#netgalley

Tw this book contains SA and death. For those interesting in reading. This is a masterpiece. Truly it is. Some might struggle with the length. But I promise them it is worth it.

This book hit me in waves. It takes a little while to really pick up and when it does I devoured it, but it was ultimately just okay for me.

I both liked and disliked the different timelines. While it provided an interesting story arc, there were just so many people to keep track of.

I was looking forward to this one as it takes place fictionally in Maine, the state I live in. I will always read a book if it takes place in Maine. And this book includes so many different things I enjoy, like religious horror, unreliable narrators, a story with strings you must connect together throughout the reading process. Unfortunately, the execution was slightly lackluster, considering I could see where this was going to end at about halfway through.

I did like this one, don’t get me wrong. The writing is solid and the array of characters are explained in depth.

More atmospheric than scary. Took a while to really get into it. The story is well written.

Matthew is taking a break from the city and house-sitting a house that cannot be found on a map. As his stay turns into a battle against suicide, we discover the secret history of Kinnawe House and the lost village that it once stood in.

*E-ARC received from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

The Haunting of Kinnawe House is one of the most bizarre, creepy, terrifying books I have ever read. It is masterfully crafted, jumping between 1740s Maine and modern NYC/Maine, weaving two timelines seamlessly to create a cohesive and rich narrative of family, betrayal, hidden secrets, and dark entities. I devoured the entire book in two days, it was so impossible to put down. CW/TW: sexual assault, parental abuse, loss of a child, talk of suicide/mental ill-health, general gore/body horror elements.

I'm a sucker for a multiple timeline story. Especially one with such rich characters in both the 1740s timeline and the modern timeline. Matthew, a minor musician in NYC receives an invitation to become a caretaker for a house in Maine by a strange realtor. Matthew thinks he may have some connection to the house, or maybe the town, so he packs up in hopes of writing some new music and discovering more about his family history. Things go wrong very quickly. Hallucinations, scars that reopen and continue bleeding, and severe chronic insomnia become the least of Matthew's problems as we also follow a settlement of an increasingly malevolent congregation in the 1740s.

I continue to waver between a 3.5 and 4 star rating, not because the story was lacking, but for some minor details that majorly broke through my suspension of disbelief. *SPOILERS ahead*

The multiple pregnancy thing - I hated it so much. Multiple instances of women being pregnant, then being assaulted by everyone's least favorite descendant of Satan = being... doubly pregnant? Triply pregnant? While I recognize there are many fantastical elements in Kinnawe House, this took me out. It didn't detract much from my overall rating, but I may have wanted to scream a couple of times about basic biology. But alas, I still try to give the benefit of the doubt when fantastical/mystical elements are involved.

My second criticism deals with the discussion of suicide in The Haunting of Kinnawe House. Like with my criticism of the pregnancies, I understand that this book relies heavily on 18th century Judeo-Christian doctrine, with the added demonic-worshipping cult aspect. It still grates that suicide (and mental health as a wider concept, for that matter) is discussed in such a toxic way. Like Satan wants our main character to die by suicide because that is the ultimate crime against God? I guess I just wish a book published in 2022 handled mental health conversations a *little* more gracefully, especially because the discussions of suicide were mostly in the modern setting.

Overall, still on the fence somewhere between a 3.5 and a 4. Kinnawe House is gripping and compelling in a way that some modern gothic horror lacks. Like the house itself, this book sucks you in and doesn't want to let you leave.

What a read!
TW: SA, child/infant death, murder, torture, abuse
This book is extremely engrossing and has just the right amount of occult/satanic panic. The writing style is a little different, and it jumps around timelines a lot but it’s not hard to keep up with.

I really enjoyed the dual timeline, but a few key points didn’t make sense: one being when one of the women is pregnant already (at 4 months!) and then is impregnated again? And they’ll be born at the same time?
There are several other discrepancies but overall I really enjoyed it. The ending was a little lackluster, but wasn’t terrible.

DNF - I made it to 11% of the book & for the sake of not writing a very long winded review about how much I was disliking the book, I stoped. Based on other reviews that are out at this time on NetGalley I seem to be in an astounding minority with my displeasure. I am glad that other readers have found this story so enjoyable but, to me, this story would benefit from some character depth (i.e. Matthew repeatedly saying he thinks there was a connection between him & Kinnawe House when we knew there was, essentially, right away). I also do not find nudity, the occult, Satan etc of the like, scary. This is subjective, just as all fear is, however, this book read like a story that would have done exuberantly well in the 1970s. I could not wrap my head around it being told in 2022 when much of what was going on (minus, perhaps the canibalism) was overtly present in society (i.e. nudity). That being said, I understand that those parts of the book took place in 1746 but to simply read about a subject matter that was not properly explained, but could go one of two ways, felt tedious. For example, the cannibalistic tendencies; one has only to ask oneself what practice the other side performs in terms of « consuming the body » & also regarding many historical accounts of cannibalism....I felt bored. But then again we return to my original point which is that I am in the minority, so I suppose this isn't the book for me because it has been receiving high acclaim. Maybe after the 50% mark when "Rose of Sharon"'s ghost came around to play storyteller, things might have gone in another direction than the one I anticipated which was, one of two. But, I shall end of here & leave this book to those who have found great pleasure in reading it!

A ghost story that spans two eras of American history and so much more. A story of good and evil and who will finally triumph. Kinnawe House is situated near the sea, in a town that does not exist in a town that is not on any map. A house that is steeped in bloody history and something diabolical lives in the crypt of the local church. Satanism, abhorrent methods of Death. The reader is invited to hell. I loved this book and finally turned the last page at 3am. Yes this book is that good. A true gothic haunting tale which transported me back to the 17th century where it all began. Beautifully written, wonderful characters and fantastic storytelling. A new author for me and I will definitely be reading more of this authors work. A well deserved five stars and a MUST READ!!!!
Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in return for giving an honest review.

I want to thank NetGalley for providing me with the ARC for The Haunting of Kinnawe House by Steven Rigolosi.

This story follows two timelines surrounding the eerie Kinnawe House.

Present Day- Matthew, a semi successful musician from New York, who struggles with his social and family relationships and finds himself a caretaker at Kinnawe.
1740’s- Parthalan, who I think posses all the qualities of a cult leader to brainwash his followers into heinous acts with the promise of community success and prosperity. Obviously, this comes at a significant cost.


I found this book most engaging after the 50% mark, where I was able to find interest with three female characters who became more of a presence within the story. I primarily consider myself a character driven reader, and I wish this story allowed more time for the development of the characters. I found myself wanting to sit with the character(s) after a particularly scary and traumatizing event so I could connect with them better. Or even with the antagonist, because even though he was awful, I wanted to know what made him tick. However, if you are a reader who enjoys a fast moving plot line, then this may be your jam!

Other Pros:
Writing style
Alternating timelines
Hill House vibes

Thank you to Netgalley for this ARC of The Haunting of Kinnawe House by Steven Rigolosi.

Okay, this was a hard one to get into for me because the writing style is completely different from what I usually read. That being said, I am so glad that I stuck with it. It was such an engrossing, creepy tale full of demonic presence, Satan worshipping and the perfect example of good vs. evil. I couldn't get enough of this one. For those that tend to get triggered easily, avoid this one. And for those who love a scary, chilling read that doesn't mind what that brings, this is the one for you.

THE HAUNTING OF KINNAWE HOUSE is an immensely convoluted and engrossing tale of the eternal battles of good vs. evil, of the Judeo-Christian God and the Adversary, Satan. Weaving seamlessly two disparate eras, that of the famous pastor Jonathan Edwards in New England in the mid-18th Century, and of a contemporary New York City musician who plays a much greater role than he could possibly understand.


Caution: this novel includes graphic Horror including murder and torture, and depictions of worship of Satan and demonic manifestations. Sensitive readers, exercise caution and heed these content warnings.

There are so many topics/themes running through this book that it could easily have been too much, but the author has made it work. Evil/good twins, killer insomnia, religion, family drama, spiritualism, suicide, abortion, mental vs neurological illness, the list goes on an on.

I think it's the characters that kept this story so engaging form me. The main story unfolds via a line from the 1740s and another in modern times. Parthalan was easily the most interesting character, he's the main focus of the 1740's story line. Though forsaken by him, he knows who his father is and he has plenty of reasons to hate him. He also has the means to act on his hate. Matthew is the focus of the story in modern times and we begin to see very real connections between his life and Parthalan. For most of the story, Matthew does not know who his father is but he longs to have information. His mom has a relatively small but important arc in Matthews pursuit of information.

Kinnawe House is a major part of both story lines and I don't want to give too much away, but this is so much deeper than just a haunting.

This book kept my interest so much that I finished reading it this morning and I just received the copy from Netgalley yesterday afternoon. I did not want to put it down.

I wanted to post a review on Amazon, but it pops up a message that says This item is not eligible to be reviewed.