Customer Reviews

The Haunting Season

I don't spook very easily, all things considered, so that definitely says something about Michelle Muto's tale of a haunted house in Savannah and four teenagers' experiences with the paranormal during their time at Siler House.

Let me back up and explain a bit more about the teens, Jess, Gage, Bryan and Allison. They've all got special... gifts. (I don't like to say "powers" because that sounds way too superhero-ish.) Jess can see spirits, Allison can see (and be possessed by) demons, Gage is a necromancer of sorts and Bryan can make things vanish into the ether. They've all got interesting traits and backstories and they're all at Siler House for a reason. I won't ruin the plotline but let's just say it's pretty nefarious as is the facilitator for their trip, Dr Brandt.

I thought the attraction and relationship between Jess and Gage was a bit quick but then again, they're teens and they're in a confined space with scary stuff going on around them. I suppose you find comfort and distraction where you can and I honestly don't blame them!

I would liked to have seen more from Allison as each chapter is predominantly told from a slanted view from either Jess or Gage. I think Allison's perspective could have made the novel even creepier, as she's constantly alluding to seeing demons and that "they're not alone" and the like. Allison creeped me out in general so seeing things from her point of view could have been really interesting.

The gore was fantastic. I'm a huge fan of blood and guts (I adore cheesy slasher flicks, for goodness' sake) and "The Haunting Season" definitely delivered on that front. Riley's story was suitably gruesome and only got better with Jess's vision in the woods. Just brilliant and a 10 out of 10 on the stomach churning scale.

With lots of creaks and groans and bumps in the night, "The Haunting Season" is guaranteed to appeal to horror fiction fans and to people who just want a cracking scary read.

This is the first book I have read by Michelle Muto, but after reading The Haunting Series I am looking forward to hiding under my pillow again reading the next. I seriously could not put this book down, only to check to see if someone was watching me from some dark corner of my house or through a mirror!! (Seriously, I was that freaked out in some scenes, I had to wait for someone to come home before I started it again) I mean anyone of the human form that is!!

We both sense him. We both know he's there. Ghost or demon?
Or maybe a little of both?

So back to the story in hand, When ghosts stop visiting Jess, she signs up for an experiment in the haunted Siler House, hoping this house will bring back her abilities to see ghosts again. She's desperate to see one ghost in particular, which is her deceased father.

We are then introduced to the other subjects that all have awesome abilities different from each other, and have also signed up for this very hush-hush experiment, run by Dr. Brandt. We have Allison who has been visited from others too, but these are the evil kind and her experiences are a whole lot more terrifying, darker than anything Jess has experienced. Alison did not sign up for this so there's nothing she wants more than to run for the hills to get away from the evil that lurks behind the walls of Siler house. Next up is Gage who is all kindsa hot and hard in all the right places!! (Get my drift?) *swooning* While he is sexy, he is all just so sweet, sensitive and ooooh so protective. Last but not least we have the class joker Bryan, who always made me giggle at his wise cracks he made to lighten the mood when things got too intense (and in this book, boy do you need it).

...He cut off their heads with a carving knife, have you ever seen such a sight in your life?

So we are now lead reluctantly into Siler House, but with a strange feeling of not wanting to turn back, but to just keep reading on. Now what's not a haunted house without a sinister housekeeper? In walks Mrs Hirsch who is damn right creepy, and this house is going to have a whole lot of terrifying, blood thirsty history RIGHT?? Well this story definitely gives you that with extra CHILLS chucked in to get your hairs standing on end and the feeling you are NOT ALONE!! There are twists and turns, which are not always in the direction you, or the character's want them to go in, that keep you gripped never the less!! This story, like the house, pulls you straight in from the first page and not wanting to let you go till the last!! (Wow, what an intense and frightening experience).

It's the house. Allison is right-it's doing something to us.
It can't. You're not in the house, Don't blame it for what you want to know. you can do this. You've come this far, It's just dirt. Dirt! Just sticks, leaves and Georgia clay, You've let ghosts touch you and you can't even touch a patch of dirt?

I will not give you any spoilers but I can tell you that if you love spine-chilling stories with ghosts, demons and the un-dead, this story is for you!! But make sure you read during the day and NOT ALONE and maybe, like me, with a big pillow to read underneath away from any mirrors!!!!

The Haunting Season is an excellent fusion of the Young Adult and Horror genres. The scenario we know as a group of ghost-hunters enter a haunted house for a prolonged stay. The genius loci of Siler House is as much a character as those within its walls as it gradually progresses from taunting and teasing its occupants with sights and sounds to full-blown assaults that are physical, spiritual and mental. It is like a sweet-looking but spiteful child playing with insects before it tears off their limbs one by one. I think that Michelle Muto's greatest success in this novel is her mirroring of the house's behaviour with that of the main antagonist. It serves to create a real sense of a place having a personality, though in this case one that is wholly malignant.
If I were to name other haunted house stories that this reminded me of then I would pick The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and The Harrowing by Alexandra Sokoloff. This novel deserves to stand alongside them in terms of its evocation of southern gothic atmosphere and dread that lingers like a bad summer heat.
If I had a criticism, it would be that I would have liked to have found out about the inner workings of Mrs Hirsch and Dr Brandt some more and understood them to a greater degree. The focus is on the young adults in the story and these four characters are well-crafted and balanced as their roots are the stereotypes we know i.e. the jock, the outsider, the cool nerd, but Michelle Muto manages to put her own distinct twist on each one. With Mrs Hirsch and Dr Brandt, I feel like I would have liked just such a twist made to their characters as well. That aside, I recommend this novel to lovers of YA and Paranormal fans who like a bit of southern gothic flavour.

I've literally just finished reading this book a few minutes ago. Wow, I've been glued to this book for the last few days, every spare minute I had, I had my phone in my hand reading The Haunting Season.

The story encompasses everything I find in my worst nightmares. A group of friends, naive, talented and gifted in amazing supernatural ways, but innocent. A blooming romance between Gage and Jess. A good measure of Demons and Zombies, Ghost and Ghouls.

I've read other reviews that say there was a twist at the end of the book, I disagree, I honestly don't feel that there was any kind of twist. Now understand me here, I'm not saying that it's a bad thing. I loved this book and would more than likely read it again in the future. I'm just giving my own honest opinion which is what the Author, I would hope, would expect from me.

**SPOILER ALERT**

A pair of ghosts in the story are trusted from the beginning by one of the characters, I can honestly say I didn't trust them myself. But even in reading, I'm a very wary and untrusting person, that is the nature of me, Sarah. I would always sooner believe someone was out to gain something rather than believe someone should be trusted because they're trying to help. I think it's because of that, that I wasn't sucked into the trusting of these ghostly girls in the book. I did fully expect the pair to turn out to be on the other team in the end. Having said that, it didn't lessen the suspense or the enjoyment of the story in any way, shape or form.

This book had me reading and leaving the light on, just to be sure nothing was lurking on my landing in the dead of night. I was completely engrossed and whenever I'd finished reading, hubby would ask me what had happened next to keep him updated on the situation within the pages.

I would definitely recommend this to anyone who enjoys an other worldly story. Without a shadow of a doubt, I enjoyed this. I've since downloaded a sample of Don't Fear The Reaper. At the end of The Haunting Season there is also a chapter from DFTR, if you fancy reading it.

I feel, Michelle Muto may have just become one of my favorite authors.

Read the book, see for yourself.

Ghosts, psychic abilities, a Ouija board and a haunted house? Yes, please.

The blurb and eerie cover caught my attention, and right away. This is a New Adult book, a genre I'm beginning to see more of. I'd also classify this budding genre as Mature YA. Teens are still the main characters in The Haunting Season, but there's probably a little more cursing and sex than typically present in YA stories. The Haunting Season also packs bigger scares and horror than your average YA tale.

Anyway, on to the plot. Jess sees ghosts. The chance to earn a hefty sum of money for taking part in paranormal research at an old house is just too good an opportunity to pass up. That money will go a long way towards college in the fall. While there, she meets the scared and withdrawn Allison, who suffered from demonic possession and is now a tad on the emotionally unbalanced side. Her love interest is Gage, whose gift allows him to bring back things from the dead. Then we have Bryan who can make things disappear. Under the scrutiny of the untrustworthy and odd Dr. Brandt, they participate in Ouija board sessions, explore their spooky surroundings and become aware that something sinister is going on at Siler House.

The lust between Jess and Gage surprised me, them having sex early on even more so. I'm just not used to reading sex scenes in books with teenagers. There's no instant love here, just old fashioned hormones and attraction. The characters were fully realised, apart from Bryan, who I never got a good mental image of. Allison is the most intriguing of them all, and I'd love to read a book detailing her past trouble with possession leading up to her family basically dropping her off at Siler House like an unwanted child.

Jess's vision of what the demon does to the bodies of the twin girls, Emma and Gracie, appalled me. Speaking of Emma and Gracie, there is just something seriously creepy about little girl ghosts. Jess has a good head on her shoulders; I liked her a lot. She's down to earth and someone I'd have wanted as friend when I was her age. The book is told from both Jess' and Gage's perspectives, giving us an insight into the minds of both a teenage girl and teenage boy.

Scary at times, gruesome at others, but always spooky, I'd recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good haunted house tale.

Very good read attention to detail. Scary at times not knowing who trust. Also interesting end. Would recommend to friends

I don't scare easy but this book had even me looking over my shoulder, well written. A good story that grips from start to finish!