I started Hex House expecting a conventional haunted house story and found something sharper. The novel opens with Elly, pregnant and in her wedding dress, running from a husband she knows will break her. Lost in the woods she finds Hex House, a house that appears only to those who need it. Years later Siobhan, a filmmaker who once visited Hex House to make a documentary with her brother Theo, is living with the fallout. She drinks too much, flirts with danger and carries a scar that will not heal. When news about Hex House reaches her, she is pulled back into a place that taught women to turn their fear into a kind of power. The narrative moves between the past and the present until the two timelines collide.
At its heart Hex House is about anger, survival and the cost of reclaiming agency. Feminine rage is not treated as madness here but as a force that can protect and transform. Trauma is shown as something that lingers physically and socially. The book also explores moral ambiguity; the house is neither wholly sanctuary nor wholly monster. Community and witnessing are presented as necessary parts of healing.
Stewart’s prose is clean and immediate, which made the book easy to read in one sitting. The dual timeline structure is handled with care, and the slow burn atmosphere builds a persistent unease. I was particularly taken with the magical realism elements. They are woven into the story in a way that deepens rather than distracts. The friendships between the women felt earned and gave the darker moments emotional weight. The audiobook narration I listened to add another layer, the voice matching the Scottish setting and helping me stay immersed even at higher playback speeds.
If you like atmospheric horror with feminist undercurrents, dual timelines and a touch of the uncanny, this will appeal. It suits readers who prefer psychological and emotional complexity over jump scares. Audiobook listeners who appreciate strong narration will find a lot to enjoy.
Hex House is a bold debut that reimagines the haunted house as a site of resistance rather than only terror. It is unsettling and thoughtful, not always tidy, but often powerful. I finished it feeling provoked and moved, and I am curious to see where Amy Jane Stewart goes next.
The audiobook is narrated by Lianne Walker
With thanks to #NetGalley and #DreamscapeMedia for the ALC
Publication Date Apr 28 2026
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