Source: Received an e-galley from the publisher through Edelweiss for an honest review.
Publisher: Greenwillow Books
Release Date: Already released.
Number of Pages: 420 (Hardcover)
Description from Goodreads:
Madeline Usher is doomed.
She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.
Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.
In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down? The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher.
I read The Fall a little while back, but with it being Halloween I thought that now was the PERFECT time to finally post my review!
I've always been fascinated by Edgar Allan Poe. I haven't read all of his works, but I love the ones that I've read. They're dark, mysterious, and compelling. Bethany Griffin has a way of taking Poe's work, finding inspiration from it, and making it into a wonderful new story that still manages to capture that compelling essence of Poe's work, but is also completely her own. I find that absolutely amazing! I love her books for their connection to Poe, but I love them even more for their unique ability to keep me on my toes, and it never fails to amaze me when Bethany Griffin weaves her own wonderful stories from the inspiration she gets from Poe's.
The Fall is inspired by Edgar Allan Poe's The Fall of the House of Usher. If you've read Poe's story...it's pretty dark, suspenseful, fascinating, creepy, and it's gloriously gothic. It's pretty much the perfect story to read around Halloween, and Bethany Griffin takes inspiration from Poe's tale and turns it into an absolutely intriguing and utterly captivating story!
I loved reading Madeline's story! It was mysterious, and extremely interesting trying to figure out what was happening to her...and what the house was doing. The creepiest aspect of the story was definitely the house. It becomes a character all on its own. It's sentient, and Madeline can feel what the house is feeling. While I was reading The Fall, I couldn't help being on edge...hoping that Madeline could somehow escape from the house, and escape from the curse that followed the Ushers.
The story alternates between Madeline's present, moments from her past, and entries from the diary of one of her relatives. This adds to the ethereal and mysterious qualities of the story. As we learn more about Madeline's past, and she learns more about the house and her family, everything intensifies. From the moment I started reading, I couldn't put The Fall down. It's fast-paced, and will leave you gasping for breath and wondering what will happen next right to the very last page.
I absolutely loved The Fall! I loved that it was inspired by Poe, but I loved the way that Bethany Griffin made the The Fall of the House of Usher into her own story even more. Her writing style is beautiful, captivating, and kept me on edge the entire time. Even after I read the last line...I was still on edge, desperate to know what would become of the characters. I'd recommend The Fall to anyone looking for a gloriously creepy, Gothic read, especially if you're a fan of Poe or Gothic stories.
What do you think?
Have you read The Fall?
