“The Last House on Needless Street” is a phenomenon! It’s virtually impossible to review without revealing it’s deepest secrets. Needless to say though, this is an exceptional novel. It’s true that you think you know this story, but you don’t. It’s a novel that blurs the lines between horror, devastation, hope and life.

Ward’s writing is both lyrical and sharp. It draws you into the world of the characters through poetic prose and exquisite metaphors. Images leap from the page and dance in front of your eyes - this is a visual novel, a feast for the mind. I read this slowly, as it’s a story to be savoured and ruminated upon. In fact, I immediately wanted to start reading this again upon finishing, fresh with the knowledge of the concluding reveals.

Ward has created an exceptionally taut narrative that is both complex and riveting. There are multiple twists - some shocking, some subtlety hinted at - and I was kept guessing as to the outcome throughout. I really enjoyed how much this book made me think. As said, this is story that you think you know, but Ward masterly pulls the rug out from under you and the story takes a completely new turn. I can confidently say that this is like nothing else I have read before and it is another refreshingly unique offering from Viper Books.

This is a character driven novel, with a host of creative and interesting individuals at the heart of the narrative. Each has a vivid and unique voice, which Ward captures perfectly. I also found both Ted’s house and the surrounding forest to be some of the most mesmerising characters. Both create an unyielding sense of creepiness and both symbolise a sense of imprisonment and freedom at different times. Both are more than just a location - they breathe life into the narrative and the characters. The forest is both mystical and treacherous. It’s a place that holds the gods and somewhere where salvation can be found, but it’s also a place of death. Ted’s house is both prison and sanctuary. It takes on a life of its own and holds a deeply visceral part in the plot.

There are plenty of themes explored here, which also makes this a memorable read. Without spoiling the plot, expect musings on religion, abuse, obsession, fear and relationships. It’s a truly bewitching novel, which will stay with me forever.

Finally, be sure to read the afterward (but not before finishing!) because it adds another layer of clarity to the narrative and deepens the empathy felt.

Oh my days! I’ll be honest, I don’t think I can write a review that will do this book justice, but I’m going to try. What an utterly compelling and enthralling experience reading this book was. An intelligently written psychological thriller, I was captivated from the beginning - never has a book played with my mind so much.

The plot is astonishing - expertly layered and kaleidoscopic - Catriona takes you through a house of mirrors experience of loyalty, guilt, identity, love, and fear. The brutality is expertly balanced with compassion on a heartbreaking level.

The characterisation is exquisite. I feel I can’t say too much without giving away spoilers but each one drew me into their world in a spellbinding way (especially Olivia) and captured my heart.

I had no idea what was going on half the time; every time I thought I had figured it out, another layer was masterfully peeled away to reveal a further layer of raw brutality and vulnerability. Just as I thought my nerves couldn’t be shredded any more, Catriona finishes with a mind-blowing whammy!

Believe the hype! This book is more than a book. It’s an exquisite and hypnotic experience of emotions, and I cannot recommend this book enough!

Dissociative identity disorder (DID), previously known as multiple personality disorder (MPD), is a mental disorder characterized by the maintenance of at least two distinct and relatively enduring personality states. The disorder is accompanied by memory gaps beyond what would be explained by ordinary forgetfulness.

Another new book & another new author for me. I'll hold my hands up & say that I spent some of the book asking myself WTAF am I reading, then it slowly started becoming clearer. If you're a lover of the film 'Split' you'll get this book. This was dark, creepy, extremely compelling & I've not come across another storyline like this. Told from multiple points of view including Olivia the cat, this was like marmite & I urge you to continue turning those pages if you feel like giving up because you don't get it. I almost gave up, but I'm so glad I persevered.

Ted lives in a house on Needless Street with his daughter & his cat, a lady called Dee moved in next door, she's looking for her sister who disappeared as a child. This may well seem like your average child kidnap kinda story, honestly...you have no idea what is waiting for you! 😱

Many thanks to Netgalley for my ARC in return for my honest review.

𝗜 𝗴𝗮𝘃𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝘀 𝗯𝗼𝗼𝗸 𝗮 4 ⭐ 𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴

This book. I thought I was entering into familiar territory here – a psychological thriller, maybe a little sprinkle of horror. Nothing I can’t handle. I was wrong. This book threw me. It gave me nightmares (I don’t mean that metaphorically). It gave me a twist I never expected. And ultimately, after spending a while in a dark place, it gave me hope.

This is the story of a serial killer. A stolen child. Revenge. Death. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.

All these things are true. And yet they are all lies…

This description is a pretty standard blurb for this type of novel. But in this case, it’s really accurate. So much so, it’s a very difficult one to review as I have to step over the gaping spoiler that really brings the novel together and alters its entire theme and purpose.

But I’ll try.

In the last house on Needless Street, there lives a man called Ted. He lives with his cat, Olivia. Ted is strange – he’s clearly lonely, maybe a little disturbed. Maybe more than a little. He lives a reclusive life, only socialising with his beloved cat and his “tweenage” daughter, Lauren, who comes to visit part time. He drinks a lot, he’s large, and he has some family issues.

A lot of the book is narrated from Ted’s point of view, and it’s clear from the start that something is off with this man. But there’s also something creepingly sympathetic about him, especially when he talks about his upbringing. His love for Lauren and Olivia is clear – even if his treatment of them is clearly wrong.

The other main narrator is Olivia. Yes, Ted’s cat. I have to confess, as a crazy cat lady, I was quite excited to have a cat narrator. But Olivia isn’t an ordinary cat, there’s something odd and other-worldly about her too. Having a narrative from a cat’s point of view could seem gimmicky or cute, but in the hands of this author it’s really not. Despite that, she does have some cat-like quote I enjoyed.

“The trick to life is, if you don’t like what is happening, go back to sleep until it stops.”

So, I can’t talk too much about the plot for this one, but I want to talk about how it made me feel. I struggled with my rating for this at times because it is a truly disturbing read. I was pretty sure I had no idea what was really going on for the majority of this novel (and, I was right). The author has a knack for telling a story which is compelling, while also making the reader feel completely lost and off-kilter. I’ve described books as ‘dark’ quite a lot, but I can’t emphasise enough – this book really is dark.

But then, there’s the ending. I was probably sitting at a four-star review for all this disturbing, dark material until the ending pretty much tore everything apart. In a good way. And maybe I should have seen it coming, maybe I felt it creeping, but I was so engrossed in the present story I didn’t stop to think about how this could really end. It was exceptional and, as I said earlier, it brings hope where I thought there could be none.

On a side note – this is a prime book for book clubs. I have so much I’d like to talk about! If anyone knows of any spoiler-ridden reviews or discussions about this book and the issues explored at the ending, please let me know. It was fascinating.

This book is something else; it took me completely by surprise. I’m not even sure how to go about reviewing it!

It starts out like a ‘typical’ horror story; lots of suspense and frankly disturbing scenes that made me slow down my reading and only during the day! But there is more than one genre in here - there is gothic, suspense and psychological elements woven cleverly throughout.

As we meet each of the characters for the first time, they each seem isolated and extreme in nature. The main character is Ted, a strange man, who is screaming all your typical serial killer tropes, everything about him is just ‘wrong’. His characterisation is clever and swift. The other main characters, Lauren, Olivia the Cat and Dee, are also very individual and clear.

But as the story continues, other facets of their personalities emerge and blend that make it more than a horror. In fact by the end, I found it anything but. Instead, for me, the story is an amazing psychological suspense story about hope and survival.

The plot is intricate and never once let up. The only issue I had was Dee’s character arc, it didn’t quite fit for me.

This story made me feel all the emotions, I was horrified, uncertain, uncomfortable, but by the end I felt hope and compassion.

An intricately woven plot, with beautiful descriptions and characters who will stay with me for a while.

Thank you to NetGalley and Serpent’s Tail for my copy!

It's overused but I honestly think 'audacious' is the only word to describe The Last House on Needless Street. I struggled with the slippery storytelling initially, but once I became used to all the narrative switches I was absolutely hooked.

Stephen King probably would have loved to call this novel his own, because it’s that brilliant.
We are early in 2021, but this could be one of my favourite books this year.

„The Last House on Needles Street“ is an utterly sinister, memorable and haunting read, you won’t be able to forget, for sure.
I loved everything, the writing is impeccable and kept flowing from the beginning until the end. The plot is highly-intricate and once you think you worked everything out and the puzzle is solved - a non expected twist comes ahead and your puzzle pieces start to shatter.

I‘m glad I found a new author of whom I will look forward to read everything from the past and the current.

Thank you NetGalley / Serpent‘s Tail for providing me with this e-arc in return for a honest review.

[Book Review] ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
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Holy hannah! This was intense & creepy & unpleasant & poetic. I'm also sincerely glad I read this book despite how much I didn't enjoy Ward's #Rawblood.
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This is the story of a serial killer. A stolen child. Revenge. Death. And an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.

All these things are true. And yet they are all lies...

You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. You think you've read this story before. That's where you're wrong.
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I have so many thoughts running through my head but I can't share them for risk of spoiling the whole thing. This book isn't for everyone is my only caveat. There are quote a few moments of disclosure where you feel sick, or unclean, or intensely sympathetic. From the first sentence, it feels impossible to stop or walk away.
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Wow. I'm jealous this isn't mine. Just a word of warning, this book is nothing like Gone Girl (hideous trash) & for others like me, comparing a new book to GG is the quickest way to ensure I skip it.
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Honest review provided in return for free advanced reader copy from @netgalley & @serpentstail (4.5 stars)
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📸: https://pin.it/7icRLva
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#TheLastHouseOnNeedlessStreet #CatrionaWard #Netgalley #serpentstail #instabook #booksofinstagram #bookreview #bookrecommendation #fiction

I’m with a few others in the minority here because I just couldn’t get into this book.
I was confused by the timeline and different chapters from different perspectives. I had trouble working out who was who and just couldn’t get my head round what was going on.
I’d read some reviews before starting the book and understood some chapters are from the cat’s point of view, so I was prepared for that, but I just couldn’t get into it.
Reading the Afterword, things made a bit more sense to me but this one just wasn’t my cup of tea.
Thanks to Viper/Serpent’s Tail and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.

I'm really torn about writing this review! On the one hand I understand the hype and high reviews but I didn't get on with this book at all. It's described a couple of times as a 'gothic' thriller, which is the reason I wanted to read it - but I really don't understand how this is classified as gothic. Almost immediately I realised the book didn't match my expectations but I tried really hard to press on. Eventually about halfway through it started to come together (and I got less annoyed about reading from the perspective of a cat!) and I enjoyed it for a short while.

The story and concept is really clever - it's definitely a 'not everything is what it seems' kind of book and you have to pay attention to a lot of the small details to help you build a picture of what's happening. Unfortunately it was just too chaotic and messy for me. I think I understood what had happened at the end but by that point it had gone on so long, I didn't care!

Looking at the reviews though, I'm clearly in the minority here so if it sounds interesting to you, it's worth giving it a go.

This is an unsettling read. All the narrators are unreliable and one is a cat. It is also impossible to describe the plot without giving too much away. Despite being horrific, much of this book has a warmth and sense of fun, much like Merricat in We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson.

A suspenseful, edge of your seat stuff by anyone’s standards. It had me challenging the perspectives of the limited featured characters, criss-crossing their paths until it became impossible to tell their footprints apart.

The entire plot is hosted on an extraordinarily narrow stage, which, instead of being hugely restrictive, nurtures psychological sabotage at every opportunity while simultaneously reinventing the word ‘endurance’.

Twisty, torturous thought-play. Check.
Circumstances that are haunting, harrowing, and hellish. Check.
An epic human puzzle, fiendishly well written. Check.
Dull moments? Not. A. One.

Highly recommended? Absolutely.

Let me just be blunt: I am pretty sure I just read the best horror novel of the year 2021.
I wanted to read The Last House on Needless Street from the very first moment someone talked about it… several months ago. I had never read anything by the author, Catriona Ward, but the plot seemed to be just what I was looking for in a horror novel. A house where the sun does not shine, an odd man living there alone with his daughter and his cat, a missing child case from eleven years ago… My mind raced between all the possible outcomes, all the twists and turns.

And I failed miserably, because one cannot even begin to suspect what is happening in the Last House on Needless Street.
This novel is, and I never say this lightly, a masterpiece. It is as if the author had this very intricate puzzle in front of her, but with all the pieces upside down… and she just knew the perfect moment to turn them over, one by one. And when the puzzle is apparently finished in front of your eyes… it kind of feels wrong, as if something was amiss. And the same happens with Ted, with Lauren, with Olivia the cat; Something does not add up.
Until it does. And then, when the journey is over, you feel as if you just witnessed something truly amazing, impossible to replicate.

***I received a free review copy from the publisher in exchange for my honest unedited feedback***

I am, once again, in the minority here because I just didn't get into this at all.

I was confused about the timeline, who was who, what was what and I spent most of my time with a frown on my face and scratching my head wondering what the heck was going on.

I think I just lost the plot completely but there are loads of others who have read this and given it 5 stars so it must be me!!

If you enjoy something of a challenge and dark, gothic stories, this is probably for you but not so much for me unfortunately.

Thank you to Serpent's Tail, Viper Books and Profile Books via NetGalley for the opportunity to read an advance copy of this book in return for an unbiased and unedited review and I'm sorry I didn't enjoy it as much as I would have liked.

This book defies all attempts to label it with a specific genre. Indeed the author relates how she had a complete turnaround mid writing once she came to develop the characters.
The book begins with a theme which echoes many other novels. A little girl on a day out is taken and thus begins the catalyst which irrevocably changes the lives of others.
The chapters switch seamlessly between characters which unusually include a cat! That sounds weird but is actually very well executed.
As you begin to know the characters you begin to form opinions about them but these opinions are always teetering on indecision. Are they victims or perpetrators?
I feel bound not to say anything specific to the plot because this would remove the elements which make it so memorable and unique.
Some of the content is harrowingly graphic so not for the faint hearted and sometimes the plot gets very extended in places and requires a great deal of focus to keep up but, setting this aspect aside, give this book a go. It is a journey inside characters like no other.

Having enjoyed, “Rawblood,” by Catriona Ward, I was keen to give her latest novel a try. This is a creepy read, which is part crime and part horror. Ted lives in the last house on needless street – a house on the edge of a forest, which has boarded up windows, bird feeders, but no birds, and too many secrets….

Eleven years ago, the ‘Little Girl with Popsicle,’ vanished from a nearby lake and Ted – isolated, reclusive, somewhat odd, was seen as a possible suspect. Now the missing girl’s sister has moved into the house next door; determined to discover whether Ted was involved in her disappearance.

It is hard to review this book without giving away the plot, but this is a twisting, unsettling and disturbing read. The points of view change, with the author even using that of the cat, Olivia, to tell the story of what happened all those years ago. If you enjoy unreliable narrators, atmospheric settings and excellent writing, you will be gripped by this. I received a copy of the book from the publisher, via NetGalley, for review.

It's hard to say much about what this book is about, so I shall copy the blurb below. This book kept me intrigued and guessing through out, I couldn't figure out what was happening, but I was captivated by the characters and determined to find out what was actually going on.

Blurb:
This is the story of a murderer. A stolen child. Revenge. This is the story of Ted, who lives with his daughter Lauren and his cat Olivia in an ordinary house at the end of an ordinary street.
All these things are true. And yet some of them are lies.
You think you know what's inside the last house on Needless Street. You think you've read this story before. But you're wrong. In the dark forest at the end of Needless Street, something lies buried. But it's not what you think...

A Man, a Woman, a Girl, and a Cat

I rarely struggle to put down my thoughts about a book on a page. Very rare. In fact, I'm one of those people who formulate their opinion on the book as they read it; intrinsically feeling what to focus on in their analysis, making clever comparisons to other works of fiction and jotting down verbose, semi-intellectual thoughts. 'The Last House…' is one of those books, however. One of those unicorns that makes a reviewer type and delete, then type and delete some more.

It took me 40 minutes to come up with the intro you have just read, and, as much as it pains me to admit, it's nothing special. It's a bit meh, in fact. There's no grand hook to my review because the book itself is a hook, from start to finish.
On the surface, 'The Last House on Needless Street' is a gripping, gorgeously written thriller that revolves around the disappearance of a little girl, a man who might have abducted her, her sister conducting a frantic and tireless search for any clues of the whereabouts of her sibling, and… A cat. However, it would be highly unfair on this spectacular book to simplify and boil it down, as the true essence of the story cannot be talked about without spoiling it. This is where the real difficulty comes in respect of reviewing Catriona Ward's highly-acclaimed novel. As exciting and masterfully constructed as it is, the thriller element becomes almost a background of what the story really is about.
A multi-faceted narrative driven from our main characters' points of view provides dynamic and brilliant character development. Ward takes each chapter as a piece of fabric and saws it skilfully in the tapestry of the story, and it's necessary to step back to see the finished article in its full storytelling glory. Catriona Ward creates a claustrophobic yet heavily stylised gothic world filled with unsettling imagery. The story is excellently researched, and the foreword and bibliography are crucial to understanding the events as the story itself. The current trend in the world of thrillers is to provide a gut-wrenching twist. The conclusion of Catriona Ward's story is not a twist. It's a homecoming.

Many thanks to Catriona Ward, NetGalley and Corvus for my ARC of 'The Last House on Needless Street'.

The Last House on Needless Street - Catriona Ward

WOW, what more can I say (you must read this book) I'm going to find it impossible to talk about it without giving away any spoilers, so I'll keep my opinions short and sweet. The whole book melted my brain (but in a good way), I felt like I had been sucked into the story and wanted to devour it until I had all the answers. The author used such an addictive writing style that it kept me up until the early hours, I could not put it down. Deliciously dark and twisty! Absolutely loved it and really want to see it on screen! This will 100% be a book that I will want to reread at some point and that is very rare for me. Thank you so much NetGalley and Serpent's Tail / Profile Books for giving me the opportunity to read and review this awesome book

WOW, So where do you begin to give a review of this book without giving away any plot spoilers. This is a tough one.

Brilliantly written, great characterisation, totally gripping, engrossing, mind blowing ending. Need I say more? Ok yes I know that’s not really a review.

The story is told initially from three points of view Ted, Olivia and Dee, later on there are some small points given by Lauren as we hear her voice.

Is Ted a murderer?, is Ted a victim?, what is Ted? The more deeper I delved into the story the more I seemed to feel for Ted. His mother though a nurse seemed a very harsh cruel woman, why was she sacked from more than one job? The neighbour or chihuahua lady as she is referred to didn’t think she should have been sacked, claiming she was the best member of staff there.

Dee, or Dee Dee as she is known early on is on vacation with her parents and her sister LuLu, she desperately wants to leave home and go to Pacific, but Lulu can at times be a bit of a pain as siblings can be. But thus day was to change everything as Dee went for a swim on her own despite being asked by her parents to take Lulu, when Dee returns slightly later than she should have her parents are frantic with worry, she thinks it’s because she is late returning, but the. Realises that Lulu has gone missing. One day, one mistake, can change the whole of your life, Dee is still searching for her sister.

Olivia, well Olivia is a very unusual character giving a point of view, one I will leave you the reader to find out for yourself.

How reliable are any of the narrators? At times this is pretty creepy, I did sit reading with the wind howling outside my windows, hailstones beating against the windowpane, which added to the atmospheric feelings given from the book. Each persons story goes back in time as we gradually find out what has happened and then in the present what is happening.

This is a story that I thought I had the ending but I had part of it but not the whole picture, because I really didn’t see that coming and I’m not just saying that it just totally floored me. I highly recommend this to any Stephen King fans (who loved the book) or Dean Koontz, if you just like horror grab a copy of this when it’s out. A definite top read of 2021.

I would like to thank #netgalley and #viperbooks #serpentinebooks for an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest fair and unbiased review.