Catherine House......the place you finally belong...the place you want to stay...the place you want to leave...the place you love...the place you hate... Holy mixed reviews on this one! I truly enjoyed this slow burn. This book is not a cookie cutter book, it is a completely unique story. You have to have an open mind and you have to pay attention and dig deep. Suspend some belief- it gave me a bit of a Ninth House vibe. With that being said, it will not be for everyone, but it sure was a good fit for me. I am debating between 4 and 4.5 stars on this one.
SO here is the deal......Catherine House- very competitive, prestigious school with a secretive past. What actually goes on behind these walls? The deal you make with the devil- oh I mean Catherine House- is all tuition is paid. You live completely free of all costs while attending school. Food, clothing, books and all the alcohol you can want are paid for. In exchange you walk away from your old life. No contact with the outside world for three long years. This is so you can "focus" on your studies, or so they say.
Everyone entering the halls of Catherine House have been carefully selected and they all have a past. They have had trouble "fitting in" with society. Yet at Catherine House you are the perfect fit. Too bad you can't stay forever.........or can you? One way or another you may never leave......
Much of the first part of the book is built around the development of the characters, especially Ines and Theo. You get a good feel for their daily life at school and how things roll at Catherine House. It was more of a drama at the beginning with an underlying feeling that "something just isn't right" at this school. As the story builds you learn there are some weird things going on that only certain people are privy to. About 100 pages out it really picked up and things started to make more sense. Usually I like a more clear cut ending but I was totally satisfied with how it ended. The author provided just enough insight that I was able to come to my own conclusions.
I always love reading the work of a debut writer and I thought the writer was superb and she left me wondering what she will come up with next. As I stated this will not appeal to everyone but I loved it. Just keep an open mind and let the author paint the picture of what life at Catherine House is like.
Huge shoutout to Custom House/William Morrow for this gorgeous physical copy in exchange for an honest review!
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