I don't read much ghost/gothic/horror books but I was in the mood for something a little creepy and I heard about The Fall from another booktuber and it sounded interesting so I thought I'd give it a try. I did enjoy the story but it was confusing at times. The way the book is set up, it goes back and forth between the past and present. We get scenes where the main character is 16 then in the next chapter she's 10, then she's 16 again, then she's 12. It goes back and forth like that and at times I felt like I needed to have a paper and pen with me so I could map out the timeline. I really didn't like the ending. It left me with too many questions and I had no idea what happened to the characters. I know that's how it's supposed to be but I would like some type of closure to the story; I'm left completely hanging, which sucks seeing that this is a stand alone (at least I think it is). Overall it's not bad just kind of confusing at times and no closure to the end. ( )

This was a decent retelling of an Edgar Allen Poe story, but nothing spectacular. The brother sister connection/love thing has been over done and is something that always kind of weirded me out.

The doctors were not all that well developed, though they were creepy.

The house itself was very interesting and I wish that we got more of its history and that of the Ushers.

The writing and story itself were okay, with interesting parts, but overall, the story was underwhelming ( )

This was a decent retelling of an Edgar Allen Poe story, but nothing spectacular. The brother sister connection/love thing has been over done and is something that always kind of weirded me out.

The doctors were not all that well developed, though they were creepy.

The house itself was very interesting and I wish that we got more of its history and that of the Ushers.

The writing and story itself were okay, with interesting parts, but overall, the story was underwhelming ( )

Sufficiently gothic, this re-imaging of Edgar Allan Poe's story envelopes the reader in a wonderfully atmospheric tale about a cursed family, a sentient house that creeps into the wellbeing of the family like the ivy vines that grow all over it's exterior. Told mainly through the memories of young Madeline Usher as she strives to learn more about her family and its cursed past, and the House of Usher itself, which has its own agenda. The chapters go back and forth through Madeline's memories at various ages, providing the reader with tiny bits of knowledge about her family, both present and past, and the House itself. Madeline eventually discovers through visions and diary entries from a cursed ancestor, the true nature of the House of usher and that her only hope is to figure out a way to save herself and her twin brother from the evil that has warped her family and brought nothing but heartache and suffering to each generation that lives within its walls.

I enjoyed the style and lyrical language used in the story. It definitely had the gothic feel and swept the reader up into a long ago time of decrepit mansions and mysterious maladies; where families kept relatives chained up in the attic for their own safety and protection. Griffin does a masterful job of incorporating the house as a listening, reactive being as Madeline and Roderick are growing up. It's easy to feel what they feel surrounded by parents who barely seem to notice them, or lash out in anger and visciousness. Is the House truly listening and protecting them? Is it their imagination? Somewhat feral and neglectef, the twins are left to explore their huge, ancestral home that is falling apart and filled with cobwebs, framed photos of dour ancestors, and masses of disintegrating books. When her brother is sent away to school, Madeline is left to suffer the full torment of her mother's attention and her father's rare moments of lucidity, as well as the constant poking, prodding and bloodletting by the doctors who live in the upper levels, determined in their efforts to understand and document her family's curious illness.

The story is unrelenting in its darkness and despair, especially as Madeline grows older and learns more about the House and how trapped she is in so many ways. I felt like this might have gone on a bit too long and there were parts in the last third of the book where I felt like it dragged a bit, at least for me. It's hard to continue to be pulled into such gothic horror without it starting to feel overwhelming and a bit depressing. Like Madeline, i think the reader starts to lose hope when even the smallest happiness she has seem to be stolen away from her. The ending felt, to me, unresolved and unsatisfactory. I'm not sure if there is a sequel coming or not, but I was left with a feeling of being unsettled and unsatisfied. ( )

I liked this quite a lot, actually. Other readers seem to complain about it being "slow" or "nothing happens", but I didn't find that to be the case. While its true that the Big Overarching Story does not present itself the way that might be expected, each of the tiny little chapters creates its own universe, its own conflict. ( )