Title: The House that Fell from the Sky

Author: Patrick Delaney

Publisher: 2020

Genre: Horror

Pages: 573

Rating: 2/5 stars

Reading Challenges: 

When twenty-nine-year-old Scarlett Vantassel comes to the conclusion that her life doesn’t resemble any of the things she actually wanted for herself, she drops out of school and moves back home, attempting to reconnect with the people she left behind. But a shadow falls over her return one early October morning when a sinister house miraculously appears in the center of the city, sparking a media frenzy that attracts attention nationwide.

Soon after the newspapers label it, "The House that Fell from the Sky," Scarlett’s childhood friend Hannah becomes obsessed with the idea that the house holds the key to discovering whether there really is life after death. Undeterred by her friends' numerous warnings, Hannah becomes increasingly consumed with the desire to enter the house, convinced it would allow her to reconnect with her recently deceased mother.

Despite a series of escalating events suggesting that the house may be more dangerous than anyone ever thought possible, a privately owned company seizes control of the property and hosts a lottery to lure the city’s residents, promising the winners a large cash reward if they dare to enter the house. To Scarlett’s horror, Hannah uses her vast wealth to secure a spot among the winners to gain access to the house.

Now, it’s up to Scarlett, her older brother Tommy, and her friend Jackson to face their fears and journey into a place where nothing is ever quite as it seems, and decide if they can help a friend in need, or if Hannah truly is lost.

Read that premise again. Sounds absolutely amazing, right? This sounded like a book that I would love. But alas, it was a big disappointment. My biggest problem with the book is the characters. Supposedly Scarlett is 29 years old. Nope… I don’t buy it. She and her friends like more like 16 year olds. The disconnect really annoyed me greatly. I could not connect to the characters at all. Often their motivations were very muddled and confusing. Hannah especially really annoyed and confused me. Beyond the characters, the story ends up being pretty boring. I was excited for a creepy house to explore, but it took forever to actually get to the house. And once we got inside, it was a confusing mess. So many times, I was thoroughly confused by what was actually happening at any given moment. It felt like the story was missing whole sections to actually immerse yourself into the atmosphere. Overall, a very big disappointment for me.

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