The Curse of House Corbant

by Patrick Luther

A haunted house story with an eldritch twist, the Curse of House Corbant follows a seventeen-year-old Midwestern girl named Ally Corbant as she attempts to uncover the dark history of her ancestral mansion...as well as confronting the ghosts and nameless horrors that stand in her way. Ally's quest for answers will bring her face to face with her darkest nightmares as she explores both the mansion and the family-owned asylum that has been abandoned since a bloody riot in the 40s. What secrets hide in the dark, and what will their terrible truths mean for Ally and her friends?

Genres: Horror, Novels

246 pages, Hardcover

Published November 9, 2021

Reviews

[Kayla Ware · Rating 4 out of 5]

*No Spoilers*

This isn't my usual genre, but with my typical mix of dark fantasy and paranormal scifi touching on similar themes and topics, I decided horror wasn't that far of a leap. Luther starts us off with just a blip of backstory in an incredibly compelling and shocking prologue (seriously, I didn't think it would go that hard that fast. Go easy on me, it's my first time!). Things kind of lulled just a bit for in the middle. While the storytelling was great, I'm just an impatient person and some of the plot in the middle didn't interest me as much as what I was fervently waiting for. However, it got to a point where the tension started to build just before everything came to a head, and then it was like plummeting down along the rails of a Rollercoaster. I have a lot of questions left that I'll probably never get the answers to, but I guess I'll just have to wait to find out when future books come out.

[Carissa Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are truly afraid of gore and horror, then this book isn't for you. It truly is what a horror story should be that a lot of "horror" books are missing that I have read in the past. There were a couple times where it was hard to read because of what was going on, but really they were needed to have the story come together. It was brilliant and hands down the best "horror" I've read so far. It was hard to put down and had me engulfed through the whole thing. What a great read!

[Lori · Rating 2 out of 5]

All genre fiction is by definition tropey to some extent, but this was a veritable cliché storm. Haunted house, cursed aristocratic family, the imaginary friend who actually isn't, possession, the occult, secret diaries, locked rooms in towers, and the proverbial Evil Insane Asylum. The last one was especially ridiculous - that entire section read like a survival horror video game, complete with entities and imagery straight out of Silent Hill. And that's before you get to the bad guy who says things like "YOU CAN'T KEEP ME OUT FOREVER! YOU ARE MINE! THE HOUSE AND EVERYTHING IN IT IS MINE! MIIIIIIINE!" And also "SURPRISE BITCH!" which is very believable dialogue for someone who died in 1760.

The Corbant House itself is a quintessential Spooky Victorian Mansion . . . that was built in 1732. The exterior is described as Gothic and it has a tower. Except Gothic architecture had been out of fashion for centuries by that point, with the Gothic Revival movement having its nascent beginnings in England in the 1740s and not reaching the United States until the middle of the nineteenth century. Colonial mansions tend to look like this or this. I live in Northern Delaware (part of Greater Philadelphia) and see Colonial-era buildings all the time, so the Corbant House would've felt anachronistic even if I didn't know American architectural history.

I did like the ending, though. The main character dies and her parents die, her little sister is left along with a demon familiar, and her best friend kills her abusive father.

[Kaitlyn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Let me first say this, it usually takes a lot for me to cry reading a horror story or even watching a horror movie, but this book? It made me cry.

Patrick writes so beautifully detailed and it was easy to clearly picture the horrors brought forth in his story. Not only that, all of his characters were likeable and relatable. Exact Gladys…she can jump in a lake. If you want to read a one-the-edge-of-your-seat book, The Curse of House Corbant is the book for you. It left me wanting more, and I hope it leaves others wanting more too.

I would 10/10 reread and even recommend this book to fellow readers.

[Jamie Jones · Rating 5 out of 5]

After having gone through a really long reading slump since March of 2022 due to personal reasons and also finishing a really great book that made me an instant fan of that author, I've decided to give Patrick Luther's The Curse Of House Corbant a try and see if I like it or don't like it. To my surprise, Mr. Luther definitely has the writing style of my favorite childhood horror author R.L.STINE which I had picked up from the moment I started reading The Curse Of House Corbant to the very last page. Not only did I pick up that he was inspired by R.L.Stine who I've come to understand is also his favorite childhood horror author as well, I had picked up a vibe from a really gruesome horror movie with F.Murray Abraham called Thirteen Ghosts. How? In certain sections of The Curse Of House Corbant book, I just kept picking up that vibe that may be he was heavily influenced by Thirteen Ghosts but alas someone told me that he was actually heavily influenced by that old black and white turned color movie "House On Haunted Hill." This book definitely deserves a 5 star review as it kept my interest from beginning to end and it was all that I could think about reading when I was awake and couldn't sit still due to having ADD. Thank you, Patrick for such an epic read that is quite a bit different than most endings in the grand scheme of things.

[Tori · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you like 13 Ghosts and books you can read in one sitting, you’ll love this book.

I’ve had my copy of this one for a few months, the author is local to me and my partner knows him from work. Life got in the way and I wasn’t able to read it until this week. I’m so mad at myself for waiting as long as I did to read it!

I LOVE horror. Especially when it involves ghosts/spirits that can actually touch/harm the living characters. This book gave me goosebumps at several points, and that rarely happens when I’m reading. It actually had me scared once (the asylum, anyone?!) and only one other book has genuinely scared me.

Highly, highly recommend this one.

[Happy Goat · Rating 3 out of 5]

This wasn't personally my cup of tea but just because the story includes one of my absolute pet peeve horror devices (which I won't elaborate on because of spoilers!), but for fans of haunted house/ghost stories, especially those who also enjoy asylums, this is probably right up your street!

[Kayleigh Dobbs · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'd recommend this to fans of haunted house/ghost stories, especially if you're interested in old-timey asylums.