A Colder Home, by Jillian Maria

A Colder Home is a modern horror novel written by Jillian Maria. An atmospheric novel that blends together classic haunted house tropes with the situation of filmmaking, while including many winks to horror movies' lovers, and, at the same time, explores themes such as overcoming grief and how trauma can affect a person.

Amateur cinematographer Cleo Moss hasn't tried to make a film since her father's tragical death, but her cousin Noah, is convinced that her latest script is the perfect opportunity: he already has a house that will serve as the perfect set for the filming. The blizzard alert materializes and leaves the group trapped in the house; they stick to a strict filming schedule, but Cleo's cam starts picking strange things. Maybe the tragic past of the house manifesting, or just her own grief, but in addition to being trapped, maybe this film will take an unexpected turn.

A story that revolves around our main character, Cleo; an amateur cinematographer who has been putting excuses to make another film since her father tragically died three years ago. She's already reticent, and Noah's casting of her old crush, Isobel, adds salt to the wound; however, it is mostly when she starts picking up presences through her camera that she clearly gets trying to film this was a mistake. However, she can't be sure if that's her grief talking; we can see a character whose trauma is impeding her to move on her life. At the end, what we have an interesting exploration of grief and art in the form of our main character.
The rest of the cast is overshadowed by the sheer force of Cleo, but still, Isobel plays an interesting role as the crush and part helping Cleo's awakening and healing.

Maria's story shines in terms of atmosphere, as it slowly builds the tension around the place and a past that we discover at the same time as the characters; nothing new, but well executed. Having a cinematographer as the main character, you can expect a lot of horror film references, which was a nice detail.
However, I think the pacing is an aspect that could be improved. We are slowly introduced into the atmosphere, but the final part feels too abrupt, too reliant on shock value instead of those creepy elements that you've already built, becoming too abrupt.

A Colder Home is a well-executed horror novel, a perfect choice for those who already love horror movies and those looking for an atmospheric proposal that examines grief and art. A really enjoyable read!