In the Shadow of Spindrift House

by Mira Grant

For Harlowe Upton-Jones, life has never been a straight line. Shipped off to live with her paternal grandparents after a mysterious cult killed her mother and father, she has grown up chasing the question behind the curve, becoming part of a tight-knit teen detective agency. But "teen" is a limited time offer, and when her friends start looking for adult professions, it's up to Harlowe to find them one last case so that they can go out in a blaze of glory.

Welcome to Spindrift House. The stories and legends surrounding the decrepit property are countless and contradictory, but one thing is clear: there are people willing to pay a great deal to determine the legal ownership of the house. When Harlowe and her friends agree to investigate the mystery behind the manor, they do so on the assumption that they'll be going down in history as the ones who determined who built Spindrift House—and why.

The house has secrets. They have the skills. They have a plan. They have everything they need to solve the mystery. Everything they need except for time. Because Spindrift House keeps its secrets for a reason, and it has no intention of letting them go. Nature abhors a straight line. Here's where the story bends.

Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Mystery, Novella, Audiobook, Fiction, Paranormal

197 pages, Hardcover

First published June 30, 2019

About the author

Mira also writes as Seanan McGuire.

Born and raised in Northern California, Mira Grant has made a lifelong study of horror movies, horrible viruses, and the inevitable threat of the living dead. In college, she was voted Most Likely to Summon Something Horrible in the Cornfield, and was a founding member of the Horror Movie Sleep-Away Survival Camp, where her record for time survived in the Swamp Cannibals scenario remains unchallenged.

Mira lives in a crumbling farmhouse with an assortment of cats, horror movies, comics, and books about horrible diseases. When not writing, she splits her time between travel, auditing college virology courses, and watching more horror movies than is strictly good for you. Favorite vacation spots include Seattle, London, and a large haunted corn maze just outside of Huntsville, Alabama.

Mira sleeps with a machete under her bed, and highly suggests that you do the same.

Reviews

[karen · Rating 3 out of 5]

WARNING: this is more of a reader-response than incisive lit crit, in case the lady who huffed at my review of the last mira grant novella for not being informative enough hasn't gotten around to unfollowing me yet, despite announcing she was going to.

to rip off the band-aid - i didn’t love this one.

i first discovered this on the subterranean press site. i saw “mira grant” and i saw a cover with a spoooky house. i somehow missed the NUMEROUS tentacles writhing up from below.



if you know me, you know i do not like lovecraft. and not just because his horribly racist and misogynist views are a shameful blight on the reputation of my birth-state, little rhody. i’m perfectly comfortable separating an author’s life from their work, since everyone’s pretty much terrible, and if his specific brand of horror had ever been appealing to me in any way, i’d simply shrug off his toxic opinions and focus on the oh-so spooky shivers within, and - more importantly, it wouldn’t prevent me from appreciating contemporary horror writers who continued in the lovecraftian tradition, many of whom lovecraft would have hated because of those toxic opinions.

but i just don’t.

and i have tried.

when i turned 30, i decided to reevaluate all the foods i had previously denounced as “from the devil,” reasoning that my officially adulted palate would have become refined enough to appreciate what made my baby taste buds recoil. happily, i ended up coming around on a number of foods. but not olives. olives are never going to taste good to me. likewise, i have actively tried reading lovecraftian authors, and i've occasionally stumbled unaware into lovecraft-infused books by authors i already like, but there’s just something about his steez that clangs right off of me and my readerheart says “no.”

lovecraft is my olives.



so even though i love mira grant, i just couldn’t get over the briny taste of lovecraft in this one, which might have been in part because i had not seen the (admittedly very prominent) tentacles and was caught off guard when it started going thataway.

and maybe, MAYBE i could have gotten past it if it weren’t for (those) Meddling Kids, which is a scooby-doo meets lovecraft story in which the scooby gang (or here, the Answer Squad) is all grown up and investigating one last haunted house together that turns out to be pretty-darn-lovecrafty and there are drugs and death and one of the girls has a crush on the other girl. which is also exactly what this is, although the cantero is mostly a goofy romp while this one is pure horror, with mira grant’s trademark “don’t get attached” attitude to her characters and sans a scooby.

readers who are not me will probably enjoy it very much, but between the “been here, done this” of the cantero book and the “hate being here, hate doing this” of the lovecraft elements, this is a pretty clear case of a “not for me” book by an otherwise beloved author.

**************************

for you people with $$$$

https://subterraneanpress.com/in-the-...

i will wait for it to come to netgalley, as usual. oh, this pauper's life...

come to my blog!

[Chelsea Humphrey · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy, breezy read, so much so that I finished it in a single sitting today. I'm always scrambling to snag a NetGalley copy of these Subterranean Press stories that Mira/Seanan writes; they are only available as special edition hardcovers that are gorgeous but cost a pretty penny once they're published. I devour any and everything that the author writes, and while I enjoyed it, it didn't quite live up to whatever expectations I had set up in my mind. I'm not a huge Lovecraft fan, but this being a very Lovecraft-esque novel, I decided to enjoy it for what it was. My biggest complaint is simply the fact that it felt very... normal for what the author typically writes. This novel was very light on the science aspect, but it also wasn't scary or horrific in the way I was hoping for. Aside from those personal complaints, it was still a fun read and I encourage die-hard fans to add this to their TBR.

*Thanks to the publisher for providing my copy via NetGalley.

[LIsa Noell "Rocking the chutzpah!" · Rating 3 out of 5]

My thanks to Subterranean Press and Netgalley. I will read anything and everything from Mira Grant. I love this woman! She has managed to scare the crap out of me often! Zombies? ✔Mermaids? ✔Viruses? You get the idea. So, I went into this book expecting big things. Unfortunately, it starts with teenage monster hunters. Eh, it's Mira Grant, "I told myself" how bad can it be? Well.....If I'm honest, it's not a bad story at all. But, it seemed more of a Seanann story than a Mira story. I'm not a fan of Seanann's stories. Yes, I know it's the same author, but the tales are vastly different. I could see how with this being a story with Lovecraftian tones, maybe someone decided to market it under Grant. Bad choice. It wasn't nearly scary enough, or very sciency. Matter of fact, this story was just downright tame. Would I recommend it? Sure. After all, its Mira Grant? Will I reread it, as I do with all of her book's? Nope.

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

Humanity is an aberration, an affront upon all that is right and true and holy.

What a ride. It never ceases to amaze me, the way Mira Grant can fit such a thoroughly well-developed, deep story into so few pages. There are countless writers who require hundreds of pages to do what she can do in a few chapters, and it astounds me every time. This one took me a bit to get invested into, but I think that must have been singularly to blame upon my horrible four-month-long reading slump, because by the time that slump passed, I devoured this novella and was devastated when it ended.

It is a graveyard for the small and a playground for the vast, as all graveyards must be, for tragedy is so often a matter of perspective.

First, I want to talk about how casually and effortlessly diverse this is, just like nearly everything else I've had the pleasure of reading from this author: our narrator is an out lesbian (who happens to be tragically in love with her best friend), the narrator's adopted brother suffers from tremendous levels of anxiety, and our side characters are Asian-American. There's also an implication towards a character being aromantic, but it's never stated explicitly on-page.

Spindrift House has been allowed, for most of its long and lonely existence, to stand alone.

Next, there's the beautiful writing. I must have highlighted nearly half the novella in my kindle because there were so many incredible quotes. Mira has this way of painting scenery through metaphors that feels totally and uniquely her own, and it always leaves me with the vague consideration of getting entire paragraphs of her stories tattooed on random places on my body, just for the daily reminder that any one human being could be so capable of leaving such vast impressions on me with the quietest statements.

Spindrift House has had a great deal of time to decide what it wants to be, and what it wants to be is unforgiving.

And finally, there's the story itself. While there's something fantastically nostalgic about the Scooby Doo-esque feel to this little mystery-solving gang all grown up, it never diminishes the looming threat that Spindrift House plays out over the entire cast of characters. There's a touch of bizarro and Lovecraftian inspiration to the events that occur in these pages, with a great deal of dark fantasy twisted in, and it's all deliciously chilling.

Whether you're a long-time horror lover or someone who only dips their toe into the genre from time to time, I cannot recommend highly enough that you take a visit to Spindrift House and see what its seaside decay has in store for you.

All quotes come from an advance copy and may not match the final release. Thank you so much to Subterranean Press for providing me with this ARC in exchange for an honest review!

[Amy Imogene Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

This felt tailor-made for me—a gang of late teens in a Scooby Doo-style mystery squad decide to unravel the mysteries of a haunted house, and there turns out to be an aquatic horror angle. It was great and I knew I was going to love it, but ultimately I wanted more.

Concept: ★★★★★
Pacing: ★★★ 1/2
Substance: ★★★

Mira Grant can write well, and that's an obvious detail for In the Shadow of Spindrift House. Regardless of the plot or the characters, I loved reading this story purely because the paragraphs were gorgeous.

Harlowe, her foster brother, Kevin, and their two best friends Addison and Andy are a teenage mystery-solving group in the Chicago area with very strong Scooby Doo vibes. Harlowe hears about this unsolved haunted house case in Maine involving a place called Spindrift House and she convinces the group to try to piece together its mysteries. In case you couldn't guess it: the house is seriously messed up, and the people who try to live there, die. Spook factor: great.

Once in the house, things go sour and the house's...horror element...quickly takes center stage. I say quickly, because the entire novel is 200 pages. I can't go into spoilers, but the action and resolution of this book was both incredibly satisfying and underwhelming in equal parts, mostly due to its pacing and lack of space to explore each new plot point. I loved what was happening. I just couldn't help but feel like we were speeding by the good bits. Maybe this was due to the fact that there was a significant portion of the first half devoted to the mystery squad's origins—told in narrative info dump style amidst present-day action—and therefore I expected an equal amount of attention to be paid to the haunted house element. Regardless, this was the main reason I was let down.

However, despite my overall underwhelmed feelings about the ending, after setting down In the Shadow of Spindrift House the takeaway feeling was positive. I liked the horror element (very original, and reminiscent of Lovecraft), I liked the writing style, and I liked Harlowe from the limited window the novel allows you to see. A solid entry into this subset of horror, and a killer short(ish) tale for a dark night spent by the ocean.

Chat with me on my Instagram

[Magdalena · Rating 4 out of 5]

IN THE SHADOW OF SPINDRIFT HOUSE by Mira Grant (the pseudonym of Seanan McGuire) is a story that may not be that frightening, but it sure is interesting. The cover itself made me think this must be a Lovecraftian story and I was right - there is something wrong with Spindrift House. Something very, very wrong. And, that's what Harlowe Upton-Jones and her friends about to find out.

READ THE REST OF THE REVIEW OVER AT FRESH FICTION!

[Emma☀️ · Rating 3 out of 5]

An atmospheric and creepy read - I had a fun time! However, it is one of Grant’s weaker works. The characters were not well-developed and the plot lacked. It was a great spooky read regardless!

[Steven · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to Subterranean Press and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Everyone who knows me or follows my reviews knows that I adore Seanan McGuire/Mira Grant. Her prose is magnificent, her worlds are deep and inviting (even when they're terrifying), and her characters become real on the page.

This story is no different. She paints a brief picture of the history of the house, a history of the three main characters outside of the narrator, and a history of Harlowe, inside whose head we reside. As their journey into Spindrift House deepens, so does the sense of foreboding at how the story will play out.

I won't spoil anything, but there seem to be some Lovecraftian elements to the story that you should be aware of - some people don't like that kind of story.

All in all, my biggest complaint is that this would have made a much better long novel than this quasi-novella length. I wanted a deeper, scarier, bigger story. But since Seanan has mastered the short story length, this one still had all the components needed to be complete and good. It just left me wanting that much more.

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

IN THE SHADOW OF SPINDRIFT HOUSE, by Mira Grant, is a book that mixes mystery, Lovecraftian horror, and a group of four teenaged friends who solved local mysteries together. Think the "Scooby-Doo" gang, without Scooby-Doo, and you'll get the picture. The "Answer Squad", as they were collectively known as, had been together all through their middle and high school years. Now, on the verge of adulthood, Harlowe Upton-Jones is looking for one big case to try to keep them all from drifting apart.

". . . Answer Squad . . . it wasn't so on the nose as to lock us into a single segment of the "teen sleuths solve mysteries, try not to die horrible deaths" market."

Although the biggest mystery to Harlow--why her parents were brutally murdered by cultists, while leaving her infant-self unharmed--was never one she brought the group together to solve.

At least, she didn't until her research brought her to Spindrift House, and the offer of a large payout, should they find proof of the legal owners.

". . . Spindrift House has had a great deal of time to decide what it wants to be, and what it wants to be is unforgiving."

I will admit that I am a fan of both Scooby-Doo and Lovecraft, so the combination was an instant "like" for me. These four main characters had a lot of history shared with us--much more with Harlowe and her "foster brother", Kevin, than with the twins, Andy and Addison.

". . . take away anyone of us and we ceased to function."

The dynamics between them were just what you would expect between long-time friends. I especially enjoyed the hints of dark humor and sarcasm.

"I did not want to go to Miskatonic. I wanted to attend a school where the number of surviving graduates exceeded the number on the "In Memoriam" page of the yearbook . . . "

Once at this house, the atmosphere takes over completely. We have a large mansion overseeing the nightly Ocean. The town below mostly deserted as the waters inexorably claim more and more of the land each passing minute. The fact that Spindrift House is still solidly standing is alone enough to give it that extra air of mystery.

"There is no question that the house is haunted: that is simple fact . . . "

There is so much happening here on a psychological level, that really makes this story stand out. From the different impressions that the group have of the house, nightmares that only affect some, and the constant calling of the sea that is omnipresent, the mental changes are far more overpowering than the physical.

"This house. It's like . . . It's like it's rotting from the inside out . . ."

Overall, we have a fun mash-up of teen sleuths and Lovecraftian lore, but elevated by the psychological manifestations that take control. There were several plot twists I anticipated in advance, yet this did not deter me from enjoying the story as it unfolded. Often, the "mental" revelations are a more powerful form of horror than the physical ones, in my opinion. I will be eagerly awaiting the next book by this author.

". . . Some mysteries aren't meant to be solved . . ."

Recommended.

Available here: https://amzn.to/2XHXodt

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

IN THE SHADOW OF SPINDRIFT HOUSE is such a perfect novel that I am rendered speechless. It's so deserving of praise, but I am too awestruck to deliver it! the horror, the characterizations, the familial friendship, the setting, and for this reader, the intense "Lovecraftianness" (yes, I coined that word) of Spindrift House and its "owners" and those Called to it, are beyond my ability to express. Mira Grant is an extraordinary writer, and as much as I loved INTO THE DARKEST DEEPS, I may just love this one more.

Four close friends (two are non-identical twins, the other is a young man and his foster sister) decide on one final ghost-hunting excursion, to an isolated coastal house in Maine, for a very big payout. What could go wrong? What indeed? They can't possibly know what Spindrift House has in mind, but each one will find out, though only one will understand why.

[Schizanthus Nerd · Rating 4 out of 5]

I fell in love with Julie Dillon’s cover illustration at first sight. It’s so delightfully ominous and between the house that should be mine and the promise of tentacled creepiness I was sold. I may have already been sold by the fact that my all time favourite author wrote it but even if I hadn’t, that illustration would have clinched the deal. Having said that, this is the first Seanan/Mira book I’ve read where I didn’t fall in love at first page and I feel like I’ve somehow failed as a reader.

Spindrift House has had a great deal of time to decide what it wants to be, and what it wants to be is unforgiving.

On a hillside in Port Mercy, Maine, “A Healthy Place for Families”, you will find Spindrift House. It was built some time in the 1800’s and while local legends disagree on many of the details, everyone agrees it was built by someone who wasn’t a local, someone who died soon afterwards by falling from its widow’s walk.

There’s a mystery about Spindrift House that needs to be solved and the Answer Squad (this book’s Mystery Incorporated equivalent, minus Scooby-Doo and Scooby Snacks) are certain they’re up for the task. The Answer Squad are:

Harlowe- “cryptography fanatic, mystery freak, beloved nerd”. Harlowe, the brains of the Squad, is a girl with a tragic past. She’s in love with Addison and is the foster sister of Kevin.

Kevin - foster brother of Harlowe. Kevin lives on a family farm with his mother, he has an older brother and adores his pet chickens. He doesn’t date.

Addison - best friend of Harlowe and Andy’s twin. She snores and shares the role of “being the beauty and being the bruiser” with Andy.

Andy - Addison’s twin. He’s the quiet one and has anxiety.

The difficulty with being a recognized member of a teen detective club is that “teen” was always a limited-time offer.

Harlowe doesn’t want to lose her found family and hopes that solving the mystery of Spindrift House will keep the Squad together.

Once we reached Spindrift House, nothing would be simple, or predictable. We were counting on it. The word for a simple, predictable mystery is “solved.”

This is a Mira Grant novella. There’s no such thing as simple.

And you may want to stop reading now because I’m about to go off on a really weird tangent but for some reason I can’t help myself. Don’t say I didn’t warn you.

So, I’m not one to shy away from telling anyone who will listen about Seanan McGuire. Every Heart a Doorway was life changing for me and secured her place as my favourite author of all time. While I still have many, many of her books to read I’ve figured out that, while written by the same literary extraordinaire and having definite similarities, Seanan and Mira books have different flavours. It’s like they’re both caramel but Mira books are salted caramel, or perhaps because of the sciency bits, they’re more like NaCh caramel.

While this book was labelled salted caramel it felt more like caramel with some geometry, so maybe caramel of a specific shape, one without straight lines. While I love all caramel I was expecting one type and although there were traces of it, I also found more of the type I wasn’t expecting. Why did I use that analogy?! Now, not only have I confused myself, I’m hungry too.

“Some mysteries aren’t meant to be solved.”

Anyway, while I enjoyed this read I’m not desperate to reread it, and that’s a first for me with Seanan/Mira. I didn’t connect with these characters, the ending felt rushed and I feel like I somehow messed up an incantation or something, because I didn’t feel the magic I’ve experienced while reading literally every other book of hers so far.

Content warnings include mention of death by suicide and stillbirth.

[Bandit · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mira Grant is someone I’ve always associated with oversized books for undersized (YA) audience. And so accordingly I’ve stayed away. But then this one showed up on Netgalley, advertised as scary, non YA and very reasonably sized at 200 pages, so I figured I’d give it a try. And now I can say I’ve tried Mira Grant and…underwhelmed. This book did honestly go for scary, specifically cosmic. Spindrift isn’t merely haunted and possessed, it’s haunting and possessing. And it sits by the sea and beneath the waves there is an ancient presence…waiting, waiting…well, you know how the stories go. Or maybe you don’t and if you don’t, this might not be the best place to start unless you’re very young. Because although this book isn’t advertised as YA, it seems that Grant just can’t get far enough away from it, it fact she only managed a year. That’s one year that separated the kids in this book from high schoolers, so technically still teens or just about, there are four of them and they are a team of supernatural mystery solvers. Thinks Scooby Doo mystery team without the Scooby Doo (which is already a huge detractor, because obviously that’s the best thing about it) and way more angsty. Now that the foursome are technically i.e. barely adults, they need one major score to become self sufficient and stay together. The various intergroup dynamics are explored extensively and in a very YA fashion, which for me means emotionally simplified and very morally black and white and hyperbolic. You know, like kids think. But then for the narrative Grant choses a much more mature tone, perhaps the fact that she’s doing a cosmic pastiche weights heavily in, perhaps just trying to justify charging adult moneys for YA lit, who knows. But you do end up with a very uneven book, overwritten and underwritten at the same time, where the character’s lack of maturity and sophistication is constantly and consistently at odds with the main narrative and antagonist. So yeah, underwhelming. Reads like young adult fiction with literary pretensions. Cosmic sure, but definitely not out of this world. At 200 pages it was a very quick read, which was good, because it was much too frustrating to merit longer. I can’t really completely understand the attraction of YA fiction for adult audiences, I know the appeal exists, but...for me it’s very much akin to adults dressing as teens, both are wrong and inappropriate, on different levels, but same principles. For a younger audience this might be a fun read, but it really should be advertised as what it is...YA. Thanks Netgalley.

[The Captain · Rating 1 out of 5]

I really love Mira Grant and Subterranean Press but I ended up abandoning ship with this one. I could not get into this story no matter how many times I started the first chapter. I ended up being both bored and confused. Ye can't win them all I guess. Though it was very nice of Subterranean Press to give me a review copy. I hope this one finds its proper audience. Arrrr!

[Sunny Lu · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars. Unconventional house horror x mystery with sapphic queer neurodivergent minors lol

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Atmospheric and heartfelt, this is a delightful novella! As usual Grant is able to get at the heart of character, and she does it so quickly! All four characters and their group dynamic felt incredibly lived-in and real, right away. The world-building and atmosphere was really effective, a gothic foundation with eldritch overtones, and a splash of teenage misfits thrown in for good measure. The writing was both intimate and descriptive, and it complemented the story well, especially as it followed the characters narrative trajectory, from the wasteland of late teenage indecisiveness to a road trip to a haunted house. The writing is actually quietly poetic, with wonderful oceanic and fecund imagery and vocabulary creeping in around the edges. Even in these few pages Grant is exploring ideas of friendship and family in thought-provoking ways. Which family is more true to you, blood or chosen? And what to do when your mind seeks out one when your heart longs for the other? Additional exploration into longing, abandonment and trauma, and responsibility all flavor the vibes. The pacing works for this novella, never letting you catch your breath. It sets up the emotional stakes for the first page and then establishes characters, relationships, and narrative stakes smoothly without any clunky exposition, and just builds momentum as it goes. However, to be honest, I would have loved it if this was a full novel. I really enjoyed these characters and this world and story. I would have been happy for every part of the story to have been stretched out: more time at home, maybe finishing a case and navigating the emotional decision to break up the band, so to speak, more flashbacks on childhood cases, another stop or two on the road trip once the decision was made to take this case, and then more time in the house, building the mythology more slowly and really letting everything feel saturated and bursting at the scenes. There definitely feels like enough story here to have double its page count, and part of me misses that story. Which is all to say the pacing works well for the novella, with all the fat trimmed off the bone, but everything is so delicious it did leave me wanting a little more.

The story is dark and emotional and fun, the writing really compelling and engaging, the characters feel real and complicated, and the story itself—what happens when teenage detective agencies grow up, especially when one of their traumatic pasts has destined them for the unexplainable?—is creative and fun. What else to say?

(Rounded up from 3.5)

[Em · Rating 4 out of 5]

This reads like a hybrid between a dark and devastatingly creepy fairytale and a haunted house story. It's a very quick read--almost as quick as a novella. And it's a page turner. I have always wished for a second installment even though the ending is satisfying enough, and it does definitely stand on its own.

[ᒪᗴᗩᕼ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Out Of 5 STARS

๏  Highlights ๏

Novella
Teen Investigating
Nautical-Themed Paranormal
Creepy House
Poetic Writing

๏  My Thoughts ๏

This cover, wow, this one is fantabulous.

With its poetic, atmospheric writing and the creep-factor of the Spindrift House itself, I found myself drawn to this story.  While, considered to be a Novella, but still clocking in at 200 pages, it ultimately reads fairly quickly, almost too quickly...because the ending is rather abrupt. 

Mira Grant also writes as Seanan McGuire and I've never read a Seanan McGuire book...but judging from the covers/synopsis of those books, this story felt more like one of those, rather than a Mira Grant book.  It has a decidedly paranormal feel to it, after all.

๏  MY RATING ๏ ☆4☆STARS - GRADE=B+

๏ Breakdown of Ratings ๏ 

Plot⇝ 4/5
Main Characters⇝ 4/5
Inanimate Characters⇝ 4.3/5
The Feels⇝ 3.5/5
Pacing⇝ 4.2/5
Addictiveness⇝ 4/5
Theme or Tone⇝ 4.2/5
Flow (Writing Style)⇝ 4/5
Backdrop (World Building)⇝ 4.3/5
Originality⇝ 4/5
Ending⇝ 3.8/5
๏ ๏ ๏
Book Cover⇝ Amazing
Setting⇝ Coast of Maine
Source⇝ I received an ARC via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review
๏ ๏ ๏

[Katie T · Rating 2 out of 5]

Uhhh, hmmm. 🤔

[Ghoul Von Horror · Rating 3 out of 5]

*****SPOILERS*****
Release Date: June 30th, 2019
Genre: Horror/Supernatural
Rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ 3.0

About the book: For Harlowe Upton-Jones, life has never been a straight line. Shipped off to live with her paternal grandparents after a mysterious cult killed her mother and father, she has grown up chasing the question behind the curve, becoming part of a tight-knit teen detective agency. But “teen” is a limited time offer, and when her friends start looking for adult professions, it’s up to Harlowe to find them one last case so that they can go out in a blaze of glory.

What I Liked:
1. Spooky haunted house.
2. Scooby-Doo vibes.

What I Didn't Like:
1. Too short to care.
2. The ending...meh

Overall Thoughts: It's just too short to care about the story or the characters. I've read some books that are novellas and they packed so much into a short book. The ending was lackluster. I wasn't like "OHHHHH." I was like "okay well that's not surprising." This was my first MIra Grant book but I am not judging her by this one novella.

Final Thoughts: Find a better ghost story and skip this one. Of course if you are looking for a short scary story maybe throw this one/read this short book to finish cleaning the house.

[Lata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Main character Harper wants to keep her slowly drifting apart mystery-solving gang together, so she convinces Addison, Andy and Kevin to search an old house for legal documents critical to a long-running legal dispute amongst three Maine families, the Latours, the Pickwells, and the Uptons. The Uptons who are actually Harper’s family, which she is anxious to learn more about, particularly as her own parents were viciously murdered when she was very young.
The gang get to the house, and it’s creepy, with strange smells that only the other three can smell. Things begin spiralling terribly out of control the longer the gang spend at Spindrift House.

There is such a strong undercurrent of menace, tragedy and longing throughout this story: from its opening chapter, the reveal of Harper's family history, and the actual events at the house with the gang. What begins as a homage to Scooby Doo becomes sad and tragic; I liked it.

[Craig · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short novel is an excellent Lovecraftian haunted house story. Grant (who, in case you're one of the 4.2 people in the world that are unaware, is better known as Seanan McGuire), writes with a very keen sense of lyrical description, creates sympathetic and realistic characters, and has a great knack for pacing her plots quite well. The cover blurb from Publishers Weekly cites Stranger Things, but the four young-but-growing-up paranormal investigators who attempt to plumb the secret of Spindrift House reminded me much more of the original, classic Scooby Doo friends. There's such a rich background in both the history of the house and their history as a group that I wish it had been fleshed out into a longer novel, but I thoroughly enjoyed this quick read.

[Bethany (Beautifully Bookish Bethany) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual Rating: 4.5 Stars

In the Shadow of Spindrift House is a dark, atmospheric story about the ruthlessness of nature and a haunted house near the sea, as well as Scooby-Doo like group of mystery solvers who have aged out of cuteness and must decide what comes next. I don't want to say too much about the plot because it is a short novella, but it sucks you in with beautiful prose and dark imagery and keep you reading with the certainty that things are not going to end well. I do wish it had kept me guessing a little bit more because I feel like I knew where things were going from early on. Regardless, I very much enjoyed this little novella.

This is also coming out during Pride month and in signature fashion, the author delivers queer content as well. The main character is a lesbian with a long-time unrequited crush on her friend and co-detective. Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire always does a great job of casually weaving in characters who are queer or diverse in other ways and this is no exception. Another side character may or may not be asexual and deals with severe anxiety.

In terms of content, do be aware that this contains violence, depictions of blood and death, suicide, possession, and the death of an infant, and a creepy reference to necrophilia. I received an advance review copy of this book via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

[Cathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A haunted house story, that has an unexpected source and resolution. I was surprised how much build-up there was for this relatively short audio. A very fluffy, meandering start, focusing on the relationships between the four main characters. And a very Lovecraftian ending, pretty dark and not quite in synch with the beginning.

I kept wondering if there are more stories with these four characters as teen detectives of the unusual and bizarre, because previous cases kept being referenced. That could be fun.

I highly recommend to chase this audio with Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant, if you want to read more by the author.

PS: This is set in Maine, which is also haunted by another famous horror author. Maine must be a very scary place.

[Dev · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC copy of this book from NetGalley

And as always with anything by Seanan/Mira, I have to read it IMMEDIATELY because I have absolutely no chill. I would describe this novella as kind of a mix between her other novella Rolling in the Deep and Edgar Cantero's Meddling Kids. As always, she really manages to make her characters come to life immediately and it's cool to see her take on a more Lovecraftian approach to her horror novellas as well.

My only complaint is that I wish it were a full length novel instead of a novella. I do think she is one of the few authors that always manages to pack a complete idea into a novella or short story, but the worlds she creates are always so interesting that I immediately want more of them. With this story in particular I think it could have been scarier if it was drawn out a bit more, but it was still a really creepy read and I like that she never pulls her punches with her endings.

[Catherine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A beautiful little book and I'm in love with limited editions! Obviously, I had to own one of those since I love the author. Each one is signed and you have your copy number (I have copy 1301)! There are only 1500, so hurry if you want your own.

Back to the story, this was a really good Lovecraftian horror novella. Mira Grant is an amazing author who can write novels as well as novellas with the same talent. I love her writing and her ideas, and being a fan of Lovecraft's work as well, the risk that I wouldn't like this book was almost nonexistent.

I don't really want to write a review about this story, because it's a novella and I feel like I would say too much if I tried. Honestly, if you love the author and/or Lovecraftian horror, I'd suggest to go blind and enjoy the ride! But if you want to read a real review of this book, Destiny wrote an amazing one here.

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

If it’s possible to call a book in which several people are brutally murdered light and airy, this is the one.

This is pretty standard horror fare relying on a slight variation of the “There’s something wrong with the house! The house will kill us all!” trope.

The book is too short to get much character development (but does that really matter in a BOO! book?) and the plot follows a Lovecraftian thread that we’ve seen many times before.

Still, Grant nails the tone and atmosphere, giving the house sufficient menace while still keeping things light by centering her story around a wink-nudge teen detective agency that solves mysteries that the authorities can’t or won’t.

*I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.*

[Lisa Wolf · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Mira Grant's writing, and this book is no exception. She uses words to create a strange and creepy world, and I truly admired the artwork of her language in this story. That said, I think the plot itself went over my head to a large extent. Haunted house by the sea, strange creatures taking over people... well, I get that it's Lovecraftian, except never having actually read any Lovecraft, I felt like I was just missing something.

[Roz · Rating 3 out of 5]

I don’t even have to know anything about it. I want it now!

[Melanie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review originally posted at BooksOfMyHeart.net.

In the Shadow of Spindrift House is a coming of age story with a haunted house. It follows four friends (brother and sister twins, and a brother and his foster sister) who’ve been solving mysteries. Harlowe is sorta the main character of this story. She really loves her mysteries and has had a crush on, Addison, the twin girl. She is also an orphan, who tried living with her grandparents, but when that didn’t work, she was taken in by Kevin’s mother.Kevin is Harlowe’s foster brother and lives on the family farm and loves nothing more than his pet chickens. He does love his friends and is willing to go on adventures with them. Addison is the twin girl and she’s a bit ready for the mysteries to be over, but is willing to go on this one last hurrah. Andy is Addison’s twin brother. He’s really quiet and has anxiety. He keeps pot around to help with the anxiety.

So these four friends have been solving mysteries for a bit, but it is time to grow up and get steady jobs to support themselves. Harlowe decides to talk the group into taking on one last mystery that comes with a huge payout if the mystery is solved. They must go into a haunted house and find the paperwork that proves ownership, as the house could belong to one of three different families and the land is worth a lot of money.

Now, I have to say Mira Grant is an autobuy for me. I love her stories. More importantly, I love her characters. I fall in love with all of her characters, which can be a problem when the author writes horror stories. Needless to say, it shouldn’t surprise anyone that not all the characters survive a horror story. But I love the time I get with each and every character, even if that time can be short. If you’ve never tried Mira Grant (or her other pen name Seanan McGuire, who I still need to try), I highly recommend her work.

Narration:
This was my first listen with Jesse Vilinsky. I have to say that I enjoyed her narration of this story. There isn’t a large cast, as it is mostly just the four friends, but she did a great job with all the voices. I lost myself in the story as she was reading it. I would love to try her with other stories as well.

**I'd like to thank the publisher for providing me with a copy of this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

[Penny · Rating 4 out of 5]

When I first started reading this book, I almost quit. The language was a little too flowery for me, and I wasn’t sure I was going to like it. I stuck with it because I do like this author whatever name she writers under. After a little bit, the plot picked up, and I found out more what was going on, and I got to know the characters. I’ve read the term Lovecraftian associated with this novella, and I have to agree, with maybe a little horror thrown in. As with this author’s other works, this book was well-written, but I wish it was drawn out a little more to give us more detail. I finished this book wanting to understand a little more of what was going on. This is dark tale of a house who wants an owner, with no real answers. I did like this book, but it really isn’t for me. 3 ½ stars rounded up to 4 because I believe it is a good book to those who like this type. As such, I do recommend this book for those who like this type, and I was provided the e-book which I voluntarily reviewed.