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House of Ash
After hearing voices among an eerie copse of trees in the woods, seventeen-year-old Curtis must confront his worst fear: that he has inherited his father’s mental illness. A desperate search for answers leads him to discover Gravenhearst, a labyrinth mansion that burned down in 1894. When he locks eyes with a steely Victorian girl in a forgotten mirror, he’s sure she’s one of the fire’s victims. If he can unravel the mystery, he can save his sanity . . . and possibly the girl who haunts his dreams.
But more than 100 years in the past, the girl in the mirror is fighting her own battles. When her mother disappears and her sinister stepfather reveals his true intentions, Mila and her sister fight to escape Gravenhearst and unravel the house’s secrets—before it devours them both.
But more than 100 years in the past, the girl in the mirror is fighting her own battles. When her mother disappears and her sinister stepfather reveals his true intentions, Mila and her sister fight to escape Gravenhearst and unravel the house’s secrets—before it devours them both.
320 pages, Hardcover
First published September 26, 2017
16 people are currently reading
1564 people want to read
About the author
Hope Cook
2 books42 followersHope Cook has been obsessed with all things Victorian and gothic since she was a small child and her parents let her watch one too many atmospheric BBC dramas.
She lives in Edmonton, Canada with her chihuahua beastling Reepicheep.
www.hopecook.org
She lives in Edmonton, Canada with her chihuahua beastling Reepicheep.
www.hopecook.org
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 82 reviews
October 8, 2017
2/5 Stars
I was really exited to read this book, and thrilled that I got an ARC, because it sounded so interesting. But in the end, it took a turn for the worst and I was left feeling quite bored and disappointed.
Within the first few chapters I was rather confused, not too fond of the writing, and disliking the way Cook described her scenes. But that's just me. Maybe for other people it will work, but I had trouble imaging scenes and characters.
Something I really didn't enjoy was how the majority of the characters took everything to extremes, or not extreme enough. It just felt strange that Mila (and pretty much everyone else) would have so many outbursts (For example, the maids would snap at people, so would Mila's mother and step-father, Mila herself, yada yada). I didn't like it. Too many outbursts - it didn't feel natural.
Also, plainly said, I didn't care about the characters. They weren't likable and relatable, so I found myself detached from them. I pretty much couldn't have cared less if they lived or died.
I don't want to give too much away since this book isn't out yet. However, something I did enjoy about this book was the mansion Mila lived in. It was creepy, yet, I imagined it to be quite beautiful and rustic.
Overall, this was no where near as good as I had hoped it would be. I really wish the characters had been developed more, that there would have been less outbursts, and characters borderline acting the same way. I just didn't feel a concrete difference in the characters. They all felt too similar. But that's just me.
Thank you NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
I was really exited to read this book, and thrilled that I got an ARC, because it sounded so interesting. But in the end, it took a turn for the worst and I was left feeling quite bored and disappointed.
Within the first few chapters I was rather confused, not too fond of the writing, and disliking the way Cook described her scenes. But that's just me. Maybe for other people it will work, but I had trouble imaging scenes and characters.
Something I really didn't enjoy was how the majority of the characters took everything to extremes, or not extreme enough. It just felt strange that Mila (and pretty much everyone else) would have so many outbursts (For example, the maids would snap at people, so would Mila's mother and step-father, Mila herself, yada yada). I didn't like it. Too many outbursts - it didn't feel natural.
Also, plainly said, I didn't care about the characters. They weren't likable and relatable, so I found myself detached from them. I pretty much couldn't have cared less if they lived or died.
I don't want to give too much away since this book isn't out yet. However, something I did enjoy about this book was the mansion Mila lived in. It was creepy, yet, I imagined it to be quite beautiful and rustic.
Overall, this was no where near as good as I had hoped it would be. I really wish the characters had been developed more, that there would have been less outbursts, and characters borderline acting the same way. I just didn't feel a concrete difference in the characters. They all felt too similar. But that's just me.
Thank you NetGalley, for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.
September 23, 2017
I received this for review through Amulet Books and NetGalley. Thanks to them for letting me review an early copy. Looking at the cover, I was expecting a middle grade, haunted house story, but I was so, so wrong. First off, it's YA, and it deals with some heavy topics. I think the cover doesn't do it justice for what a crazy ride this is. Don't get me wrong, it's a nice cover, but it's not scary enough for what's inside this book.
THIS BOOK WAS INTENSE!!!
I was hooked from page one. I enjoyed having Mila's chapters and Curtis's chapters. I liked how there were two different time periods that were so connected, and happening simultaneously. The mystery was really interesting too. I needed to know what happened to Mila, Gravenhearst, all of it! I just couldn't seem to put the book down.
I also liked how the author incorporated severe mental illness in the story. I felt bad for Curtis, I felt bad for his sister, and I felt bad for his Dad. I can't imagine not being in control of your mind, and just the thought of the only treatment being numbing drugs is sad. It showed how much of a toll it took on the whole family. It was heartbreaking watching it all unfold.
Curtis's struggle was also heartbreaking. Having him questioning his sanity and afraid he'd end up like his dad. I could sympathize with that fear. That future would have been a nightmare, to go from sane and able-bodied, to not in control of oneself anymore.
Mila's story was super interesting too. I needed to find out the mystery just as much as she did.
The pictures/illustrations in this book felt very unnecessary to me, at least in this ARC format. There weren't very many of them, and they just seemed kind of random instead of adding anything to the story. The best picture was probably the first picture of Curtis and his motorcycle.
This book was a heart-pounding thrill ride. I Loved It! I really was hooked and couldn't put it down until I reached the last page. I would love to know what happens with these characters next.
I was also surprised by the ending. I didn't suspect the villain, or the big reveal, or really anything.
I really could see this book working as a perfect scary movie. I was on the edge-of-my-seat reading it, and could only imagine how terrified I'd be of it on screen.
The writing style reminded me of Dawn Kurtagich and Megan Shepherd, both authors I really enjoy.
House of Ash was really, really good. It was thrilling, addicting, mysterious, and would make a great Halloween read. I definitely recommend it. I was hooked reading it, and I think others would feel the same way.
BOOKCITEMENT LEVEL 4.5/5
What A Thrill Ride!
October 1, 2017
She felt her own solidness, and she felt the tremor of spirits all around her.
Mila smiled.
The house had made its first mistake. You've shown your hand. You're a thing that's alive.
Anything alive can be killed.
✘ PLOT
Curtis is determined to keep his head down, protect his little sister from their mentally ill and unstable father, and work through his own demons just a little longer - just until his eighteenth birthday, when he can take his sister far away from their broken home. When he stumbles upon a copse of trees that triggers voices in his head, the few whole pieces of Curtis' world start to shatter. Nothing can prepare him for meeting Mila - a girl from 100 years ago, whose face comes to him in mirrors, whose haunted eyes tell Curtis he has to find some way to intervene. Even if she's in the past, he is sure he can save her, and maybe himself in the process.
✘ WHAT I LIKED
- The writing style in this book is absolutely lovely.
Grief rose, dark-cloaked and dripping oblivion. She wanted to give in - wrap herself in pain and unmake the wretched creature that was Mila.
Gorgeous prose like this fills the book, and I found myself rereading lines like the one I quoted above just because they were so prettily worded.
- This is, at its core, a haunted house story, and a damn fun one at that. I'm a sucker for books where the house itself is half the threat, with sinister scares living inside the walls. The Gravenhearst home, where Mila lives in the past, is a breathing, thinking being, and I so enjoyed watching Mila struggle to dismantle it before it devoured her.
- There are some really enjoyable side characters, like Curtis' best friend Avi (who is so sweet and open and warm and lovable), or his neighbor Mae (a spooky elderly woman who welcomes him and his sister into her home). I found that I actually enjoyed the side characters more than the main characters, which isn't altogether a bad thing, because that happens somewhat often with books I read.
✘ WHAT I DISLIKED
- The main characters just aren't terribly likable characters. Neither of them had specific, fatal flaws; they're just a bit simplistic and frustrating.
On the one hand, Curtis makes one poor decision after another, all the while pushing away anyone and everyone who cares about him, and honestly, how was this kid not arrested at any point during the story? Early in the book, he almost beats another high schooler to death, and all he gets is suspension?
On the other hand, there's Mila, who was definitely more enjoyable than Curtis, but very prone to outbursts that felt a bit forced? Then, when things do look up for her from time to time, she comes across as very fragile, which feels unrealistic after how tough she is throughout other scenes.
- The content regarding mental illness in this book is tough to swallow at times. Curtis' father is mentally ill, and incredibly unstable - even violent, at times - but it felt as though the book straddled a fine line between being authentic, and stigmatic.
- The ending left a lot of loose ends untied. I won't spoil it for you, but some really bizarre shit goes down and I found myself going, "Wait, what just happened?" It just feels very unrealistic - past the point of suspension of disbelief and all that - and I think I would've preferred a very different ending (no spoilers, though!).
✘ FINAL VERDICT
This was a pretty fun read, and as far as YA horror goes, I thought it felt unique and more along the veins of what I expect a good horror book to offer than many other YA horror titles I've read. That said, it's definitely not anything mind-blowing, and if you aren't a horror fan already, this might not be for you.
✘ CONTENT WARNINGS
Parental abuse, violence, ableism, homophobic slurs (which are addressed as problematic).
Thank you to Amulet Books and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
Mila smiled.
The house had made its first mistake. You've shown your hand. You're a thing that's alive.
Anything alive can be killed.
✘ PLOT
Curtis is determined to keep his head down, protect his little sister from their mentally ill and unstable father, and work through his own demons just a little longer - just until his eighteenth birthday, when he can take his sister far away from their broken home. When he stumbles upon a copse of trees that triggers voices in his head, the few whole pieces of Curtis' world start to shatter. Nothing can prepare him for meeting Mila - a girl from 100 years ago, whose face comes to him in mirrors, whose haunted eyes tell Curtis he has to find some way to intervene. Even if she's in the past, he is sure he can save her, and maybe himself in the process.
✘ WHAT I LIKED
- The writing style in this book is absolutely lovely.
Grief rose, dark-cloaked and dripping oblivion. She wanted to give in - wrap herself in pain and unmake the wretched creature that was Mila.
Gorgeous prose like this fills the book, and I found myself rereading lines like the one I quoted above just because they were so prettily worded.
- This is, at its core, a haunted house story, and a damn fun one at that. I'm a sucker for books where the house itself is half the threat, with sinister scares living inside the walls. The Gravenhearst home, where Mila lives in the past, is a breathing, thinking being, and I so enjoyed watching Mila struggle to dismantle it before it devoured her.
- There are some really enjoyable side characters, like Curtis' best friend Avi (who is so sweet and open and warm and lovable), or his neighbor Mae (a spooky elderly woman who welcomes him and his sister into her home). I found that I actually enjoyed the side characters more than the main characters, which isn't altogether a bad thing, because that happens somewhat often with books I read.
✘ WHAT I DISLIKED
- The main characters just aren't terribly likable characters. Neither of them had specific, fatal flaws; they're just a bit simplistic and frustrating.
On the one hand, Curtis makes one poor decision after another, all the while pushing away anyone and everyone who cares about him, and honestly, how was this kid not arrested at any point during the story? Early in the book, he almost beats another high schooler to death, and all he gets is suspension?
On the other hand, there's Mila, who was definitely more enjoyable than Curtis, but very prone to outbursts that felt a bit forced? Then, when things do look up for her from time to time, she comes across as very fragile, which feels unrealistic after how tough she is throughout other scenes.
- The content regarding mental illness in this book is tough to swallow at times. Curtis' father is mentally ill, and incredibly unstable - even violent, at times - but it felt as though the book straddled a fine line between being authentic, and stigmatic.
- The ending left a lot of loose ends untied. I won't spoil it for you, but some really bizarre shit goes down and I found myself going, "Wait, what just happened?" It just feels very unrealistic - past the point of suspension of disbelief and all that - and I think I would've preferred a very different ending (no spoilers, though!).
✘ FINAL VERDICT
This was a pretty fun read, and as far as YA horror goes, I thought it felt unique and more along the veins of what I expect a good horror book to offer than many other YA horror titles I've read. That said, it's definitely not anything mind-blowing, and if you aren't a horror fan already, this might not be for you.
✘ CONTENT WARNINGS
Parental abuse, violence, ableism, homophobic slurs (which are addressed as problematic).
Thank you to Amulet Books and NetGalley for the ARC! All opinions expressed here are entirely my own.
June 23, 2017
I was lucky enough to read this before it sold and I LOVED it. Hope Cook's writing is gorgeous and the story is one that will hook you and keep you riveted.
June 25, 2017
I would like to thank the publisher and netgalley.com for allowing me to read the ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I actually found this rather difficult to get into but it was worth the perseverance because it became enthralling and compelling. I found the writing quite beautiful and very much hope there will be a sequel to find out what happens to Curtis and Mila and the hold Gravenhearst has over them both. My only issue with the book as I received it is that I don't feel that the illustrations add anything worthwhile to it. Nevertheless I have no hesitation in recommending highly.
I actually found this rather difficult to get into but it was worth the perseverance because it became enthralling and compelling. I found the writing quite beautiful and very much hope there will be a sequel to find out what happens to Curtis and Mila and the hold Gravenhearst has over them both. My only issue with the book as I received it is that I don't feel that the illustrations add anything worthwhile to it. Nevertheless I have no hesitation in recommending highly.
August 10, 2017
House of Ash was a difficult one for me to review. On one hand I loved the idea behind it and the gothic atmosphere, but on the other I felt that the delivery of that fell a little flat.
The story switches POV's between Curtis in the current day who begins hearing voices at the site of a gothic mansion that burned down long ago, and Mila who is trapped in the house back in 1894.
I preferred Mila's chapters because they were filled with the paranormal elements of the story and this was also where the majority of the horror themes surfaced. Curtis's story was a little more bland, he's struggling to look after his sister while their father is dealing with a mental illness. Very little information is given about his father's illness and I don't feel that he's cared for very well in the story at all. I appreciate that Curtis wants to keep his father out of hospital so that his sister isn't taken into care, but he is still cruel and sometimes violent towards his father during his 'attacks'. I found this quite uncomfortable to read and think other readers may do also.
We are introduced to Curtis's only friend, Ari, early on in the story and I really liked him. Finally there was a character with flair and personality. Their friendship seemed genuine and Curtis tells us about how Ari has always been loyal to him - so you can imagine my surprise when his friend makes a very shocking choice at one point of the story. If you read this, you'll know which bit I mean. He does recover from his betrayal near the end but it'd massively taken the sheen off his character for me and I felt like Curtis forgave him too easily.
This book lost a whole star from me because it includes one of my most hated YA tropes - insta-love. And there is a serious case of this here. Curtis has only seen a picture of Mila and then a small momentary glance of her image in a mirror and yet somehow he's mad for her. Mila is no better, a glimpse of him and a few steamy dreams and she's head over heels too. They meet and moments later are kissing. I mean come on. They know literally nothing about each other. She didn't even know his name! Honestly this was such a shocking case of insta-love that it completely ruined my enjoyment of the latter part of the book.
In terms of the ending, it felt a bit rushed and left a lot of things unanswered. The fate of the house is left a little open and vague, and so is the fate of Curtis, his sister and Mila. There is no conclusion to their father's illness, he doesn't seem to receive any further care, in fact I'm not even sure what his fate was at the end of the book.
Generally this book was a mixed bag. Some parts I really enjoyed and others I didn't. The gothic horror tones are excellent and Hope Cook's writing was beautiful and easy to read, but a lot of issues are touched on in the story that are handled poorly or left unresolved.
The story switches POV's between Curtis in the current day who begins hearing voices at the site of a gothic mansion that burned down long ago, and Mila who is trapped in the house back in 1894.
I preferred Mila's chapters because they were filled with the paranormal elements of the story and this was also where the majority of the horror themes surfaced. Curtis's story was a little more bland, he's struggling to look after his sister while their father is dealing with a mental illness. Very little information is given about his father's illness and I don't feel that he's cared for very well in the story at all. I appreciate that Curtis wants to keep his father out of hospital so that his sister isn't taken into care, but he is still cruel and sometimes violent towards his father during his 'attacks'. I found this quite uncomfortable to read and think other readers may do also.
We are introduced to Curtis's only friend, Ari, early on in the story and I really liked him. Finally there was a character with flair and personality. Their friendship seemed genuine and Curtis tells us about how Ari has always been loyal to him - so you can imagine my surprise when his friend makes a very shocking choice at one point of the story. If you read this, you'll know which bit I mean. He does recover from his betrayal near the end but it'd massively taken the sheen off his character for me and I felt like Curtis forgave him too easily.
This book lost a whole star from me because it includes one of my most hated YA tropes - insta-love. And there is a serious case of this here. Curtis has only seen a picture of Mila and then a small momentary glance of her image in a mirror and yet somehow he's mad for her. Mila is no better, a glimpse of him and a few steamy dreams and she's head over heels too. They meet and moments later are kissing. I mean come on. They know literally nothing about each other. She didn't even know his name! Honestly this was such a shocking case of insta-love that it completely ruined my enjoyment of the latter part of the book.
In terms of the ending, it felt a bit rushed and left a lot of things unanswered. The fate of the house is left a little open and vague, and so is the fate of Curtis, his sister and Mila. There is no conclusion to their father's illness, he doesn't seem to receive any further care, in fact I'm not even sure what his fate was at the end of the book.
Generally this book was a mixed bag. Some parts I really enjoyed and others I didn't. The gothic horror tones are excellent and Hope Cook's writing was beautiful and easy to read, but a lot of issues are touched on in the story that are handled poorly or left unresolved.
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January 24, 2018I HATE the writing. DNFing this on like page ten. Nope, nope, nope.
July 6, 2017
I came across Cook’s debut book and it had such a curious premise I found myself wanting to know more. Then I discovered she used her own personal experiences as fodder for her book so it increased my desire to read it because I have found books where the author has poured something of their own life into them seem to be far more interesting.
Cook has a great way of writing vividly so you become hooked into this journey she has created into her world. The novel starts off a little rough but if you just stay with it you will become enthralled with what she has built and who she has fashioned as it picks up very quickly.
I thought she did a great job balancing a story set in two different time periods and with 2 sets of different characters whose stories seem like they need to converge at some point. I liked the Supernatural elements and she balanced issues of mental illness well. Her two main characters are developed very well but any of the other ones came across as very one dimensional but they aren’t important enough for this to take away from the overall story.
I mostly liked the book but the ending felt weak and not everything was answered so I’m not sure if the author is planning to write a sequel and that’s why the conclusion kind of falls off without filling in the holes?
Cook has a great way of writing vividly so you become hooked into this journey she has created into her world. The novel starts off a little rough but if you just stay with it you will become enthralled with what she has built and who she has fashioned as it picks up very quickly.
I thought she did a great job balancing a story set in two different time periods and with 2 sets of different characters whose stories seem like they need to converge at some point. I liked the Supernatural elements and she balanced issues of mental illness well. Her two main characters are developed very well but any of the other ones came across as very one dimensional but they aren’t important enough for this to take away from the overall story.
I mostly liked the book but the ending felt weak and not everything was answered so I’m not sure if the author is planning to write a sequel and that’s why the conclusion kind of falls off without filling in the holes?
August 18, 2017
Probably more like three and a half stars.
I was so hyped to read it, but I wasn't too happy with it in the end.
I really wished there could have been more elaboration on the backstory of Gravenhearst, the 'House of Ash' and the curse put upon it, as it was presented kind of like: "Magic house. Deal with it." On the same thread, I really wished we knew more about the labyrinth and who the founder of Gravenhearst really was.
THE PLOT
The most interesting thing about the plot was the fact that while we have two POVs, one is set over 200 years back. This is Mila, and her and her sister feel very important to the plot, even though we know what will happen to them. Other than that, the plot is mostly a typical YA fantasy: troubled main character and his sidekick with the perfect life who can’t possibly understand him uncover secrets about their town and find the haunted house, saving the girl.
Why did Mila and Curtis have to end up together? This takes the Insta-love aspect to a whole new level - Curtis fell in love with a picture of Mila. Like, what? And when Curtis fell in love with that picture, he had no idea that Mila could actually exist in his own time...
THE PROTAGONIST(S)
Mila was by far my favourite character in the book. She is bold, daring and smart. I liked seeing her develop and find out the secrets of Gravenhearst. However, her nature is kind of similar to Curtis’ in the sense that they both try to hard to get through a struggle. I feel she could have had a bit more of the sweet we saw when she was protecting her sister. Though Curtis had a lot more narrating time, I wish we could have spent more time with Mila.
Curtis was kind of the typical boy who was overcome by the stress and pressure of a dad to his sister and a caregiver to his dad, all while hearing voices in his head. His character was (in a sense) okay to have in the book, but slowed it a bit down, and the dramatic irony in the book was not needed. However, overall, I enjoyed his character development and some parts of his story. His narration tended to drag on, though, and I think it would be good if some of his chapters were given to him.
THE ROMANCE
I liked the romance in the book. The two main protagonists matched each other well, and it fitted the story nicely. However, it was SUPER forced at times! It was very predictable - even from reading the back you could tell there was bound to be romance between the two characters. The rush into romance was unexpected and the insta-love was super annoying - Curtis fell in love with a 200 year old photo that appeared in his dreams? (see above).
THE SIDE CHARACTERS
The side characters were pretty developed. I really liked how Curtis’s friend Avi was always there for him, that was a really empowering character. Sage was a nice character to have in the book, but she was not needed, as she does not contribute to much in the book. She’s more of an idea that Curtis needs to protect and one of his conflicts than an actual, developed character.
IN CONCLUSION
Reread value: 5/10
Unique points: 6/10 Curtis was like a lot of characters I have seen before, and his storyline was similar. However, Mila’s story is pretty unique and I liked her and her sister’s journey through the house. Having two different timelines was also pretty unique.
Diversity: 7/10 I feel like there could have been more characters with different races apart from Zahra, but the author did incorporate LGBTQ+ characters in the book. Note, however, that while there was mental illness representation, it, along with some LGBTQ+, was represented in a very negative light, and the main conflict with Curtis’ character was not wanting to have that mental illness.
I was so hyped to read it, but I wasn't too happy with it in the end.
I really wished there could have been more elaboration on the backstory of Gravenhearst, the 'House of Ash' and the curse put upon it, as it was presented kind of like: "Magic house. Deal with it." On the same thread, I really wished we knew more about the labyrinth and who the founder of Gravenhearst really was.
THE PLOT
The most interesting thing about the plot was the fact that while we have two POVs, one is set over 200 years back. This is Mila, and her and her sister feel very important to the plot, even though we know what will happen to them. Other than that, the plot is mostly a typical YA fantasy: troubled main character and his sidekick with the perfect life who can’t possibly understand him uncover secrets about their town and find the haunted house, saving the girl.
Why did Mila and Curtis have to end up together? This takes the Insta-love aspect to a whole new level - Curtis fell in love with a picture of Mila. Like, what? And when Curtis fell in love with that picture, he had no idea that Mila could actually exist in his own time...
THE PROTAGONIST(S)
Mila was by far my favourite character in the book. She is bold, daring and smart. I liked seeing her develop and find out the secrets of Gravenhearst. However, her nature is kind of similar to Curtis’ in the sense that they both try to hard to get through a struggle. I feel she could have had a bit more of the sweet we saw when she was protecting her sister. Though Curtis had a lot more narrating time, I wish we could have spent more time with Mila.
Curtis was kind of the typical boy who was overcome by the stress and pressure of a dad to his sister and a caregiver to his dad, all while hearing voices in his head. His character was (in a sense) okay to have in the book, but slowed it a bit down, and the dramatic irony in the book was not needed. However, overall, I enjoyed his character development and some parts of his story. His narration tended to drag on, though, and I think it would be good if some of his chapters were given to him.
THE ROMANCE
I liked the romance in the book. The two main protagonists matched each other well, and it fitted the story nicely. However, it was SUPER forced at times! It was very predictable - even from reading the back you could tell there was bound to be romance between the two characters. The rush into romance was unexpected and the insta-love was super annoying - Curtis fell in love with a 200 year old photo that appeared in his dreams? (see above).
THE SIDE CHARACTERS
The side characters were pretty developed. I really liked how Curtis’s friend Avi was always there for him, that was a really empowering character. Sage was a nice character to have in the book, but she was not needed, as she does not contribute to much in the book. She’s more of an idea that Curtis needs to protect and one of his conflicts than an actual, developed character.
IN CONCLUSION
Reread value: 5/10
Unique points: 6/10 Curtis was like a lot of characters I have seen before, and his storyline was similar. However, Mila’s story is pretty unique and I liked her and her sister’s journey through the house. Having two different timelines was also pretty unique.
Diversity: 7/10 I feel like there could have been more characters with different races apart from Zahra, but the author did incorporate LGBTQ+ characters in the book. Note, however, that while there was mental illness representation, it, along with some LGBTQ+, was represented in a very negative light, and the main conflict with Curtis’ character was not wanting to have that mental illness.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 3, 2018
Rating: 3/5
Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal
Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, ableism, homophobic slurs, abuse)
Pages: 308
Author: Hope Cook
Amazon
#partner: I received a free copy of this book from KidLitExchange in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
I’ve been looking for a good horror book for awhile and when I saw this book pop up on the KidLitExchange page, I wanted to give it a go. The book is a duel perspective novel that jumps between two time periods as well. We have Curtis who lives in modern day and is living with a mentally ill father and is worried he has inherited his father’s mental illness when he hears voices in the woods. His search for answers leads him to a mansion that burns down in 1894. In 1894, we have are given the perspective of Mila, who becomes victim to her evil step father when her mother mysteriously vanishes. She and her sister are desperate for escape before they fall prey to whatever lies in wait for them. I found that the writing style of this book, while I didn’t enjoy it, really suited the eerie and creepy nature of this story. I also thought that the plot was overall intriguing. This would be the perfect book for Halloween of 2018 for anyone who enjoys spooky reads.
However, I didn’t like the main characters at all. I think they fell flat in this book and that they didn’t really have a lot of development. I felt that there were also a ton of loose endings and that the ending didn’t really fit into the story that well. The book also had a ton of problematic elements to it and plot holes. One of my severe dislikes of this book was how mental illness was shown. The father in this book has some severe mental illness and he wanders around at night with a gun and aims it at his head. The father is also very violent and very scary. This does not do anything to destigmatize mental health and could harm it even further by pushing those who do struggle with mental illness into the dark more-so than some are now. The book also had some homophobic slurs, but it was addressed in the book. The book was also very slow paced. One of my other main problems in this book is a complaint I have for a lot of books where the parents are unfit to care for the children, but the children stick with it because they don’t want to be separated. Children who are taken as wards of the state or into foster care don’t normally get instantly separated unless there have been issues between the siblings that would warrant that, such as abuse of any kind between the siblings. The foster care systems generally try to keep siblings together and if that cannot happen then the siblings are usually put in nearby foster homes and sibling visitations are scheduled so the siblings can still maintain a bond. The social care workers also work diligently to find homes that can care for both kids in cases of adoption. No one wants to split up families and I’m really upset that the stigma is still around. This stigma keeps kids from crying for help because of the fear of not seeing their siblings anymore.
Verdict: If you’re looking for a good horror story for October 2018, this is your book. The book was full of chills and thrills and the plot was intriguing. However, there are some problematic elements in this book that you need to be aware of.
Genre: YA Horror/Paranormal
Recommended Age: 15+ (violence, ableism, homophobic slurs, abuse)
Pages: 308
Author: Hope Cook
Amazon
#partner: I received a free copy of this book from KidLitExchange in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks! All opinions are my own.
I’ve been looking for a good horror book for awhile and when I saw this book pop up on the KidLitExchange page, I wanted to give it a go. The book is a duel perspective novel that jumps between two time periods as well. We have Curtis who lives in modern day and is living with a mentally ill father and is worried he has inherited his father’s mental illness when he hears voices in the woods. His search for answers leads him to a mansion that burns down in 1894. In 1894, we have are given the perspective of Mila, who becomes victim to her evil step father when her mother mysteriously vanishes. She and her sister are desperate for escape before they fall prey to whatever lies in wait for them. I found that the writing style of this book, while I didn’t enjoy it, really suited the eerie and creepy nature of this story. I also thought that the plot was overall intriguing. This would be the perfect book for Halloween of 2018 for anyone who enjoys spooky reads.
However, I didn’t like the main characters at all. I think they fell flat in this book and that they didn’t really have a lot of development. I felt that there were also a ton of loose endings and that the ending didn’t really fit into the story that well. The book also had a ton of problematic elements to it and plot holes. One of my severe dislikes of this book was how mental illness was shown. The father in this book has some severe mental illness and he wanders around at night with a gun and aims it at his head. The father is also very violent and very scary. This does not do anything to destigmatize mental health and could harm it even further by pushing those who do struggle with mental illness into the dark more-so than some are now. The book also had some homophobic slurs, but it was addressed in the book. The book was also very slow paced. One of my other main problems in this book is a complaint I have for a lot of books where the parents are unfit to care for the children, but the children stick with it because they don’t want to be separated. Children who are taken as wards of the state or into foster care don’t normally get instantly separated unless there have been issues between the siblings that would warrant that, such as abuse of any kind between the siblings. The foster care systems generally try to keep siblings together and if that cannot happen then the siblings are usually put in nearby foster homes and sibling visitations are scheduled so the siblings can still maintain a bond. The social care workers also work diligently to find homes that can care for both kids in cases of adoption. No one wants to split up families and I’m really upset that the stigma is still around. This stigma keeps kids from crying for help because of the fear of not seeing their siblings anymore.
Verdict: If you’re looking for a good horror story for October 2018, this is your book. The book was full of chills and thrills and the plot was intriguing. However, there are some problematic elements in this book that you need to be aware of.
August 23, 2017
Number of pages: 320
Number of times read (including the time before this review): 1
Rating (out of five stars): 4
Release Date: September 26th 2017
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher (Amulet/ABRAMS Kids) for providing a copy in exchange for a review. My opinions are honest and my own.
I really enjoyed House of Ash. I had a few problems with it, but I will probably end up purchasing it when it comes out, which I would not do if I didn’t like it.
House of Ash sounded perfect for me. It’s a YA paranormal fantasy with historical elements, and it shows a character dealing with a mental illness (more on this later). It was surprisingly gripping after the first few chapters. I would read ARCs on the bus on the way to school, and I-almost-missed-my-bus-stop-reading levels of gripping were experienced. I even had tears well up on occasion, which is pretty rare for me.
I really wish the side characters had been more developed. I want to know more about Sage and Avi and their relationship with Curtis. I also want to know more about what Curtis’ dad was like before he became seriously ill. Mila and Curtis are great, but I want more of the other characters.
On the subject of Curtis and Mila, the romance felt a little under-developed, but I can still see where it came from. They are both broken people who found each other and are determined to save the people they care for, including each other, despite living in different centuries. I get it, and I get that it’s hard to develop a romance across centuries, so it makes perfect sense the way it is, but having personally read a lot of YA books I want a little more development.
House of Ash is set in the fictional town of Willowhaven, Ontario. Living in southwestern Ontario, I always find it interesting when authors chose to set things here. I’m not sure if there are any towns like it in Ontario, so I’m curious as to what inspired the author, but I can kind of picture a run down, but once beautiful town here.
Let’s talk about Curtis’ mental illness. Before we get into this, I am not an expert on mental illness. I do struggle with depression and undiagnosed social anxiety, but I do not struggle with what Curtis and his father do.
The longer I’ve taken to write this review, the more I have accepted Curtis’ dad’s mental illness. At first I was worried someone would read House of Ash and think all mentally ill people were violent (Curtis has violent tendencies as well), but then I remembered there are people out there like Curtis’ father. However, I’m still iffy on Curtis’ mental illness. For starters, I’m confused as to if he is actually mentally ill. Because of events too spoilery to share, Curtis appears to not be mentally ill at the end of the book. The whole thing could be some sort of metaphor, but it seems unlikely given that the fantastical elements of the book seem to actually take place, rather than being hallucinations.
On the other hand the fear and defeat Curtis feels towards his mental illness is so raw, real, and accurate it brought tears to my eyes. The powerlessness I feel because of my mental illness(es) is so similar to what Curtis felt, that I can’t help feeling conflicted on whether or not to call this a mental health novel.
Overall, I enjoyed and appreciated House of Ash, but am a bit conflicted on some aspects of it, earning it 4 out of 5 stars.
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
Number of times read (including the time before this review): 1
Rating (out of five stars): 4
Release Date: September 26th 2017
*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher (Amulet/ABRAMS Kids) for providing a copy in exchange for a review. My opinions are honest and my own.
I really enjoyed House of Ash. I had a few problems with it, but I will probably end up purchasing it when it comes out, which I would not do if I didn’t like it.
House of Ash sounded perfect for me. It’s a YA paranormal fantasy with historical elements, and it shows a character dealing with a mental illness (more on this later). It was surprisingly gripping after the first few chapters. I would read ARCs on the bus on the way to school, and I-almost-missed-my-bus-stop-reading levels of gripping were experienced. I even had tears well up on occasion, which is pretty rare for me.
I really wish the side characters had been more developed. I want to know more about Sage and Avi and their relationship with Curtis. I also want to know more about what Curtis’ dad was like before he became seriously ill. Mila and Curtis are great, but I want more of the other characters.
On the subject of Curtis and Mila, the romance felt a little under-developed, but I can still see where it came from. They are both broken people who found each other and are determined to save the people they care for, including each other, despite living in different centuries. I get it, and I get that it’s hard to develop a romance across centuries, so it makes perfect sense the way it is, but having personally read a lot of YA books I want a little more development.
House of Ash is set in the fictional town of Willowhaven, Ontario. Living in southwestern Ontario, I always find it interesting when authors chose to set things here. I’m not sure if there are any towns like it in Ontario, so I’m curious as to what inspired the author, but I can kind of picture a run down, but once beautiful town here.
Let’s talk about Curtis’ mental illness. Before we get into this, I am not an expert on mental illness. I do struggle with depression and undiagnosed social anxiety, but I do not struggle with what Curtis and his father do.
The longer I’ve taken to write this review, the more I have accepted Curtis’ dad’s mental illness. At first I was worried someone would read House of Ash and think all mentally ill people were violent (Curtis has violent tendencies as well), but then I remembered there are people out there like Curtis’ father. However, I’m still iffy on Curtis’ mental illness. For starters, I’m confused as to if he is actually mentally ill. Because of events too spoilery to share, Curtis appears to not be mentally ill at the end of the book. The whole thing could be some sort of metaphor, but it seems unlikely given that the fantastical elements of the book seem to actually take place, rather than being hallucinations.
On the other hand the fear and defeat Curtis feels towards his mental illness is so raw, real, and accurate it brought tears to my eyes. The powerlessness I feel because of my mental illness(es) is so similar to what Curtis felt, that I can’t help feeling conflicted on whether or not to call this a mental health novel.
Overall, I enjoyed and appreciated House of Ash, but am a bit conflicted on some aspects of it, earning it 4 out of 5 stars.
You can read more of my reviews on my blog.
January 16, 2018
I didn’t know exactly what to expect from this book. Was this going to be time-travel-y, horrorish, fantastical? I didn’t know! It definitely turned out to be a mix of all of those. With a whole lot more just thrown in at you.
While I felt Mila was just a tad underdeveloped, I enjoyed her character. For a woman living in the 1800s she was rather scandalous. She rode horses and didn’t like to conform to the typical role of a woman in her time. She was far more advanced in her thinking. She was most definitely not perfect, she had her flaws especially her tendency to run head first into trouble. But she was undeniably brave considering the struggles she went through.
I found Curtis was the bigger focus of the novel. He had a tough life, grieving his dead mother having to protect his younger sister and somehow manage their mentally ill father. It is clear that Curtis did not enjoy his life and would have rather been born in a different family. Now that his own sanity is at risk with the whispers, he finds himself in even more troubles and things get a hell of a lot worse. He was a very complex character. He had his rough side, his tender side, his defeated side and his fighter side. A lot of different faces for different situations.
The time switched in this novel was smooth and did not jumble the story or confuse the reader. The atmosphere was very haunting and ominous which matched perfectly with the creepy living house.
I wish the more sensitive topics like Parental Abuse, Mental Illness and Suicide had been dealt with more meaning instead of being brushed off. I also felt like the ending was very abrupt, but it was a good ending all together.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel, it reminded me of the movie Monster House but set in Victorian and present day Canada! It did keep me on my toes and had some great creepy feelings to go alongside the time travelling mystery. The perfect autumn read!
While I felt Mila was just a tad underdeveloped, I enjoyed her character. For a woman living in the 1800s she was rather scandalous. She rode horses and didn’t like to conform to the typical role of a woman in her time. She was far more advanced in her thinking. She was most definitely not perfect, she had her flaws especially her tendency to run head first into trouble. But she was undeniably brave considering the struggles she went through.
I found Curtis was the bigger focus of the novel. He had a tough life, grieving his dead mother having to protect his younger sister and somehow manage their mentally ill father. It is clear that Curtis did not enjoy his life and would have rather been born in a different family. Now that his own sanity is at risk with the whispers, he finds himself in even more troubles and things get a hell of a lot worse. He was a very complex character. He had his rough side, his tender side, his defeated side and his fighter side. A lot of different faces for different situations.
The time switched in this novel was smooth and did not jumble the story or confuse the reader. The atmosphere was very haunting and ominous which matched perfectly with the creepy living house.
I wish the more sensitive topics like Parental Abuse, Mental Illness and Suicide had been dealt with more meaning instead of being brushed off. I also felt like the ending was very abrupt, but it was a good ending all together.
Overall, I enjoyed this novel, it reminded me of the movie Monster House but set in Victorian and present day Canada! It did keep me on my toes and had some great creepy feelings to go alongside the time travelling mystery. The perfect autumn read!
August 11, 2017
It's an amazing experience to read the book of an author you admire and know. It's even better when the writing is lyrical and beautiful. And even better when it's reminiscent of old Mary Stewart novels you loved as a child that mix mystery, romance, and a very menacing Gothic house.
Well done, Hope!!
Well done, Hope!!
March 29, 2021
When I picked up this book I thought it was kid’s fiction but it turns out it’s Young Adult. I have a suspicion that it was originally classified as kid’s however, based on some information from other reviews. It’s an odd hybrid where it reads like kid’s fiction but then there’s a lot of curse words in it and some of the subject matter would be questionable for a kid’s book. I would put it in YA, for sure, just because of the content but as far as complexity of plot and character, it’s more kid’s fiction level.
The story is about two different teens living in two different time periods. The novel follows Mila, a Victorian era teen who moves with her mother and sister across the ocean to live with her new step father, Andrew Deemus. It also follows Curtis in present day trying to care for his schizophrenic father while also keeping his life together enough that his younger sister won’t be taken away from him. Mila moves into the mansion, Gravenhurst and immediately has major misgivings about the house itself, as well as Andrew Deemus. When her mother suddenly vanishes, Mila must face Andrew Deemus’ true intentions and take drastic measures as Gravenhurst seems to have a mind of its own. Meanwhile, when Curtis starts hearing voices, he thinks he’s going down the same road as his father but when he sees Mila in an old mirror and starts learning more about Gravenhurst, he realizes there’s something else going on.
I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters for the most part. Our main characters are teenagers who act like teenagers, which got annoying sometimes because they’re pretty self-centered. I don’t really fault them for that, they’re going through a lot and it felt realistic but not overdone. There is a good build-up of the creepy atmosphere of the house. The idea of the house being stuck in a time loop was really interesting and I loved how Mila used her wits to figure out a lot of the secrets around her. She was smart and intuitive. Curtis’ experiences were vivid and honestly, a little hard to read sometimes due to the level of domestic violence he deals with in this story. While both characters spend a lot of time forced to be alone in figuring out what to do next, Curtis is definitely the one who made me feel alone alongside him.
I really wish the house was more developed. It’s supposed to be its own character but never quite accomplishes being its own character. Other reviews mentioned wanting more and I have to agree. I didn’t ever understand how the house worked or what it was trying to do or how it was supposed to be controlled or not controlled. I would have loved to learn more about it because it was a super interesting concept. In fact, I’ve read a similar concept in a kids’ fiction book: “Bury Me” by K. R. Alexander. Both “House of Ash” and “Bury Me” focus on an old house as well as the nearby town. However, “Bury Me” definitely pulls it off better. So if you’ve read “House of Ash” and want a little more concept with a little less swearing then check out “Bury Me” because it was pretty good.
“House of Ash” ended on a lot of exposition that came out of nowhere. It didn’t feel like the plot had a coherent direction and had to be wrapped up in a hurry. The characters didn’t always have clear goals, which made the plot feel disconnected at times. I kept wondering how the two time periods would collide but when they did finally come together, I was disappointed by how bland it felt. I didn’t see how the characters changed much in the story or even how they changed/grew as people either.
Overall, “House of Ash” was pretty interesting and it was a fun, quick read. It delivered on creating some good characters and had some good concepts but it felt like the author didn’t know what to do with them at the end. I can’t say I’d highly recommend this book to many people. Due to language and content, I can’t recommend to kids. But due to the incomplete feel of the plot/characters I wouldn’t recommend it to teens/adults either. It exists in a purgatory of category that’s not doing it any favors. I wish the author would have fully committed to either kids or YA because as it stands, I would only recommend it to people who are interested in seeing some cool concepts but don’t expect those concepts to be fully developed.
The story is about two different teens living in two different time periods. The novel follows Mila, a Victorian era teen who moves with her mother and sister across the ocean to live with her new step father, Andrew Deemus. It also follows Curtis in present day trying to care for his schizophrenic father while also keeping his life together enough that his younger sister won’t be taken away from him. Mila moves into the mansion, Gravenhurst and immediately has major misgivings about the house itself, as well as Andrew Deemus. When her mother suddenly vanishes, Mila must face Andrew Deemus’ true intentions and take drastic measures as Gravenhurst seems to have a mind of its own. Meanwhile, when Curtis starts hearing voices, he thinks he’s going down the same road as his father but when he sees Mila in an old mirror and starts learning more about Gravenhurst, he realizes there’s something else going on.
I enjoyed this book. I liked the characters for the most part. Our main characters are teenagers who act like teenagers, which got annoying sometimes because they’re pretty self-centered. I don’t really fault them for that, they’re going through a lot and it felt realistic but not overdone. There is a good build-up of the creepy atmosphere of the house. The idea of the house being stuck in a time loop was really interesting and I loved how Mila used her wits to figure out a lot of the secrets around her. She was smart and intuitive. Curtis’ experiences were vivid and honestly, a little hard to read sometimes due to the level of domestic violence he deals with in this story. While both characters spend a lot of time forced to be alone in figuring out what to do next, Curtis is definitely the one who made me feel alone alongside him.
I really wish the house was more developed. It’s supposed to be its own character but never quite accomplishes being its own character. Other reviews mentioned wanting more and I have to agree. I didn’t ever understand how the house worked or what it was trying to do or how it was supposed to be controlled or not controlled. I would have loved to learn more about it because it was a super interesting concept. In fact, I’ve read a similar concept in a kids’ fiction book: “Bury Me” by K. R. Alexander. Both “House of Ash” and “Bury Me” focus on an old house as well as the nearby town. However, “Bury Me” definitely pulls it off better. So if you’ve read “House of Ash” and want a little more concept with a little less swearing then check out “Bury Me” because it was pretty good.
“House of Ash” ended on a lot of exposition that came out of nowhere. It didn’t feel like the plot had a coherent direction and had to be wrapped up in a hurry. The characters didn’t always have clear goals, which made the plot feel disconnected at times. I kept wondering how the two time periods would collide but when they did finally come together, I was disappointed by how bland it felt. I didn’t see how the characters changed much in the story or even how they changed/grew as people either.
Overall, “House of Ash” was pretty interesting and it was a fun, quick read. It delivered on creating some good characters and had some good concepts but it felt like the author didn’t know what to do with them at the end. I can’t say I’d highly recommend this book to many people. Due to language and content, I can’t recommend to kids. But due to the incomplete feel of the plot/characters I wouldn’t recommend it to teens/adults either. It exists in a purgatory of category that’s not doing it any favors. I wish the author would have fully committed to either kids or YA because as it stands, I would only recommend it to people who are interested in seeing some cool concepts but don’t expect those concepts to be fully developed.
September 20, 2017
I feel the need to give a couple of trigger warnings here for suicidal thoughts and fire.
With that out of the way, I thought this was a solid haunted/possessed house story that is perfect for your upcoming Fall/Halloween reading!
Mila and Curtis are separated by time, but have many things in common. They both have younger sisters that mean the world to them. They both have unreliable parents for various reasons that leave them feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders and having to take on a much more adult role than they should have to. They are both trapped by Gravenhearst, a house with an evil past that has a life of it's own.
I am fascinated by sprawling mansions with hidden pathways and rooms that seem to have their own personality, that seem to watch you and be alive. There is just something about an old house that makes it seem like an entity unto itself, whether thought to be haunted or not, they just have more personality that most of the structures we build today. Maybe that's just a function of time and changes in trend, or maybe it's that the house takes on some characteristics of it's previous owners that make it feel like more than a building. Gravenhearst is certainly a great example of the latter, and had been infused with evil intent by the family that lived there. Like a spider at the center of it's web, the house still exerted it's influence on the town and Curtis, even years later, and destroyed to it's foundations.
Curtis believes he's going crazy, like his father. Mila is fighting for her and her sister's lives. A magical mirror lets them find each other, and recognize a kindred spirit. Helping each other and escaping the grasp of the house is harder. Both have so much working against them it seems that there is no possible way out. Curtis doesn't know who he can trust. Mila knows she can trust no one. It seems like everything goes wrong for them.
This was an exciting and exhausting, escape the house, time traversal story that will keep you on the edge of your seat while hoping for Mila and Curtis to get a happy ending!
As a side note, for those interested in older houses, here are a few I have visited that may help you imagine the scene! All three are open to the public as museums.
The Piatt Castles in Logan County, Ohio - http://www.piattcastles.org/Home.html
Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs, Colorado - http://www.miramontcastle.org/
With that out of the way, I thought this was a solid haunted/possessed house story that is perfect for your upcoming Fall/Halloween reading!
Mila and Curtis are separated by time, but have many things in common. They both have younger sisters that mean the world to them. They both have unreliable parents for various reasons that leave them feeling the weight of the world on their shoulders and having to take on a much more adult role than they should have to. They are both trapped by Gravenhearst, a house with an evil past that has a life of it's own.
I am fascinated by sprawling mansions with hidden pathways and rooms that seem to have their own personality, that seem to watch you and be alive. There is just something about an old house that makes it seem like an entity unto itself, whether thought to be haunted or not, they just have more personality that most of the structures we build today. Maybe that's just a function of time and changes in trend, or maybe it's that the house takes on some characteristics of it's previous owners that make it feel like more than a building. Gravenhearst is certainly a great example of the latter, and had been infused with evil intent by the family that lived there. Like a spider at the center of it's web, the house still exerted it's influence on the town and Curtis, even years later, and destroyed to it's foundations.
Curtis believes he's going crazy, like his father. Mila is fighting for her and her sister's lives. A magical mirror lets them find each other, and recognize a kindred spirit. Helping each other and escaping the grasp of the house is harder. Both have so much working against them it seems that there is no possible way out. Curtis doesn't know who he can trust. Mila knows she can trust no one. It seems like everything goes wrong for them.
This was an exciting and exhausting, escape the house, time traversal story that will keep you on the edge of your seat while hoping for Mila and Curtis to get a happy ending!
As a side note, for those interested in older houses, here are a few I have visited that may help you imagine the scene! All three are open to the public as museums.
The Piatt Castles in Logan County, Ohio - http://www.piattcastles.org/Home.html
Miramont Castle in Manitou Springs, Colorado - http://www.miramontcastle.org/
August 27, 2017
In 1894 seventeen-year-old Mila Kenton is certain that her mother's decision to wed Andrew Deemus and move to Gravenhearst, a large mansion in Canada, is not a wise move. But her mother refuses to listen to her daughter, still stinging from the scandal associated with her first husband. Fans of Gothic novels will not be surprised to learn that Mila's instincts are right, and before readers have a chance to get to know Ada, Mila's mother, she and Mila's little sister Wynn have disappeared. Deemus is wealthy and influential, and his family has a stranglehold on the town. Mila quickly learns just how hungry the house is and how desperate for power Deemus is. As she struggles to survive and outwit Deemus, she sees seventeen-year-old Curtis through a special mirror. Curtis's life has not been a bed of roses either. He's worried about the mental health of his father and takes care of his younger sister, Sage, but he fears that he's losing his mind as he hears voices. Once he actually sees Mila, he's not sure what's wrong with him, but he knows he must help her. For fans of atmospheric stories, this is a good choice. I felt a bit frustrated because characters would be introduced and disappear all too quickly. While I can understand that decision due to the plot, it didn't allow me to care too much about their fates. And man! Academics certainly do not come across in a flattering light in this book. It will be interesting to see how well Mila adjusts to life in 2017.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
October 31, 2017
Summary provided by the publisher:
After hearing voices among an eerie copse of trees in the woods, seventeen-year-old Curtis must confront his worst fear: that he has inherited his father’s mental illness. A desperate search for answers leads him to discover Gravenhearst, a labyrinth mansion that burned down in 1894. When he locks eyes with a steely Victorian girl in a forgotten mirror, he’s sure she’s one of the fire’s victims. If he can unravel the mystery, he can save his sanity . . . and possibly the girl who haunts his dreams.
But more than 100 years in the past, the girl in the mirror is fighting her own battles. When her mother disappears and her sinister stepfather reveals his true intentions, Mila and her sister fight to escape Gravenhearst and unravel the house’s secrets—before it devours them both.
-------------------------
For whatever reason, I hate the word 'copse'. There's no real reason why I should hate word, but I do, so that didn't help when reading a book that keeps identifying a 'copse' of trees as the place where strange things begin to happen to one of our MCs, Curtis. The word just kept being used, and I kept cringing whenever it'd pop up on the page. I really do not like the word copse.
Why don't I move on from that...
House of Ash is one of those books that you can't help but feel like you've heard the story before, maybe not in this exact sense, but in some form or other. For instance, the idea of a boy and girl, both on opposite sides of time, who happen to see each other in some way (a mirror, in this book), fall for each other, and feel the need to save one or the other. Then, there's the very real potential that one may be actually suffering from a mental illness, imagining things, because a parent of said one may be suffering themselves. Oh, and did I mention that there's an evil house? A house that listens, and must be stopped at all costs?
Yup, same ol', same ol'.
Even though the author's bio says she has drawn from her personal experience with mental illness, I don't feel like this book was meant to really address what mental illness really does to people. If it was, then I didn't quite get that from this book. Curtis' father is mentally ill, and his illness seems to only exist to explain why Curtis might be suddenly hearing things like voices, and to possibly explain why his home life is so rough, leading to his having some extreme behavior in a variety of circumstances in this book. Yeah, so if you're looking to really read up on mental illness, this is not the book for that.
Moving on from the very real problems that mental illness can invoke, we should now talk about the supernatural aspect of this book. The girl in the mirror. Is she real, or is she a figment of Curtis' imagination? This is where the supernatural part comes into play. Curtis is seeing the image of a girl who was very real, but how? Especially since we know that the girl, Mila, perished in 1894 in a fire that descimated a very large estate to the ground, along with anyone else who may have been in the home. So we have a ghosty mirror, along with a ghosty girl, and therefore we have ghosty-ness, though it all plays out to be on the bland side. I mean, Mila's step-father is supposed to be a large reason behind why things ended up the way they did when it comes to her death and the fire, but honestly, he is such an absent villain. It's like he appears at times, goes BOO!, then heads off to wait till the next time he'll come around again to instill some sort of fear into Mila. His villainy is pretty boring, and the explanation for why he does the things he does is also pretty boring.
I feel like I should also mention the characters in regards to what I thought of them in general. Starting with Curtis, I'll say that he is a very angry person, as well as someone who's very torn as to address issues with others. He doesn't want to confide in his best friend, and being that there's no one else for him to do so to, he's pretty much screwed. So, yeah, this just leads to him being angry all the time. He finds some drive in his research of Mila and the burned down estate of Gravenhearst, but even then, he's mediocre at research, so his best friend has to help him, but still, he'd rather not confide in the guy, humph. Now that I've given you a sort of condensed description of him, I'll say that I find Curtis to be boring/annoying. Seriously, one day he happens to come across a clearing of strange trees, hears weird voices, and that's how this book comes about. Not sure if there was absolutely no chance that he wouldn't have come upon said clearing anytime before in his life, but now is the time for everything to happen, it would seem. Okay, so even if I were to accept that and move on, I still can't stand Curtis' personality in general. He just seemed kind of douchey to me, and I'm not a fan of such people.
Now for Mila. Mila's account begins with her journey/arrival to Gravenhearst, originally with her mother and sister, as well. Yadda, yadda, her mom disappears, then her sister, and now Mila is left to figure out what her step-father, and the evil house, wants from her. Mila isn't awful, and I found her to be more tolerable than her male counterpart, but that doesn't really mean anything if you dislike the guy so much, so I'll leave it at that.
Finally, when it comes to the way this book ended?? It wasn't awful, it just wasn't really that entertaining. There are no cliffhangers, so the end is the end, but maybe this book could have benefited from a horror movie-style ending? Shrug, we'll never know.
I gave this book two stars because as much as I didn't really care for it, I felt it was readable, and it didn't take me too long to read, so that's definitely a plus in my book. Being that I didn't really care for this book, I won't be personally recommending it.
Thank you to Amulet Books, via Netgalley, for giving me this copy in exchange for an honest review.
After hearing voices among an eerie copse of trees in the woods, seventeen-year-old Curtis must confront his worst fear: that he has inherited his father’s mental illness. A desperate search for answers leads him to discover Gravenhearst, a labyrinth mansion that burned down in 1894. When he locks eyes with a steely Victorian girl in a forgotten mirror, he’s sure she’s one of the fire’s victims. If he can unravel the mystery, he can save his sanity . . . and possibly the girl who haunts his dreams.
But more than 100 years in the past, the girl in the mirror is fighting her own battles. When her mother disappears and her sinister stepfather reveals his true intentions, Mila and her sister fight to escape Gravenhearst and unravel the house’s secrets—before it devours them both.
-------------------------
For whatever reason, I hate the word 'copse'. There's no real reason why I should hate word, but I do, so that didn't help when reading a book that keeps identifying a 'copse' of trees as the place where strange things begin to happen to one of our MCs, Curtis. The word just kept being used, and I kept cringing whenever it'd pop up on the page. I really do not like the word copse.
Why don't I move on from that...
House of Ash is one of those books that you can't help but feel like you've heard the story before, maybe not in this exact sense, but in some form or other. For instance, the idea of a boy and girl, both on opposite sides of time, who happen to see each other in some way (a mirror, in this book), fall for each other, and feel the need to save one or the other. Then, there's the very real potential that one may be actually suffering from a mental illness, imagining things, because a parent of said one may be suffering themselves. Oh, and did I mention that there's an evil house? A house that listens, and must be stopped at all costs?
Yup, same ol', same ol'.
Even though the author's bio says she has drawn from her personal experience with mental illness, I don't feel like this book was meant to really address what mental illness really does to people. If it was, then I didn't quite get that from this book. Curtis' father is mentally ill, and his illness seems to only exist to explain why Curtis might be suddenly hearing things like voices, and to possibly explain why his home life is so rough, leading to his having some extreme behavior in a variety of circumstances in this book. Yeah, so if you're looking to really read up on mental illness, this is not the book for that.
Moving on from the very real problems that mental illness can invoke, we should now talk about the supernatural aspect of this book. The girl in the mirror. Is she real, or is she a figment of Curtis' imagination? This is where the supernatural part comes into play. Curtis is seeing the image of a girl who was very real, but how? Especially since we know that the girl, Mila, perished in 1894 in a fire that descimated a very large estate to the ground, along with anyone else who may have been in the home. So we have a ghosty mirror, along with a ghosty girl, and therefore we have ghosty-ness, though it all plays out to be on the bland side. I mean, Mila's step-father is supposed to be a large reason behind why things ended up the way they did when it comes to her death and the fire, but honestly, he is such an absent villain. It's like he appears at times, goes BOO!, then heads off to wait till the next time he'll come around again to instill some sort of fear into Mila. His villainy is pretty boring, and the explanation for why he does the things he does is also pretty boring.
I feel like I should also mention the characters in regards to what I thought of them in general. Starting with Curtis, I'll say that he is a very angry person, as well as someone who's very torn as to address issues with others. He doesn't want to confide in his best friend, and being that there's no one else for him to do so to, he's pretty much screwed. So, yeah, this just leads to him being angry all the time. He finds some drive in his research of Mila and the burned down estate of Gravenhearst, but even then, he's mediocre at research, so his best friend has to help him, but still, he'd rather not confide in the guy, humph. Now that I've given you a sort of condensed description of him, I'll say that I find Curtis to be boring/annoying. Seriously, one day he happens to come across a clearing of strange trees, hears weird voices, and that's how this book comes about. Not sure if there was absolutely no chance that he wouldn't have come upon said clearing anytime before in his life, but now is the time for everything to happen, it would seem. Okay, so even if I were to accept that and move on, I still can't stand Curtis' personality in general. He just seemed kind of douchey to me, and I'm not a fan of such people.
Now for Mila. Mila's account begins with her journey/arrival to Gravenhearst, originally with her mother and sister, as well. Yadda, yadda, her mom disappears, then her sister, and now Mila is left to figure out what her step-father, and the evil house, wants from her. Mila isn't awful, and I found her to be more tolerable than her male counterpart, but that doesn't really mean anything if you dislike the guy so much, so I'll leave it at that.
Finally, when it comes to the way this book ended?? It wasn't awful, it just wasn't really that entertaining. There are no cliffhangers, so the end is the end, but maybe this book could have benefited from a horror movie-style ending? Shrug, we'll never know.
I gave this book two stars because as much as I didn't really care for it, I felt it was readable, and it didn't take me too long to read, so that's definitely a plus in my book. Being that I didn't really care for this book, I won't be personally recommending it.
Thank you to Amulet Books, via Netgalley, for giving me this copy in exchange for an honest review.
June 27, 2017
I wasn't expecting much when I started reading this book, mainly because I have never heard of the author or book but the premise sounded very interesting. It gave me a Dawn Kurtagich kind of vibe, so I figured if anything it would be enjoyable. I was pleasantly surprised that the book had me hooked basically at the very beginning.
This book is told in two POV's Mila back in the 1890's and Curtis from present day. I wasn't sure how the two POV's will be connected or if they will in any way, but I really liked how the author utilized them. I personally liked Milas' part of the story a whole lot more, mainly because that was the part that most of the supernatural stuff was happening. Curtis' POV was more him trying not to let people think he was beginning to have a mental illness like his father. The way that the author started to weave their two stories together though was very interesting and made the story more enjoyable.
The authors writing style reminded me a little bit of Dawn Kurtagich's style, especially when the story centered around Mila and the supernatural. It was a little bit gothic in the sense that the author made the setting seem super dark and creepy when the story was being centered around Gravenhearst. The author also included illustrations at the end of some chapters. They weren't needed but they helped add a little extra to what you were currently reading. Especially when it dealt with anything about Mila and Gravenhearst.
Character wise the only ones that stood out were Mila and Curtis. The supporting characters, while they played a big role in helping the plot advance, didn't seem to be as fleshed out as the two main ones. Some of the characters seemed to just be placed in the scene for convenience than an actual purpose. Overall, it didn't bother me too much because I liked the plot and how quickly it was advancing.
I enjoyed this book overall, but I wish that it had a stronger ending. It seemed as if the big climax happened and then everything was kind of loosely tied up in the end. My biggest question is what is going to happen to Curtis and his sister now? I have some other questions, but I don't want to say anything because that would spoil some major parts of the book.
This eArc was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book is told in two POV's Mila back in the 1890's and Curtis from present day. I wasn't sure how the two POV's will be connected or if they will in any way, but I really liked how the author utilized them. I personally liked Milas' part of the story a whole lot more, mainly because that was the part that most of the supernatural stuff was happening. Curtis' POV was more him trying not to let people think he was beginning to have a mental illness like his father. The way that the author started to weave their two stories together though was very interesting and made the story more enjoyable.
The authors writing style reminded me a little bit of Dawn Kurtagich's style, especially when the story centered around Mila and the supernatural. It was a little bit gothic in the sense that the author made the setting seem super dark and creepy when the story was being centered around Gravenhearst. The author also included illustrations at the end of some chapters. They weren't needed but they helped add a little extra to what you were currently reading. Especially when it dealt with anything about Mila and Gravenhearst.
Character wise the only ones that stood out were Mila and Curtis. The supporting characters, while they played a big role in helping the plot advance, didn't seem to be as fleshed out as the two main ones. Some of the characters seemed to just be placed in the scene for convenience than an actual purpose. Overall, it didn't bother me too much because I liked the plot and how quickly it was advancing.
I enjoyed this book overall, but I wish that it had a stronger ending. It seemed as if the big climax happened and then everything was kind of loosely tied up in the end. My biggest question is what is going to happen to Curtis and his sister now? I have some other questions, but I don't want to say anything because that would spoil some major parts of the book.
This eArc was provided by NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
May 18, 2021
Well paced with a fun plotline. Descriptive passages are exquisite. Deliciously spooky with fun, well-drawn characters.
There are a few issues with historical accuracy, primarily with the Victorian girl's attitude toward her corsets. Corsets were designed by women for women, and they are supposed to be comfortable and supportive when designed and worn properly. The notion that they are suffocating, restrictive, oppressive garments is a modern one, except among those in the fields of historical costuming or modern corsetry who know their history and his to wear them. The main character frequently thinks about her own corsets with a modern resentment, which, considering everything else the character endures in the book, feels as strange as the idea of a modern woman thinking about how restrictive her bra is while running from a monster.
Apologies for the corset rant. This book was so engaging I couldn't put it down. It checked all the gothic boxes for me.
There are a few issues with historical accuracy, primarily with the Victorian girl's attitude toward her corsets. Corsets were designed by women for women, and they are supposed to be comfortable and supportive when designed and worn properly. The notion that they are suffocating, restrictive, oppressive garments is a modern one, except among those in the fields of historical costuming or modern corsetry who know their history and his to wear them. The main character frequently thinks about her own corsets with a modern resentment, which, considering everything else the character endures in the book, feels as strange as the idea of a modern woman thinking about how restrictive her bra is while running from a monster.
Apologies for the corset rant. This book was so engaging I couldn't put it down. It checked all the gothic boxes for me.
November 27, 2017
The combination of the historical and current points of view and the horrifying haunted house was fantastic. I loved both the main characters, and loved how they were connected across time. It was believable, which is so crucial to me in a story like this. I also really enjoyed the family dynamics, the realistic tension and the anxiety, the mental illness and the way the boy had to deal with it in his family.... Cook sets a high bar with House of Ash. If you love THE FALL you should read this.
September 4, 2017
I'd like to start by saying that this is a fantastic novel. Not only is it smartly stitched together by two different time periods, and a whole cast of unforgettable characters; but it can be emotionally draining depending on who you are and what you've gone through. That's all I will say about the novel as a whole, but I'd like to really review one particular character: Sage. Sage is the supporting character in the drama movie of the year. Sage, 14, stuck with me the entire novel. While all of the characters are great and addictive, Sage was someone that I was itching to get back to. I couldn't wait (for a lack of better words) to see what would happen next to her.
Aside from that, writing and deconstructing topics such as family violence and mental illness is hard to tackle and tough to swallow and Hope Cook does it it so - what seems to be - easily that it's realistic and engaging and altogether terrifying.
Aside from that, writing and deconstructing topics such as family violence and mental illness is hard to tackle and tough to swallow and Hope Cook does it it so - what seems to be - easily that it's realistic and engaging and altogether terrifying.
March 4, 2018
After hearing voices among an eerie copse of trees in the woods, seventeen-year-old Curtis must confront his worst fear: that he has inherited his father’s mental illness. A desperate search for answers leads him to discover Gravenhearst, a labyrinth mansion that burned down in 1894. When he locks eyes with a steely Victorian girl in a forgotten mirror, he’s sure she’s one of the fire’s victims. If he can unravel the mystery, he can save his sanity . . . and possibly the girl who haunts his dreams.
But more than 100 years in the past, the girl in the mirror is fighting her own battles. When her mother disappears and her sinister stepfather reveals his true intentions, Mila and her sister fight to escape Gravenhearst and unravel the house’s secrets—before it devours them both.
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
“The House Won’t Stop Until It’s Fed…”
How can I resist?
The world is so phobic when it concerns mental illness. They think if one character is mentally ill and violent, then the WHOLE WORLD will think ALL people with mental illnesses are the same. That is so ridiculous. There are many disorders of mental illness that involve various degrees of behavior issues, violence is only one of them. With that said, you have a book that has a mental illness element that affects the main Protagonist’s character arc development.
There is also an element about unfit parenting and it never ceases to make me laugh when a reviewer goes on about how upset they are to see these and other dark elements in a book they’ve read and are reviewing. Why did you read it? Why choose a paranormal goth fiction? Goth means dark, or having a dark atmosphere, paranormal means spooky, ghosts, spirits, etc.
I for one love books that challenge my thinking. If something sits wrong with me, I research it. I don’t follow along like a sheep and just accept what is being said because well I just do. And to be honest, the world is not a rosy, sun kissed, rainbow and daffodil paradise. “There be monsters ere, Captain!”
This author actually made the story richly realistic even with unrealistic elements. That takes a lot of talent. By having unsavory elements, the reader is made to question, squirm, feel uncomfortable and formulate an opinion, hopefully their own, about what they’re reading. It’s human nature to question things and this book offers up an abundance of topic material to question.
I absolutely love that about this author’s work. Creepy, unsettling, thought-provoking, disturbing, infuriating, startling, scary, enjoyable, contemplative, thrilling, raw, realistic, unforgettable… do I need to go on?
But more than 100 years in the past, the girl in the mirror is fighting her own battles. When her mother disappears and her sinister stepfather reveals his true intentions, Mila and her sister fight to escape Gravenhearst and unravel the house’s secrets—before it devours them both.
MY THOUGHTS:
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.
“The House Won’t Stop Until It’s Fed…”
How can I resist?
The world is so phobic when it concerns mental illness. They think if one character is mentally ill and violent, then the WHOLE WORLD will think ALL people with mental illnesses are the same. That is so ridiculous. There are many disorders of mental illness that involve various degrees of behavior issues, violence is only one of them. With that said, you have a book that has a mental illness element that affects the main Protagonist’s character arc development.
There is also an element about unfit parenting and it never ceases to make me laugh when a reviewer goes on about how upset they are to see these and other dark elements in a book they’ve read and are reviewing. Why did you read it? Why choose a paranormal goth fiction? Goth means dark, or having a dark atmosphere, paranormal means spooky, ghosts, spirits, etc.
I for one love books that challenge my thinking. If something sits wrong with me, I research it. I don’t follow along like a sheep and just accept what is being said because well I just do. And to be honest, the world is not a rosy, sun kissed, rainbow and daffodil paradise. “There be monsters ere, Captain!”
This author actually made the story richly realistic even with unrealistic elements. That takes a lot of talent. By having unsavory elements, the reader is made to question, squirm, feel uncomfortable and formulate an opinion, hopefully their own, about what they’re reading. It’s human nature to question things and this book offers up an abundance of topic material to question.
I absolutely love that about this author’s work. Creepy, unsettling, thought-provoking, disturbing, infuriating, startling, scary, enjoyable, contemplative, thrilling, raw, realistic, unforgettable… do I need to go on?
September 1, 2017
Loved this book. Crimson Peak meets the Raven Boys, beautiful and haunting!
October 4, 2017
HOUSE OF ASH by Hope Cook is a gothic masterpiece! Get ready for a love that defies death, dark magic, a house that eats people, & a kickass girl who slays evil! I was relishing in the lush prose, the absolutely HAUNTING descriptions, and the sparking hot allure of the two main characters, who are trying desperately to hold their families together, all while battling an evil that wants to devour them alive! Don't miss this book!!!
December 16, 2019
Le titre m'a tout de suite donné envie de découvrir cette histoire ! Puis le résumé annonçant une "rencontre" entre deux époques a titillé ma curiosité. Alors j'ai été très heureuse d'apprendre que j'allais recevoir ce livre dans le cadre de l'opération "Masse Critique" organisée par Babelio, que je remercie ainsi que les éditions Bayard pour l'envoi de ce livre !
Nous faisons donc la connaissance de Mila, jeune femme de la fin du XIXe siècle, vivant un moment difficile. En effet elle s'est vue obliger de quitter son Angleterre natale pour suivre sa mère et son fiancé aux Etats-Unis. Mais à peine arrivée dans la demeure de ce dernier, Mila sent que les murs de cette maison détiennent bien des secrets... qui pourraient mettre en péril la vie de sa mère, sa sœur et la sienne.
Dans le même temps, au XXIe siècle, Curtis vit des moments difficiles. Son père, atteint de folie depuis bien des années, lui fait vivre un enfer, surtout depuis le décès de sa mère ! Du haut de ses 17 ans il a la responsabilité de sa petite sœur et doit gérer les crises de démences régulières de son père qui semble voir et entendre des choses ... Un beau jour, Curtis se met lui aussi à entendre des voix, lui faisant craindre d'être devenu comme son géniteur !
Mais cela pourrait bien être le début d'un échange et d'un voyage dans le temps entre Mila et Curtis... ce qui pourrait dévoiler au grand jour bien des secrets.
Dès le début j'ai été happée par le style d'écriture et par l'histoire. J'ai ressenti une sorte d'aura de mystère qui m'a complètement ensorcelée ! Je ne pouvais pas reposer le livre, je voulais... non, je devais connaitre le fin mot de l'histoire !
Et je dois dire que, même si j'avais deviné certains points, d'autres m'avaient complètement échappée ! Je suis tombée des nues !
J'ai adoré suivre Mila et Curtis, même si j'ai parfois bien angoissé à cause d'eux et même s'ils m'ont fait douter par moments. Je ne me suis pas ennuyée à leurs côtés.
Au début j'ai préféré suivre Mila, le fait que son histoire se déroulait fin XIXe a dû beaucoup jouer. Cela apportait justement ce petit côté mystérieux et angoissant. D'autant plus qu'à cette époque la femme ne devait que être belle, bien élevée et se taire... Du coup son histoire était assez particulière, elle voyait des choses mais ne pouvait rien faire ! Son destin étant entre les mains de son abominable beau-père. Mila était extrêmement touchante de par son histoire dramatique.
J'ai eu un peu plus de mal à accrocher à Curtis. Dès le début on fait la connaissance d'un jeune homme très seule, qui a dû grandir bien trop vite... Et finalement on se demande ce qu'il pourrait lui arriver. Mais dès les premiers événements qui vont bouleverser sa vie, j'ai adoré le suivre ! Et c'était de pire en pire : à chaque fois qu'on pensait avoir trouvé une réponse, de nouvelles informations remettaient tout en question ! Et j'ai adoré ça... J'adore quand on me fait tourner en bourrique dans une histoire !
En revanche je ne saurais dire si la fin m'a plu ou pas... En tout cas elle m'a bien surprise !
Bref ! J'ai passé un moment assez angoissant (enfin pour moi qui suis facilement froussarde c'était angoissant) avec une intrigue très bien ficelée, un voyage entre 2 époques haletant et des personnages très touchants !
Nous faisons donc la connaissance de Mila, jeune femme de la fin du XIXe siècle, vivant un moment difficile. En effet elle s'est vue obliger de quitter son Angleterre natale pour suivre sa mère et son fiancé aux Etats-Unis. Mais à peine arrivée dans la demeure de ce dernier, Mila sent que les murs de cette maison détiennent bien des secrets... qui pourraient mettre en péril la vie de sa mère, sa sœur et la sienne.
Dans le même temps, au XXIe siècle, Curtis vit des moments difficiles. Son père, atteint de folie depuis bien des années, lui fait vivre un enfer, surtout depuis le décès de sa mère ! Du haut de ses 17 ans il a la responsabilité de sa petite sœur et doit gérer les crises de démences régulières de son père qui semble voir et entendre des choses ... Un beau jour, Curtis se met lui aussi à entendre des voix, lui faisant craindre d'être devenu comme son géniteur !
Mais cela pourrait bien être le début d'un échange et d'un voyage dans le temps entre Mila et Curtis... ce qui pourrait dévoiler au grand jour bien des secrets.
Dès le début j'ai été happée par le style d'écriture et par l'histoire. J'ai ressenti une sorte d'aura de mystère qui m'a complètement ensorcelée ! Je ne pouvais pas reposer le livre, je voulais... non, je devais connaitre le fin mot de l'histoire !
Et je dois dire que, même si j'avais deviné certains points, d'autres m'avaient complètement échappée ! Je suis tombée des nues !
J'ai adoré suivre Mila et Curtis, même si j'ai parfois bien angoissé à cause d'eux et même s'ils m'ont fait douter par moments. Je ne me suis pas ennuyée à leurs côtés.
Au début j'ai préféré suivre Mila, le fait que son histoire se déroulait fin XIXe a dû beaucoup jouer. Cela apportait justement ce petit côté mystérieux et angoissant. D'autant plus qu'à cette époque la femme ne devait que être belle, bien élevée et se taire... Du coup son histoire était assez particulière, elle voyait des choses mais ne pouvait rien faire ! Son destin étant entre les mains de son abominable beau-père. Mila était extrêmement touchante de par son histoire dramatique.
J'ai eu un peu plus de mal à accrocher à Curtis. Dès le début on fait la connaissance d'un jeune homme très seule, qui a dû grandir bien trop vite... Et finalement on se demande ce qu'il pourrait lui arriver. Mais dès les premiers événements qui vont bouleverser sa vie, j'ai adoré le suivre ! Et c'était de pire en pire : à chaque fois qu'on pensait avoir trouvé une réponse, de nouvelles informations remettaient tout en question ! Et j'ai adoré ça... J'adore quand on me fait tourner en bourrique dans une histoire !
En revanche je ne saurais dire si la fin m'a plu ou pas... En tout cas elle m'a bien surprise !
Bref ! J'ai passé un moment assez angoissant (enfin pour moi qui suis facilement froussarde c'était angoissant) avec une intrigue très bien ficelée, un voyage entre 2 époques haletant et des personnages très touchants !
January 15, 2018
A pretty fun read! I received an ARC that I was really excited to read, because the plot sounded interesting.
I wish we'd gotten to know some of the characters better - I feel like the action got started very quickly, which isn't always a bad thing, but in this case we barely had time to process who was who before the crazy stuff started happening.
The speed of the plot and the simplicity of the resolution really reminded me of the kind of thing I'd have loved as a young teenager, although there were maybe some scenes that were a bit too mature for younger readers.
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
One thing that did bother me was the internal logic of the house and the dark magic. There were moments when it definitely felt as though there was some deus ex machina going on (the house conveniently teleporting Mila right out of the villain's clutches was a big one) and the BRILLIANT idea that the house existed in every time was somewhat underutilised.
My one other gripe was that there was a lot of going backwards and forwards in Curtis' side of the narrative. For example, at the end he goes from finally deciding to figure out the mystery to suddenly deciding to go home (in a way that kind of seems like the whole thing was a set up for A Very Important Scene that didn't fit naturally into the plot) to rescuing his sister to suddenly deciding, again, to go back to figuring out the mystery. There were some other moments when it seemed like the characters made illogical decisions just because it would advance the plot a little faster. I understand that the pressure of condensing a plot into a relatively short space can be difficult, but there were definitely some scenes that should have been cut entirely.
That said, I enjoyed the book as a whole. Both Mila and Curtis were really engaging protagonists with their own realistic hangups and problems. I would say that it did seem at times like Curtis was the more interesting character, but that's possibly because his experiences are so rooted in a horrible believable reality, whereas Mila's seem far away and somewhat fantastical in comparison.
I LOVED the supernatural elements. There were some genuinely heart-pounding moments in both sides of the narrative, and Curtis' constant questioning of the reality of what he was seeing was really believable.
I wish we'd gotten to know some of the characters better - I feel like the action got started very quickly, which isn't always a bad thing, but in this case we barely had time to process who was who before the crazy stuff started happening.
The speed of the plot and the simplicity of the resolution really reminded me of the kind of thing I'd have loved as a young teenager, although there were maybe some scenes that were a bit too mature for younger readers.
[SPOILERS AHEAD]
One thing that did bother me was the internal logic of the house and the dark magic. There were moments when it definitely felt as though there was some deus ex machina going on (the house conveniently teleporting Mila right out of the villain's clutches was a big one) and the BRILLIANT idea that the house existed in every time was somewhat underutilised.
My one other gripe was that there was a lot of going backwards and forwards in Curtis' side of the narrative. For example, at the end he goes from finally deciding to figure out the mystery to suddenly deciding to go home (in a way that kind of seems like the whole thing was a set up for A Very Important Scene that didn't fit naturally into the plot) to rescuing his sister to suddenly deciding, again, to go back to figuring out the mystery. There were some other moments when it seemed like the characters made illogical decisions just because it would advance the plot a little faster. I understand that the pressure of condensing a plot into a relatively short space can be difficult, but there were definitely some scenes that should have been cut entirely.
That said, I enjoyed the book as a whole. Both Mila and Curtis were really engaging protagonists with their own realistic hangups and problems. I would say that it did seem at times like Curtis was the more interesting character, but that's possibly because his experiences are so rooted in a horrible believable reality, whereas Mila's seem far away and somewhat fantastical in comparison.
I LOVED the supernatural elements. There were some genuinely heart-pounding moments in both sides of the narrative, and Curtis' constant questioning of the reality of what he was seeing was really believable.
January 4, 2018
House of Ash is the story of two teens: Mila, a Victorian girl stuck in her stepfather’s creepy, sentient mansion and Curtis, a modern-day teen trying to hold his family together through his bipolar father’s outbursts. Ostensibly, the book is about how these two characters bond over feelings of being trapped and then seek for ways to help each other, but I found the connection forced, and without a clear connection their stories seem too divergent to quite belong in the same book. Basically, Mila’s story is trying to a Gothic tale about an evil house and Curtis’s is an issues story about family and mental illness, and the author doesn’t succeed in making them come together.
I admit I didn’t much care for their stories separately either. I like actual Gothic literature, and though some of it can also tend towards the silly and overdramatic rather than actually scary (I’m looking at you, Ann Radcliffe), Mila’s story is not a compelling modern take. There’s a lot of telling rather than showing, particularly in the beginning when Mila and her family first enter the mansion; the author basically insists that the place is wrong, creepy, mocking, etc. without taking the time to fully convince me that this is so.
Curtis’s storyline interested me a bit more, though a lot of it features him having angry outbursts and driving dramatically throughout town in his car or on his motorbike, cursing the world. The sentiment is certainly understandable based on his life circumstances; I just personally wasn’t completely invested in reading about it.
My favorite part was the end of the book, but that was because I was suddenly semi on the side of the “bad guys.” Though their ends might not have justified their means, I think they had a good point about needing to stop the continued influence of the cursed mansion on their town, and the author missed a prime opportunity here to add some nuance to the story of good vs. evil because she was more fixated on building a flimsy, unconvincing romance between Mila and Curtis.
I was hoping to get a good Gothic tale out of House of Ash and enjoy some strong YA fantasy, but the book fell completely flat for me. I don’t give a lot of very low ratings, but I was tempted to DNF this book the whole time I was reading, so it’s going to have to get one star from me.
I admit I didn’t much care for their stories separately either. I like actual Gothic literature, and though some of it can also tend towards the silly and overdramatic rather than actually scary (I’m looking at you, Ann Radcliffe), Mila’s story is not a compelling modern take. There’s a lot of telling rather than showing, particularly in the beginning when Mila and her family first enter the mansion; the author basically insists that the place is wrong, creepy, mocking, etc. without taking the time to fully convince me that this is so.
Curtis’s storyline interested me a bit more, though a lot of it features him having angry outbursts and driving dramatically throughout town in his car or on his motorbike, cursing the world. The sentiment is certainly understandable based on his life circumstances; I just personally wasn’t completely invested in reading about it.
My favorite part was the end of the book, but that was because I was suddenly semi on the side of the “bad guys.” Though their ends might not have justified their means, I think they had a good point about needing to stop the continued influence of the cursed mansion on their town, and the author missed a prime opportunity here to add some nuance to the story of good vs. evil because she was more fixated on building a flimsy, unconvincing romance between Mila and Curtis.
I was hoping to get a good Gothic tale out of House of Ash and enjoy some strong YA fantasy, but the book fell completely flat for me. I don’t give a lot of very low ratings, but I was tempted to DNF this book the whole time I was reading, so it’s going to have to get one star from me.
September 25, 2022
" Tu es vivante. Et tout ce qui est vivant peut-être tué. "
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Une lecture un peu éprouvante pour moi, et je pensais pas que j'aurai autant de choses à dire dessus. Ça partait bien pourtant, une maison vivante, des secrets, des familles disfonctionnelles, d'habitude il ne m'en faut pas plus, et à vrai dire, j'ai aimé le labyrinthe. Le thème de l'alchimie aurait pu m'intéresser encore plus mais je l'ai trouvé un peu bâclé. Et en fait, même si le style était un peu lourd et anachronique, j'ai plutôt apprécié les chapitres de Mila. Ce sont ceux de Curtis qui ont été difficiles à lire pour moi. La santé mentale, le dérapage, la chute, sujet sensible pour moi. La perte de contrôle, je pense que c'est ma plus grande phobie.
J'ai eu un gros problème avec le style d'écriture. Je n'ai pas trouvé beaucoup d'informations sur le traducteur et c'est le seul roman de l'actrice donc je n'ai pas vraiment de comparaison, mais l'écriture était à la fois lourde par moment et trop orale à d'autres. Très inégale. L'exposition par des dialogues super lourds, au secours. Et Mila est un anachronisme ambulant. Et sa relation avec Curtis, j'ai pas du tout aimé. Beaucoup trop artificiel, trop rapide...
J'ai été gênée par la construction du récit aussi. Pourquoi évacuer tout de suite la question de si Curtis a hérité de la maladie de son père ou pas? Pourquoi dévoiler la vérité dans les chapitres de Mila et ne pas suivre l'enquête de Curtis? Je me doute bien que c'est pour créer de l'ironie dramatique mais je n'ai pas trouvé ça très bien fait.
Je pense que je peux conclure en disant que je pensais arriver dans un genre que je connais très bien mais cette lecture m'a bousculée sans que j'apprécie vraiment ça. Mais on ne peut pas exiger d'une œuvre qu'elle soit exactement comme on le voudrait. On ne peut qu'admettre qu'elle n'est pas tout à fait faite pour nous. Reconnaître qu'on ne peut pas tout lire, tout apprécier et que c'est pas grave de ne pas vouloir lire quelque chose qui ne nous fait pas du bien. Parce qu'à la base la lecture c'est supposé être un plaisir.
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Une lecture un peu éprouvante pour moi, et je pensais pas que j'aurai autant de choses à dire dessus. Ça partait bien pourtant, une maison vivante, des secrets, des familles disfonctionnelles, d'habitude il ne m'en faut pas plus, et à vrai dire, j'ai aimé le labyrinthe. Le thème de l'alchimie aurait pu m'intéresser encore plus mais je l'ai trouvé un peu bâclé. Et en fait, même si le style était un peu lourd et anachronique, j'ai plutôt apprécié les chapitres de Mila. Ce sont ceux de Curtis qui ont été difficiles à lire pour moi. La santé mentale, le dérapage, la chute, sujet sensible pour moi. La perte de contrôle, je pense que c'est ma plus grande phobie.
J'ai eu un gros problème avec le style d'écriture. Je n'ai pas trouvé beaucoup d'informations sur le traducteur et c'est le seul roman de l'actrice donc je n'ai pas vraiment de comparaison, mais l'écriture était à la fois lourde par moment et trop orale à d'autres. Très inégale. L'exposition par des dialogues super lourds, au secours. Et Mila est un anachronisme ambulant. Et sa relation avec Curtis, j'ai pas du tout aimé. Beaucoup trop artificiel, trop rapide...
J'ai été gênée par la construction du récit aussi. Pourquoi évacuer tout de suite la question de si Curtis a hérité de la maladie de son père ou pas? Pourquoi dévoiler la vérité dans les chapitres de Mila et ne pas suivre l'enquête de Curtis? Je me doute bien que c'est pour créer de l'ironie dramatique mais je n'ai pas trouvé ça très bien fait.
Je pense que je peux conclure en disant que je pensais arriver dans un genre que je connais très bien mais cette lecture m'a bousculée sans que j'apprécie vraiment ça. Mais on ne peut pas exiger d'une œuvre qu'elle soit exactement comme on le voudrait. On ne peut qu'admettre qu'elle n'est pas tout à fait faite pour nous. Reconnaître qu'on ne peut pas tout lire, tout apprécier et que c'est pas grave de ne pas vouloir lire quelque chose qui ne nous fait pas du bien. Parce qu'à la base la lecture c'est supposé être un plaisir.
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