Review: The House of Quiet by Kiersten White

I received this book via the publisher Listening Library, Delacorte Press. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

The House of Quiet by Kiersten White
Narrator: Katharine Lee McEwan
Published by Listening Library, Delacorte Press on 2025-09-09
Age Range: 12+
Length: 300 pages
Length: 9 hours and 20 minutes
Listening Speed: 2x
Reviewing Advanced Listening Copy, Hardcover from the publisher Listening Library, Delacorte Press
Rating:
Reading Challenges: 2025 Audiobook Challenge, 2025 New Release Challenge

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of Hide comes a dark fantasy about a girl who will risk everything—posing as a maid, confronting powerful enemies, and unraveling deadly secrets—all to save her missing sister from the enigmatic House of Quiet.

“A brilliant, imaginative fantasy.” —Allison Saft, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wings of Starlight

"A chilling, dystopic world enclosed in a locked-room mystery." —Chloe Gong, #1 New York Times bestselling author of These Violent Delights

To save her sister, she must enter the House.

In the middle of a deadly bog sits the House of Quiet. It’s a place for children whose Procedure triggered powers too terrible to be lived with—their last hope for treatment. No one knows how they’re healed or where they go afterward.

Birdie has begged, bargained, and blackmailed her way inside as a maid, determined to find her missing sister, Magpie. But what she discovers is more mysteries. Instead of the destitute children who undergo the Procedure in hopes of social advancement, the house brims with aristocratic teens wielding strange powers they never should have been burdened with.

Though Birdie wants to ignore them, she can’t help being drawn to stoic and silent Forest, charmed by clever River, and concerned for the youngest residents. And with fellow maid Minnow keeping tabs on everything Birdie does, danger is everywhere.

In her desperate search for Magpie, Birdie unearths terrifying threats and devastating truths, forcing her to confront just how much she’s willing to sacrifice to save her own sister. Because in the House of Quiet, if you find what’s lurking beneath . . . you lose everything.

Unravel the mystery. Ignite the rebellion.

Deliciously dark! The House of Quiet by Kiersten White is a gothic, dark YA fantasy about a young woman in search of her sister. Birdie has spent the last ten years working as a maid in the hopes her sister Magpie could have the procedure, something that people of the lower class do to get jobs in the upper or middle classes. When Birdie learns that her sister may be at the House of Quiet after getting the procedure, she schemes her way into the house as a maid. But not all is at it appears in the house. There isn’t enough staff to care for the tenants, and the tenants are kids of the upper class who have dangerous and mysterious abilities.

Most of the story takes place from Birdie’s perspective which I enjoyed. Birdie is cunning and desperate, making her a liability to herself and others. She’s spent years dreaming of the day she would be reunited with her sister only to learn that may never happen. Now at the House of Quiet, she’s determined to learn what happened to Magpie. Expecting to find her at the house, she instead finds kids ages 10 to 18 who have abilities they shouldn’t like mind-reading, dream walking, and being “stuck”. Birdie’s frustration quickly gives way to curiosity as more questions surface than answers.

In addition to Birdie, we get points of view from Minnow, another maid who starts at the same time as Birdie, River, one of the girls in the house who’s power she keeps a secret, and a few others. I enjoyed each of the different points of view as they added to the story and clarified some of the mystery. River is one of my favorite characters in the book. She’s spunky and nothing like the spoiled girl persona she puts on for the others.

The plot revolves around the house itself, and the entire story takes place inside the house or on the grounds. It’s an interesting concept, reminding me of M. Night Shyamalan’s movie-style. All the important pieces are there for you as the reader to put together, but it isn’t easy nor is it clarified until the explosive ending. I loved all the moving pieces, how they fit together, and ultimately the answers that lead to more questions.

Overall, I really enjoyed The House of Quiet, devouring it over two days. Birdie’s quest to find answers and Magpie drive the story, while the mystery of the house and the other tenants send the story into a dark place. If you are a fan of gothic, dark fantasy, I highly recommend it.

Audiobook Note: I also received an ALC of this book from the publisher which really added to the story. I loved McEwan’s narration. She drew me deep into the story. Highly recommend this format if you prefer listening.

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