From the author of You Must Not Miss comes a haunting contemporary horror novel that explores themes of mental illness, rage, and grief, twisted with spine-chilling elements of Stephen King and Agatha Christie.

Following her father’s death, Jane North-Robinson and her mom move from sunny California to the dreary, dilapidated old house in Maine where her mother grew up. All they want is a fresh start, but behind North Manor’s doors lurks a history that leaves them feeling more alone…and more tormented.

As the cold New England autumn arrives, and Jane settles in to her new home, she finds solace in old books and memories of her dad. She steadily begins making new friends, but also faces bullying from the resident “bad seed,” struggling to tamp down her own worst nature in response. Jane’s mom also seems to be spiraling with the return of her childhood home, but she won’t reveal why. Then Jane discovers that the “storage room” her mom has kept locked isn’t for storage at all–it’s a little girl’s bedroom, left untouched for years and not quite as empty of inhabitants as it appears….

Is it grief? Mental illness? Or something more…horrid?

My Review

“There was no such thing as…
She wouldn’t say the word.
But there was no such thing as dead little girls who could write words into fogged-up mirrors.”

Get ready to be creeped the hell out! Katrina Leno gives Danielle Vega (The Haunted) a run for her money with this chilling story about moving to a cold Maine town and living inside the “creep” house.

Jane and her Mother, Ruth, are moving from California to Maine. Jane’s Dad passed away and left them with money issues. Ruth having inherited a house from her late Mother, they decide to pick up their lives and move across the country.

Once they get to Maine, strange things start to happen. There are unexplained noises, lights flickering on and off, and there are messages on Jane’s phone that are just not explainable. All this while Ruth seems to be spiraling downwards.

Jane gathers up strength to go to school, get a job at the local book store, and make some friends. But she’s dealing with someone who wants her gone. Jane is heading down the same path as her Mom and doesn’t know what’s real and what’s not. All she knows is that she has to figure this out before things get worse.

If you like second-guessing yourself, feeling creeped out, uneasy at being home alone, and just being downright terrified of the dark, then you have come to the right place. This spooked me out a bit and I love all things dark and ghostly. Every single damn thing about this was stellar. I had to stay up to finish this before bed and I regret nothing!!

Horrid is the perfect book for horror lovers and spooky read-a-thon goers for the Halloween season. Katrina enthralled me with her hauntingly beautiful words and now I need more creepiness in my life. There are no words to express the love I have for this book.

Rating: 5/5