The Fall

Today's post is on The Fall by Bethany Griffin. It is 420 pages long and is published by GreenWillow Press. The cover has the main character walking in a foggy and gloomy setting. The intended reader is someone is young adult, who like retellings of Poe, and horror. There is no language, no violence, and only hints of sex. The story is told from the first person perspective of the main character Madeline. There Be Spoilers Ahead.

From the dust jacket- Madeline Usher is doomed.
The House of Usher lives and breathes around her. For generations, it has send every Usher spiraling into madness. It claimed her mother and her father. Now it wants Madeline and her twin brother.
No one can help them. But no one, no other Usher in the generation of the haunted family, has known the house the way Madeline does.
She may finally be the one who can destroy it all.
Until she wakes up in a coffin.

Review- I did enjoy book but it was not really creepy. I wanted something scarier but that said it was a good read. The Fall of the House of Usher is my favorite Poe story. I think that Griffin added something interesting to the story. We see so little of Madeline in the original story that we do not even know if she is alive or undead when she gets out of her coffin. But Griffin gives the reader an interesting view of the events. Madeline is special to the House and so she sees it clearer. I did find the incest as horrifying as Madeline and Roderick do. Griffin did sell me on the madness. I really believed that the House was driving people to it and I felt sorry for them. There's an odd thing that I liked about this book- the short chapters. Normally the books I read have really long chapters so it was nice change of pace. The narration that Griffin uses is good. She tells the story of Madeline and the House from different points as Madeline ages. In one chapter Madeline will be sixteen then the next she will be seven. I liked that. It was disjointing but I think that helped the madness feeling in the character's. If you like Poe I think that you would enjoy this book too.

I give this book a Four out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I borrowed this book from my local library.