I said it once and I’ll say it again; I’m a sucker for a good ghost story even though I’m too much of a baby to actually stay in a haunted house. Even the fake ones on Halloween are scary; life as a horror fan who hates being startled has its moments.

The Haunting of Hathaway House is definitely one of the better examples of this genre that I have encountered recently. The author takes what can be an overdone trope and has given the story new life and makes it stand out among the rest.

The plot centers on Michael and his pregnant wife Jen who are moving back to his childhood home after the mysterious deaths of his parents thirty years prior. However, a mysterious specter from the past has some plans for these potential newlydeads and their future offspring.

Jen and Michael are a really cute couple to read about. It’s hard to write about happy couples without it coming off as forced and contrived, but the dialogue between the duo is fun and sweet at the same time.

As fun as our protagonists are, the book belongs more to the secondary characters. Michael’s protective uncle, Stephen, who strives to be the voice of reason to his stubborn nephew, and his friend Max, a globetrotting ghost hunter. Max pretty much steals the book with his humor and badass ghostbusting skills. If the author ever chooses to write about his adventures prior to this novel, I would definitely be the first in line to purchase.

Another great aspect of this story is how it jumps right into the ghostly goodness without resorting to cheap jump-scares of fake-outs. You go into this house knowing that the residents are screwed.

There’s a great twist in this plot that I simply cannot go into it without spoiling the whole thing, as this is something worth experiencing without any foreshadowing.

The only small part of this book that I didn’t enjoy as much is the ending. After the exciting climax, the finale of this book just falls flat with a rather sad ending and leaves the surviving characters’ fates dangling in the wind.
Despite that, The Haunting of Hathaway House is an exciting and fun read guaranteed to give you a chill up your spine and a nightlight on in the corner.