"Houses remember."
Those are the somber words that begin Mari Godrick's critically-acclaimed horror masterpiece "Lilith Rising," which, decades after it's publication, still echo in the present-day world of Emily and her celebrity best friend, Chess Chandler.
A wellness guru taking the world by storm, Chess brings Emily along on a summer escape to Villa Aestas in Orvieto--the very same villa where tragedy struck for Mari Godrick and her loved ones in 1974. As the summer pulses on, Emily--a writer herself--finds herself enthralled not only by the mysterious roots of "Lilith Rising," but by Mari's story as well.
If you couldn't tell by that brief synopsis, "The Villa" is a layered story. It's a book, within a book, within a book, and yet none of the plot lines felt developed enough to really hold my interest. The premise here was beyond promising; an Italian gothic setting, a past-revisited storyline, and the fuses of suspense lit in the first few chapters. However, the burn of this book was entirely too slow for me, and by the end I felt that it all had developed into hardly anything at all despite the buildup.
If you're new to Rachel Hawkins, you might find this story good or even great. For me, it's an easy least favorite of her recent books; simply a great idea with underwhelming execution.
Rating: 3 Stars
Publication Details: Out Now, St. Martin's Press
*Huge thank you to NetGalley & the publisher for providing my review copy!*
