I really love both formatting of this book and also the story. As both a reader and somebody who loves psy. stories that have a touch of magic to them maybe. I loved the line this book walked. Such a fast pace read. ( )

I really love both formatting of this book and also the story. As both a reader and somebody who loves psy. stories that have a touch of magic to them maybe. I loved the line this book walked. Such a fast pace read. ( )

Second time reading this and I think I love it even more this time around. This is a perfect read for the Halloween season. Definitely recommend the audio & physical book. The physical book is gorgeous, and the audio production is amazing. The sound effects were great and lend to the creepy atmosphere.

Content warnings: mental illness, toxic relationships, trauma, abuse, & demonic possession ( )

This is a well laid out book, I'm still unsure of what the truth is. I'm left with more questions than answers, but I say that's the sign of a good physiological book. It's a warped read, with 3 - 4 different views that could all be the truth of the situation. ( )

Overall, I enjoyed this book; it definitely kept me turning pages, and I really liked the surreal, nightmare-like bits dealing with the Dead House itself. I also enjoyed the references to the conspiracy theories and wild internet speculation surrounding the case, though I wish we'd gotten more of it earlier on, to build up the mystery surrounding what happened, instead of getting most of it at the end when we already know more or less what happened--though I appreciate that there are a few mysteries left at the end and the author doesn't succumb to the desire to overexplain everything.

What bothered me, though, is the way that Kaitlyn's therapy sessions range from useless to harmful and the psychiatric medications are just straight-up harmful. Okay, her apparent delusions and multiple personalities have supernatural explanations, and if those were her only issue I'd roll my eyes slightly and move on without writing an irritated review. "People think I'm crazy when I try to explain the freaky supernatural stuff that's happening" is kind of a genre staple. But Kaitlyn self-harms and is suicidal, and at least to some extent that predates the onset of the supernatural shenanigans. She really does need help--but the book appears to come down on the side of "if you are suicidal and/or self-harming, don't ever tell anyone about it (or at least not any adults), because you'll just get locked away for life and made to take harmful medications that will make you Not Yourself." And of course it's a horror novel, and of course the choices and opinions of fictional characters aren't necessarily an example to be followed, but let's not pretend that "treatment for mental illnesses is scary and harmful and to be avoided at all costs" isn't a really pernicious and widespread cultural meme that does real damage to some people (second, in my mind, only to "people with mental illnesses are scary and harmful and to be avoided at all costs" as far as shitty mental illness myths go), and this book doesn't do much to avoid propping that up. A brief thank-you in the author's note at the end to the doctors who helped the author with her sleep disorder is a bit too little, too late as far as I'm concerned.

(And then again, I do know some people who have real horror stories about inpatient treatment for mental health problems, and a lot of us--especially teenagers and especially girls/women--have had doctors not take us seriously about our own health and what was and wasn't working for us. And I would never want to suggest that people with these experiences shouldn't be allowed to tell their stories. But I also know people who have actually found inpatient helpful, and who have found medications and/or therapy to have an immensely positive impact on their lives, and this book just felt like a very un-nuanced, negative view of the whole concept of mental health treatment.) ( )