The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich
| The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich | |
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| Category: Teens | |
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Reviewer: Mollie Randtoul
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| Summary: Spine-chilling, gruesome and mysterious; an exciting debut that will keep you in constant suspense! The Dead House is difficult to put down, and even harder to forget… | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 448 | Date: August 2015 |
| Publisher: Orion Children's Books | |
| External links: Author's website | |
| ISBN: 978-1780622347 | |
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Carly Johnson and Kaitlin Johnson are best friends; they go everywhere together. One might call them two halves of a whole, quite aptly, as they share a body. Carly gets the day, Kaitlin gets the night. That's how it has always been, until now; when Kaitlin awakens to find herself in sunlight. She must work with her rival, Naida, to delve deep into Scottish magic, discover where her sister is, and to defeat the sinister forces working against them…
The Dead House explores the duality of humanity, very reminiscent of The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, but it also takes on a much darker quality - by incorporating otherworldly horrors and a spin on dark magic, Kurtagich has created a gripping psychological thriller that is hard to put down, and even harder to forget.
The overall layout of the book is very immersive; the main narrative is told through Kaitlin's diary, but it often switches to police reports, emails, transcripts, interviews and medical notes. The story actually begins at the end, and gradually reveals the events leading up to it - a unique aspect that only made the book more intense.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that the book carried many good morals: we must decide for ourselves what we believe, because nothing is as straightforward as it seems. Most importantly, we learn that appearances can be deceiving - perception and reality rarely match up.
We also have a review of Kurtagich's The Creeper Man.
I was unconvinced by the romance in this book; perhaps I felt that it had no place in a book that bridges the gap between thriller and horror. There is no shortage of twists and surprises, however, I personally think that the plot dragged a bit in places. Furthermore, Kaitlin's narration grew slightly repetitive - despite this, I thoroughly enjoyed The Dead House and would recommend it to fans of Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake and The Unbecoming Of Mara Dyer by Michelle Hodkin.
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You can read more book reviews or buy The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
You can read more book reviews or buy The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich at Amazon.com.
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