August is typically my biggest book month of the year, but without my family’s annual trip up north, I didn’t read very much. What I did read fell a bit flat (with the exception of another book by Riley Sager.
But let my reads be your guide anyway. Maybe there’s something in here that will speak to you a bit more!
The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years by Shubnum Khan • 🎧 • ★★★☆☆
This book has been on my radar for a while. I was intrigued by a haunted house book that wasn’t on some cliff in England or an old home in New England. The Djinn Waits a Hundred Years follows two Indian families who emigrated to South Africa, and the haunting isn’t your standard ghost.
In the present day, teenager Sana explores the multi-family home she and her father just moved to. Sana is haunted by the death of her mother and twin sister. She fills her days exploring the history of her new home.
Decades earlier, you learn about one of the home’s original inhabitants: Meena, a second wife to a businessman who feels unwelcome there. While Sana uncovers Meena’s story, the house grows spookier (but really not that spooky, IMO).
But I felt like there was some tension and scares missing here. I enjoyed the stories (particularly Meena’s) but was left wanting more.
Read if you like: I’m not sure I have a good parallel here! Sorry, folks!
The Clinic by Cate Quinn • ★★☆☆☆
I hate to admit it, but I picked this book up 100% based on the cover. A scary Victorian-style house perched on a cliff in the fog? It was giving The Sanatorium vibes, and I had to rent it.
But this book was too long, not nearly atmospheric enough, and was full of characters I didn’t care about. Also, some of the timelines seemed off to me. Maybe I wasn’t paying attention.
So what’s it all about? Well, after the death of her sister, Meg checks into the rehab clinic where her sister died in hopes of finding some answers. While there, she keeps to herself, suspects everyone and essentially treads water for the bulk of the book.
The story is also told from the point of view of the clinic’s manager who starts to suspect that the treatments there aren’t on the up-and-up.
Read if you like: The Sanatorium by Sarah Pearse.
Home Before Dark by Riley Sager • ★★★★☆
Riley Sager does it again. In Home Before Dark, Maggie returns to her childhood home after her family fled it 30 years prior. Unlike her parents and readers of her father’s famous book, she doesn’t think it’s haunted; she thinks it should be flipped.
This book flashes between Maggie’s experiences in the present day (including nosy reporters, odd neighbors and a helpful handyman) and bits from her dad’s book. Was her dad’s story all for the money? Is it haunted at all? I loved guessing!
I also loved how this book drew a lot from the creation of The Amityville Horror, but made it good.
Read if you like: The Family Plot by Cherie Priest or any other books by Riley Sager.
The Unmothers by Leslie J. Anderson • ★★★☆☆
I read somewhere that The Unmothers should be added to the folk-horror cannon. I’m not sure it’s quite that good (but it’s not that bad!).
Here, journalist Marshall gets sent to a rural Southern town to investigate a rumor that a horse gave birth to a human baby. Intriguing! Once Marshall arrives, though, she suspects this is all a hoax. However, something else mysterious is happening in this town.
The first half of The Unmothers was a little too detective-y for me. But once the supernatural elements came into play (far too late in my opinion) this book picked up.
Read if you like: Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey or Diavola by Jennifer Thorne.
Keep up with what I’ve read over on Goodreads! Also, if you’re an audiobook fan, I encourage you to try Libro.fm—you can support your favorite small bookstore while downloading your next listen.
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