3.5 stars

A quick and interesting supernatural novella. I liked the premise and the writing. I feel the characters were alright, but because you’re with them for such a short time, it feels like you don’t know them at all. I would’ve liked to know a little more about the characters and the town so I could fully visualize everything and feel more invested in the story.

I really enjoyed The Flowers At Flood House. It was unsettling and nerve wracking. I finished ready it in one sitting, I needed to know where it was going.
I did feel like it wrapped up a little too quick, and felt like there could have been more to the last couple of chapters. I felt like the 2 main characters had grown a strong bond, and I feel like they deserved a bit more time together to nurture their friendship.
Overall, I really enjoyed this novella.

This has everything you want in a horror novella. It does so much with so little.

"The Flowers at Flood House" deals with the topics of dementia, loss, and grief, all through the trope of a haunted house. Haunted house has been done many times, but not quite like this. The writing is beautiful, the characters are well developed in just a short time, and I really enjoyed the way the dialogue felt natural and moved the plot forward. Things move quickly in this little novella, and I was hooked from the first page. I love the small town vibes, the creepy atmosphere, the mystery of what's going on with the house. It was genuinely scary! I wish the author would turn this into a full novel because I could see the relationships between Seth, Yanna, and Gina being explored more deeply. I'd love to know the back story on Flood House's previous owner and draw out his story a bit more. Those flashbacks were scary and engaging and I wanted more from that storyline!

I'd recommend this novella to anyone who's in a bit of a reading slump and needs something bingeable and creepy to get them out.

This haunting journey was just what I was looking for! There was such a sense of tension throughout the entire book. I felt myself just waiting for something to come along and break it, and that made the experience all the more enjoyable.
I wanted to solve the mystery, and the author did a nice job making sure I kept second guessing what I thought was happening for the first 3/4 of the book! The last quarter and the wrap-up were intense and grief driven. For a novella, this felt heavy and complete, and I love that.
This book felt like a unique take on a haunted house, and I really enjoyed the freshness of it!

Thank you Netgalley and After Dusk Press for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!

Throughout this book, I felt a sense of urgency to solve the mystery surrounding the Flood House, and the Flowers that were blooming were then dead and decaying like the life has been sucked out of them. It is quite saddening to hear that the main antagonist of Flood House saw life being pretty was short-lived and needed to be taken away, like all the pretty things in life should come to an end, but far too soon.

This book was more of an adventurous book that contained some horror elements, but I would’ve liked to see more of a description of how the flowers were laid out and what they were to give more imagery and more meaning to the whole story. However, I felt that the story was well written, and I would love to read more by J.J. Walker.

The haunting atmosphere and the supposed “hallucinations” of the memory of the house gave me an imagery like no other. Thank you to NetGalley and After Dusk Press/Victory Editing NetGalley Co-op for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

Rating: 4 stars!

What a unique take on a "haunted house". Flood House is haunted by its past, and its up to its current occupant to figure it out. I loved the short chapters, the memory flashes between current and past events, and the conclusion of the whole shabang. A SUPER quick, fast paced 'horror' book!

Thank you NetGalley and After Dusk Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was seriously unsettling! For a short novella this story really packs a punch. A unique take on the haunted house trope (which I loooove) and I binged it in an hour. Will definitely read more by this author.

ARC 📖 Review: The Flowers at Flood House by J.J. Walker
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (4.5 stars)
Pub Date: July 31, 2025.

I requested this novella on a whim and I’m so glad I did! I had so much fun with this haunted house story. It gave American Horror Story: Murder House vibes and I was so here for it! I really enjoyed this one!

Thank you @netgalley and @victoryeditingngc for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

🏡🧑🏼‍🦳🥀

Flood House was meant to be a fresh start. A quiet escape in Stillwater where Seth Dorsey could care for his mother, caught in dementia’s grip.

But when Seth wakes up to dried flowers he didn’t hang in his basement and starts noticing unsettling changes in and around the house, he’s forced to ask whether the unexplainable is real, or something more sinister is at work.

⭐️⭐️⭐️.5 – The Flowers at Flood House by J.J. Walker

This novella is a beautifully unsettling descent into grief, rot, and ruin. Walker’s writing is atmospheric and poetic, crafting a flooded house that feels alive with memory and menace. The use of flora as a vehicle for horror is subtle but effective—quietly blooming with dread.

While I loved the setting and mood, the narrative momentum wavered a bit in the middle. I found myself hoping for either a stronger emotional payoff or more concrete resolution. That said, the story stuck with me long after I turned the last page—ghostly, floral, and just off-kilter enough to be haunting.

📚 Perfect for fans of:
• Botanical horror
• Gothic atmosphere
• Haunting, lyrical prose
• Quiet, creeping dread

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

What a crazy ride! I read this story in one sitting. I liked the unsettling atmosphere and almost manic pace of the story. I did not see that particular ending coming at all!

Thank You NetGalley & the publisher for this ARC

This was a gripping story and an interesting take on a haunted house. The occurrences in the house were creepy and the main characters Seth and Yanna investigating the house and discovering the truth was very unsettling. A short but sad story and an interesting idea, definitely worth a read.

I have some questions. Although, to be fair, I think I’m suppose to be left with some questions. There were some events in the first part of the story that I don’t quite understand though, and I definitely thought they’d be explained by the end. That being said, this was a unique story. I’ve never read anything quite like it. I found it interesting and it held my attention until the end. I wish there had been a bit more exploration into what it’s like caring for someone with dementia, but also realize that it was intended to be short. Overall I enjoyed it and will probably read it again.

‘Flood House was meant to be a fresh start. A quiet escape in Stillwater where Seth Dorsey could care for his mother, caught in dementia's grip.
An unsettling tale that takes readers on a dark and supernatural descent into loss, grief, and coming face-to-face with the memories that haunt us.’

What a quick, clever and creepy little read this was. Switch on the nightlight tonight.

Thank you After Dusk Press & NetGalley for this arc in exchange for review!

Pub: 7.31.2025.

Seth is struggling to care for his mother, who has dementia and moves to the Flood House for a fresh start. Slowly, things start to change subtly at first. The door has a fresh coat of paint, there's a rug in the hallway that wasn't there before, and doors that were left closed are now open. What really spooks Seth, though, is the dried flowers hanging in the basement. He starts to question if this is reality or all in his head. Desperate for answers, he calls on his friend Yanma for help. At first, she chalks it up to grief, but then she starts to experience the strangeness herself. As Yanma and Seth work through their grief, they must contend with ghosts of memories from the past as well. I love the flower metaphor and how the story depicts grief and the different ways people cope with it. Every unearthed memory had me searching for more. This story has it all ghosts, grief, trauma, and hidden memories.

Thanks to Net Galley and After Dusk Press for the ARC

The Flowers at Flood House is an interesting little novella.

It delves into the idea of a haunting not my ghost but by memory and thats a fun little concept.

It evolves into a murder mystery that would probably appeal to thriller readers more than horror imo.

Recommend for fans of Simone st james

The Flowers at Flood House by J.J. Walker. I don’t know if this really classifies as a ‘horror’ but I did really enjoy the different take on the meaning of a haunted house. This is a good one sitting read thriller novella with some seriously ‘unsettling’ moments. I will be looking for other J.J. Walker stories.

Thank you NetGalley, After Dark Press and J.J. Walker for the ARC.

ARC Reader via Net Galley:

⭐️3.75. Overall, I enjoyed this book. It was definitely a quick, fast paced read that was super easy to get into. I don't know if I would categorize this book as horror, as it truly felt like more of just a thriller to me. That being said, I feel like the build up was great, but I don't feel like the there was a moment in this book where there was a super tangible plot twist of where I was really surprised at what was going on. I did love the writing style and would look into other books by this author.