Winner of the Edgar Award for Young Adult Fiction!The other orphans say Margot is lucky. Lucky to survive the horrible accident that killed her family. Lucky to have her own room because she wakes up screaming every night. And finally, lucky to be chosen by a prestigious family to live at their remote country estate. But it wasn’t luck that made the Suttons rescue Margot from her bleak … that made the Suttons rescue Margot from her bleak existence at the group home. Margot was handpicked to be a companion to their silent, mysterious daughter, Agatha. At first, helping with Agatha–and getting to know her handsome younger brother–seems much better than the group home. But soon, the isolated house begins playing tricks on Margot’s mind, making her question everything she believes about the Suttons . . . and herself.
Margot’s bad dreams may have stopped when she came to live with Agatha – but the real nightmare has just begun.
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My first novel by this author but plan to read more. Good tension and needed to keep turning the pages. A solid suspense novel.
The Companion is a gripping gothic narrative that follows Margot as she goes from a group home to an isolated mansion, where the ghosts of the past come alive.
Atmospheric
Alender did a fantastic job of creating the atmospheric tension of the story. Midway through The Companion, the ending a little predictable given the elements that creep up. However, that does not make the story any less enjoyable, and that is what is great about it. It sneaks up on the reader that there is something not right with the house, with the family. It does not happen all at once, which is good. It keeps the reader guessing and wondering if Margot is still suffering from her PTSD if she is an unreliable narrator.
However, events in the house begin to escalate. The Companion is an eerie book to read, one that gets the reader’s nerves unsettled. However, that is what the reader expects when reading a book like this. Alender did such an excellent job with the pacing, dropping hints here and there and making the reader question Margot’s sanity.
Characterization & Dynamics
Margot is such an interesting character. She is suffering from being the single survivor of a car crash that killed her entire family. Her personality is engaging and relatable. All she wants is to be a part of a family again. Her choices are bleak since it is either a group home again or the institution. Her nightmares, survivors’ guilt, resonate off the pages, and it is these elements make her an unreliable narrator.
The dynamics are also impressive. There is something in the tone that makes Laure and John both unsuspecting and suspicious. It is the dynamics between the three of them that give some edge to the story. These dynamics create good tension in the story.
However, it is the romance between Margot and Agatha’s older brother, the Sutton’s oldest son, that leaves room for improvement. It seemed forced, and their romance escalated with one another quite quickly. It did not come off as a natural progression, especially when with their limited interaction. Simply put, it is not believable and is a transparent plot device to highlight the rising tension surrounding Margot and her dynamics with Agatha and Laura.
Final Thoughts
Honestly, The Companion was reminiscent of The Keep by Jennifer Egan, Crimson Peak, and The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson. It has the structure, the pacing, the edge to keep the reader hooked even if they see the ending coming.
Margot is an orphan who is unlucky in life but lucky in choices. After losing her family in a car accident she ends up at the Palmer House. She is the only lucky girl to get her own room (night terrors = no roommates) and then luck happens once more as a rich family have chosen to have her come and stay with them.
She is to be a companion to the family’s daughter, Agatha, who cannot speak, is mildly catatonic, but otherwise healthy. During her stay at the family’s home strange occurrences happen and Margot isn’t sure things are really as they seem…
What a fun read! I had a hard time putting this down and if not for having to shovel food in my mouth I probably wouldn’t have stopped at all
This was very predictable for me BUT that did not take away from the story at all. The writing is really good and makes for a quick read. I loved the setting and story as it has Flowers in the Attic vibes and I ADORED that book.
Hmmmm what does that say about me that crazy, murderous women have me invested? If you’re like me and like creepy vibes grab this one and have a go. I’m sure you’ll enjoy the ride.
I’ve been a fan of Katie Alender’s since I first read her book Bad Girls Don’t Die. I haven’t read a bad book from her yet, and reading Alender’s latest book, The Companion, was no different. I enjoyed reading it.
After losing her parents and two younger sisters in a car accident, Margot is sent to the state institution as she has no other family. There, she has vivid nightmares that leave her screaming at night. The other orphans at the institution call her lucky although Margot isn’t sure she’d consider herself lucky. When she is chosen by a rich family to come live with them at their large and gorgeous home, Margot’s luck may be changing. However, it doesn’t seem like it’s for the better. Strange things are happening at Margot’s new home. Plus, she’s meant to play companion for the sick and mute Agatha. On the plus side, her nightmares have seemed to stop but at what price?
The plot of The Companion was a very strong one and had quite the creepy vibe to it which I thoroughly enjoyed. Everything about about the plot was solid and flowed smoothly. The pacing was superb, and I found myself dying to know what would happen next. In fact, I felt like I was actually part of the narrative the whole time. There are a few plot twists although I felt that most were easy to figure out long before they were revealed. While the majority of The Companion was a great read, the last 100 or so pages let this book down. Margot, the protagonist of the story, seems to lose her brain and common sense towards the ending of the novel. She does some really dumb things that put her life in danger. I had a hard time believing that anyone could be that dumb. Other than that, the rest of the story is really great! Loose ends are tied up by the end of the book. However, I would have liked to know how the flowers grew so quickly by a certain grave, but that’s probably just a me thing.
All of the characters in The Companion were fleshed out enough to feel realistic. The only exception was Margot towards the end of the book as stated earlier. She started out so strong and smart, it was kind of a shock to see her dumbed down towards the ending. I had really enjoyed her character and her hunger to find out what was really going on when it came to Agatha as well as what happened to Lily. Agatha was definitely my favorite character. I loved how helpful and strong she tried to be despite what was going on with her. I liked Barrett, but I just wish he would have fought a bit harder to try to help Margot instead of just giving in all the time to his mom. Laura was definitely an interesting character for sure. I enjoyed trying to figure out her story alongside Margot. I felt that Laura was the best written character in The Companion.
Trigger warnings for The Companion include minor violence, death, murder, attempted murder, some heavy kissing, drugging, and gaslighting.
Although the last hundred pages do take away from the book a little, The Companion is still a worthwhile read. It does have an interesting plot and characters and will have you hooked from the very first page. I would recommend The Companion by Katie Alender to those aged 13+ who love a suspenseful story.
The Companion
By Katie Alender
Whew!! I really enjoyed this gothic thriller and sinister read. I read that someone described this as Jane Eyre esque and I can see that in this well written book by Katie Alender.
This is a story about Margot who lost everything she loved in her life, her family. So unlucky for losing it all, and yet still so lucky at the same time for surviving when everyone else died. Living in a group home, she get s taken in by the wealthy Sutton family to be the companion to their mute daughter Agatha and live in their really creepy old mansion. The rest of the story is a fantastic read that will have you turning those pages as the mystery of the novel sets in.
This is the perfect read for anyone that enjoys a great YA gothic thriller that is so creepy and twisted that makes for an amazing fun read. I enjoyed this one a lot.
This fast paced YA gothic thriller had me reading into the wee hours of the night.
Written from 16 year old Margot’s point of view, this story has all the suspense of an adult thriller, but without the gratuitous adult themes (which I found refreshing).
Being the lone survivor of an accident that killed her entire family, Margot is battling inner demons. When a generous and wealthy family takes her in, it seems too good to be true. And it is. Margot, who’s sanity is questionable on a good day, is to be a companion for the family’s once charismatic, but now catatonic daughter.
The writing was excellent, very atmospheric and dark. A secluded estate, off the grid with locked rooms. Family secrets and someone who wants them to stay buried.
I enjoyed the many directions this plot went, and how the author tied everything back together. This book would be a great read for a young adult/teen.
This was my first spooky ‘read’ for October!!!! It was engaging but it seemed geared towards a younger crowd, especially with the 16-year-old main character. I know there wouldn’t have been a book otherwise, but I feel like most people in that situation would have figured out what was going on much, much sooner. I wish it was made to be a little bit more of a mystery or the ending less predictable.
Hum… well it had potential but fell flat. There is a very static nature to this story and whike that complements the story and the characters it makes for a boring and lackluster read.
The premise is good, the house in which the story revolves around is interesting and the main characters are somewhat interesting. It’s the method of delivery and lack of any excitment or twists. I guesses the villian from the first 50 pages (and the motive at 40%) and then the rest was just boring. There was not enought twists and turns or frights. Also the ending was extremely anti-climatic and the epilogue was just too short to make up for it. I have so many questions that could have easily been anwsered with a few short sentences but gor some reason the author found them unnecessary. Like: the father, tge brother/boyfriend, the entire ending between the last few pages and the epilogue. It just needed more. I get it’s a YA story but even so, it needed more. Two stars because its a fast, easy, simple read.
Margot is the survivor of a devastating accident in which her entire family drowns in their car. She is taken in by the family of a lawyer, a former colleague of her dad’s who owes her father his life. They live on an enormous, isolated family estate. She is asked to be a companion to their daughter, Agatha, a vivacious 16-year-old girl who has inexplicably become catatonic. Laura, Agatha’s mother has very strict codes of behavior in general and in how Margot relates to Agatha. The house is remote and completely cut off from the outside world, no cell service, no wi-fi and a long way from the nearest town. Margot starts to sense that things are not as they seem. The author is very skillful in creating an unsettling, foreboding and claustrophobic atmosphere. The reader is on edge throughout. The Companion feels like classic gothic horror, although it is set in the present day. It’s a perfect haunting, creepy thriller and I read it in two days.
Katie Alender does it again. She’s given readers another book that keeps you on the edge of your seat. You can feel the fear build in the heroine as she tries to navigate her way through grief and uncertainty. Every twist and turn gets you closer to the answers the heroine seeks. A wonderfully creepy tale for teens and adults alike.
The Companion by Katie Alender was the most bingeworthy book. This book had me hooked and reading until I was at the end sitting there, confused and disoriented from just how it good it was. Swipe for the synopsis!
I’m giving this book 4/5 stars.
Our main character Margot is very strong and very spirited, however she is not the smartest. Her adopted parents Laura and John were pretty interesting. Barret was.. yeah let’s not get into that quite yet.
I loved the foreshadowing and the atmosphere of this book. The absolutely terror felt throughout the book was well executed, and the story was creative and very easy to follow, and binge read.
I did not like our main love interest storyline. It was cute, but it felt weird to me, considering the context. I did enjoy it, but I felt it was.. weird.
I also saw the ending coming 200 pages away from it, I do read a lot of thrillers, and watch a lot of horrors so I put 2 and 2 together from what I’ve seen in the past.
This book was very addicting, my spooky season is starting off brilliant. I’m also at 86/100 books for my goodreads goal. It was originally 130 but I started the year off with a book slump. I’m hoping to hit my original goal at this rate!
I really enjoyed this book. The story kept me engaged and there were just enough mysterious twists that it kept me guessing until the end. I think it will be best enjoyed if the reader hasn’t seen any spoilers and there are no expectations going in. About halfway through I feared that I had figured out what was going on and I began to drag through the book. Luckily not too much further in I saw that it was not going to be the outcome that I saw coming. After that I buzzed through the ending. The story is quite dark and mildly disturbing, but it does have the good old happily ever after type ending or at least the best kind of happily ever after that can be had with this kind of a story. I highly recommend.
Whoa so creepy & twisty! Loved this! Margot at the age of 16 has been through too much tragedy, so to hear that an opulent (Copeland/Sutton) family wants to take her in is a dream come true. Well things aren’t what it appears but where else can Margot go? There are secrets and history surrounding Copeland Hall and the generations of the Copeland family that Margot soon discovers! Thank you to Penguin Teen for an ebook ARC. This is my honest review.