This book had a classic eerie vibe to it. I enjoyed the story concept immensely, the spooky town, the strangeness of the Blackwood sisters and the eerie mystery surrounding their house all came together to create almost a perpetual sense of dread. This was my first Shirley Jackson book so I was unfamiliar with her prose until now but I quite liked it. 

The plot progression was good, I really couldn't predict anything, other than cousin Charles was going to be a piece of shit but I suppose that's to do with the author's great sense ability to create foreshadowing. The main twist didn't surprise me either but again I believe it's due to the way the author dropped hints and foreshadowed it, more than it being predictable. I will say after the main events of the book I thought the ending was going to be quite different. I was a little bit disappointed in how mellow it was, hence my rating isn't that high. 

In terms of characters, they were incredibly peculiar but in the case of this book, it's what you would want. I think Merricat being the central character is the most well-fleshed out but Constance and Uncle Julian were intriguing too. Merricat is kind of a masterclass in spooky little girls, all her little rituals were fun to read about. Some of them were quite wholesome to me. I wish we got a better understanding of the villagers I wanted to understand their hatred so bad! 

I think this is a book I would appreciate more if I re-visited it after I some more research and perhaps reading more of Shirley Jackson's works. I'm certain there is some nuances I missed out on in my first read. 

All in all, this is a fun spooky little book.