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Temple Fall
A macabre and chilling supernatural gothic horror about a group of teenagers cursed to die on their 18th birthday from the Stoker Award shortlisted author of
The Book of the Baku
. Perfect for fans of Clay McLeod Chapman,
The September House
by Carissa Orlando and
The Shining Girls
by Lauren Beukes.
Flynn and her friends plan to spend the night in Temple Fall, a mysterious house up on the moors with a strange history, but their planned night of drinking and teenage debauchery twists into a surreal nightmare. Suddenly forced into strange choices and places, the tight–knit group starts to fall apart. And then Jackson falls to his death.
In the days that come after, Flynn finds herself trapped, as if she never left the house. Consumed by the lost secrets of her family past, and haunted by the specter of a Victorian woman, she finds herself losing time and seeing things that aren’t there.
Reeling from the tragedy, Flynn must rebuild her group of friends, and bring them all together to grieve—and try to survive—on their own. Because while they escaped Temple Fall, the house didn’t let them go . . .
Flynn and her friends plan to spend the night in Temple Fall, a mysterious house up on the moors with a strange history, but their planned night of drinking and teenage debauchery twists into a surreal nightmare. Suddenly forced into strange choices and places, the tight–knit group starts to fall apart. And then Jackson falls to his death.
In the days that come after, Flynn finds herself trapped, as if she never left the house. Consumed by the lost secrets of her family past, and haunted by the specter of a Victorian woman, she finds herself losing time and seeing things that aren’t there.
Reeling from the tragedy, Flynn must rebuild her group of friends, and bring them all together to grieve—and try to survive—on their own. Because while they escaped Temple Fall, the house didn’t let them go . . .
- GenresHorror
Audible Audio
First published February 17, 2026
19 people are currently reading
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
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December 10, 2025Unfortunately, I'm dnf'ing this one at 50%. I was expecting to be dragged into this abandoned mansion and learn its secrets etc. but so far the time there was minimal and the present/past time jumps have been jarring. Just not connecting with this one.
February 25, 2026
This felt like what YA Horror should be, a genuinely unnerving thrill ride. However... it did suffer from a weak ending.
December 29, 2025
This book takes way too long to get good but once it does, it’s GOOD. It takes a while to get there though, they don’t even get into the seance that kicks off everything until about 20% in and aside from the flashbacks of Flynn’s backstory, the rest is just filler. But once it gets at around 40% in, it not only picks up, it becomes an intensely delicious horror story. This is one of those cases where slogging through the beginning does pay off!
I don’t know why I was surprised because clearly the book is advertised as horror, but this is full fledged horror in a way I wasn’t expecting in a YA novel. I read this at midnight and had to turn on a light 😂 It’s annoying that you have to get through almost the first half before it starts to get interesting, but when it starts to get good, it’s actually really scary. The backstory of the house, how terrifying the villain is, it becomes a REALLY good read.
The concept of this book is a fun popcorn horror plot. Horror story about teens messing with the supernatural in a haunted house (TERRIBLE idea to begin with but even worse with this house in particular) then all of them start to die the moment they turn eighteen. The house in question is one of the most evil, horrific haunted houses I’ve ever read about in horror.
I was fairly certain (after around the 50% mark) that I was going to give this 4 stars, but this ended up being a not as satisfying as I wanted. I don’t always expect the ending of a horror novel to be satisfying, that’s just how the genre is sometimes, but the biggest drawback is there is no explanation for why the villain is so evil. Someone who’s THAT evil without being given a backstory, a reason, an explanation, it just makes the villain feel cartoony. My feelings on this book was the first half was boring, the middle was great, and the ending was lackluster. Not a bad read by any means, but it was just missing something!
Thank you to Netgalley and Titan for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.
I don’t know why I was surprised because clearly the book is advertised as horror, but this is full fledged horror in a way I wasn’t expecting in a YA novel. I read this at midnight and had to turn on a light 😂 It’s annoying that you have to get through almost the first half before it starts to get interesting, but when it starts to get good, it’s actually really scary. The backstory of the house, how terrifying the villain is, it becomes a REALLY good read.
The concept of this book is a fun popcorn horror plot. Horror story about teens messing with the supernatural in a haunted house (TERRIBLE idea to begin with but even worse with this house in particular) then all of them start to die the moment they turn eighteen. The house in question is one of the most evil, horrific haunted houses I’ve ever read about in horror.
I was fairly certain (after around the 50% mark) that I was going to give this 4 stars, but this ended up being a not as satisfying as I wanted. I don’t always expect the ending of a horror novel to be satisfying, that’s just how the genre is sometimes, but the biggest drawback is there is no explanation for why the villain is so evil. Someone who’s THAT evil without being given a backstory, a reason, an explanation, it just makes the villain feel cartoony. My feelings on this book was the first half was boring, the middle was great, and the ending was lackluster. Not a bad read by any means, but it was just missing something!
Thank you to Netgalley and Titan for sending me an advanced copy in return for my honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I will be reviewing this story in parts (PART 1, PART 2, PART 3) as I think it's only right based on my feelings and the progress of the plot. I'll probably edit this later once I've settled through, but this is my initial thoughts right after finishing this story.
●
📌 Part 1- 3⭐️
– Walking through the first part of the story, with the given glimpse of the background of our FMC, Flynn on her time during the orphan facilities and the interchanging past chapters. One might think– or perhaps in my case, this might have been those that deal with psychological horror (psychosis and schizophrenia) since I think there were quite an insinuation here especially after they went inside Temple Fall and doing all those weed smoking and drinking merging with the 'Haunted House' core of the horror and what surround this plot.
– I would say the first part had already given me what's going to be ending or perhaps a glimpse of it. The whole astral projection or the 'SPLIT' that the novel named was a good addition to the layers of the supernatural aspects of the story along with the Temple Hall as its very centre. It was just that the novel really didn't give a cohesive explanation of Flynn acquiring it and her time with Heather, which I believe was a really pivotal aspect connecting to her arc and the whole business of Temple Fall. I just felt like it was such a missed opportunity.
– In the progress proper of the plot here, the characters as well and what HAPPENED HERE. It was a concept of 'Descent to Madness', which I really liked so much. The novel really gave us that good build-up of how Temple Fall's 'evilness' corruptions clawed itself into each character and ignited their most deepest darkest nature, turning their very selves from themselves and into each other. The idea is that this estate is alive, watching, and hungry. It really gave this delicious and irritating sense of dread, especially how the characters acted in induced hallucinations by the Temlls Fall.
📌 Part 2- 4⭐️
– This is where the part everything was so solid for me. Jumping from the events that had happened on the first part, we're given the aftermath of it. This part here has me finally admitting that it did give me that Final Destination vibes, especially you– as a reader, knowing that in your core, the characters will be hunted one by one according to their birthday after the events of the part 1 and I'm glad I wasn't the only one. There isn't really much of a difference in how they are offed, tbh, but in here, we are given a given corporeal like presentation of what's offing them.
– This is a slow burn, psychological like, haunted house and evil spirit literally hunting you, and the novel for me really gives me that good progress or burn of that aspect of horror here. I literally felt that awful dread and creeping sense in my skin, the back of my neck. Not to mention, I ended up reading this book mostly at night 😆. This is a very well plotted slow burn, and I ate it up.
– Finally, this part here finally gave more of that Final Destination route where th characters are investigating Temple Fall and what I also like on this part was that we're given a pov of the other pivotal character linked directly on the Temple Fall. We're given a whole ass long chapter of their tragedy here.
– It's good that the story also delves into the backstory of the Temple Fall and the Lady Gray, but my issues on this part was that we're just told that she's evil without really giving us that solid layer of how come she's become evil ever since she's been part with the Temple Fall. I'm not really sure how to feel one. This lady is an absolute evil person and spirit through and through. Those babies didn't deserve it 😭. It's no wonder Temple Fall has come to be so, so dark and depressing and corrupted. Temple Fall's own background was in its own tragedy and unspeakable things.
📌Part 3- 3⭐️
– This part here was a 50/50 for me, in all honesty. My theory from the beginning has come true here, but I'm still working on it, especially the whole Flynn, Heather, and the split. Going back to this theory now and reading that people has likened this to the Haunting Hill show or book was interesting also, but I think I'll probably piece off everything once I watch the show or read it because right now my route for this part was 'astral projection' and 'Time Travel' specifically but more of supernatural aspects. I'm still working on it.
– Though I ended up exactly predicting the ending from part 1, the execution here felt underwhelming for me. It's like I didn't live up on the build-up that Part 1 and Part 2– specifically gave. I was expecting different or perhaps more from the same execution here since I think it's fitting but more from it.
📌 Overall Rating– 3.5⭐️. I would still say this is quite a good read for me. Still very engaging, full of tension and creepy story that I did enjoy in general. Thank you, Titan Books, for the e-arc copy via Netgalley.
●
📌 Part 1- 3⭐️
– Walking through the first part of the story, with the given glimpse of the background of our FMC, Flynn on her time during the orphan facilities and the interchanging past chapters. One might think– or perhaps in my case, this might have been those that deal with psychological horror (psychosis and schizophrenia) since I think there were quite an insinuation here especially after they went inside Temple Fall and doing all those weed smoking and drinking merging with the 'Haunted House' core of the horror and what surround this plot.
– I would say the first part had already given me what's going to be ending or perhaps a glimpse of it. The whole astral projection or the 'SPLIT' that the novel named was a good addition to the layers of the supernatural aspects of the story along with the Temple Hall as its very centre. It was just that the novel really didn't give a cohesive explanation of Flynn acquiring it and her time with Heather, which I believe was a really pivotal aspect connecting to her arc and the whole business of Temple Fall. I just felt like it was such a missed opportunity.
– In the progress proper of the plot here, the characters as well and what HAPPENED HERE. It was a concept of 'Descent to Madness', which I really liked so much. The novel really gave us that good build-up of how Temple Fall's 'evilness' corruptions clawed itself into each character and ignited their most deepest darkest nature, turning their very selves from themselves and into each other. The idea is that this estate is alive, watching, and hungry. It really gave this delicious and irritating sense of dread, especially how the characters acted in induced hallucinations by the Temlls Fall.
📌 Part 2- 4⭐️
– This is where the part everything was so solid for me. Jumping from the events that had happened on the first part, we're given the aftermath of it. This part here has me finally admitting that it did give me that Final Destination vibes, especially you– as a reader, knowing that in your core, the characters will be hunted one by one according to their birthday after the events of the part 1 and I'm glad I wasn't the only one. There isn't really much of a difference in how they are offed, tbh, but in here, we are given a given corporeal like presentation of what's offing them.
– This is a slow burn, psychological like, haunted house and evil spirit literally hunting you, and the novel for me really gives me that good progress or burn of that aspect of horror here. I literally felt that awful dread and creeping sense in my skin, the back of my neck. Not to mention, I ended up reading this book mostly at night 😆. This is a very well plotted slow burn, and I ate it up.
– Finally, this part here finally gave more of that Final Destination route where th characters are investigating Temple Fall and what I also like on this part was that we're given a pov of the other pivotal character linked directly on the Temple Fall. We're given a whole ass long chapter of their tragedy here.
– It's good that the story also delves into the backstory of the Temple Fall and the Lady Gray, but my issues on this part was that we're just told that she's evil without really giving us that solid layer of how come she's become evil ever since she's been part with the Temple Fall. I'm not really sure how to feel one. This lady is an absolute evil person and spirit through and through. Those babies didn't deserve it 😭. It's no wonder Temple Fall has come to be so, so dark and depressing and corrupted. Temple Fall's own background was in its own tragedy and unspeakable things.
📌Part 3- 3⭐️
– This part here was a 50/50 for me, in all honesty. My theory from the beginning has come true here, but I'm still working on it, especially the whole Flynn, Heather, and the split. Going back to this theory now and reading that people has likened this to the Haunting Hill show or book was interesting also, but I think I'll probably piece off everything once I watch the show or read it because right now my route for this part was 'astral projection' and 'Time Travel' specifically but more of supernatural aspects. I'm still working on it.
– Though I ended up exactly predicting the ending from part 1, the execution here felt underwhelming for me. It's like I didn't live up on the build-up that Part 1 and Part 2– specifically gave. I was expecting different or perhaps more from the same execution here since I think it's fitting but more from it.
📌 Overall Rating– 3.5⭐️. I would still say this is quite a good read for me. Still very engaging, full of tension and creepy story that I did enjoy in general. Thank you, Titan Books, for the e-arc copy via Netgalley.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 7, 2026
Haunted House, haunted minds, fractured friendships, generational trauma. Lots of great themes in Temple Fall.
I like my haunted house books mixed with an unreliable narrative and some mental illness. The main character, Flynn, has a past filled with abuse and uncertainty. She was adopted at a young age; she doesn’t even know her real birthday. She was saved by a group of kids who became her life line. While searching for her ancestral history she stumbles on the mysterious Temple Fall house. Flynn and her friends decide to visit and end up facing a harrowing haunting and Flynn’s boyfriend ends up dead.
I loved the character dynamics and the complex friendships. I didn’t love all the characters, but I loved how they all fit together.
Really enjoyed this one. Quite a treat for a haunted house fan. Loved the ending.
I like my haunted house books mixed with an unreliable narrative and some mental illness. The main character, Flynn, has a past filled with abuse and uncertainty. She was adopted at a young age; she doesn’t even know her real birthday. She was saved by a group of kids who became her life line. While searching for her ancestral history she stumbles on the mysterious Temple Fall house. Flynn and her friends decide to visit and end up facing a harrowing haunting and Flynn’s boyfriend ends up dead.
I loved the character dynamics and the complex friendships. I didn’t love all the characters, but I loved how they all fit together.
Really enjoyed this one. Quite a treat for a haunted house fan. Loved the ending.
Read
February 27, 2026rtc
January 2, 2026
A genuinely unnerving haunted house story. I read an eARC of this book on NetGalley so thank you to the author and the publisher.
We follow a bunch of teenagers on a camping trip for one of their eighteenth birthday. They plan to camp on the grounds of an old, derelict house but a storm drives them inside. They mess with things they really shouldn’t and of course there are dark consequences.
The characters are quite immature and it’s easy to see how they become quickly out of their depth. I quite liked this approach from the author. They were making such bad choices and it was believable how things could go so wrong. At the same time, they aren’t bad or particularly awful so you do feel quite sorry for them with what follows. This is quite prevalent at the start of the book and was an interesting parallel as we learn more around the history of the house later on and you see the impact on people far better equipped to deal with what they encounter.
The house and what it contains are genuinely unnerving. There’s an insidious consequence that the teenagers experience and it’s extremely creepy. There’s an element of ticking clock to this story that worked really well.
I found this to be a creepy and entertaining haunted house story. An enjoyable read.
We follow a bunch of teenagers on a camping trip for one of their eighteenth birthday. They plan to camp on the grounds of an old, derelict house but a storm drives them inside. They mess with things they really shouldn’t and of course there are dark consequences.
The characters are quite immature and it’s easy to see how they become quickly out of their depth. I quite liked this approach from the author. They were making such bad choices and it was believable how things could go so wrong. At the same time, they aren’t bad or particularly awful so you do feel quite sorry for them with what follows. This is quite prevalent at the start of the book and was an interesting parallel as we learn more around the history of the house later on and you see the impact on people far better equipped to deal with what they encounter.
The house and what it contains are genuinely unnerving. There’s an insidious consequence that the teenagers experience and it’s extremely creepy. There’s an element of ticking clock to this story that worked really well.
I found this to be a creepy and entertaining haunted house story. An enjoyable read.
February 17, 2026
Happy Book Birthday to R. L. Boyle and Temple Fall!
If you ever wanted to experience a real haunted house without having to experience the real haunted house, reading Temple Fall by R. L. Boyle is possibly the closest you can get.
Flynn’s photographer boyfriend Jackson wants to camp out on the grounds of an abandoned Gothic mansion for his 18th birthday, and she and their friends begrudgingly comply.
As soon as they are dropped off and the van drives away, they start to regret it as the skies open up and they flee inside to escape the dangerous weather.
The teenagers try to make the best of it, presenting Jackson with a birthday cake, putting on some music, but everything fees off-kilter with everyone behaving out of character and confusing gaps in time. Things only get worse when they decide to have a seance which ends up with them being cursed to die on their 18th birthday and only Flynn has the power to break the curse.
Temple Fall is an atmospheric Gothic haunted house story, but it’s also a mind and time-bendy supernatural tale with a dose of the importance of found family.
R. L. Boyle’s descriptive prose puts the reader right in the story and makes it feel cinematic, bringing to mind shows like Mike Flanagan’s The Haunting of Hill House or films like The Grudge with the pervasive way the curse from the house follows them - which, to me, are the scariest kinda of hauntings - the ones that you can’t escape just by leaving the house.
Thank you to NetGalley and Titan Books for the advance copy for my unbiased review.
February 24, 2026
3.5* rounded up - We Used to Live here meets Final Destination. I love books where the house becomes a character, and that’s what this chilling modern gothic horror does. Its multi layered, with numerous timelines and shifts in POV, making it disorienting and truly creepy.
Partly reading like a classic gothic horror, with that ever-looming dread, it’s slower pace and mounting atmosphere throughout, but equally has that wild fever dream feel to it of a modern horror, all tied together with some great twists and character development.
Partly reading like a classic gothic horror, with that ever-looming dread, it’s slower pace and mounting atmosphere throughout, but equally has that wild fever dream feel to it of a modern horror, all tied together with some great twists and character development.
Review of advance copy
I liked the spooky and ghostly elements to this story the most, and some parts definitely had me captivated as they did well to build on the atmosphere and were at some points pretty unsettling.
It's a decent haunted house story, but sadly, I found the characters forgettable and felt like this story was lacking something vital 🥀
It's a decent haunted house story, but sadly, I found the characters forgettable and felt like this story was lacking something vital 🥀
February 19, 2026
3 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2026/02/16/re...
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Didn’t Quite Work It’s Magic
Temple Fall sounded like just my thing. A group of friends go to spend the night at an old abandoned house, in the process they manage to become cursed and one of them dies from a tragic accident. To all intents and purposes the rest of the friends also go missing and don’t reappear for months, even though to them it feels like only one evening has occurred. And, from there, things just go downhill.
It’s Jackson’s 18th birthday and his small group of close knit friends decide to camp out at a haunted, and rather creepy house. Upon arrival, the place doesn’t look nearly as bad as the group had expected, given how long it’s been abandoned. They even imagine that someone is still living there. They start to make camp but before long the sky darkens and a storm rolls in, it turns out they don’t have all the right camping gear and eventually they make the decision to enter the house for shelter. Again, the inside looks almost lived in, they find a decent sitting room and crack open the bottles of bubbly and other alcohol. Things get off to a good start but soon the tension starts to rise. The house seems to have it’s hooks in them, creating mistrust and suspicion and before you know it they’re starting to bicker. Then, someone has the great idea to have a seance which results in a scary entity taking over what started out as a bit of fun.
On the face of it I expected to enjoy this a lot more than I did. I loved the whole gothic vibe, the creepy, haunted house and the backstory. It’s well written in terms of the atmosphere and descriptions. I had no problem in envisioning the house and found the history to the place interesting.
However, I had issues. I think the plot suffers from uneven pacing. The first 20-25% in particular was really slow. On top of this there’s then a busyness to the story that just feels too much or too distracting. Flynn has her own past demons. Her mother was abusive and she was eventually taken into care, it’s taken a while for her to find her feet but she loves her new found family. That being said, she has her own ulterior motives for wanting to come to Temple Fall.
Temple Fall itself has a long and dark history that eventually unfolds as the group start investigating. The house is not as it first appears. And there’s a menacing presence lurking in the dark corners.
Personally, I felt like there was too much going on and the different stories were in a competition with each other for attention. I feel like it needed to be more focused. As it was we have the friction between the group, the curse, the house and it’s past, Flynn and her past and also the mystery of what happened to them all when they seemingly disappeared for a few months (as though time in Temple Falls is different from the outside world). All set against a ticking clock as the survivors try to find out more about their curse.
As well as the busy feel and, what was probably more of a deal breaker for me, was this has a YA feel. I didn’t really become attached to any of the characters. They were supposed to be really good friends and yet I didn’t get a feel for that at all and in turn this lack of investment stopped me from feeling worried or scared for any of them.
To be honest, part of this is definitely a case of ‘it’s me not you’ because I should have picked up on the 18th birthday party description. As it is I just became hooked with the whole gothic horror, haunted house description. To be fair, I think, even with the younger protagonists and their sometimes frustrating behaviour, if the story had remained at Temple Fall and focused on the scary elements I think this would probably have worked better for me.
I think Temple Fall will undoubtedly find it’s audience, it just didn’t quite work for me.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 3 of 5 stars
https://lynns-books.com/2026/02/16/re...
My Five Word TL:DR Review: Didn’t Quite Work It’s Magic
Temple Fall sounded like just my thing. A group of friends go to spend the night at an old abandoned house, in the process they manage to become cursed and one of them dies from a tragic accident. To all intents and purposes the rest of the friends also go missing and don’t reappear for months, even though to them it feels like only one evening has occurred. And, from there, things just go downhill.
It’s Jackson’s 18th birthday and his small group of close knit friends decide to camp out at a haunted, and rather creepy house. Upon arrival, the place doesn’t look nearly as bad as the group had expected, given how long it’s been abandoned. They even imagine that someone is still living there. They start to make camp but before long the sky darkens and a storm rolls in, it turns out they don’t have all the right camping gear and eventually they make the decision to enter the house for shelter. Again, the inside looks almost lived in, they find a decent sitting room and crack open the bottles of bubbly and other alcohol. Things get off to a good start but soon the tension starts to rise. The house seems to have it’s hooks in them, creating mistrust and suspicion and before you know it they’re starting to bicker. Then, someone has the great idea to have a seance which results in a scary entity taking over what started out as a bit of fun.
On the face of it I expected to enjoy this a lot more than I did. I loved the whole gothic vibe, the creepy, haunted house and the backstory. It’s well written in terms of the atmosphere and descriptions. I had no problem in envisioning the house and found the history to the place interesting.
However, I had issues. I think the plot suffers from uneven pacing. The first 20-25% in particular was really slow. On top of this there’s then a busyness to the story that just feels too much or too distracting. Flynn has her own past demons. Her mother was abusive and she was eventually taken into care, it’s taken a while for her to find her feet but she loves her new found family. That being said, she has her own ulterior motives for wanting to come to Temple Fall.
Temple Fall itself has a long and dark history that eventually unfolds as the group start investigating. The house is not as it first appears. And there’s a menacing presence lurking in the dark corners.
Personally, I felt like there was too much going on and the different stories were in a competition with each other for attention. I feel like it needed to be more focused. As it was we have the friction between the group, the curse, the house and it’s past, Flynn and her past and also the mystery of what happened to them all when they seemingly disappeared for a few months (as though time in Temple Falls is different from the outside world). All set against a ticking clock as the survivors try to find out more about their curse.
As well as the busy feel and, what was probably more of a deal breaker for me, was this has a YA feel. I didn’t really become attached to any of the characters. They were supposed to be really good friends and yet I didn’t get a feel for that at all and in turn this lack of investment stopped me from feeling worried or scared for any of them.
To be honest, part of this is definitely a case of ‘it’s me not you’ because I should have picked up on the 18th birthday party description. As it is I just became hooked with the whole gothic horror, haunted house description. To be fair, I think, even with the younger protagonists and their sometimes frustrating behaviour, if the story had remained at Temple Fall and focused on the scary elements I think this would probably have worked better for me.
I think Temple Fall will undoubtedly find it’s audience, it just didn’t quite work for me.
I received a copy through Netgalley, courtesy of the publisher, for which my thanks. The above is my own opinion.
My rating 3 of 5 stars
February 23, 2026
A group of friends take a camping trip to celebrate the 18th birthday of a member of the group. The location? The grounds of a long abandoned house which no-one seems to know anything about but everyone avoids - Temple Fall. When a violent storm drives them inside the house, events turn first dark and then tragic. Can the teens understand what's going on in time to save themselves?
This is a great concept for a book which leans into the old horror fans question 'can a place be evil?' The idea of an almost sentient, malicious building coupled with hauntings and time loops gave this book a great creep factor. The writing is beautiful and very visual so as a reader you can really see each scene as it plays out, adding to the horror. I really liked the fact that at certain points, you'd have a scene you'd already read described from a different perspective or with additional context which reframed it and kept your own perspective changing. The characterisation was done well too - at the beginning of the book most of the friend group are quite unlikeable, but as the story reveals itself they become much more rounded and empathetic; and you feel like your initial negative view of them was actually the doing of the house.
I will say though, that while I really enjoyed this book I did find myself coming out of it a little disappointed. The book tries to straddle supernatural, sci-fi, and horror and doesn't quite manage to land in any. The mastery of a great horror in particular is in the unseen; and at points I felt like the author showed us a little too much so some of those would-be awful scenes ended up losing their impact. It felt like the wheels came off a little in the final few chapters of the book, there were so many ideas it ended up very muddled - it kind of felt like the author was just trying to do too much with too little time left and so I ended up with way more questions than answers.
This is genuinely spine chilling, well written and worth picking up if you're a fan of books like Stephen King's 'Rose Red.'
- Thanks to NetGalley for granting me the ARC in exchange for an honest review -
This is a great concept for a book which leans into the old horror fans question 'can a place be evil?' The idea of an almost sentient, malicious building coupled with hauntings and time loops gave this book a great creep factor. The writing is beautiful and very visual so as a reader you can really see each scene as it plays out, adding to the horror. I really liked the fact that at certain points, you'd have a scene you'd already read described from a different perspective or with additional context which reframed it and kept your own perspective changing. The characterisation was done well too - at the beginning of the book most of the friend group are quite unlikeable, but as the story reveals itself they become much more rounded and empathetic; and you feel like your initial negative view of them was actually the doing of the house.
I will say though, that while I really enjoyed this book I did find myself coming out of it a little disappointed. The book tries to straddle supernatural, sci-fi, and horror and doesn't quite manage to land in any. The mastery of a great horror in particular is in the unseen; and at points I felt like the author showed us a little too much so some of those would-be awful scenes ended up losing their impact. It felt like the wheels came off a little in the final few chapters of the book, there were so many ideas it ended up very muddled - it kind of felt like the author was just trying to do too much with too little time left and so I ended up with way more questions than answers.
This is genuinely spine chilling, well written and worth picking up if you're a fan of books like Stephen King's 'Rose Red.'
- Thanks to NetGalley for granting me the ARC in exchange for an honest review -
January 30, 2026
Temple Fall by R. L. Boyle is a deeply atmospheric, slow-burn horror that seeps under your skin rather than relying on cheap scares. From the opening chapters, the story carries a distinctly spooky tone, with an underlying sense of haunting that never quite lets you relax.
The plot follows a group of friends who head out camping to celebrate Jackson’s 18th birthday, only to end up staying at Temple Falls — a mysterious house that immediately feels wrong. From the moment Flynn enters the house, there’s an overwhelming sense of unease, and as a reader, you’re constantly waiting for something to happen. The writing is highly descriptive, building tension quietly and effectively, creating that creeping feeling that something is lurking just out of sight.
The narrative frequently shifts back to 2014, exploring Flynn’s past with her mother, Heather. These sections are strange and deeply unsettling, adding emotional weight and complexity to Flynn’s character. Her childhood — shaped by isolation, control, and fear — casts a long shadow over the present-day story and heightens the sense that the house is awakening something already buried within her.
What really stands out is the atmosphere. The novel is creepy, immersive, and haunting without being overbearing. It’s the kind of book that keeps you reading with a sense of dread and wonder, pulling you deeper into its world until you realise you’ve lost track of time. The tension builds steadily, making it incredibly hard to put down.
If you love spooky, creepy, haunted films that make the hairs on your arms stand up — the kind where you’re waiting for something to jump out — this book is absolutely for you. Temple Falls would translate perfectly to the screen and feels like it could sit comfortably alongside something like The Haunting of Hill House.
A chilling, well-written story that lingers long after you turn the final page.
The plot follows a group of friends who head out camping to celebrate Jackson’s 18th birthday, only to end up staying at Temple Falls — a mysterious house that immediately feels wrong. From the moment Flynn enters the house, there’s an overwhelming sense of unease, and as a reader, you’re constantly waiting for something to happen. The writing is highly descriptive, building tension quietly and effectively, creating that creeping feeling that something is lurking just out of sight.
The narrative frequently shifts back to 2014, exploring Flynn’s past with her mother, Heather. These sections are strange and deeply unsettling, adding emotional weight and complexity to Flynn’s character. Her childhood — shaped by isolation, control, and fear — casts a long shadow over the present-day story and heightens the sense that the house is awakening something already buried within her.
What really stands out is the atmosphere. The novel is creepy, immersive, and haunting without being overbearing. It’s the kind of book that keeps you reading with a sense of dread and wonder, pulling you deeper into its world until you realise you’ve lost track of time. The tension builds steadily, making it incredibly hard to put down.
If you love spooky, creepy, haunted films that make the hairs on your arms stand up — the kind where you’re waiting for something to jump out — this book is absolutely for you. Temple Falls would translate perfectly to the screen and feels like it could sit comfortably alongside something like The Haunting of Hill House.
A chilling, well-written story that lingers long after you turn the final page.
February 1, 2026
Prepare for a scare when you pick up this twisty haunted house story!
The deeply atmospheric prose, and the way it plays up to, and then twists, traditional horror tropes, keeps you unsettled from the first page to the last. Trust me when I say (from experience) that reading this in an old, creaky house has you shivering at the sound of the wind and looking twice at the shadows in the corner of your room.
It follows Flynn, survivor of a traumatic, isolated childhood, who has finally found friends who feel like family. For her boyfriend’s eighteenth birthday, they all decide to visit and photograph Temple Fall, a crumbling old house with ties to Flynn’s past. Then a storm strikes, they hide inside, and when a drunken seance goes very wrong, not everyone makes it out alive. Those who do find out that what felt like hours in the house were really months to the rest of the world. They have been missing, and now they’ve returned, bringing something deadly with them. The house is watching, invading their thoughts, and it will pick them off on their eighteenth birthdays unless they can find a way to stop it. But how do you escape a haunted house if its rooms are in your head, and it exists outside of time?
From black-veiled figures shedding gothic rose petals, to creepy children, to threadbare rocking horses, the classic scares are all present and accounted for, but they still feel different enough to shock you. The take on a haunted house is more original, since its influence doesn’t end when they escape the front door - instead, it’s both sentient and psychological, made evil by the atrocities committed within it.
Fittingly for a book about time, I lost track of it while reading. I wish there was a little more closure at the end, but I’d still recommend it to anyone feeling brave.
A massive thank you to Titan Books and the author for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
The deeply atmospheric prose, and the way it plays up to, and then twists, traditional horror tropes, keeps you unsettled from the first page to the last. Trust me when I say (from experience) that reading this in an old, creaky house has you shivering at the sound of the wind and looking twice at the shadows in the corner of your room.
It follows Flynn, survivor of a traumatic, isolated childhood, who has finally found friends who feel like family. For her boyfriend’s eighteenth birthday, they all decide to visit and photograph Temple Fall, a crumbling old house with ties to Flynn’s past. Then a storm strikes, they hide inside, and when a drunken seance goes very wrong, not everyone makes it out alive. Those who do find out that what felt like hours in the house were really months to the rest of the world. They have been missing, and now they’ve returned, bringing something deadly with them. The house is watching, invading their thoughts, and it will pick them off on their eighteenth birthdays unless they can find a way to stop it. But how do you escape a haunted house if its rooms are in your head, and it exists outside of time?
From black-veiled figures shedding gothic rose petals, to creepy children, to threadbare rocking horses, the classic scares are all present and accounted for, but they still feel different enough to shock you. The take on a haunted house is more original, since its influence doesn’t end when they escape the front door - instead, it’s both sentient and psychological, made evil by the atrocities committed within it.
Fittingly for a book about time, I lost track of it while reading. I wish there was a little more closure at the end, but I’d still recommend it to anyone feeling brave.
A massive thank you to Titan Books and the author for my copy in exchange for an honest review.
February 21, 2026
Tying the supernatural to time, to loops was an interesting idea, that for the most part worked but was let down a little by the ending.
The atmosphere was truly creepy, the vibes were perfect and I loved when, near the end of the book, we got to see a previous scene from a different perspective and all the strange little mysteries suddenly made sense.
The characters were a good bunch too, by the time of the first death, he was the only character I cared about and so I was annoyed he was gone. By the time things had ramped up, the author had managed to layer enough character and emotion into the other people that I cared about them too. They were so much more than the shallow teenagers that we first saw.
And the house. Oh the house. A character in its own right, and the effect it had on everyone was really fun, how it drew out fears, insecurities, tortured them with their own private hells.
Not to go into spoilers or detail, but a certain aspect of Flynn's character and story could have been removed and it wouldn't have changed a thing. Instead, having this extra something just added to the confusion that the ending brought. You cannot explain in detail somethings, and leave utterly untouched others, it has to be one or the other. Horror doesn't need to be explained, but equally, ignoring part but not the other is bizarre.
The end felt as if the author had thrown everything at the wall and then just pointed at random, while I did enjoy the inversion of the 'final girl' trope, I felt more confused than anything else. All in all, a beautiful written book that did send chills down the spine, but couldn't quite stick the landing for me.
~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review~
The atmosphere was truly creepy, the vibes were perfect and I loved when, near the end of the book, we got to see a previous scene from a different perspective and all the strange little mysteries suddenly made sense.
The characters were a good bunch too, by the time of the first death, he was the only character I cared about and so I was annoyed he was gone. By the time things had ramped up, the author had managed to layer enough character and emotion into the other people that I cared about them too. They were so much more than the shallow teenagers that we first saw.
And the house. Oh the house. A character in its own right, and the effect it had on everyone was really fun, how it drew out fears, insecurities, tortured them with their own private hells.
Not to go into spoilers or detail, but a certain aspect of Flynn's character and story could have been removed and it wouldn't have changed a thing. Instead, having this extra something just added to the confusion that the ending brought. You cannot explain in detail somethings, and leave utterly untouched others, it has to be one or the other. Horror doesn't need to be explained, but equally, ignoring part but not the other is bizarre.
The end felt as if the author had thrown everything at the wall and then just pointed at random, while I did enjoy the inversion of the 'final girl' trope, I felt more confused than anything else. All in all, a beautiful written book that did send chills down the spine, but couldn't quite stick the landing for me.
~Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review~
November 16, 2025
Temple Fall is a gothic fever dream—macabre, surreal, and steeped in the kind of dread that clings to the skin long after the final page. R.L. Boyle, Stoker Award-shortlisted author of The Book of the Baku, returns with a tale that feels like a séance in prose: intimate, spectral, and utterly consuming.
Flynn and her friends enter the moors seeking mischief and escape, but the house they choose—Temple Fall—is no ordinary ruin. It’s a place that reshapes reality, warps time, and refuses to let go. What begins as teenage bravado quickly curdles into horror, as the group fractures under the weight of grief, guilt, and something far older than any of them can name.
Boyle’s writing is lush and disorienting, like fog rolling over memory. The spectre of a Victorian woman haunts not just Flynn’s waking hours but the very structure of the story, which slips between past and present with eerie fluidity. There’s a quiet elegance to the way Boyle explores trauma—how it isolates, how it binds, how it echoes through generations.
Perfect for fans of Clay McLeod Chapman and Lauren Beukes, Temple Fall is not just a ghost story—it’s a reckoning. A tale of cursed youth, fractured friendship, and the lingering question: what if the house never let you leave?
My thanks to RL Boyle, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.
Flynn and her friends enter the moors seeking mischief and escape, but the house they choose—Temple Fall—is no ordinary ruin. It’s a place that reshapes reality, warps time, and refuses to let go. What begins as teenage bravado quickly curdles into horror, as the group fractures under the weight of grief, guilt, and something far older than any of them can name.
Boyle’s writing is lush and disorienting, like fog rolling over memory. The spectre of a Victorian woman haunts not just Flynn’s waking hours but the very structure of the story, which slips between past and present with eerie fluidity. There’s a quiet elegance to the way Boyle explores trauma—how it isolates, how it binds, how it echoes through generations.
Perfect for fans of Clay McLeod Chapman and Lauren Beukes, Temple Fall is not just a ghost story—it’s a reckoning. A tale of cursed youth, fractured friendship, and the lingering question: what if the house never let you leave?
My thanks to RL Boyle, the publisher and netgalley for the ARC.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
(I received this book from the editor and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review)
A group of friends go to the ruins of a mansion, Temple Fall, to celebrate an 18th birthday with booze, weed and some music and it somehow ends with a cadaver and the rest of them disappearing from the face of earth for several months. And then they start to mysteriously die on the day of their birthday.
Easy, straightforward, and with a beautiful prose. A little bit of Final Destination, a little bit of Shirley Jackson, a Ouija board… and, sadly, many, many detours due to miscommunication or lack of communication at all. I do understand that some of these are the result of the house playing with the characters’ minds, but they only seemed to happen when it was convenient for the plot and relentlessly dragged some of the conversations or scenes.
I liked the idea of the haunting staying inside the characters (very Hill House-sque), but I feel that in the end, if we put all the trinkets and odds and look at them all, this novel did not quite work for me. I enjoyed the flashbacks to Flynn’s childhood and the Outsiders more than anything else, I’m afraid.
A group of friends go to the ruins of a mansion, Temple Fall, to celebrate an 18th birthday with booze, weed and some music and it somehow ends with a cadaver and the rest of them disappearing from the face of earth for several months. And then they start to mysteriously die on the day of their birthday.
Easy, straightforward, and with a beautiful prose. A little bit of Final Destination, a little bit of Shirley Jackson, a Ouija board… and, sadly, many, many detours due to miscommunication or lack of communication at all. I do understand that some of these are the result of the house playing with the characters’ minds, but they only seemed to happen when it was convenient for the plot and relentlessly dragged some of the conversations or scenes.
I liked the idea of the haunting staying inside the characters (very Hill House-sque), but I feel that in the end, if we put all the trinkets and odds and look at them all, this novel did not quite work for me. I enjoyed the flashbacks to Flynn’s childhood and the Outsiders more than anything else, I’m afraid.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Temple Fall was not what I was expecting it to be from the plot summary. It states that fans of The September House by Carissa Orlando would love this, but I felt that they were not very comparable in terms of enjoyment or story. I'm not too sure if this is being marketed as young adult or adult. However, it read young adult to me mostly. This turned me off the story majorly. I thought about DNFing it, but I decided to push through.
The only portion of the story I enjoyed was the aspects of the house. I liked the descriptions and everything that came with that. When the story would shift to something else, I would instantly lose interest. The gothic atmosphere was definitely there; that's a favorite of mine. Overall, it was very easy to read. I just wish it landed better for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Titan Books, & R.L. Boyle for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
The only portion of the story I enjoyed was the aspects of the house. I liked the descriptions and everything that came with that. When the story would shift to something else, I would instantly lose interest. The gothic atmosphere was definitely there; that's a favorite of mine. Overall, it was very easy to read. I just wish it landed better for me.
Thank you NetGalley, Titan Books, & R.L. Boyle for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
I really enjoyed this creepy haunted house novel. It had a few twists in it that I did not see coming.
Flynn and her four close friends, including her boyfriend Jackson, decide to camp out near Temple Fall for Jackson’s eighteenth birthday. They’ve chosen Temple Fall because Flynn has been researching her ancestry and discovered that her several times great grandmother used to own it. When an unexpected thunderstorm breaks out during the camping trip, the five teenagers seek refuge inside Temple Fall. This turns out to be a huge mistake.
This book is intense and clips along at a fast pace. I liked the history of the house and its inhabitants. I thought the first half of the book was perhaps YA, given the age of the main characters and the plot. But then things got darker and I realized it’s very much a book for adults.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.
Flynn and her four close friends, including her boyfriend Jackson, decide to camp out near Temple Fall for Jackson’s eighteenth birthday. They’ve chosen Temple Fall because Flynn has been researching her ancestry and discovered that her several times great grandmother used to own it. When an unexpected thunderstorm breaks out during the camping trip, the five teenagers seek refuge inside Temple Fall. This turns out to be a huge mistake.
This book is intense and clips along at a fast pace. I liked the history of the house and its inhabitants. I thought the first half of the book was perhaps YA, given the age of the main characters and the plot. But then things got darker and I realized it’s very much a book for adults.
Thank you to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange of an honest review.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Temple Fall had an intriguing premise and a setting that immediately caught my attention. The concept promised atmosphere, mystery, and emotional depth, and there are definitely readers who will find a lot to enjoy in this story.
For me, the opening leaned more into a younger tone than I was expecting, which made it a little harder to settle into the world and fully immerse myself in the narrative. I also found the pacing uneven in the early stages, and I struggled to form a strong connection with the characters as the story unfolded.
That said, the writing itself is clear and accessible, and I can see this appealing to readers who enjoy character-driven stories with a YA feel and a gradual build of tension and intrigue.
While it ultimately wasn’t the right fit for my personal reading preferences, I’m sure many readers will find themselves drawn into the atmosphere and premise of Temple Fall.
For me, the opening leaned more into a younger tone than I was expecting, which made it a little harder to settle into the world and fully immerse myself in the narrative. I also found the pacing uneven in the early stages, and I struggled to form a strong connection with the characters as the story unfolded.
That said, the writing itself is clear and accessible, and I can see this appealing to readers who enjoy character-driven stories with a YA feel and a gradual build of tension and intrigue.
While it ultimately wasn’t the right fit for my personal reading preferences, I’m sure many readers will find themselves drawn into the atmosphere and premise of Temple Fall.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Spice: 0/5
Rating: 2/5
This book didn't really work for me. The pacing definitely lets it down. It's SO slow at the beginning and takes a while to get interesting, and even when it DOES get interesting, I still wasn't super invested. I think that the characters were too one dimensional, and I didn't ever care about them. The resolution was confusing, so I was left feeling dissatisfied with the ending. It read very much like a YA despite not having been advertised as such. The characters' lack of basic communication skills really derails the plot several times, and the story seems to be incomplete. I just wanted it to be more fleshed out - both the explanations of the house and what is happening with the kids. It just felt like the bones of a book that wasn't quite finished.
Spice: 0/5
Rating: 2/5
This book didn't really work for me. The pacing definitely lets it down. It's SO slow at the beginning and takes a while to get interesting, and even when it DOES get interesting, I still wasn't super invested. I think that the characters were too one dimensional, and I didn't ever care about them. The resolution was confusing, so I was left feeling dissatisfied with the ending. It read very much like a YA despite not having been advertised as such. The characters' lack of basic communication skills really derails the plot several times, and the story seems to be incomplete. I just wanted it to be more fleshed out - both the explanations of the house and what is happening with the kids. It just felt like the bones of a book that wasn't quite finished.
February 23, 2026
Temple Fall has a complex narrative which jumps through time periods, so make sure you read it carefully, otherwise things will get confusing fast. The title refers to a house, saying that it is haunted is no spoiler, but the ripple effect and influence of the house reaches far beyond its walls and is similar to Kill Creek by Scott Thomas. Whilst the opening sequences take place in the house, its presence dominates the later proceedings, with events going full circle with huge reveals and a smart ending. It might have been nicer to have more scenes set in the house, as it is too fine a creation to relegate into the background.
You can read Tony's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
You can read Tony's full review at Horror DNA by clicking here.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Temple Fall by R.L. Boyle is a macabre supernatural tale set on the eerie moors. The story follows a group of teenagers whose night of rebellion at the mysterious Temple Fall spirals into a surreal nightmare following a botched seance.
The Good:
Boyle excels at atmosphere, crafting a sense of dread that fans of The Book of the Baku will recognize. The central hook—a curse involving a Victorian baby farmer—is uniquely unsettling, and protagonist Flynn’s history of trauma provides a strong emotional anchor.
The Bad:
The pacing is uneven; after a gripping start, the middle section loses momentum. Some character actions feel driven more by plot necessity than organic development, and the repetitive supernatural imagery begins to lose its chilling impact toward the climax.
The Good:
Boyle excels at atmosphere, crafting a sense of dread that fans of The Book of the Baku will recognize. The central hook—a curse involving a Victorian baby farmer—is uniquely unsettling, and protagonist Flynn’s history of trauma provides a strong emotional anchor.
The Bad:
The pacing is uneven; after a gripping start, the middle section loses momentum. Some character actions feel driven more by plot necessity than organic development, and the repetitive supernatural imagery begins to lose its chilling impact toward the climax.
December 20, 2025
It was an intriguing read. I liked to read the parts about the house and its story, but I did not care very much for the characters in the present. I was more interested in the past. It was very easy to read though, which was great. I definitely recommend this story, if you’re looking for a feeling similar to the Haunting of Hill House tv show. It has the same grim and gothic atmosphere, with a well thought-out story about a bleak house. It truly felt like a character, more than just an entity in a way.
Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.
Thank you to Netgalley for an e-ARC in exchange for a honest review.
February 27, 2026
This one was a bit hit or miss for me. Whilst I did enjoy the plot and it did all came together in the end.. I did get confused with the different timelines in places. I think this is a really eerie and chilling story with characters you really want to root for. I did like Flynns ability aswell with 'The Split', it brought another layer to the story that was well done and important to the actual story. Overall a good read, I'm glad I read it.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
fantastically intense and gothic horror book with some fantastic plotting and excellent vibes throughout. 5 stars. tysm for the arc.
Review of advance copy
Fantastic read, very gripping and very enjoyable
February 28, 2026
Parts of this book felt really creepy. Was a decent read.
February 27, 2026
I devoured this - it had me from the very beginning and the ending gagged me. I love a haunted house story and I can find them hard to get right, but this is such a rich, thrilling story. I actually bought this and read it and then received an ARC from titan - which gave me an excuse to start it again. Brilliant.
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