The Haunting of Kinnawe House

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

I feel like I should have known with a synopsis this long (probably longer than my review) that this would be a convoluted story.
Matthew is a struggling musician who can't seem to catch a break. His mother is mentally ill, his girlfriend has dumped him, and his insomnia is so bad that he sometimes can not tell hallucination from reality. As if that isn't enough to deal with he has scars all over that mysteriously rip open and bleed profusely under certain circumstances.
When he is offered a stay in a beautiful secluded home on the peaceful coast of Maine if he will consent to be the caretaker it seems like a too good to be true opportunity where he can rest and relax and write some new music.
What he doesn't know is the horrific evil that has been present since the house was built, is still there, and waiting for him.
Told on two timelines that switch between the present day of Matthew and the 1700s when the house and non existent town were built we slowly learn the reason that Matthew never knew his father and the reason his mother went insane.
Because of the dual timelines there are a lot of characters to keep track of, some of whom were part of a devil worshiping cult, and others who hoped to thwart their leader's evil plans.
It was a bit confusing at times because some of the characters also changed names to Americanized versions, and several characters from the 1700s are still with us in the present day, some wanting to protect Matthew while others want to drive him to suicide.
I do enjoy a good historical fiction and when you combine it with horror I enjoy it all the more. I would have preferred not to have the name changes. There are some genuinely creepy and well written occurrences that happen to Matthew but their connection to the 1700s was at times confusing.

3.5 out of 5 stars

The past and the present collide in this book about a house in Maine. Matthew is a 28 year old pop singer in New York who can not sleep. He's long suffered from insomnia and his scars don't help. He receives an email that's more of an invitation to spend a few months in Maine taking care of Kinnawe House.

In an earlier timeline, Paster Jonathan Edwards, in an effort to hide his infidelity, moves a portion of his congregation to Maine to build a new colony. What happens there starts the wheels in motion that lead us to Matthew in the current timeline.

This is a true battle of good versus evil. Steven Rigolosi is a talented writer and this is an excellent introduction to his talent.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review.

“You sold your soul to Satan. Did you believe Satan could be trusted?”

Matthew is looking to get away to work on his music. He wants someplace warm in contrast to his Manhattan home and when an invite to stay at Kinnawe House in Maine suspiciously comes to his email he decides to take the opportunity. If this were a horror movie, we’d all be yelling at the screen.

Kinnawe House is a picturesque landscape with much to offer. Something in it sparks a feeling of familiarity in Matthew even though he cannot say why.
Having never known the identity of his father Matthew fantasizes a family background involving the house. While having some success in the form of a popular hit song, Matthew still can’t afford to rent the house. The owners agree to allow him to rent the house in exchange for light caretaker duties. Again, we are all yelling at the screen. But he’s not going to listen because his mom just died, his career is tanking and he needs an escape.

The book is told in present time and back to 1746 when Massachusetts Reverend Jonathan Edwards plans to build a home and church. His bastard son ends up taking his place and literally, all hell breaks loose. Due to this switch in setting, I can see some readers struggling to keep track of characters. There are many twists and turns that I found very interesting and exciting. So much happens in a way that could be seen as confusing if you don’t pay attention. Once the twists started, I had to finish because I needed to know how everything would work out in the end.

I wouldn’t say this is the typical haunted house book I was led to believe by the title. It is the story of a small community being taken over by evil, demonic forces. Wanna know my second favorite genre after ghosts? Yup, demons.

Loved the Gaelic pronunciations at the beginning because don’t you hate when you can’t figure out how to pronounce the names in a book! I commend the author, Steve Rigolosi, for putting together a complex story that has so much going on and yet works perfectly. In his bio, he explains that he rereads The Haunting of Hill House, Hell House, The Shining and The Little Stranger at least once a year. Those are some of my favorite books and you can definitely see the influence they have had on him.

Perfect for fans of Rosemary’s Baby and The Witch. NetGalley sent me this book and I have read and review it voluntarily.

This book was exactly up my street, it was dark, spooky and had me hooked from the first chapter. With elements of devil worship, spirits and past life, it was everything I could have hoped for and more.

I particularly loved the way the story flicked between the past and the present and cleverly intertwined. Although it took concentration to remember each timeline, it was definitely worth it and didn't feel like hard work at any time.

It was cleverly written with a good strong plot, the only potential negative that I could see with it was in some places it was unrealistic and imagination was needed. For me personally, this as fine as I enjoy a few unrealistic aspects and it fitted in with the theme well but I can see how this could affect the story for some.

I loved this book and is set to become one of my favorites.

great haunting book but it not just like your typical regular haunted house story this book has sooo many different things going on, so many layers so many elements
its set in 2 different time periods, both about the mystery and events with the house
the chapters bring both together as they alternate between past and present
the end is fantastic and how the past and present come together
good vs evil, what an ending a great book
I would like to thank the author, publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read the ARC of this book and I am giving my voluntary honest review

*Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for my honest review*

Well written, atmospheric thriller that spans two generations. It takes a while to get into the story, but well worth the time to keep reading.