Haunted

This was, by far, the best book in the series so far. Without a doubt. Going forward, since this is the third book in the series, it will be impossible to stray away from spoilers regarding the older books. Fair warning on that.

Sarah, who is a main character in the first book, [b:Perron Manor|55446843|Perron Manor (Haunted #1)|Lee Mountford|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600985305l/55446843.SY75.jpg|86464551], feels tremendous guilt over her sister Chloe's death. Chloe was grabbed by what we think is a demon and her neck was completely twisted in front of Sarah's eyes. While leaving the manor in the first book, she looked back into one of the windows and saw Chloe mouth "help me". She had to return to try and save her sister's tormented soul.

An expert in paranormal investigations, David always had an interest in the house. He had been in contact with Chloe and Sarah before in order to attempt to convince them to allow him to investigate the house further after this investigation in 2014, but the sisters had refused. Now, things are different. Sarah contacts David to get him and his team together to start an investigation - one they are equally worried and excited about.

Things happen a whole lot more in this book than in the other two books combined which I find to be a plus. The pacing was still optimal. The character's fears, hopes, and dreams are further brought into the spotlight here, allowing you to connect with them as well or even better than the characters in the previous books.

The horror elements are on point. The information divulged in this book had been great as well, as we learn more about the book locked away in that third-story study and the rituals it contains. I stayed up for a bit too long, over 36 hours, to try and finish the previous book and this book in one go with endless distractions, and of course my mental state had not been the best during the end of the attempt, but holy shit I could not stop looking around my house and feeling my heart jolt at random sounds. This shit is legitimately scary and I can't wait to start the next book.

The follow-up to [b:Perron Manor|55446843|Perron Manor (Haunted #1)|Lee Mountford|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1600985305l/55446843.SY75.jpg|86464551] that I hoped for.

I was a little surprised and unsure why this book was technically a prequel to the first in the series, but it all makes sense now. The events that take place in this book are heavily referenced and clouded by mystery in the previous book, and boy does this remove that mystery quite well.

Devil's Door is about a down-on-their-luck family that takes a job in restoring a massive house and in turn is tasked with turning it into a hotel. A history shrouded in violence, unbeknownst to said family prior to accepting said job, conflicts with all of the well-written characters of the novel.

While I thoroughly enjoyed the first book, which takes place well after the events of this one, everything about this book is better. The character development, pacing, and horror elements almost perfectly mash together to create a thrilling and horrifying read. My main issue with the first book, which is that not enough things really happened, is thrown out the window here. Lots of stuff happen, but not too much. Like I said, the pacing is almost flawless.

A welcome change compared to the first book was that all of the scenes actually take place within the property limits, save for one or two. The house, just like with the characters in the story, does not let you escape for a moment. It possesses not only the living humans residing there, but also you, the reader. The author brilliantly traps us into his dreary, claustrophobic dwelling and I loved every minute of it.

The whole demon/occult aspect was also more present, with some more details arising, however, I would still like to learn more specifics. The author may be using this as an element of mystery to instill anxiety in the reader, however, I wished for more knowledge on the demons possessing the house, just like Marcus and Vincent. I hope the next book in the series does just that.

If you have not read the first book in the series, I'd say if you really wanted to you could read this first, however, I highly recommend going in order here. While yes this is a prequel, going in with a tiny bit of knowledge from the first book will make it that much more enjoyable.

On to the next book in the series!