REVIEW: Catherine House

 Catherine House
Author: Elisabeth Thomas

Catherine House is a special school. Tucked away in rural Pennsylvania, many students attempt to get in...but few are accepted. There is no tuition....the 3 years that students study at the school are absolutely free. Tuition, room and board, clothing....all free. But there's a catch -- there is no going home, no visitors, no talking about life outside Catherine House. And...no television, no technology, no radio.....  Basically students at Catherine House are completely cut off from the world. 

Ines Murillo managed to get a spot. She's not sure how....she did do all the work to get in. But she's not sure she belongs there....or that she really wants to be. Then she discovers a secret.....the dark secret that hides behind the prestige of Catherine House. 

I listened to the audiobook version of this story. Narrated by Ines del Castillo, the audio is just over 11 hours long. Castillo reads at a nice pace and gives a great performance. Her voice is easy to understand and she does a wonderful job of voice acting. Enjoyable listening experience. 

I'm not sure how I feel about this book....I had to let the story sink into my head for a few days before I could write this review. The first 2/3 of the book builds up some nice suspense....and I kept waiting for something crucial to happen. And I guess....;it did....but it just seemed a bit of a let down. Maybe I expected more? And I didn't like the ending....it just seemed odd and unsatisfying. 

Others might feel differently. This is only my opinion. The book is well written. The premise is interesting. But the follow-through just fell a little flat for me.....and the ending was a dud. Maybe it's because the concept of a secretive school with a horrible secret has been done so many times before? Or maybe it's because I was expecting something a bit different and this story just wasn't for me? Not sure. But....I am very interested in reading more by this author. This book is well written....and I like Elisabeth Thomas' writing style. The plot just lost me in the last 1/3 of the book.