Overview

This is the third and final part of The Misery House trilogy. This has given me a problem as I don’t want to give away anything from the first two books into case you’ve not yet read them.

The series is a horror series set in a small town in the US. Looming over the town is an abandoned house, which gives its name to the series as a whole. The story is told in the first person, but from several points of view.

Blurb

Everyone feels safe in their own house. Until it’s too late.

The Woods family is at peace, at last. With Allison now safe. Kaia is not afraid. But everything changes when Allison gets sick… and another child from New Haven goes missing.

Everything leads to the house on the hill. And this time, the whole town is at stake.

Cliff Woods petitions to demolish the house. In response, New Haven slowly turns against him, looking for any reason or way to burn him down, instead. And it’s not hard to find.

At the same time, Kaia simply needs to make it until Nate graduates. Less than a year. But Rhys has more to tell her… Secrets from a hundred years ago.

When the Woods family is no longer safe in their own home, they only have one choice: Fight until the end.

But in this town, there are no happy endings.

Story

This is where it gets difficult. In the first two books, mysterious things happen. 

The main protagonists are the Woods family–Cliff, Naomi and their children, Kaia and Nate.

In the first two books, lights are seen in the house at night. Something chases Naomi Woods and her son, Nate, when they are on a bike ride. 

Then Kaia’s best friend, Alison, disappears at the house, having gone there with her new husband, Malaki.

At the end of book 2 it seems everything has returned to normal after its terrifying ending, but it’s only just beginning. And a mysterious young boy called Rhys turns up and no one can find out his background or parentage. He appears to know little either, even of normal Iife. Cliff and Naomi decide to foster him.

In this third book, the town turns against Cliff, especially when he suggests demolishing the house. 

We are taken back in time to learn something of the history of the house and how it came to be so horrific, and something of its current denizens.

Alison has been so traumatised by her experiences that she is undergoing therapy and her family has moved to the nearby city. The sheriff also has been so affected that he has to retire. And then his four year old son vanishes.

I don’t think I can say much more without spoilers.

Characters

Kaia Woods is a young woman who has just finished school and is trying to decide on her next move. She is struggling with her sexuality and her growing feelings for Alison. When her family is threatened, she finds courage and decides to go to the house to put an end to the dangers in spite of her fears.

Nate Woods is a young man just entering 8th grade at the beginning of the book. He is a keen baseball player who plays for his school team. As a typical teen, he spends much time playing on his X-box with Rhys. He is devastated when his team loses a match.

Like Kaia, he discovers he has more courage than he knew when his family is in danger.

Cliff Woods left New Haven to go to university where he met Naomi, a beautiful black girl. They married, and he brought her back to help run his father’s farm. He loves his wife deeply, and is an excellent father to Kaia and Nate. But his paternal feeling and desire to protect his family leads to his being ostracised by the towns folk. 

He is willing to sacrifice anything, even his life, to keep them safe.

Naomi Woods is a strong woman with a good heart. She works tirelessly for the good of the town and the church. When she feels her children are threatened, she becomes like a lioness and will overcome her fears to protect them.

It appears that, as the only black woman in town, she has been accepted by everyone, but appearances can be deceptive.

Rhys appears towards the end of Book 2. He is a mystery. He is revealed at the end of Book 2 after the climax. He says he can remember nothing of his past, and is baffled by many modern things, even baseball. He tries very hard to fit in and seems to want to be adopted by the Woods family. They all grow to care for him.

There are other characters, such as the Sheriff, Jeremy, who is Cliff’s friend, and Naomi’s friend, Susan, amongst others, but I’ll leave these characters for now.

Writing

David Kummer writes well. There are a few typos in the work, and he hasn’t got the hang of the difference between ‘lay’ and ‘lie’, which he gets wrong every time.

Having said that, he does a good job of building the tension. I found it difficult to put down, and felt a connection with the Woods family.

One thing I wondered about was why he gave Cliff Woods two names. The townsfolk call him Cliff, but Naomi calls him Ben.

There were also, I felt, a few loose ends. Where did Silas, the antagonist, get his power from? for example. And was Alison’s I’ll health due to the

power of the house, and why? Also, why was the Woods family such a target from the beginning?

Still, apart from these things, it was a good read.

I give it 4*

 My ranking of books.

In order to get a particular number of stars, it is not necessary to meet all the criteria. This is a guide only.

5* Exceptional. Wonderful story. Setting well drawn, and characters believable–not perfect, but with flaws. Will keep you up all night. No typos or grammatical errors.

4* A thoroughly enjoyable read. Great and original story. Believable setting and characters. Very few grammatical errors or typos.

3* I enjoyed it. Good story. Characters need some development. Some typos or grammatical errors.

2* Not for me. Story not very strong. Unbelievable and flat characters. Setting not clearly defined. Many typos or grammatical errors.

1* I hated it. Story almost non-existent. Setting poor. Possibly couldn’t finish it.