Review: Solace House - Will MacLean

Genre: Mystery/Horror Published: Grove Press, May 2026 (UK) / October 2026 (US)

My Rating: 4.5/5 stars

"Oh yes, we are the lunatics, and yes we dwell in hell.

The flames are hot but hey guess what? There’s torture here as well!

Yet there’s a niggling conundrum, and that riddle go-eth thus:

Are we dreaming this place, or is this place dreaming us?"

I went back and forth on whether I could justify rounding up my rating to a full 5-stars.. On the one hand; objectively, this wasn’t a flawless book, nor is it one I can recommend indiscriminately to everybody. Solace House is one of those books that’s bound to divide its audience into those who adore and those who despise.

On the other hand, subjectively, it's been a long time since I've been this obsessively enthralled by the mystery, puzzle and mind-bending shenanigans of any book I've read. Possibly since House of Leaves - I can definitely see the comparison, although Solace House is a lot more readable. Over the past few weeks, I cannot stop thinking about this story. A part of my mind still wanders these halls, alongside our protagonists…

The Story:

Penniless student Alex Lane is about to become homeless after he’s ordered out of his college dorm during summer-recess, and cannot afford another place to stay, when he receives an offer that is almost too good to be true. He is offered campus-housing ánd additional pay, in exchange for a summer-job of clearing out Solace House; a Victorian mansion bequeathed to the university by a reclusive hoarder called Flayne. When he, amidst the crew of 6 students, arrives at Solace House, what they find is beyond any of their expectations… Piles of junk, layered upon puzzles and mysteries. Dust coated references to the occult and insanity, and a trail of breadcrumbs that leads the to uncover the secrets of the houses previous owner and his obsession with a ritual that he believed would grant him access to another realm…

What I loved:

From the moment our protagonists enter the titular house, Solace House shines in its mystery and atmosphere. Digging through the labyrinthine mess of Flayne’s hoard, is like digging through the disturbed mind of an obsessive individual, as the realization slowly dawns that you’re getting utterly lost yourself. I read this book obsessively, flying through the final 400 pages in only 2 days, as I could not stop thinking about it between sittings. It’s not too often that I become this immersed into a story anymore, and when it happens, it’s a truly special experience.

Praise for the clever construction and execution of this novel are also in order. MacLean is in complete control of this story throughout all its twists, ambiguities and matryoshka-doll puzzles. He plays with the temperature of the room in each scene through his prose-style, switching from gothic, to fever-dream disorientation, to 90’s nostalgia seamlessly where needed. It plays with genre-conventions in a way that’s clever without feeling overbearing, and keeps you on your toes throughout its entire runtime.

Finally, the puzzle-elements (and its reveals!) truly made my jaw drop. How does an author even accomplish such a thing?! No spoilers here, but the trail of breadcrumbs on every page, had one of the cleverest pay-offs I’ve read in years.

Be aware that MacLean does not spoon-feed you a clean resolution in the end, yet I felt there were plenty of clues for me to draw my own conclusions. Some readers will disagree, but to me, this ambiguity was a strength rather than a weakness.

What I didn’t love:

Any of the strengths I named, could be a weakness too, depending on your tastes as a reader. The cast is largely unlikable, and the side characters are deliberately written to fit into the tropes of the classical-dark-academia genre, ala The Secret History. This is a feature (not a bug) of the story, but will push some readers away.

Similarly, the at times over-the-top gothic-ness of the descriptions of the house, were a deliberate style-choice, as the author weaves in and out of this style so selectively depending on the scene. That still doesn’t mean every reader will have the same tolerance for this bombast.

Finally, there’s the twist at about 70%, that almost made me throw the book across the room, but later won me back with its ambiguity all the same. Obviously, I have to keep this vague to avoid massive spoilers, but all I can say is “keep reading” past the point where you feel the author is pulling a cheap-shot. Like the rest of Solace House, this twist is not as straight forward as it seems and a bit of a puzzle in itself.

Personally, my greatest gripe with this book is that its about 100 pages too long. Specifically, the first 100 pages too long. The story only really takes off in Section 3 (titled Solace House), and the first 2 sections could’ve been shortened to a single chapter, or cut entirely, without any substance being lost.

Overall, memorability and longevity outweigh the flaws easily for me. I hope this book finds its audience, the way it found me.

Many thanks to Grove Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. You can find this book here on Goodreads.