Review: Inhospitable by Ali Seay

I was lucky enough to get on the ARC list for Ali Seay's latest book, INHOSPITABLE. For those of you who don't know, I'm a big sucker for Seay's writing style. I always find her books to be in that sweet spot of fast-paced but descriptive. I feel like I'm there.

INHOSPITABLE is no different, but I will admit, I'm not sure that I wanted to be there.

The story follows Bristol and her husband Jace who have just moved out to a suspiciously well-priced house in the country. I love the "fixing up an old house" trope. I love the plant-based twist to that classic set-up (where the flora does not want the house to be inhabited.) I adored the light epistolary elements in the form of a diary that Bristol finds left by the previous owner. It offers insights into the nature of the horror and of course some very poignant parallels about the expectations of a wife in the home.

Unfortunately, that was an element of the story that I just didn't connect with. I always do struggle with more domestic-themed horrors. Marriage as a concept has never been appealing or made enough sense to me that I can understand the "wife who stays" dynamic in toxic relationships unless they really go above and beyond. I was already questioning Bristol and Jace's chemistry before some of Jace's more obvious faults came to light. I never feel too comfortable getting this inside view into relationships, and this was one area that made me feel like I may not have been the target audience for this one.

Seay has another book, I THINK I'M ALONE NOW that I also think I wasn't the target audience for that I absolutely fell in love with anyway. What pulled me through in that one was a deep connection to the main character, and a concern for her well being.

I think because so much of Bristol's character was tied into her relationship to Jace (and because the book itself is so short) I wasn't as on board.

All that being said, the book has a lot of strengths. I thought the imagery in this book was bold and impeccable. I adored the setting. Seay's writing style was so fast-paced in this one that, despite my discomfort with the subject matter, I read practically in one sitting.

And it's not entirely a bad thing that I was uncomfortable, either. A lot of the elements that I didn't enjoy about INHOSPITABLE were also some of the things that make it most memorable. This might not have been the Seay title for me, but I would highly recommend it to anyone that is a fan of relationship horror with an eco-twist!