Book Review - The Siren and The Specter by Jonathan Janz


Title: The Siren and the Specter
Author: Jonathan Janz
Publication Date: September 6th, 2018
Genre: Horror
Pages: 288 pages
Rating: 5/5 stars
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My Thoughts:
I’m a sucker for a good haunted house story, but even more so, I’m a sucker for books that make you question whether the events taking place are actually supernatural. So when I happened across this book, I knew I needed to read it. David is a professor and a well-known skeptic of the supernatural, so when his college friend Chris asks him to settle a bet between him and his wife on whether the most haunted house in America is, indeed, haunted, David jumps at the chance. He agrees to spend a month in the Alexander House and write a book about his experience. But what David doesn’t realize is that, haunted or not, the house is about to bring his own demons out of hiding. 

This book was so, so good. From the very first pages, I was absolutely absorbed by the writing. Janz builds a tense and creepy atmosphere right out of the gate, and I was hooked! I found myself constantly doubting what was taking place along with David, unsure of what or who to believe. More than once, I had to put the book down for a bit while reading at night because I was too spooked! One scene in this book even got a literal, out-loud “what the fuck?!” from me. 

One thing I really appreciated about this book was the human element, something that’s often lacking in horror novels. For the most part, the main characters felt fully fleshed-out with believable motives for their actions, which really enhanced the feeling of suspicion I had towards each of them at different points in the novel. Having such real characters went a long way to making me question what was real and what wasn’t while reading. David also makes for an incredibly compelling protagonist; even though he’s kind of a crappy person, he’s sympathetic and interesting, and it’s hard for the reader not to empathize with him. 

This novel is an excellent example of what a fantastic haunted house story should be. It’s well-rounded, with lots of horror but without neglecting characters, plot and style. Everything fits perfectly together, even the elements that might have seemed a bit out of place originally all come together by the end of the novel to create a fantastically terrifying and incredibly satisfying read. Anyone looking for a smart, scary read should pick this up, I promise it won’t disappoint!

**Thank you to Flame Tree Press and Netgalley for providing me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.**

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