The Last House on Needless Street

by Catriona Ward

[Quirky Cat]

Catriona Ward's latest novel is a chilling horror novel, one that succeeded in keeping me up well past my 'bedtime.' And no, I'm not just saying that because I stayed up late reading The Last House of Needless Street.

Everyone can think of at least one house that gives them the chills. A house that always seems empty, unlit, or otherwise gives them a bad feeling. This is the story of one such house. It is the last house of Needless Street, and it is full of problems.

Within these walls, you will find those who need anger management guidance, a trapped teenager, and a cat who has found religion. They're not a likely family, and certainly not a happy family. But their lives will change when they get new neighbors.

“Anyway the trick to life is, if you don’t like what is happening, go back to sleep until it stops.”

First, can I just take a minute to gush about that cover? Because it is divine! Now onto the review. The Last House of Needless Street is one of those books that I've been looking forward to since the moment it was announced, and boy did it live up to the hype.

First, though, I want to mention that a few graphic scenes need to be discussed (so, spoiler warning!). The first revolves around animal death, which happens very early in the book. No, it is NOT the cat on the cover, I promise! But the death is fairly graphic, so consider yourself warned. Likewise, the scenes depicting child abuse are a lot, so again, use caution here.

What is it with me picking slow-burning horror novels this year? The Last House of Needless Street is yet another one, with tension that builds up so steadily that you almost don't realize your anxiety has gone through the roof. Almost. Actually, that makes me wonder how it would do on a second read-through. I will have to add this lovely back onto my TBR list and find out.

Honestly, I'm struggling to find more to say about this book without having it all be spoilers. So, just go read The Last House of Needless Street if you're curious, okay? I promise you it's worth it.

Thanks to Viper and #NetGalley for making this book available for review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Read more reviews over at Quirky Cat's Fat Stacks