TOP 5 REASONS TO READ WHEN GHOST CALL US HOME #BOOKTOUR

Book Info:

When Ghosts Call Us Home by Katya De Becerra

Genre: Young Adult Horror

Publishing Date: October 3, 2023

My Rating: 4.5 stars

Synopsis: Haunting of Hill House meets found footage horror in this edge of your seat thriller that explores the power of family ties and the trauma that lurks there. When Sophia Galich was twelve, she starred in her older sister Layla’s amateur horror movie Vermillion, which recorded raw footage of her very real reactions to scenes her sister concocted in their old Californian house on the coast Cashore House. In the years after the film’s release, Sophia’s relationship with her sister became more strained, while her memories of the now infamous house fueled her nightmares. Vermillion amassed an army of fanatical fans who speculated about the film’s hidden messages, and it was rumored that Layla made a pact with the devil her soul in exchange for fame and arcane knowledge. Sophia dismissed this as gossip...until Layla disappeared. Now, Sophia must study the trail of clues Layla has left behind, returning to the very place where it all began. As she gets closer and closer to Cashore House’s haunted heart, she must once again confront the ghosts of her childhood. But the house won’t reveal its secrets without a fight.

Q U I C K L I N K S

(You can purchase from all these places!)

Goodreads / Amazon / Barnes & Noble / IndieBound

Welcome to my stop on the #WhenGhostCallUsHome book tour!

TOP 5 REASONS TO READ WHEN GHOST CALL US HOME

1.)  The Vibes

People aren't lying when they liken the vibe to The Haunting of Hill House, it's a spot on assessment. But it's so much more than that. If you threw in some 'Blair Witch' feel, VHS aesthetics, some obscure member-only forums focused on horror media that you can only get access to via shady means. It's cult following, and the fantastic way it's written help complete a narrative with a brutal amount of depth. The vibes are IMMACULATE, and the atmosphere is superb. It's got a writing style that feels eerie and ethereal, reminiscent of a child looking into the world with pastel-colored glasses that used to be rose - that are riddled with paranoia.

I also feel like this is a commentary on the horror community as a whole, and it's obsession with the spectacle of grief.  The level of obsession with mad genius similarly to Stanley Kubrick - who similar to Layla, also put his actresses/actors under extreme conditions and abuse in the name of art. You constantly struggle to understand and get into the mind of Sophia's (FMC) artistic genius of a sister. Who you, yourself, are far enough removed to also see as untrustworthy. Even if inadvertently it decides to cover this topic, it makes for GREAT suspense.

I would actually beg to see this in theatres as a movie, or even a movie series directed by Mike Flanagan, the same man who directed The Haunting of Hill House series on Netflix (Based off the amazing Shirley Jackson novel). SO FINGERS CROSSED.

2.) The Sisterly Love

It is great to finally see a sister duo SHINE in a horror novel, and shine they did! It hurt that this was reminiscent of my own complexities with my older sister (I'm the baby cough cough) and how cruel they can be, even while well meaning. Always close and tender, even when convoluted and consequential. But blood is thicker than water, or in this case- hauntings. You can clearly see the effects of their relationship, even if not all the trauma was brought on by Layla herself - but her fans. Yet through it all Sophia prevails. 

She is incredibly resilient because of Layla and their bond - not despite it. And it drives her through the dregs of the internet, the cult like worship of her sister, obsessive fans, a creepy director, and right on through to the end of the story. You never once doubt the strength of Layla and Sophia, and the story is all the more better for it.

3.) The Discussion of Trauma

The entire story, and it's hauntings, are built up around the framework of Trauma. Not just any trauma, but specifically Childhood trauma and the loss of innocence and individuality that can come with growing up. Let alone, growing up without your biggest childhood influence. As a result, the subject of such trauma suffers extreme paranoia. And who can blame her? She seems just as much of a ghost as Vermillion - a concept of a person. Haunted by her past, present and feature - within and without.

And this is something that is shown throughout the story, it plagues it. There is a disconnect between Sophia and other people, written masterfully I might add, so that the dialogue still flows but seems distrustful. This disconnect between Sophia is sometimes metaphoric with a camera. She only ever felt connected to the one person who maybe hurt her most, her sister. And that in itself is a whole another layer to unpack.

4.) The Spooks

The local ghoul, Vermillion - is a total scary FIEND. Funnily enough, her name means a certain blood shade of red. I'd call her (or it?) a boss babe, because she's super conceptual - but also TERRIFYING. Let me just give you a peek.

Vermillion descends from the ceiling. Headfirst, matted hair hanging long, like a demonic Rapunzel...[her] black eyes opened so wide they seem to not have eyelids, sear themselves into my memory.

Queue the screams, I did NOT enjoy reading this at 2am while in a candle-lit bath. But it also is a GREAT scare fest, especially for starting October!

5.) Has a Strong Female Lead

Sophia, the Main Character, stands out as more than just a narrator. You felt all the shared emotions of the main character, whether it was paranoia or nostalgia. The magnetic, unwilling pull to a place that has brought you so much grief -but it's all you know. It bring the old Lauren Eden quote to mind “When you are not fed love on a silver spoon, you learn to lick it off knives.” And Sophia's knife - is Cashore house.

As stared earlier You can clearly see the effects of their relationship, even if not all the trauma was brought on by Layla herself - but her fans. Yet through it all Sophia knows EXACTLY what she needs to do, and absolutely will not waver. Even if it means facing her worst fears, facing the media, or her sister's rabid fans. And honestly? After seeing Vermillion - that's some serious badassery. She's level headed and logical, but is always willing to give someone a piece of her mind if they cross her boundaries. And it's just so refreshing to read a YA FMC who is able to stick to her boundaries. Sophia has to be THE strongest female main character I've read about in all of 2023.

And those are all five reasons why you NEED to check out When Ghost Call Us Home this October! I promise you, you will not regret it!

Read if you love:

👻Haunted Houses

👻Shirley Jackson

👻Family Bonds

👻The Blair Witch Project

If you're interested, please check out the rest of the Tour Schedule and go show my TBR peers some love!

M O O D B O A R D

MEET THE AUTHOR

Katya de Becerra writes atmospheric young adult horror featuring determined characters, complicated families and enigmatic places. Critics called her debut What The Woods Keep “a thoughtful and compelling horror fantasy” (The Bulletin) and “a narrative that will keep readers enthralled” (Booklist), while her second novel Oasis earned a starred review from Booklist. Katya regularly publishes short fiction in anthologies and literary magazines. She is also co-editor of the anthology This Fresh Hell, which reimagines and subverts horror tropes in new and unexpected ways. As a child, Katya wanted to be an Egyptologist, but instead she earned a PhD in Cultural Anthropology and now works at a university, where she teaches and researches as well as supervises graduate students in Anthropology, Creative Writing and Education. Katya is a short version of her real name, which is very long and gets mispronounced a lot. Her third novel, When Ghosts Call Us Home, is forthcoming in 2023.

Author Links:

Website / Twitter / Instagram / Goodreads