Review of 'House of Furies'
House of Furies
By Madeleine Roux, 2017
HarperCollins
Horror, Paranormal, Gothic
Rating: 👻👻👻 (3 out of 4 boos)
“After escaping a harsh school where punishment was the lesson of the day, seventeen-year-old Louisa Ditton is thrilled to find employment as a maid at a boarding house. But soon after her arrival at Coldthistle House, Louisa begins to realize that the house’s mysterious owner, Mr. Morningside, is providing much more than lodging for his guests. Far from a place of rest, the house is a place of judgment, and Mr. Morningside and his unusual staff are meant to execute their own justice on those who are past being saved.
Louisa begins to fear for a young man named Lee who is not like the other guests. He is charismatic and kind, and Louisa knows that it may be up to her to save him from an untimely judgment. But in this house of distortions and lies, how can Louisa be sure whom to trust?”
What’s the main character like?
Having experienced hardship early in life and finding herself needing to fend for herself, Louisa is a bit of a tough cookie. She does what she needs to protect herself, but there’s also a softness about her that manifests in her concern for the friends she makes at Coldthistle House. In spite of her rough edges, she’s not past being afraid of the creepy things happening at the boarding house.
How scary is it?
Creepy (mysterious boarding house), weird (unexplainable beings), and dark (just what is Mr. Morningside up to…?) , House of Furies is intriguing but not nightmare-scary. There are, however, a few disturbingly memorable scenes involving animals and/or human bodies.
Who might like this book?
I have yet to read it myself, but I would imagine readers of Roux’s Asylum series would appreciate this new series. Also, readers who like a little well-researched mythology woven into their horror will be intrigued by the passages about particular beings and their powers.
What did I like best?
Mr. Morningside’s character kept me interested. While reading, I wondered what he was up to, whether he had good or bad intentions, and how he came to be the owner of Coldthistle House. Really, he’s in just a handful of scenes, but his presence and significance seems always to be felt (by Louisa and the reader).
What was not so great?
Those passages about paranormal beings I mentioned earlier were plopped in every once in a while in the guise of passages taken from a book written by Mr. Morningside. I liked the passages but sometimes felt baffled by their placement. I think this was intentional; I was supposed to ponder how the creature/entity being described applied to what was happening in Louisa’s life. But sometimes it just threw me out of the main story.