The Dead House Book Review: One of the Best Horror Novels

Right off the bat, this book is different. I didn’t think it would be one of the best horror novels I ever read, but here we are. It’s not the only one of it’s kind, but it is certainly written in an uncommon style. The story is told entirely by a combination of diary entries, emails, notes, interviews and described video footage. It’s the first book I’ve ever read that was written like this and I’ll admit I was skeptical.

I’ve read books that used letters and diaries and the like as additions to the storyline, but never something like this. I wasn’t too sure about it only because I really like when I can connect to the characters but also the world of a novel, and I worried that this would be too limiting.

Well, I was wrong. It’s one of the best horror novels I’ve ever read. It did start off a little bit slow, but once things started to pick up, boy did they ever pick up. Not once did I feel like anything was lacking. I love creepy horror stories that can keep me up at night, and this one sure did the trick.

It was a dark and daring exploration of both mental illness and the supernatural, and how they can become intertwined. It played with evil forces and dark magic that ended up haunting me long after I’d turned the last page. 

Plot

The story features two sisters, Carly and Kaitlyn. They also have a young sister named Jamie and two parents who died in a tragic accident that they can’t seem to remember. The two of them are very close and care about each other a lot. There is something different about these two though – they share a body. Carly has the daytime, and Kaitlyn the night. While one is “awake” is the time for the other to sleep. They are never awake at the same time and therefore have never actually spoken directly. They communicate through written notes and messages.

The sisters have been living in a mental institution, having been diagnosed with multiple personalities

disorder, with doctors believing that Carly is the “real” personality and Kaitlyn was constructed as a coping mechanism after the parent’s death. Of course, the girls insist that this is not the case, that Kaitlyn has always been around. Their parents always had them keep the whole thing a secret, so when they died, there was no one left to believe them.

Except for Naida. Naida is an old friend of Carly’s who believes wholeheartedly that Kaitlyn is indeed another person – that they are two souls trapped in one body. She is very spiritual and involved with dark forces. She believes that two souls residing in one body hold a great deal of power.

The girls are released from the mental institution and return to high school, attempting to go back to normal, or their version of it anyway. Carly takes classes during the day and Kaitlyn meets a nice, cute, and romantic boy at night who stays up just to be with her.

Things are going okay, until one day Carly disappears. Kaitlyn suddenly finds herself “present” in their body 24/7 and she can’t access or communicate with Carly. She starts being haunted by disturbing dreams of a dead house and visions of a dead girl. She begins hearing a voice and sensing a dark presence constantly drawing closer to her. She becomes terrified and although she was never a big fan of Naida, she turns to her for help. Naida believes that there is something evil after the two of them because of the power they hold as dual souls.

And thus begins the incredible and terrifying journey into a world of black magic and demons as they attempt to rescue Carly from her supernatural prison.

My Thoughts

I thoroughly believe this is one of the best horror books out there, but it did take me a good few weeks to get through the first bit of this book. To be fair, this was in part due to my very busy schedule. However, the first third or so was admittedly slow for me. Perhaps it was the fact that I just wasn’t used to reading a story with this particular layout. Not only is it written through videos and diaries etc, but it is also not in complete chronological order. The timeline jumps around some and I struggled a little with this. Perhaps I should have just paid more attention, but I did have to go back a few times and figure out exactly where I was.

BUT. When it finally turned around for me, it never stopped picking up speed until the very end. I read the second half of the book in three days. I sacrificed sleep, it was that good.

It got creepy. Like, really creepy. There was one night where I did have to stop reading because it was about 2 am and if I kept going, the monsters under my bed probably would have smelled the fear and come for me (too bad for them though, I sleep under about 14 blankets because yay basement apartments in the wintertime!)

The characters end up dealing with a lot of evil. Witchcraft, black magic, and demons. When done right, this is the stuff of real horror. What I liked about this novel is the unique take it had on it all. Naida is into some really different stuff – things that aren’t your “typical” witchcraft. This is usually the part where I would say the ending is full of all kinds of “twists and turns” except that doesn’t really feel adequate here. It’s more like twists and complete 180s. Nothing happened as I expected it to and the ending, well, the ending was something else.

It leaves something to be desired, which is exactly the way it should be for a story like this.

One of the Best Horror Novels You’ll Ever Read

I’m a horror junkie. Always have been, always will be. I am beyond happy that I found this book. It’s not often that a book actually scares me. Gives me the creeps, sure. Brings on goosebumps, yeah. But this is one of the best horror novels because it’s SCARY.

If you want to venture into the darkness for a little while, come on into The Dead House

You’ll probably curse me at some point, for putting this story on your radar. Enjoy the lack of sleep. You’re welcome.