The House

by Heather Marie Adkins

All Susan Owens wants after getting her Master's degree is to take a break. Instead, she's dragged into helping her family of eight move across the country to her grandma's ancestral home in Florida.

The old house is a mess that goes beyond the aesthetic. Some of Susan's ancestors aren't really "gone," and they're determined to act out their anger.

Along with her occult-obssessed sister, and a too-cute-to-be-true neighbor sending mixed signals, Susan takes up her grandmother's search for a way to save the house.

If she can't save the family home, Susan can at least hope her family makes it out alive.

**This book was originally published as a short story. Due to feedback, it was edited and rewritten, and is now a full-length novel at 250 pages.

ebook

First published July 11, 2011

About the author

HEATHER MARIE ADKINS writes too much but still too little. She also has too many cats, not enough tequila, and a torrid love affair with procrastination.

With a penchant for the paranormal, Heather spends her days fueled by coffee, Ancient Aliens, and true crime podcasts. She resides in an unfortunately-not-haunted Queen Anne in southern Indiana with a sarcastic husband who is entirely too dependent on puns.

When she’s not plotting her next book or herding felines, she's researching the spookier aspects of history for her podcast, Historically Weird. Find out more about her at heathermarieadkins.com.

Reviews

[Greg James · Rating 5 out of 5]

The key to supernatural stories of all varieties is atmosphere and The House has it in abundance. The sense of Southern place and Gothic location is perfectly evoked by the author, who has a knack for stunningly poetic turns of phrase when it comes to description and the thought processes of her characters.
The characters are well crafted and balanced between those of the contemporary world and its haunted past - with particular mention going to Patricia Helmsworth who adds an excellent touch of the grotesque and flamboyant to the tale. Also, the large family who form the dynamic core of The House's cast could easily have been thinly-sketched and cliched but they all come alive here. You are left with a sense that you met them all as people after you put the book down. You didn't just read about them, no.
The main character, Suzy, is the voice of The House as it is written from her perspective and it is an involving voice that draws you along as tension and suspense are steadily, rather than speedily, built up throughout the narrative. If there were to be another novel told to us by Suzy one day, I'd love to read it.
Now, the ghosts of The House are its crux and I found them to be very skilful inversions of cliche. Clanking chains and moaning voices in an Olde Englishe house have been done to the point of ridicule. But in a house near to a plantation with all of its connotations, and some of its accoutrements, of slavery close by - in time and space. These sounds and suggestive touches manage to add to, rather than detract from, the unease that is carefully being conjured here.
As I have already mentioned a few times, this is a novel written with a steady and assured pace to it so don't expect cheap and easy jump scares from Heather Adkins. Instead you get a much more rewarding novel by an author who knows both how to unsettle you and keep you turning the pages.

[Karin Cox · Rating 5 out of 5]

First, let me say that I'm not a big reader of scary books because I'm a total wuss. Having said that, I really enjoyed The House. It is well-written and has a light-hearted New Adult feel, even if at times it was too scary for me to read late at night, just in case I needed to get up in the dark for a drink of water (thank heavens I don't have stairs). The characters are exceptionally well-drawn and the family dynamics will draw you in almost as much as the riveting, spooky plot.

Of course, as for most horror books or movies, there are moments where you think "Just get out of there--Now!" and of course the characters never do, but the sheer entertainment factor, the creepy happenings, and the enchanting love story between Susan and Sloan will make you overlook that. Sloan, of course, is a real gem. He's the kind of sexy but lovely boy next door we'd all love to be ours, and that is where I feel this book really shines. There's a "realness" and a romanticism to the characters and to the setting that makes them feel homey--like people you've met in real life. The reason for that only becomes clear later in the novel. I'd recommend this book for teens, young adults, or adults who love three-dimensional characters who could be you, me, or anyone put in a truly freaky situation, and who relish that feeling of a chill prickling the back of their necks and seek smoothly written witch or paranormal fiction that will keep them flipping the pages to the very end.

Adkins is definitely a force to watch out for in New Adult horror and paranormal.

[M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

The thing I enjoy most in much of Heather Adkins' writing is the family dynamic portrayed among the characters, whether it is the thrust of the story as in *Cause & Effect* or a smaller, largely self-made part of the central character's world, as in her Vale Avari stories (like *The Temple*). As *The House* is the story of the Owens family moving into an old ancestral property which still carries a dark legacy from the past, the interplay between Sue, her siblings, and parents, forms the solid backdrop of the story when, as one might expect, weird things begin to happen in the old house. For me the tension of mysterious stains, ghostly sounds, and strange apparitions worked precisely because I cared about the family around which they occurred. The House is a good ghost-story of a read, as it remains grounded in recognizable and well-rendered relationships. These sorts of stories don't work for me if I don't care about the people in them, and I cared about the Owens family, as I felt like I knew them.

[Jessica Bronder · Rating 5 out of 5]

Susan and her family are moving into her grandmother’s house in Florida. But there is something odd about the house. The first thing is although it is a bright sunny day; the house seems dark and dreary. Later that first night, Susan hears screams and chains rattling over her bed and they discovery an old slaves chambers.

When Susan and her sister see a stranger walking through the property that seemingly disappears, they start to get worried. When Susan finds a picture of the stranger in an old photo album, things start to get really creepy. When a hurricane hits the area and all the strange events come to a head.

I really liked this story. Uber creepy! I admit that I felt bad for Susan with the size of her family. The only thing that I would whine about is the length of the story. But Heather said she was reworking it so I can’t wait to reread it. YEAH!! If you want a quick, creepy read, this is one story that you will want to read.

[Lourie · Rating 4 out of 5]

**** Suspenseful ****

Everyone knows that old homes tend to settle, creak and groan. Adkins takes it one step further and adds in some really old inhabitants (ghosts) that just don’t want to leave. Her ability to spin heart pounding spookiness will make you want to turn on all the lights in your home.

With ease she’s able to pull you right into the family dynamic and make it real. And then for extra good measure she threw in a little romance on the side.

My one and only negative is that the ending is a little predictable, however well worth the time spent with this suspenseful haunting.

[Heather · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good

Suzy family inherits their gram family home in floridA. As soon as they enter her and her sibling feel something is off. As days go by unexplained things are hapenning. Good book twist and family secrets.

[Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unfortunately I am sort on time and can't give it the proper review it deserves.

I loved this book. A good haunted house story which did NOT end in a scientific explanation of the haunting (that is a pet peeve of mine when it comes to haunting books - let it stay a haunting). I thought the characters where great, I liked the "romance" part of the book - it wasn't over done by any means, or take away from the story.

I would of probably given it 5 stars if she would of gotten a little deaper with why Rachel and Susan were meant to be witches as Granny said. Maybe she is leaving that open for a follow up book? I know there were a few questions left open (and it seemed to be a purposeful opening) like how does a loop haunting hurt someone? She even says it in her book. And since the parents are rebuilding on the exact same spot as the old house, maybe there will be a house 2 or something.

One can only hope, I always enjoy Heather's books!

[Issa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great thriller/ghost story. My only complaint is that the closing paragraph set it up for more story but it doesn't seem like this is supposed to be part of a series. In a way I kind of wish that last little bit had been left out.

[Natasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

great short story! very interesting

[Crystal Lutsch · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this book! It made my hospital stay much more bearable, as I couldn't stop reading it. Thank you, Heather! Next up - Abigail.