Book Review: The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

Blurb:

Three students: dead. 

Carly Johnson: vanished without a trace. 

Two decades have passed since an inferno swept through Elmbridge High, claiming the lives of three teenagers and causing one student, Carly Johnson, to disappear. The main suspect: Kaitlyn, "the girl of nowhere." 

Kaitlyn's diary, discovered in the ruins of Elmbridge High, reveals the thoughts of a disturbed mind. Its charred pages tell a sinister version of events that took place that tragic night, and the girl of nowhere is caught in the center of it all. But many claim Kaitlyn doesn't exist, and in a way, she doesn't - because she is the alter ego of Carly Johnson. 

Carly gets the day. Kaitlyn has the night. It's during the night that a mystery surrounding the Dead House unravels and a dark, twisted magic ruins the lives of each student that dares touch it. 

Debut author Dawn Kurtagich masterfully weaves together a thrilling and terrifying story using psychiatric reports, witness testimonials, video footage, and the discovered diary - and as the mystery grows, the horrifying truth about what happened that night unfolds.

My Review:

I first read this book about two years ago when it first came out. At the time, reading it late at night gave me such unsettling vibes that I couldn't finish it but I loved the cover so much that I couldn't get rid of the book. 

About a year ago I read Dawn Kurtagich's sophomore novel, And The Trees Crept In and loved it. Deciding that since I got through that book I'd give this book another try. One thing is abundantly clear after rereading The Dead House again: I clearly did not read the entire book the last time and the sections that terrified me I had read out of context. 

Rereading The Dead House was a breeze. This book is easy to read because of the format it's written in - comprised of journal entries, video and interview transcriptions with plenty of creepy photos, illustrations, and notes. 

This book is really more psychological than gory horror and it makes you think about what you believe as you read it. Is Kaitlyn the alter or is Carly really the alternate personality - or are they really what Naida believes: "two souls in one body." Are Carly and Kaitlyn really insane or is there something more sinister at work? Did Naida and the others help the situation or just make it worse; would any of it have even happened without the introduction of Mala?

I have my own opinions, I like to think Kaitlyn was the main personality (since we mostly see things in her perspective, not Carly's) and that the paranormal stuff was plausible, but I'm a fool who wishes to believe in the narrators of the books I read. 

Overall, this book was much better the second time and I can truly say that I loved it! Once I got started reading it I kept telling myself, "okay you'll go to sleep after this chapter ends," but with such short chapters I knew I was lying to myself. I devoured all 400 pages in no time at all! Allow this book into your life, let The Dead House infect your mind I dare you - you won't regret it! 

My Rating:

★★★★★

5 of 5 Stars!