This is one of the creepiest haunted house stories that I have ever read! It was extremely dark and strange and reminded me of something Stephen King would have written. For most of the book, not much made sense, but when everything clicked together, I couldn't pick my jaw up off the floor. The plot was absolutely brilliant and extremely creative! The story is a long one though, over 500 pages. Its pacing is slower than the author's other books, but I still read it as fast as I could. It was so interesting that I couldn't put it down. I'm still trying to wrap my brain around everything. I'm a little confused as to why this book was marketed as YA. Some of the characters may have been teens, but the content was definitely more geared to adults. Don't let that YA label steer you away. This was classic horror at its finest! I loved it and I think Barker fans and horror junkies are going to love it, too. I highly recommend!

Thank you to Hampton Creek Press / Simon & Schuster for granting me a digital ARC via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review!

I will read anything Barker writes and this was one of the creepiest, darkest books ever! Most of it takes place on Wood Island which was given to David Spivey by his dead grandmother. So when he and pal, Billy motor out there they discover more than they had imagined. The house itself is immaculate and there's even food in the fridge, but something just isn't right. Regardless, Bill and Spivey invite all their high school friends out there to drink, party, and even have a seance. And then they plan to make it a haunted house....Just read the book and prepare yourself!
Thanks to NetGalley for this ARC!

Everything J.D. Barker writes is pure gold. I loved this haunted house story, and honestly had no idea where it was going the entire time! Spivey was an interesting character, I loved every minute of this novel.

Horror, Ghost Stories, Young Adult not my usual genre, but as JD BARKER wrote it, I wanted to read it.

Story set in coastal New Hampshire with seventeen year old Billy Hasler and his friend David. David inherits a house where they plan to spend the summer. Sounds fun, what could go wrong?!

Fun to read, I really enjoyed it especially the authors note at the end.

This book is being marketed as a YA book, but it just does not feel like a YA novel. I am just not so sure that this is written in a way that teens will connect with.

Absolutely fantastic! The twists will keep you guessing all the way to the end!
The suspense is well built and the character development is superb. This will be one of my favorite horror/suspense books for a long time to come. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys a good ghost story!

It all starts with a house.

A compelling, insistent and unsettling mood permeates this novel as Spivey; a down-at-luck, alienated teenager suffering from Cancer, receives a house and an island in an unexpected inheritance from a grandmother he hardly knows. It is both a life-altering escape from his overbearing, grasping parents and a burden with a list of arcane and cryptic maintenance rules. Spivey’s best friend, Billy, watches him unravel trying to manage his new found freedom, which includes an almost cult-like teenage entourage, ready to take advantage of the libertarian ethos on the adult-free island. What starts off as typical teenage rebellion against authority, soon escalates into a terrifying and rapid downward spiral into anarchy and degradation. This is an immersive and jolting approach to the genre, with an impotent narrator helplessly witnessing his vulnerable friend being transformed by his embrace of the abyss. Iconic horror tropes are manipulated and repositioned with precise craft by the incisive and knowing pen of J.D. Barker. Definitely an incipient master of the craft. A must-read for any fan of the genre.