This was a perfect book to read on a dark and stormy night. When Josephine and her family inherit a beautiful house in the woods of Vermont no one realizes it’s too good to be true except Josephine. Can she save them before it’s too late? Although I am no where near a young adult I enjoyed this and would recommend it to 7th-9th graders who love a scary story. ( )

A little on the cheesy side, but definitely dark. This read like a middle grade horror novel but with plenty of foul language. When Josephine and their family find out they have inherited a big old house in Canaan; the news couldn't have come at a better time. There family is in dire financial straights and this could be just the thing they need to get back on track. The house is big and creepy and better than they expected - there are five big bedrooms, one for each daughter and the rooms seem perfectly suited to each of them. So why does Josephine feel ill at ease? Soon her memory starts to go foggy and soon she starts to suspect that they aren't the only ones living in the house. Genuinely creepy at moments, but there was somehow both a lot and not a lot going on at the same time. Just an ok novel with a meh ending. ( )

When a deceased unknown relative leaves Josephine's family a house, they go to check it out. Her family's memories seem to be mossy as soon as they arrive. Each room is perfect just for the sisters. The food, dropped off by the lawyer is the tastiest thing ever. Josephine has long has powers over other people that she carefully controls. And she alone seems to be immune to whatever is happening to her family. Although, she soon becomes aware of Dorcas, some kind of evil haunting the house that wants to trap her family there and feed off of them. There are some good twists and turns. It took me awhile to get through the book which probably led to a more disjointed reading experience for me. ( )

I received a review copy of this book in exchange for a fair review.

To say this book was a real surprise is quite the understatement. I genuinely was not expecting it to be as spooky and dark as it was!

House of Ash and Bone starts with Josephine Jagger in a van with her four sisters and her parents, travelling for a week's vacation between Christmas and New Year's at an old house in Vermont that has been left to them by their heretofore unknown great-great aunt Mercy.

The spookiness starts right away, with the stately old home having not only enough bedrooms for each girl to have her own but each room has a closet containing something they are deeply interested in - musical instruments, paints and accessories, jewellery and vintage clothes, and for Josephine a library of her favourite books. Josie starts to notice that she and her family are forgetting things almost as soon as they happen and she soon sees a terrifying eyeless woman. I really enjoyed how Sutherland worked in the real history of witch trials and a real 4 year old child accused of witchcraft.

The horror is actually much more sophisticated than I expected, to Sutherland's credit, while still retaining the mindset of a 17 year old girl not only unsure of what is happening but of all aspects of herself. As well as hitting some classics of the ghost/haunted house genre, there's some aspects of The Dionaea House, a truly creepy viral online horror story about a house that is more than it seems and that devours its inhabitants, in the book that I absolutely love. The way the family kept forgetting everything that happened was very well done, adding a level of tension.

PS: I really liked that there were small parts of Josie questioning her sexuality. Just enough to make Josie feel more real. ( )

Excellent young adult novel. Both the writing and the plot provided ample spookiness. For those in the younger crowd who are fans of ghosts, witches, and tales of horror, this is definitely recommended for a spooky-season read. ( )