This Cursed House by Del Sandeen Book Review

 THIS CURSED HOUSE – Del Sandeen 

In this Southern gothic horror debut, a young Black woman abandons her life in 1960s Chicago for a position with a mysterious family in New Orleans, only to discover the dark truth. They’re under a curse, and they think she can break it.

In the fall of 1962, twenty-seven-year-old Jemma Barker is desperate to escape her life in Chicago—and the spirits she has always been able to see. When she receives an unexpected job offer from the Duchon family in New Orleans, she accepts, thinking it is her chance to start over.

But Jemma discovers that the Duchon family isn’t what it seems. Light enough to pass as white, the Black family members look down on brown-skinned Jemma. Their tenuous hold on reality extends to all the members of their eccentric clan, from haughty grandmother Honorine to beautiful yet inscrutable cousin Fosette. And soon the shocking truth comes The Duchons are under a curse. And they think Jemma has the power to break it.

As Jemma wrestles with the gift she’s run from all her life, she unravels deeper and more disturbing secrets about the mysterious Duchons. Secrets that stretch back over a century. Secrets that bind her to their fate if she fails.

I love how the book is filled with lots of secrets. The characters are likable and believable. Each character has their own personality. There is so many twists and turns. I found it to be suspenseful and hard to put down.

This book does address some hard topics – like racism, colorism, and slavery. I think that it is good to know for readers prior to starting! I loved the atmosphere and how it matched the sense of foreboding and dread that was slowly creeping in from start to finish. It’s an incredible debut, and it’s a must-read for those who love some southern gothic horror!

About the Author:

Del Sandeen lives in Northeast Florida, where she works as a writer and copy editor. She is the recipient of the 2019 Diverse Writers Grant and the 2019 Diverse Worlds Grant from the Speculative Literature Foundation. Her short fiction has appeared in FIYAH: Speculative Literary Magazine, Uncanny Magazine, Nightlight Podcast, and Magnolia, a Journal of Women's Socially Engaged Literature Volume III. Her nonfiction has appeared in Allure, Uncanny, Gay magazine and ZORA. She's the author of three young adult books: Thomas Jefferson and Sally Hemings: Joined by Fate; Coping With Racial Profiling; and Maya Angelou: Writer and Activist. Del is represented by Jim McCarthy at Dystel, Goderich & Bourret LLC. THIS CURSED HOUSE is her debut novel.

Twitter: @DelSandeen

Website: https://www.delsandeen.com/