A woman is haunted—both literally and figuratively—by ghosts of the past in this second novel of the Royal Street series by New York Times bestselling author Karen White.
Nola Trenholm may not be psychic herself, but she’s spent enough time around people who are to know when ghosts are present, and there are definitely a few lingering spirits in her recently purchased Creole cottage in New Orleans. Something, or someone, is keeping them tethered to this world. And not all of them are benign.
But with the sudden return of Sunny Ryan, Beau Ryan’s long-lost sister, Nola has plenty to distract her from her ghostly housemates. Especially when the tempting—yet firmly unavailable—Beau, wanting to mete out justice to those he blames for Sunny’s kidnapping, asks Nola for a favor that threatens to derail her hard-won recovery and send her hurtling backward. He asks her to welcome Michael Hebert back into her life, even though Michael is the reason for Nola’s bruised heart. Beau is convinced that Michael’s powerful family was behind Sunny’s disappearance and that Michael is the key to getting information the police won’t be able to ignore—if Nola is willing to risk everything for which she’s worked so hard.
Torn between helping Beau and protecting herself, Nola doesn’t realize until it’s almost too late why the ghosts are haunting her house—a startling revelation that will throw her and Beau together to fight a common enemy. Assuming Nola can get Beau to listen to what the spirits are trying to tell him, because ignoring them could prove to be a fatal mistake…
What’s it about (in a nutshell):
The House on Prytania by Karen White is a spine-tingling paranormal (ghost) mystery about Nola Trenholm, the old house she bought and is remodeling, and the spirits sticking around with unfinished business. This is the second book in a series that is a spinoff from another series, but despite all of that, it can easily be read as a stand-alone.
My Reading Experience:
Wow, this book sent cold chills up my spine more than once, scared the bejesus out of me, and was not what I expected at all. It’s not a horror story, but it is a ghost story, and at least one of those ghosts is pure evil. Malevolent ghosts are what scare me, and they scare me far more than the typical gore and violence of traditional horror stories. Give that ghost an evil past, and I am staying up late to see what happens, partly because I want to know and somewhat because the ghost scared me so badly that I can’t get to sleep.
I loved the New Orleans setting and the whole ghostly New Orleans atmosphere, most of all. It is created to perfection. Even if it was not stated that the characters are in New Orleans, I would have known just from the atmosphere and the numerous Southernisms.
I also loved the mystery that is so layered and so deceptively complex. Suppose I sum up the mystery in simple terms. In that case, it is about discovering the unfinished business of a malevolent ghost and then pushing it to cross over. But that’s the only thing that is simple about it. Solving it is exceptionally complex, with many layers and possibilities.
I’ve never read a story like this before. Some people call it a cozy, but I can’t entirely agree with that label. It is a paranormal mystery that is spine-tingling, creepy, and complex.
Characters:
The characters are all so well-developed and interesting. Nola is determined to make it on her own. She is close to her family but doesn’t want to rely on them. I loved her determination, independence, and fearlessness. If I were her,
the moment by house started oozing and windows began opening and closing on their own, I would be out of there. But she sticks it out and works to solve the mystery of the unfinished business.
Narration & Pacing:
Nola tells her story in first-person narration, which works exceptionally well for creating the atmosphere and keeping the suspense and scariness at high levels. The only thing I had a problem with in this story (possibly due to the narration style) was too much extraneous information. The book could have easily been sheared by one hundred pages or so, and it would have been a much more focused and fast-paced story. As it is, it’s medium-paced at best and often slows down.
Setting:
I loved the setting. New Orleans is always a great setting for a paranormal story. It is created in this book with such detail and atmosphere that the story’s location is instantly recognizable. Old homes and old families with members that have scandalous pasts all come together in this story. The setting is as essential to this story as any character.
Read if you like:
- Ghost stories
- Things that go bump in the night
- New Orleans’s paranormal atmosphere
Overall Rating:⭐⭐⭐⭐💫
| Originality | 10 |
| Writing Quality | 10 |
| Pace | 10 |
| Character Development | 8 |
| ‘Couldn’t Put It Down’-ness | 10 |
| Use of Setting | 10 |
Tessa Talks Books 
I love a creepy book. It’s too bad about the pacing, but I’m glad you enjoyed this!
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It was hide under the covers creepy 😂.
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😂 Perfect!
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Sounds like a really thrilling read!
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It is !
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I had to come read this after your comments last week! haha. Great review and I’m glad you did enjoy it with the creepy aspect! I cannot do creepy at all! I’m the biggest chicken ever.
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I didn’t think it would actually be scary but boy I had cold chills on top of cold chills.
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Yeah, I would have never guessed that from the cover!
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It’s been ages I read ghost story. This sounds atmospheric. Amazing review Tessa!
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It is! The atmosphere was perfect.
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Ooo sounds like another great read for you – I simply love mysteries, ghosts, big old houses and New Orleans! 😃
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That’s this book for sure! So atmospheric 😊
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I may have had to put this and White’s other series on my wish list 😉
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I love NOLA. This story sounds like my kind of tale, but I am concerned about the pace. I’ll have to think about this one. Thanks, Tessa.
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It could be cut down for sure. But it’s very chilling and so atmospheric
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I am a sucker for chilling and atmospheric.
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Hmm. I’m torn. This sounds good, but it also sounds a tad on the spooky side for me. I’m like you when it comes to malevolent ghosts!
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That is a tough call. When the house started reflecting the ghost within – it still gives me cold chills.
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I REALLY need to read this book now. My chances of getting it are slim, but I requested it from NG. If I don’t get it, I’ll just buy it. You’re not good for my TBR, Tessa, lol.
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Who’d ever think I’d bring this kind of book to your attention 😳
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