The new gothic horror series from Madeline Roux (Asylum) begins with House of Furies, a creepy orphan tale full of occult creatures and gore. Louisa Ditton has always been different, making people uncomfortable without understanding why.
After making her escape from an abusive school, Louisa is surviving by telling fortunes on the street when an old crone offers her employment at a boarding house. A wary Louisa accepts the position, and enters the strange world of the Coldthistle House. A full staff and its proprietor, Mr. Morningside, live at the grand house. When Louisa discovers the mysterious, dark purpose of the house and its inhabitants, she wants to leave immediately, but discovers she is supernaturally bound.
Louisa is also concerned about one of the boarders, a young man named Lee, and is determined to protect him from the staff’s odd brand of justice. The better Louisa gets to know Lee, the more convinced she is that he needs saving; the better Louisa gets to know her fellow staff, the more she suspects that Coldthistle is the first place she has ever belonged.
Though Louisa’s voice and the narrative pacing are a bit uneven, the eerie atmosphere and occult mythology of her world sufficiently propel the reader forward. The tale may have benefited from more proof of Louisa’s strangeness and loneliness, but the reveal of her true identity is indeed satisfying. For teens who won’t shy away from a dark, gory and gothic story, House of Furies is a promising beginning to a series that could go in fascinating directions.
