I obtained a evaluation copy from the writer. This doesn’t have an effect on the contents of my evaluation and all opinions are my very own.

Home of Splinters by Laura Purcell

Mogsy’s Score: 4 of 5 stars

Style: Horror, Historic Fiction

Sequence: Stand Alone

Writer: Blackstone Publishing (February 10, 2026)

Size: 346 pages

Writer Info: Web site | Twitter

My queen of gothic horror is at it once more! Laura Purcell returns to the haunting idea she first launched in The Silent Companions, bringing again these creepy picket figures in Home of Splinters. As a long-time fan of the writer, stepping again into that eeriness and uncanny environment felt like coming residence, although because it seems, residence won’t be your best option of phrase.

The story follows Belinda Bainbridge, who has spent most of her life below the thumb of her anxious, overbearing mom. So when her father-in-law dies, prompting her husband Wilfred to relocate his household to take over administration of his ancestral property, Belinda quietly hopes the change will give her the prospect to construct a lifetime of her personal. Along with her younger son Freddie approaching his breeching and one other baby on the way in which, the transfer seems like a turning level. Nevertheless, the one tie from her previous that she insists on bringing together with her is her girl’s maid, a gentle supply of familiarity and reassurance as she prepares to go away her previous life behind.

However after they arrive on the property, generally known as the Bridge, Belinda rapidly realizes it’s nothing like the longer term she imagined. The place had by no means appeared notably cheerful throughout her earlier visits, however now it’s virtually falling aside. The home is in disrepair, the gardens uncared for and lifeless. The villagers, lengthy below the Bainbridges’ care, are resentful and cautious of the household, whispering that they’re cursed. Certainly, the Bridge has had its share of darkish historical past, together with an ancestor rumored to have been executed as a witch, the mysterious loss of life of Wilfred’s sister after they have been kids, and the unintentional loss of life of a servant. Then there are the picket figures generally known as silent companions, flat picket cutouts as soon as well-liked as family decorations throughout the Dutch Golden Age. Those who as soon as belonged to Wilfred’s mom are discovered locked away in a room Belinda hopes to show right into a nursery, however as soon as they’re uncovered, unusual issues start to occur. Freddie turns into oddly fascinated with them, speaking to them and treating them like actual folks. And with the start of her second baby drawing nearer, Belinda begins to concern that one thing is deeply unsuitable with the home and that one thing is haunting her household.

Contemplating The Silent Companions was the novel that first made me fall in love with the writer’s work, one of the crucial thrilling features of Home of Splinters is the way it reconnects with the world of the sooner ebook. Whereas this novel tells a very new story with utterly new characters, Purcell cleverly revisits some acquainted floor by returning to the Bainbridge household and the Bridge. Followers will acknowledge sure parts echoed on this one, like a pregnant protagonist, the rundown property, the unwelcoming villagers, and naturally, the celebs of this horror present that are the silent picket figures themselves. On the identical time, this isn’t a rehash of the unique plot with just some issues tweaked. Quite, it feels extra like one other chapter within the wider legacy of the unlucky Bainbridges, exploring how a number of generations proceed to turn into haunted by the home and the companions.

One of many issues Purcell at all times does so effectively is environment, and Home of Splinters actually delivers on that entrance. The Bridge is virtually a personality in its personal proper, and it serves as the proper gothic setting with its isolation and decaying entrance, filled with secrets and techniques that fairly actually refuse to remain buried. You by no means know what would possibly emerge from its overgrown grounds or from the shadows inside the home, as a result of all the place carries an air of unease and the sense that one thing isn’t proper. I’ve additionally at all times felt the companions idea had much more potential to discover, and they’re once more put to wonderful use.

Past the paranormal parts, the novel additionally heartily embraces all of the traditional gothic themes. We’ve Belinda, a very sympathetic protagonist who desires so badly for her new life in her new residence to work out, however feels more and more trapped by the household secrets and techniques, societal pressures, and the guilt introduced on by unrealistic expectations. And each time kids are concerned, the horror turns into much more disturbing. Let’s simply say there’s a purpose why the “creepy baby” trope has turn into so embedded within the style, and Purcell faucets into it massive time right here by way of Freddie’s more and more unusual habits. The concept one thing evil could possibly be influencing a baby or threatening a child makes the implications particularly chilling and tough to shake.

If there’s any draw back, it’s that the story takes a while to get going. However then once more, it’s a gothic novel. Sluggish-building stress is par for the course. However as soon as these threads begin coming collectively, notably with the arrival of Wilfred’s estranged brother Nathan, and the opening of the floodgates with regard to the Bainbridge secrets and techniques, issues begin gaining critical momentum. Is there one thing supernatural at work on the Bridge? Or is superstition and paranoia getting the higher of our characters’ perceptions?

Ultimately, this ws one other sturdy addition to Laura Purcell’s rising catalogue of spectacular gothic horror. When you take pleasure in slow-burning tales stuffed with environment and uneasy mysteries, do your self a favor and decide one up now. Darkish and unsettling, Home of Splinters is stuffed with the creeping sense of dread that she does so effectively, and followers of her work will discover lots to take pleasure in right here, together with the return of the eerie silent companions.