Horror Book of the Week: The September House by Carissa Orlando

 

This week’s Horror Book Recommendation is THE SEPTEMBER HOUSE written by Carissa Orlando. 

Published in September 2023, the book can be found on the bestsellers list for Ghost Thrillers and Paranormal Suspense. 

The September House has already raked up positive reviews by critics who describe the book as a riveting read and one that effectively handles complex elements like fear and dark humor. Reviewers also praised the book and author for entertaining and charming you. 

Customers who bought the book thought it had a unique haunted house story. The author was praised for creating a believable protagonist and for skillfully managing to write a horror story that was both creepy but also had doses of humor that kept them entertained. 

However, some felt that the book was silly, had a predictable twist, and did not like reading about one of the characters who they felt behaved childishly in spite of her age. 

Quick Book Review of The September House (based on sample)

Margaret has just found her dream house and no number of deaths in this old Victorian-style house will discourage her from moving in with her husband Hal. 

The Prologue quickly explains Margaret and Hal’s ups and downs before they find the house in an ad. The realtor reveals about the deaths in the house that “seemed” natural but the couple is barely listening. 

But then, it is only May and they have yet to find the secrets of the house. 

As it turns out, things change drastically in September when the house starts to bleed and the ghosts show up. Margaret is still the least bothered about it. When her daughter Katherine calls, that is when we learn that Hal has gone missing and Margaret is making way too many excuses to hide that fact from her daughter. 

But why? 

The mystery definitely keeps you on your toes here. 

The September House will engage you from the Prologue itself and you will find yourself liking Margaret although you will find yourself questioning just who in their right mind would want to move into a haunted house? 

The answer is no doubt going to be revealed later in the book. The writing flows smoothly and makes you surrender to the story. There is something endearing about Margaret and you want to know more about her life and just how she learned to be okay with the ghosts that aren’t dressed in pretty gowns and have flawless, glowing skin. Rather, they come just as they had died, as grotesque as it may be. 

The September House is clearly a keeper and one you may want to add to your bookshelf immediately. 

The September House Plot (Taken from Amazon.com)

A woman is determined to stay in her dream home even after it becomes a haunted nightmare in this compulsively readable, twisty, and layered debut novel.

When Margaret and her husband Hal bought the large Victorian house on Hawthorn Street—for sale at a surprisingly reasonable price—they couldn’t believe they finally had their own home. Then they discovered the hauntings. Every September, the walls drip blood. The ghosts of former inhabitants appear, and all of them are terrified of something that lurks in the basement. Most people would flee. 

Margaret is not most people. 

Margaret is staying. It’s her house. But after four years Hal can’t take it anymore, and he leaves abruptly. Now, he’s not returning calls, and their daughter Katherine—who knows nothing about the hauntings—arrives, intent on looking for her missing father. To make things worse, September has just begun, and with every attempt Margaret and Katherine make at finding Hal, the hauntings grow more harrowing, because there are some secrets the house needs to keep.

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