The House at Watch Hill by Karen Marie Moning Narrator: Amanda Leigh Cobb, Tim Campbell
Series: The Watch Hill Trilogy #1
Published by HarperAudio on October 1, 2024
Genres: Urban Fantasy
Length: 11 hours, 34 minutes
Format: Audiobook
Source: Library
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Zo Grey is reeling from the sudden death of her mother when she receives a surprising call from an attorney in Divinity, Louisiana, with the news she has been left an inheritance by a distant relative, the terms of which he will only discuss in person. Destitute and alone, with nothing left to lose, Zo heads to Divinity and discovers she is the sole beneficiary of a huge fortune and a monstrosity of a house that sits ominously at the peak of Watch Hill—but she must live in it, alone, for three years before the house, or the money, is hers.
Met with this irresistible opportunity to finally build a future for herself, Zo puts aside her misgivings about the foreboding Gothic mansion and the strange circumstances, and moves in, where she is quickly met by a red-eyed Stygian owl and an impossibly sexy Scottish groundskeeper.
Her new home is full of countless secrets and mystifying riddles, with doors that go nowhere, others that are impossible to open, and a turret into which there is no visible means of ingress. And the townspeople are odd…
What Zo doesn’t yet know is that her own roots lie in this very house and that in order to discover her true identity and awaken her dormant powers, she will have to face off against sinister forces she doesn’t quite comprehend—or risk being consumed by them.
I consider Karen Marie Moning, referred to by fans as KMM, is Urban Fantasy royalty. She’s the author of what I often think was my first favorite series in the genre, and I hold Fever as a sort of benchmark when I read any subsequent urban fantasy series. The House at Watch Hill, her latest release after a 6-year hiatus, and the first in the Watch Hill Trilogy, is a Southern Gothic tale of magic, suspense, and dark family secrets, and perfect for a fall or spooky season read.
24 year-old Zo is no stranger to hard times or loneliness. For as long as she can remember, it was just her and her mom, moving from place-to-place to stay ahead of unnamed demons. Newly-bereaved, she is summoned to the rural town of Divinity, Louisiana; where she learns of a life-changing inheritance. She is thrust into a strange world of family legacies and secrets she didn’t know existed. As she navigates this new environment, her own innocent nature is tested and corrupted by the darkness she uncovers.
In The House at Watch Hill, KMM blends classic Gothic literature with elements unique to the American South. Rather than just creating a suspenseful setting, she uses these Southern Gothic elements to explore themes of inherited family secrets, deep-rooted beliefs, and moral decay.  The novel uses the Louisiana setting to great effect, creating a lush, mysterious, and atmospheric world. It’s a land steeped in folklore, where witches and vampires are a part of the local culture and reality. The rich descriptions help to create an otherworldly feel. Cameron Manor is described in extensive detail, with confounding architecture, hidden rooms, and an ominous presence that is almost a character in itself; luring Zo and the reader alike into its dark and intricate history. The state of the mansion mirrors the moral rot and secrets of the Cameron family and the town of Divinity.
The town of Divinity is home to a collection of eccentric and oddball townspeople. It isn’t difficult to identify who is hostile towards Zo, but I felt as confused as Zo trying to determine why there was so much animosity directed at her. She appears to have several allies as well, but I want to say that I trusted them less than those who were blatantly her enemy. It wouldn’t be a KMM book without an overwhelmingly handsome and entrancing stranger; and lucky Zo has two potential love interests; Kellan and Devlin. She’s inexplicably drawn to both, but should she really be running away as fast as she can?
Despite loving the set-up of this novel, I did not feel there was enough time spent on character development and world-building. Aside from Zo, I felt the characters were a little one-dimensional and dated.   I feel like there was a lot of information to be imparted, and for lack of time, it was not always done with a finesse or subtlety. At times the world-building felt more like a data-dump and events unfolded far too quickly for me to appreciate what was actually happening.
The House at Watch Hill pays homage to the classic Gothic traditions while forging a new, witchy path. KMM has a well-documented history of cliffhangers, so I wasn’t surprised or upset by the ending (spoiler: it was a cliffhanger). The many mysteries surrounding Divinity, Cameron Manor, and Zo’s power are still unresolved, not to mention I still don’t know if I am supposed to be Team Kellan or Team Devlin. This is just the first book, and despite the few things I didn’t like, I most certainly will continue reading the series. KMM is a brilliant writer with a fantastic imagination, and I trust she will resolve each character and story arch, eventually.
Narration:
Amanda Leigh Cobb was an excellent narrator and brought Zo’s character to life. She also did a great job making each of the many characters in this story distinct and recognizable. I don’t think there was enough Tim Campbell narration in this book, as the story is primarily told from Zo’s POV. What he did read was fabulous and I look forward to hearing longer passages read by him in future installments.
Listen to a clip:Â HERE
About Tim Campbell
Tim Campbell is an award winning actor and singer who lives in Los Angeles, CA. He works primarily in audiobook narration and voice over and has narrated hundreds of titles spanning almost every genre. He has won or been nominated for almost every major award in the audiobook industry, including most recently a 2018 Audie, a 2019 Audie (nom), a 2019 Voice Arts Award, and several Independent Audiobook and Audiofile Magazine Earphones awards.
He lived and trained in the UK and Germany, narrates as both an American and a Brit, and has studied performance diction in German, Italian, French, Spanish and Japanese, and Latin. He specializes in accents, dialects, and character work and holds three degrees in theater and music as well as graduating from the esteemed two year Great Books Colloquium of Pepperdine University.
In his other, musical life, Tim sings regularly with the LA Master Chorale, Los Angeles Opera, and in studio sessions for TV and Film. Highlights include principal ensemble in Candide at LA Opera, Courfeyrac in Les Miserables at Fresno Grand Opera, Jud in Oklahoma with Cabrillo Music Theater, and Anthony in Sweeney Todd with Pacific Opera Project and singing on the soundtrack for Star Wars IX: The Rise of Skywalker and films such as Creed 2, Venom, and many others.
About Karen Marie Moning
Karen Marie Moning is the #1 NYT bestselling author of the Fever Series and Highlander novels.
An alum of the Immaculate Conception Academy, at seventeen she attended Purdue University where she completed a BA in Society & Law, with minors in Philosophy, Creative Writing and Theatre, while working full time as a bartender and computer consultant. She intended to go to law school but after an internship with a firm of Criminal Attorneys, decided against it. For the next decade, she worked in insurance, where she wrote intercompany arbitrations and directed commercial litigation. At the age of thirty, she decided it was time to get serious and do what she’d always wanted to do: write fiction novels.
Beyond the Highland Mist was published in 1999 and nominated for two RITA awards. She then published six more novels in her award-winning HIGHLANDER series, and received the RITA Award in 2001 for The Highlander’s Touch.
In 2004, she began writing the #1 New York Times bestselling FEVER series. The books have been optioned twice for potential franchise development by Twentieth Century Fox and DreamWorks Studios, but the rights are currently held by Moning who has expressed a desire to one day see it as a television series. Her novels have been published in over thirty countries. She divides her time between Ohio and Florida and is working on two future projects for Random House Publishing.
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I've developed a preference for audiobooks over the last few years, which allow me to complete chores, run carpool, or work on my many building and craft projects while 'reading.
My all time favorite selections include Diana Gabaldon's Outlander series, Karen Marie Moning's Fever series, and all of Robin Hobb's books set in the Farseer world. Â Honorable mentions to Elle Kennedy, Penny Reid, Meljean Brook, Ann Aguirre, Krista and Becca Ritchie, Jeaniene Frost, and Kristen Callihan.
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I have this one on my list, but I’m not too sure about it. It might get pushed back and back in favour of other books, I’ll see.
One day, I’ll get to it. I do love that the Southern gothic setting and quirky town vibe you mentioned.
Ooooo southern gothic is nice