Review #AllHallowsWeek - The Fall by Bethany Griffin

Series: Standalone 

Genre: Historical Fiction Retelling

Published: October 2015 (Greenwillow Books)

Hardcover: 420 pgs

Source: Purchased 

Add it // Buy it 

Rating: 4/5 

She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.

Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house. In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down?

Are you looking for a book that will get you in the Halloween Spirit? Do your ears perk up when you hear the name Edgar Allen Poe? Do you like murderous houses, scary doctors and possibly mad girls? If so, this book is for you!

Last year when this book was released I wanted to read it in time for Halloween but didn’t make it. Instead I made it a priority for this year when fall came around. It was the perfect book to put me in the spooky spirit heading into fall.

Throughout the book the atmosphere is crucial to the mystery of the house and Madeline’s life. The lovely writing pulled me into the story and into the house. The dark and ominous setting in the house really adds to the intense plot as well.  We jump back and forth in time from when Madeline was a child, when she trusted the house, to now when she is a young women and does not.  The chapters are very short which keeps the story moving, but I found this jumping around confusing at times.

This added to the tension and made the story develop slowly but in a compelling way. As the plot was slowly revealed there were twists that surprised me and scenes that made my skin crawl. I especially enjoyed the effect the house had on all the characters and how dramatic some of the changes were.

Madeline is a very interesting character and I wasn’t sure she was a reliable narrator through most of the book. Is the house really alive or is the girl mad? I wasn’t sure for a good chuck of the book, and I really enjoyed the mystery and tension. I do think the pacing lulled a little in the middle then was frenzied at the end. This book has an open ending that will bother some people, but I think it fits the book very well.

Quick Thoughts: Throughout the book the creepy atmosphere and characters kept me engrossed in the story. I was addicted to this story and had to know how this would connect back to The Fall of the House of Usher. Check this book out for a scary (but perfect) Halloween read.