Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - In the Shadow of Spindrift House

Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Unsettling: 😬😬/5
SCARY: 👻/5
DEATH: 💀💀/5
INTRIGUE: 🧠🧠🧠🧠🧠
Creepy: 🎈🎈🎈/5

Spindrift house is like no other. It is a living breathing home to many over the centuries. This was definitely an intriguing story that I couldn't put down. I was amazed and in awe of the different pathways that were taken to get one person where they belonged like so many before them.

With so much unknown about their past it is always hard to pin down what is from your lineage and what is from being learned. With the creep factor of hearing things and seeing things, you see what the house wants you to see. Until you learn more and see so much clearly.

I really enjoyed the characters, their friendships and how so many things fell into place for them to fall out in the end.

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singalana's review against another edition

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dark mysterious reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

I accidentally picked two very similar books to read at the same time: this and Gallant by V.E. Schwab. Both have young protagonists trying to figure out the mystery of a weird house. I’d classify this book as a mystery / horror. I’ve read one book from Mira Grant before (Into the Drowning Deep) which felt a bit too long and I wasn’t that into the plot. This book is definitely not too long, since it’s a novella. The cast of characters in this book is very similar to the characters in Scooby-Doo (teen sleuths investigating mysteries), and the story has strong Lovecraftian-vibes, including the cover art.

I had the same problem with this book as I had with Gallant: I don’t know whether I was somehow distracted or if the writing style was not for me, because I constantly found my attention drifting and came back to realise I hadn’t internalised anything that had been said. Also I have to say that I didn’t like the narrator: her voice sounded too strained and pained towards the end to the point it felt like overacting.

The similarities to Scooby-Doo and Lovecraft did not add to my enjoyment to the story, because it felt like this book didn’t add anything unique. The characters were okay, they were distinct personalities (also borrowed from Scooby-Doo), but the main character’s (Harlow) crush with Addison started to grate on me. It was pointed out in the story multiple times how Harlow had always loved Addison, but I didn’t feel it.

Even though this story had some pretty good bits, the ending… It felt abrupt, and either so much was left unexplained, or I had zoned out and didn’t catch all the clues. This story could have been so much better being just a little bit longer and with characters that were more original and not straight out from Scooby-Doo.

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maryellen's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional mysterious sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

5.0

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megj23's review

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dark fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No

2.75

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schnaucl's review

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adventurous dark emotional sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.5

I really loved the first half to two thirds of this book. The first chapter in particular which talked about Spindrift House in omniscient third person POV was lovely. The prose was lyrical and the cadence absolutely perfect for a tale told around a campfire. That first chapter made me want to try and find a copy of the physical book to own, which I fully intend to do.

I also loved the Answer Squad. I could feel how much they loved each other, how close they were, and what their shared history was like. It made me wish I had friends like that (minus the tragic backstory). I would have loved to read more about their crime solving years. I could also feel Harlowe's anxiety about growing apart and things changing.

Of course, it is a horror story, so it couldn't last. I could feel it coming and dreaded it.

Although I mourned Addison's death, I did like the scene on the widow's walk where she confirms Harlowe isn't really Harlowe anymore because Harlowe looks at her with love and the person in front of her isn't. And then she strikes.

But I generally found the ending underwhelming, though I'm having a hard time articulating why.

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caseofspades's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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kellableeping's review against another edition

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adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.25

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