The No-End House by Jeremy Bates is an enthralling and extra scary novel. It is not for the faint of heart but I believe most horror fans will enjoy it.

We follow Joe, a widower, who, while walking around the world to cope with his grief, meets a woman named Helen in Barcelona. They hear about a local haunted house with a cash prize and decide to go together. The house challenge seems simple- get through 9 rooms, get the money.

The pacing and imagery in this book are incredible. I’m familiar with other “no end house” tales from Creep Pasta and Channel 0, but this take felt unique enough to still be a real page turner. Each room is very scary; some rooms have high prices to pay to get through.

I am rating this 4 stars instead of five because I did not find the characters incredibly likable, and felt like I wanted to yell at them to make better choices! Joe is a very realistic depiction of grief, however. Since we are mostly with Joe and Helen in the book, this stands out a little.

All in all I throughly enjoyed this. Thank you to NetGalley, publisher, and Bates for the ARC!

I'm not entirely sure how I feel about this one. There were things that l liked about it, but it did not live up to the hype.

LIke a horror book with trials?? I never thought I'd find or even read a book like this but I had such a great time! The No-End House is original and plays out like a fever dream! Very enjoyable!

This novel completely blew past my expectations...
...it wasn’t just a book, it was an experience.
Hands down the most entertaining read I’ve had all year. I was in it from start to finish, fully hooked. I don’t think I’ve ever enjoyed flipping through a novel this much. Every room was just as wild and captivating as the last. Sure, some were a little more “out there” than others, but honestly? That just added to the fun. I loved every part of this book and I’m absolutely diving into more of Jeremy Bates' brilliant brain (aka his books) ASAP.

I’ll admit, I went into this one a bit hesitant... some of the reviews had me doubting, which I know I should stop doing (note to self: stop reading reviews before starting books!). A few folks really didn’t vibe with certain parts of the story, especially some of the rooms, and I was bracing myself... but I ended up loving the very things others didn't. To me, those moments showed just how expansive and imaginative Bates’ storytelling is. The twists and turns kept me guessing right up to the end.

I genuinely enjoyed the layered storytelling, the character backstories, and the whole creepy premise. If you're thinking about picking this up, do it, Just go in with an open mind and buckle up for a ride. I felt like I was right there with Joe, every step of the way.

Five stars from me!

The no end house is a horror/thriller novel. I could not put it down. I jumped so many times while reading this novel.

"The No-End House" by Jeremy Bates is a heart-pounding thrill ride! Set to release in June 2025, this horror novel takes the haunted house concept to a whole new level of terror. The story follows Joe Hadfield, a man trying to escape the trauma of his wife's death, who gets lured into the ultimate escape room challenge in Barcelona's Gothic Quarter. Alongside a mysterious woman named Helen, Joe enters the No-End House - a crumbling mansion with nine rooms, nine tests, and a tantalizing cash prize. The No-End House isn't just a building; it's a malevolent entity that knows your darkest secrets and preys on your deepest fears. Drawing comparisons to "Saw" and "Hostel" but with Stephen King-esque supernatural twists, this book promises to keep you on the edge of your seat. If you're a fan of intense, mind-bending horror that blurs the lines between reality and nightmare, "The No-End House" should definitely be on your pre-order list.

I persevered with this book in order to give it a fair review. Unfortunately, it wasn't for me. The plot was underdeveloped and the characters were rather flat. The idea sounds great. I just don't think it matched the promise of the blurb.

Extraordinarily complex, convoluted, complicated, and implacably terrifying, THE NO-END HOUSE is a globetrotting, time-and-space-traveling Nightmare of Mythology, Metaphysics, and Psychology; a Soul-bending, Soul-Stealing, Reality-Warping, Labyrinthine Design. I think I shan't soon recoup my routine perspectives.

this one was not for me. I didn't love the pace or the concept. I will pass on this author. I felt like the premise should work but it didn't. I didn't like the characters so felt no connection to them at all.

Decent book with some twist and turns. Good atmosphere, characters were okay, felt more like a thriller than a horror but that could just be my taste. Overall, wasn’t bad but wasn’t great.

Nah… just nah. I think the writing needs polishing. Character development is almost non existent. There was too much small minded bigoted language in here. I’m sure this book is for someone, but that someone is not me.

2/5. This book to me read like a gothic fever dream after about the 1st half. It really sucked me in at first with the main character being in another country at a hostel and overhears about the No End House, but then it became more of a what the heck is going on here. It reminds me of a horror movie along the lines of Enter the Void. The main characters are annoying to the point you want to scream at them through the book just hoping they can hear you and the ending left me confused.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange of an honest review. Thank you!
The synopsis immediately caught my attention. The setting is Barcelona, and it's a pretty creepy escape room theme. The protagonists, Joe and Helen, visit the house mentioned in the title the day after they meet, hoping they can solve the mystery of the nine rooms and win the cash prize. Initially, they view the tasks with skepticism, but when it becomes clear that the stakes are the salvation of their own souls, events start to escalate rapidly. I liked how the characters' past secrets are gradually revealed, and the secrets of the rooms are also very creative. And the ending… A real wow! I kept pondering afterward about what reality might have been.
Why I gave 3,5 *? Because there was a part in the middle with which I was really struggling... A bit boring and a bit confusing :/

*this ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The No-End House had some really cool moments, but overall, it left me feeling a little mixed. Right from the start, the scene around the plane was intense and set up a promising, eerie tone. But as the story went on, it veered into more fantastical territory, which wasn’t really my thing. The concept behind the house and how the rooms are created was actually really interesting, and Helen’s backstory? Incredible. I almost wish we got more of that because it was one of the strongest parts of the book.

That said, the narrator was kind of an ass, which made it tough to really connect with him. And the moth? Of all the unsettling imagery throughout the book, that choice felt a little underwhelming. The twist near the end had me completely hooked—I was genuinely excited to see where it would go. But then it twisted again, and honestly, I was just disappointed. It felt like the story was building toward something huge, only to fizzle out at the last second.

While some of the imagery was striking and there were moments of great tension, the book as a whole felt a little disjointed, like it wasn’t entirely sure what kind of horror it wanted to be. If you like stories that lean into the surreal and don’t mind a bit of weirdness, this one might work for you. But if you prefer your horror with a clearer direction, it may not hit the mark.

Readers who enjoyed The House Next Door by Darcy Coates, Kill Creek by Scott Thomas, or We Need to Do Something by Max Booth III might find The No-End House an intriguing read. They all explore eerie, shifting environments with a creeping sense of dread—though for me, The No-End House didn’t fully stick the landing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC!

I was definitely left feeling disappointed by this one. I had expected a hard horror novel with deep psychological twists, but instead got a short story that had been turned into a novel, with overtones from both internet and literature that were so heavy they just got to be too much.

The main characters, Joe and Helen, were not the kind of people that can be easily supported or gotten behind. They were very run-of-the-mill, and I found myself simply not really caring about what happened to them. They had very little character growth, and I felt a bit cheated by the lack of development.

Next, we come to the house itself. It is not, in fact, ‘no-end’, but rather laden with pop culture references and abject silliness. There was very little threat in this novel, unfortunately, and I was definitely left disappointed.

I enjoyed this book a lot. Reading this literally made it so realistic as if I am watching a horror movie.
Gruesome ,vivid, suspenseful living nightmare of trials.
However, who would have gone for this in the first place if you didn't need the money? Selling your soul to possibly not make it out ever?
This is what made it a 3 star for me. I over all enjoyed the story, but any person in their right mind would have turned this away, this is the only thing that was unrealistic for me and helps me relate to characters in such ways.

I was really excited about this book but felt disappointed by the end. It had a lot of promise with potential for tense and disturbing moments. Instead, it started to feel rote. I felt a lot of the characters were just a compilation of character traits rather than whole people. And see, that'd be fine as I was excited about the book because of the plot but even that felt like it petered out near the end. Also I was thrown by random derogatory language. Can we please stop using fatness as a synonym for disgusting or villainous? Thanks

There were some strengths to the book including an unfolding narrative and strong writing so I would definitely read more from this author.

started reading: 27 Feb | stopped reading: 27 Feb

I only requested this book since the blurb/hook is "In the tradition of Saw and Eli Roth’s Hostel ...", so I was expecting something horrifying, blood and guts, something fun and maybe even dumb. But I got nothing like that at all, all I got here is dumb things.

This just kept me awake at night, reading and reading hoping that the next chapter was interesting, horrifying, anything but boring but it didn't change. I stopped at chapter 11/12 and skipped to the end of the book where they're at the last room and I was a bit surprised at how it changed, I was at room 4 before skipping ahead.

(removed ending spoilers) The last room is interesting, but it's a little bit trope-y, from the challenge to the outcome, But I could see what the author attempts to do, but I did not care for the characters, partially because I skipped most of the book. I also find the ending just super cliche, especially for a horror novel.

WHAT?! Reading The No-End House was like a massive trip. The trials were all insane (in the best way.) I wasn't sure about it at first, but once you enter The No-End House, you will not be able to this one down! A must-read horror!

Thank you so much, Kensington Books and NetGalley, for the digital review copy!

⚠️ mild gore, horror elements, mentions of kidnæpping/child abuse, occasional language

This book did not live up to what I expected. Several of the other room experiences were so vague I didn't even know they were challenges at all. And there is so much walking around, and sitting around in between. Hours of it, dragging the story terribly. I would have liked it to be more of a escape room type with the horror element.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher.