​The House Where Death Lives edited by Alex Brown

Summary

A dance to the death. A girl who’s just as monstrous as H.H. Holmes. A hallway that’s constantly changing―and hungry. All of these stories exist in the same place―within the frame of a particular house that isn’t bound by the laws of time and space.

Each story in the anthology will focus on a different room in the house and feature unique takes on monsters from a wide array of cultural traditions. Whether it’s a demonic Trickster, a water-loving Rusalka, or a horrifying, baby-imitating Tiyanak, there’s bound to be something sinister lurking in the shadows. (Goodreads)

Thoughts

The House Where Death Lives is a brilliant anthology featuring a collection of spooky stories written by a variety of different authors. Containing thrilling fables of ghosts, monsters, and eerie phenomena, each story focuses on a different area of a metaphorical haunted house. From the attic, to the library, to the grounds, each tale features a unique take on spooky creatures from an array of cultures and traditions. An anthology full of mysteries and excitement,

The House Where Death Lives will definitely not disappoint. The stories feature a sad yet realistic theme of loss, grief, and guilt. Not only are the characters recovering from various deaths of family members or of traumatic experiences, the tales also describe the methods they use in dealing with their emotions. In the story, Good Morning, Georgia, Leah is unable to let go of her past memories and finds herself stuck in a position of despair and dejection. After some help, she is finally able to let go of her denial and grief, allowing for some long-deserved peace. Though these themes can often make for a depressing topic, it leaves a deeper and more emotional impression on the readers.

Although most of the stories were extremely engaging and exciting to read, there were a few that did not make a lot of sense surrounding their plotline. Not only was it confusing, the events were thrown around at random, and all the circumstances were just downright baffling. One instance where this occurred was in the tale, Smartmonster. The entire structure of the story falls apart right near the beginning. So, the protagonist of the story, wakes up in a seemingly empty room with a few other boys. After a few pages, it is explained that they have been kidnapped. No reason is given for the rest of the tale as to how or why they ended up in their situation. Next, they solve riddles in an escape room-like environment, yet the cause of their stay is still unknown. The escape room itself is extremely unrealistic and perplexing, with poorly explained descriptions. Overall, the vast majority of the stories were all cleverly written, yet there were two or three that, quite bluntly, made zero sense.

The characters in The House Where Death Lives were the most lifelike and relatable out of practically any book I’ve ever read. They harboured extremely realistic and stubborn personality traits without any dramatic exaggerations, creating the perfect balance of strengths and weaknesses. One example would be in the story, After Midnight, by Lizz Hull. Rowan is clever and sneaky, yet she holds extreme guilt for the death of her little sister, Willow. Not only does she feel terribly remorseful, her love for Willow goes to such degrees that Rowan is willing to sacrifice the lives of others just to get her sister back. It is a brutal and heartfelt story about the lengths people go to obtain their desires, yet the characters are so masterfully written that it is almost like a view straight into their minds.

Altogether, The House Where Death Lives contains an excellent collection of creepy and emotional tales. Each story was as gripping as the last, featuring a deep dive into the minds of average human beings. While it is rather difficult to rate anthologies as they feature such a wide variety, I would give this book a solid 3.5/5. Overall, with further improvements on the plot structure, such as for The Grey Library and Smartmonster, this book would have made for a perfect spooky read.

Reviewed by Angela Liu

December 19, 2024