“Seven Cleopatra Hill” by Justin Holley is truly a jam-packed horror novel that takes the haunted house/motel style of writing to a whole new level. This was an exciting read from start to finish with excellent characters, scary encounters, and a ton of gore. This was a very well-written novel that I felt was a diamond in the rough when it comes to how many haunted houses/motels are out there. This one stands out from the rest and holds its own as a very unique take in this subgenre of horror.
I loved all the unique characters as they were nicely developed with the kids being my favorite ones. Miles was by far my favorite character and he’s just a kid! All the creepy situations in this novel were built up and delivered a knockout of a horror reading experience. I particularly enjoyed the pacing of the story as nothing dragged on at all, every word mattered and in 30 chapters, there was zero fluff here.
Don’t worry, I will not ruin anything for you as I want readers to be immersed and see all the different layers of suspense and horror that await. Even the gore in this novel added to the horror aspect of things as it was pretty tense in every encounter as things revealed themselves naturally. I had no idea where things would go and loved every minute of that feeling of not knowing what would happen until it was over.
Also, I’m usually not into romance when it comes to the horror novels I read but it was done very well in “Seven Cleopatra Hill” where it wasn’t overbearing at all. It didn’t take anything away from the story and I appreciated that as it added more substance and drama to things.
Once I hit the 80% mark, the race to the climactic ending was a fantastic journey as I loved how Holley was able to keep me on the edge of my seat as to what was ultimately going to transpire. The ending was beyond satisfying and a perfect way to wrap up this horror novel that will be one I remember for many years to come.
This may come as no surprise but I give “Seven Cleopatra Hill” by Justin Holley a perfect 5/5 as he has a new fan in me. I look forward to reading his previous and future work as he’s an incredibly talented writer. If you’re looking for a great weekend horror novel that is all about demons, ghosts, creepy characters, blood, and a haunted hotel during an insane blizzard, this one is for you as I’d highly recommend it!
by LTJ81