The Dead House by Dawn Kurtagich

• Hardcover: 432 pages
• Publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers (15 Sept. 2015)
• ISBN-10: 0316298689
• ISBN-13: 978-0316298681

Three students: dead.
Carly Johnson: vanished without a trace. 

Two decades have passed since an inferno swept through Elmbridge High, claiming the lives of three teenagers and causing one student, Carly Johnson, to disappear. The main suspect: Kaitlyn, "the girl of nowhere." 

Kaitlyn's diary, discovered in the ruins of Elmbridge High, reveals the thoughts of a disturbed mind. Its charred pages tell a sinister version of events that took place that tragic night, and the girl of nowhere is caught in the center of it all. But many claim Kaitlyn doesn't exist, and in a way, she doesn't - because she is the alter ego of Carly Johnson. 

Carly gets the day. Kaitlyn has the night. It's during the night that a mystery surrounding the Dead House unravels and a dark, twisted magic ruins the lives of each student that dares touch it. 

Debut author Dawn Kurtagich masterfully weaves together a thrilling and terrifying story using psychiatric reports, witness testimonials, video footage, and the discovered diary - and as the mystery grows, the horrifying truth about what happened that night unfolds.


Cover:  I love the US edition of this book so much.  It's so beautiful in such a creepy way.

I've seen a lot of buzz about this book, and as this October I wanted to make an active attempt at reading more Halloween themed reads.  This was one of them.
And it's very different.
Told through diary entries and transcribed camera footage.
Two souls living in one body.  Carly and Kaitlyn.  It's always been that way.  Some people believe them.  Other people think they're result of a psychological disorder.  Which is it?  Even at the end of the book- I'm not sure.
This book is perfect to read this time of year- creepy, atmospheric and at times a little bit scary.
I'm not exactly sure what to rate this book- as parts I really enjoyed, and others I'm just not sure of- so I'll have to go for half marks.  I did enjoy it- but not as much as the hype let me believe I would.



2.5/5 stars.


Read from October 23 to 28, 2015