I selected this book because the synopsis intrigued me and I remember reading "The House Next Door" by Anne Rivers Siddons and "The Shining" by Stephen King as a teenager and being freaked out for days after finishing those books. "Starter House" had a great premise and started off very strong but I ended up not caring at all for the ending or main characters which makes it hard to rate this novel above two stars.

The plot revolves around a married couple, Lacey and Eric who are looking to buy their first home. Lacey and Eric are expecting a baby and she wants to be settled in a house before the baby is born. They come across a home that needs work but promptly buy it since Lacey is so intrigued and feels an instant connection to the house. After moving in the couple start interacting with a little boy who comes out of nowhere who starts causing problems around the house.

I thought the set-up was very good. Ms. Condit has a way with words and I have to say that she managed to grip me almost immediately as I started reading this book. However, I didn't feel scared or uneasy as I did while reading Mr. King's and Ms. Siddon's novels. I think if you are going to write a ghost story it doesn't have to be all bloodshed and mayhem but there at least should be some scary moments included in it or something that makes you afraid for the main protagonists.

Also the way that the characters Eric and Lacey were written did not make me want to root for them to get out of harm's way. As it was Eric was an non-entity throughout the novel and I couldn't warm up to Lacey.

Finally, about halfway through I found myself getting bored with the story. One reason why I liked "The Shining" and "The House Next Door" was because there was a central mystery involved with the house/hotel in those stories that you were given clues to along with the main protagonists. Withthis novel I just found myself not really caring why anything was happening to Lacey or Eric and just wanted to get to the end.

Would only recommend if you like your ghost stories to be non-threatening.

Please note that I received this novel for free via the Amazon Vine Program ( )

A truly creepy page turner. i could not put this book down.

From Amazon:

From the moment Lacey sees the house with the beautiful wood staircase, she knows she’s found her dream home. Growing up rootless with her flighty mother, Ella Dane, a self-proclaimed psychic, Lacey is determined to give her unborn baby the stability she never had. But shortly after she and her husband, Eric, move in, the warm and welcoming house becomes cold and dark. There is something malevolent within these walls that wants to hurt her unborn child—a terrifying presence that only she can sense. And there is Drew, a demanding and temperamental little boy who mysteriously appears when Lacey is alone. To protect her unborn child and save her family, Lacy must discover the truth about her dream house and the troubled Drew—a decades-old mystery involving secrets, violence, and guilt—and confront an evil that has lingered in wait for years.

My Thoughts:

Starter House is Sonja Condit's debut novel, and it's a page turner. I have had so many 5 star books the past few months so I must be living right. Sonja Condit has written a story that is haunting, eerie, and intriguing, complete with engaging characters, although some are not very likable. This is a must read for anyone who enjoys ghosts, haunting, and malevolence. Some have compared it to Joe Hill's heart Shaped Box and I totally agree. I look forward to her next novel. ( )

The horror elements in this novel were excellent. The dark, black masses, poltergeist activity, strange dreams, and possession all played a role in the story. It all came together to paint a horrific picture of terror, despair, and murder. The author uses the ghost elements tied in with other dark aspects of her story like murder/suicide, miscarriage, and tension in her character’s relationships to create a truly gripping horror scenario.

The story, for the most part, was engaging. I found myself reading chapter after chapter, intrigued to find out where the story would eventually end up. But I gotta say that some of the elements were predictable. I saw the roll Lex, Thea, and Harry would play pretty early on. And at times the narrative dragged in quite a bit of characterization scenarios and description. Scenes establishing our character’s backgrounds and personalities were drawn out and seemed almost to serve as filler.

The characters were a mixed bag. I think my favorite was Ella Dane. She was your fluffy hippie mom, but I saw some steel in there, especially in one scene where she’s facing a Drew-possessed Lacey. This woman made some tough decisions to protect her child, and I respected her for them. Everyone else, though? Meh… Either I could forget them or ended up irritated by them. Lacey was a weak idiot, Eric was an asshole, and Harry was a manipulative shit. Even the huge, descriptive characterization scenes couldn't save this lot…

In the end, I have mixed feelings for this novel. I finished it, so it kept me engaged enough. I liked the horror elements and some of the unique supernatural twists. But the characters, predictable story, and unevenly paced narrative leave me a bit cold. I’d look elsewhere if you’re looking for a good horror story or a good story period, really. ( )

I'll give a little bit of credit: the whole teacher/child thing, underused and half-baked as it comes off here, was a refreshing idea for a twist on a haunting. For that reason alone, I give it more than a bottom mark. But if you're going to allow your book to be blurbed as "for fans of Heart-Shaped Box", you better bring the juju - and Condit doesn't even come close. I'm not even sure she brought the final draft. It's just an unpleasant mess full of stupid people - nobody should have to shout at the book they're reading as often as I did.

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