I found this book on one of my many trips to B&N in town. The cover is fantastic! I know I always talk about the covers, but really they are the first thing you see when you are looking for books, so they are pretty important. This checked a lot of boxes for me, it’s a book of many layers in my opinion. It’s a Young Adult, which I love. It’s a ghost/horror genre, which I love. It’s a kind of found footage/journal type book, which I love.
I have a type.
So let’s dive into what I enjoyed about this book and why I would recommend it for anyone that loves books! There will be a bit of spoilers so please keep that in mind when reading but I will limit them as much as I can!
Twenty-five years ago, Elmbridge High burned down. Three people were killed and one pupil, Carly Johnson, disappeared. Now a diary has been found in the ruins of the school. The diary belongs to Kaitlyn Johnson, Carly’s identical twin sister. But Carly didn’t have a twin . . .
The Dead House – Goodreads description
Re-opened police records, psychiatric reports, transcripts of video footage and fragments of diary reveal a web of deceit and intrigue, violence and murder, raising a whole lot more questions than it answers.
Who was Kaitlyn and why did she only appear at night? Did she really exist or was she a figment of a disturbed mind? What were the illicit rituals taking place at the school? And just what did happen at Elmbridge in the events leading up to ‘the Johnson Incident’?
That right there is amazing to me, their personalities are vastly different but it’s interesting to read their notes to each other and see things from their point of view. The plot moves well, there isn’t any dull points for me. I found myself unable to really stop reading this book and as far as I can remember this was a read it in a day maybe two.
I’ve learned, in my tragic little life, that memories are like water. Not solid, like some people think. Once something happens, it isn’t set it stone. It can change.
Dawn Kurtagich – The Dead House
The story pulls you in, you are easily invested in the characters and even as more characters are introduced and the spooky ghost stuff starts to pick up you just need to know what happens next. There is also images, like snips of a video that are thrown in there that help you feel like you are a part of the mystery as well.
I enjoyed the writing style, the pages looked like they were actually pages ripped from a journal so it really helped with the overall aesthetic. That is something I really appreciate in these types of books, which I do have others that I may have to re-read so that I can review them because I just love these kinds of books. They make it so fun to read, while a good written description is nice, the look and feel of these types of books really make the experience fun for me.
You can make yourself believe anything if you lie to yourself enough.
Dawn Kurtagich – The Dead House
I don’t do a rating system for my reviews, I don’t really see the point. I would recommend this book to anyone that wants a great ghost story because this really worked me over with it’s twists and turns. The ending was not what I was expecting and I was certainly shocked at how it went. Read this book and you won’t regret it!
It is true isn’t it? “I have a type”. I mean significant others, food etc… it is the same with books and why not? I mean of course it is important to try new things but your type is your type!
Very true! So glad you agree.
Having a ‘type’ of book is so true. I find myself always drawn to the same type of book. Sometimes I try and choose something different but it doesn’t happen very often. This book sounds fantastic. I will definitely need to pick up a copy.
Oh I do hope you read it! I’d love to hear what you thought if it!