Search This Blog







2025 Cover Lovers Reading Challenge (hosted by Yours Truly)

2025 Literary Escapes Challenge
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California (2)
- Colorado (3)
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- Florida (1)
- Georgia (1)
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa (2)
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine (1)
- Maryland
- Massachusetts (1)
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York (4)
- North Carolina (2)
- North Dakota
- Ohio (1)
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island (1)
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas (1)
- Utah
- Vermont (2)
- Virginia (2)
- Washington (1)
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin (1)
- Wyoming
- Washington, D.C.* (1)
International:
- Australia (2)
- Canada (1)
- England (5)
- France (1)
- Puerto Rico (1)
- Scotland (1)


2025 POPSUGAR Reading Challenge



2025 Build Your Library Reading Challenge









Thursday, February 08, 2018
Gorgeous Cover the Best Thing About Creepy Dual-Timeline Murder Mystery
8:15 PM
(Image from Barnes & Noble)
Although it seems morbid to others, 26-year-old Ivy Thorpe keeps a detailed "death journal" so that the people her father autopsies are never forgotten. Still mourning the losses of her mother and her brother, the task soothes Ivy, helping her through her own grieving process. When Ivy discovers the dead body of a young woman on the nearby grounds of an abandoned edifice known as Foster Hill House, she's shocked but determined. This stranger will not be forgotten. Enlisting the help of a childhood friend who is now a detective, Ivy launches her own amateur investigation—a decision that will put her in grave danger.
Over a century later, Kaine Prescott, a weary social worker from San Diego, is looking for a new start. Still devastated over the mysterious death of her husband two years ago and frustrated with the police for giving up on the case, she feels a desperate need to get out of California. On a whim, she purchases an old house in Oakwood, Wisconsin, her grandfather's hometown. One look at creepy old Foster Hill House, though, and Kaine's ready to run back to California. When she learns of its dark history, she's even more unsettled. The more she stays in the home, the more convinced she is that something sinister haunts its dusty hallways. Determined to unearth its age-old secrets, she vows to exorcise its demons—and her own.
First of all, cast your eyes on the cover of The House on Foster Hill, a debut novel by Jaime Jo Wright. It's gorgeous. Seriously gorgeous. I adore it. Mostly, I picked up this novel based on its lovely jacket art, although the dual-timeline, mystery/horror-type premise also appealed. Unfortunately, the cover might be the best thing about The House on Foster Hill. Harsh, I know, but consider this—the novel is overwritten and melodramatic; the characters are bland, with Kaine being especially whiny and unlikable; the loosey-goosey plot doesn't even make sense in some places, and the religious overtones (this is a Christian novel, which I didn't realize at first) are overt and preachy. So, while I like the bones of this novel, its "flesh" just didn't work for me. The House on Foster Hill gets rave reviews on Amazon and Barnes & Noble (part of the reason I bought it), so apparently I'm in the minority here, but I found it to be a big disappointment. Bummer, because it sounds like something that would be right up my alley. Oh well.
(Readalikes: The premise reminds me of Kate Morton's dual-timeline books about the secrets of old houses)
Grade:
If this were a movie, it would be rated:
for violence and disturbing subject matter
To the FTC, with love: I bought a copy of The House on Foster Hill from Amazon with a portion of the millions I make from my lucrative career as a book blogger. Ha ha.
3 comments:
Comments make me feel special, so go crazy! Just keep it clean and civil. Feel free to speak your mind (I always do), but be aware that I will delete any offensive comments.
P.S.: Don't panic if your comment doesn't show up right away. I have to approve each one before it posts to prevent spam. It's annoying, but it works!
Subscribe to:
Post Comments
(Atom)


Reading
Finlay Donovan Is Killing It by Elle Cosimano

Listening
If Walls Could Talk by Juliet Blackwell


Followin' with Bloglovin'

-
-
The Cupid Chronicles11 minutes ago
-
Movies That Suck - Mysterious Island1 hour ago
-
-
-
Monthly Round-Up: March 20256 hours ago
-
-
Lethal Prey by John Sandford7 hours ago
-
What I Wore in Australia11 hours ago
-
-
-
Ghost Of A Holy War By Yardena Schwartz16 hours ago
-
The Rainmaker by John Grisham20 hours ago
-
-
Sunday Salon: March 30 202521 hours ago
-
-
-
Murder at the Palace by N R Daws1 day ago
-
Nonfiction Books on BookTV2 days ago
-
One Word Titles A-to-Z3 days ago
-
-
-
A Review of Nor Gloom of Night4 days ago
-
-
-
-
I have been reading...1 week ago
-
-
February 2025 Reading Wrap Up3 weeks ago
-
-
-
One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery5 weeks ago
-
-
-
-
I'm Still Reading - This Was My October4 months ago
-
Review: The Duke and I7 months ago
-
Girl Plus Books: On Hiatus8 months ago
-
-
-
What Happened to Summer?1 year ago
-
-
-
-
-
-
Are you looking for Pretty Books?2 years ago
-
-
-
-
-
-

Grab my Button!


Blog Archive
- ► 2021 (159)
- ► 2020 (205)
- ► 2019 (197)
-
▼
2018
(223)
-
▼
February
(46)
-
▼
Feb 08
(12)
- Promising Mystery Series Opener Convinces Me to Re...
- Confusing, Far-fetched Psychological Thriller a St...
- Macmillan's Newest Sad, But Compelling
- Disappointing Dystopian Opener A Not Very Promisin...
- Gorgeous Cover the Best Thing About Creepy Dual-Ti...
- Adoption Novel Raw and Honest
- Teen Murder Mystery Twisty, Tense
- Dual Timeline Mystery/Romance Clean and Uplifting
- Sweeping Historical Pandemic Novel Sad But Compelling
- Warm, Quirky Southern Family Secrets Novel a Glitt...
- The Disappearances Offers An Intelligent, Magical ...
- Gripping WWII Novel An Engrossing Read
-
▼
Feb 08
(12)
-
▼
February
(46)
- ► 2017 (157)
- ► 2016 (157)
- ► 2015 (188)
- ► 2014 (133)
- ► 2013 (183)
- ► 2012 (193)
- ► 2011 (232)
- ► 2010 (257)
- ► 2009 (211)
- ► 2008 (192)


2025 Goodreads Reading Challenge
2024 - Elementary/Middle Grade Nonfiction
2023 - Middle Grade Fiction
2022 - Middle Grade Fiction
2021 - Middle Grade Fiction

2020 - Middle Grade Fiction

I agree about the cover art. Still trying to imagine a Christian horror novel. LOL
ReplyDeleteHa! That's what I said, too. Not to be spoiler-y, but the book isn't *exactly* what it seems :)
DeleteSometimes the only good thing about a novel is its cover. How sad.
ReplyDelete