The Fall by Bethany Griffin

Blurb from Goodreads:
Madeline Usher is doomed.

She has spent her life fighting fate, and she thought she was succeeding. Until she woke up in a coffin.

Ushers die young. Ushers are cursed. Ushers can never leave their house, a house that haunts and is haunted, a house that almost seems to have a mind of its own. Madeline’s life—revealed through short bursts of memory—has hinged around her desperate plan to escape, to save herself and her brother. Her only chance lies in destroying the house.

In the end, can Madeline keep her own sanity and bring the house down? The Fall is a literary psychological thriller, reimagining Edgar Allan Poe’s classic The Fall of the House of Usher.

4 stars
Spooky and atmospheric - perfect for Halloween. The lyrical prose was top notch. It meandered a bit in the middle, but I loved Madeline's voice so much that I didn't mind. Some people may not like the way the story hopped around in Madeline's life, but I felt it really added to the mysteriousness. The incest was creepy, and I thought unnecessary. The last 15% was a whirlwind and felt rushed and did not match the beautiful build up that came before it. The cover conveys exactly what you are going to get in the story - mystery and suspense. I love EAP, and I think he would be proud and flattered that this story was based on one his short stories. It did a great job of remaining true to the original, but also having a more fleshed out story. Sometimes retellings can be tricky, but this one was a true gem. I haven't read the other Poe retellings by this author, but I am definitely going to check them out soon.