Book Review: The House of Little Bones by Beverley Lee

The House of Little Bones is an atmospheric gothic tale that begs to be read in one sitting. Set on the edge of a desolate moor, we follow author David Lansdown as he flees from his fall from grace, his scorned lover, Luca, and the legend of Bone Hollow.

I adored this book. It manages to fit so much into a relatively bite sized novella. A slow burn that builds the tension steadily, until the careening, gut-punch of a finale. You can feel the isolation of Bone Hollow and the ever present chill of the moor surrounding it. The characters are complex and flawed, particularly David, who I sometimes had trouble liking at all (which is not a bad thing!). It’s difficult to write a protagonist who is egotistical and selfish while maintaining a sympathetic streak, but Lee pulls it off beautifully. I was particularly fond of starry-eyed Luca, caught between besotted youth and world-weary cynic trying to escape from beneath his father’s thumb.

One thing I do wish was that we’d gotten more of Bone Hollow’s history woven into the story itself. We receive tantalizing bits and pieces, enough for us to understand why things are happening, but I’m a sucker for lore and would have liked to see it explored more deeply by David and Luca.

Overall, this was a great read that I would recommend to anyone looking for a gothic ghost story to chill them come autumn.

The House of Little Bones releases September 21, 2021 and is currently available for preorder on Amazon. Thank you to the author for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.