becomes an antagonist all its own.

This is one of my best reads this year and I am very excited for everyone to read it!

**special thanks to netgalley for providing an arc in exchange for a fair and honest review**

_This Cursed House_ is a nightmarish Southern gothic horror read with well-developed characters and detailed settings. It follows Jemma Barker, who leaves her life in Chicago after tragic events, as she travels to New Orleans to work for the enigmatic Duchon family. Jemma soon finds out that the Duchons are cursed, with horrible family secrets that have plagued them for decades. This book delves into racism and family trauma from the perspective of Jemma, the outsider tasked with helping the proud family.

This horror-thriller has some truly amazing and wild moments, and the way it depicts colorism and rabid racism, along with the literally haunting aftermath of slavery is great, albeit understandably intense. It's also an affecting story about family, belonging, deep betrayal, and acceptance (and the aggressive lack thereof). At the same time, I didn't love some of the overall messaging toward the end (I really wanted it to be angrier and have more teeth, as it were, than it did), and like other reviewers I wish the main character was less long-suffering. Still a solid horror book with some truly horrifying (albeit predictable) twists, though, so I definitely recommend checking it out.

Southern Gothic featuring a young woman who leaves her tattered life in Chicago to work for an affluent family in New Orleans. Leaving the North for a segregated South in the 1960s is a rude awakening for the main character. Finding out her employers hired her under false pretenses and trapping her in their plantation ups the level of creepiness.
This book had some strong moments but dragged quite a bit throughout. Editing was needed to tighten up the plot. However, it was a solid 3 stars for the author's first book

🍃 𝕬𝕽𝕮 𝕽𝖊𝖛𝖎𝖊𝖜 🍃

Title: This Cursed House by Del Sandeen
Genre: Gothic Horror
Pub Date: October 8, 2024

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

🍃 Southern Gothic Horror
✨️ Historical Fiction
🍃 Set in 1960 NOLA
✨️ Racial Prejudice
🍃 Generational Curse
✨️ Dark and Atmospheric
🍃 FMC Sees Spirits

My Review:

This Curse House is an incredible debut novel and a must-read for lovers of paranormal/gothic horror! I loved the writing style and didn't want to put it down! There were several unexpected twists, and the storyline was unique and engaging!

Thank you so much, @NetGalley and Berkley Publishing, for the digital review copy ❣️

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Well-developed characters. Interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. A good, solid read.

*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.

I adored this southern gothic horror and it is so unique compared to anything else I have been reading lately. I highly recommend.

Excellent mystery and ghost story in one. Jemma sees ghosts but doesn't want to. Life is rough, her boy friend is cheating and she needs a job. A good job and a move south are just what she needs. The secrets slowly reveal themselves as Jemma tries to help her new employers and the horror grows.
I enjoyed the book. Jemma is wonderful character and I totally related to the character. Sandeen has captured the feel and reality of the American 1960's south and immerses the reader in it with well-rounded characters. The mystery and suspense gradually builds till you can't put the book down.