Published by Tor-Nightfire Genres: Fiction, Gothic, Horror, Mystery
Format: ARC, Audiobook
This book was fantastic! I could not put it down! This is how you do it! I loved the creepy, horrific, sinister, humorous, something-isn’t-quite-right vibes in this book. I found it to be a utterly addictive, gripping, and spine-tingling page turner! I loved the atmosphere, the tension, the mounting sense of danger, and chilling location. I was intrigued by the strange behavior of the townspeople, their stares, and their warnings. The mounting dread and increasing sense of doom had the hairs standing up on the back of my neck while reading.
The Pace family always goes on a family vacation. It is one that Anna usually dreads. She doesn’t quite fit in with the rest of her family, including her twin brother Benny. Her sister doesn’t seem to want her around, her father reminds her who paid for the vacation while her mother frequently questions her life choices. Ah, so much fun being uncomfortable around one’s family.
But things are about to go from being uncomfortable to much, much worse. Something isn’t quite right at their remote Gothic villa in Monteperso, and it has nothing to do with their toxic family interactions. There are bumps in the night, a locked room that is not to be entered, and the unsettling feeling of being watched. Then Anna is told about the Villa’s dark and brutal history….
The feeling of dread oozed from the pages, and I lapped it up! Plus, the humor, wit and sarcasm in the book worked so well and was placed perfectly throughout the book. This book comes in at under 300 pages but packs a wallop of a punch! There is something about haunted houses/locations that gets me every single time. We want to feel safe in our homes, where we choose to stay while on vacation/holiday, and there is something so unsettling when that feeling of safety is gone. Anna doesn’t feel safe around her judgmental family. I felt for her and the toll the interactions with them took on her mentally. Then to see her not be safe due to where they were staying elevated my concern for her.
So clever, so well done, well written, and well thought out!
*Some takeaways
1. Always listen to the locals, always!
2. It doesn’t matter how much you paid for something; safety is priceless. Leave.
3. People treat you how you let them treat you.
4. Be nice to your family.
5. If you do not feel safe where you are staying – leave!
6. Don’t go into rooms you are told not to enter.
Highly Recommend.