The Family Rites

The House Rules #2

by Calvin Naraghi

Lonnie Grambell has spent the last year trying to forget the events of the Blythorne Gala. But when another unmarked invitation arrives at his door, he realizes that the past hasn’t forgotten him. Forced to return to the manor as newly minted members, Lonnie, accompanied by his best friend Jamie, ventures back to The Catskills once again. Though this time the stakes have changed. Faced with a new group of wealthy guests, dangerous trials, and yet another extravagant party, the boys must find a way to blend into their new world or buckle under the pressure.

With the help of unlikely friends, they will have to dive deeper behind the curtain, and learn the ropes if they are to survive to see morning. But can they play by the rules without losing themselves in the process? Faced with an eccentric new set of hosts, the night is anyone’s guess. But there is one thing to be certain.

IT IS SURE TO BE ONE KILLER PARTY.

Genres: Horror

370 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 16, 2025

Reviews

[Saija P · Rating 1 out of 5]

I’ll give credit where it’s due. This was slightly better than the first book. At least Amara had a few moments that actually got my pulse up, and Lonnie wasn’t entirely useless this time. He even managed a couple of smart moves and threw up fewer times, which I counted as character growth. But that’s where the compliments end.

The story opens with a "is this what it feels like to die" monologue over a dip in a lake, and somehow manages to get more confusing from there. We bounce through flashbacks, memories, and flashbacks inside memories until the timeline feels like a blender on high speed.

Every time the story tried to build tension, it often tripped over itself. Every big “twist” was either painfully predictable or recycled from something that already happened once. And don’t even get me started on the retcons. The rules from book one are rewritten, family ties contradict themselves, and apparently “must be of kin to the house” now means “open to anyone with Wi-Fi.” Fake deaths pile up until they lose all impact. Every revelation feels like déjà vu.

Apparently in this highly surveilled murder mansion, every crucial door is just left open. Evidence, blood vials, and decades of secrets are conveniently scattered around like Easter eggs. Lonnie doesn’t “discover” anything; he just trips over things that should’ve been locked away by anyone with a functioning brain cell.

The horror setup collapses into cartoon logic: secret societies with stage lights, a chessboard the size of a football field, mirror mazes that move by robot magic, a rooftop observatory, and an elevator that apparently goes to space. Honestly, at that point, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the next scene revealed a 20th-floor rooftop garden and a helipad for ritual sacrifices. By the halfway point, I stopped picturing a house and started imagining a pocket universe run by interns.

The characters? Painfully dumb. Lonnie’s moral compass spins like a busted fan. He’s the kind of guy who approaches traps the way toddlers approach electrical sockets: with pure, suicidal curiosity His friends aren’t much better; by the third reckless decision, I was actually thinking how everyone deserves what's coming for them. Emotional beats that should’ve hit, trauma, guilt, grief get replaced by talk of peppermints and parlor décor. It’s hard to feel fear when everyone behaves like they’re lost in a murder-themed IKEA.

The pacing was also weird. Scenes that should’ve been heart-stopping were brushed off like minor inconveniences, while long conversations about things that didn’t matter dragged on forever. And when the final showdown came, it fizzled instead of burned. After two books of murder, cults, and elaborate death traps, everything just wrapped up with a neat little bow and a few comforting words about closure.

The problem is the book keeps shrinking its own scope. The story sets up this massive cult network, then acts like everything evil started and ended with one house. It’s frustrating when you’ve spent hundreds of pages realizing how many people must have been involved. Engineers, doctors, guards, followers. And then the ending goes, “nah, it was just the house.”

So yeah, technically better written than the first one, but still full of missed opportunities. There were moments that almost worked, little sparks of potential buried under a pile of convenient plot turns and emotional shortcuts.

If the author ever decides to write another sequel, I hope they finally let these characters process what they’ve been through instead of pretending trauma disappears after a nice talk and a sunset.

Ps: WHY IS IT NEVER MENTIONED WHAT HAPPENED FOR JAMIE'S LITTLE SISTER HENRIETTA IN THE END????

[Darling Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a fabulous continuation of book one, and Calvin did an amazing job tying in current events with relevent past events all while juggling character development for returning characters and new ones. All of the characters felt like they fit in to the story in one way or another and no character stood out too much or had the feeling like they were just "there". A lot of the character development includes how the characters have dealt with their separate and shared traumas due to previous trials, and it gets so heartbreaking between some characters, but it's such a beautiful and uncomfortable reminder that trauma changes a person and as a result, the friendships can change as well.

The trials in this book were insane in such a good and macabre way, they were definately my favorites compared to the first book. They felt more planned out, complex but easy to follow, and were executed so well. The biggest issue I have with a lot of horror/thriller books is that the endings feel too lucky and unrealistic. This book didn't have that; how it ended makes sense for the situation, especially being more modern. In some ways it could be considered lucky or even cliche, but not completely out of the scope of reality of the setting which seems to be the case for a lot of other horror novels.

The ending of the book is so bittersweet, not only tying in factors mentioned at the beginning of the book, but also tying in factors from the beginning of the first book which had a very satisfying touch to the series.

[DaniReads12 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Family Rites
By Calvin Naraghi


Oh Calvin, you have a unique way of writing and keeping the reader engaged with the story. His writing is truly mesmerizing making the scene and world come alive in front of your eyes.

Lonnie and Jamie are getting another invite to the Gala, for The Rituals, but Lonnie declines. Until he can no longer decline their invitation because they just keep sending them. Why not try and go undercover and find the secrets hidden along those walls. Little do they know what awaits ahead of them.

Dude we are literally behind the scenes watching the trials 🤯 And Lonnie was the one they sent to drug Roman or else. Now as Lonnie looks upon the screen he sees Roman waking up, flashback hits him from when he woke up after being drugged. All around him the elites are placing their bets on who will be the last to survive this years ritual. And ALL eyes right now are on Roman.
But wait.. the plot twist I didn't see coming, I dropped my iPad & jaw was like a cartoon drop open BUT i won't tell you about. You have to read it for yourself.

Calvin just when I thought you couldn't outdo Book One, you create this masterpiece. Congrats on this beautiful piece of work. Def my top 5 reads of this year. 👩🏻‍🍳💋

[maddy decarvalho · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks so much for the ARC of this book! The sequel was a big improvement from book one in terms of writing and just where it ended! I definitely think it makes the series worthwhile, and the ending tied up very nicely and was very wholesome to contrast the brutality of the rest of the book. The characters are pretty enjoyable and they definitely do feel like teenagers who are faced with a situation they should never have to deal with. Again it also explores some themes of how the wealthy have no problem sacrificing lives to benefit their own lives which I really enjoy. The only thing I’d say is that some moments could take less time to resolve and we can sit in conflict a little longer to really dial up that tension, and a few times during scenes characters weren’t mentioned a bit so you forgot they are there, which I get with a book with so many characters, but it does make when they finally speak again jarring. Overall, really great improvement and a really intriguing story!! I look forward to what comes next from Naraghi.

[Scott Lovelace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Usually book two in a series is weak, well that is not the case with Family Rites. We find Lonnie and Jamie preparing for college life. Hoping to avoid their second Blythorne Gala, they ignore the invitation. But the committee has other plans for the duo. After a not so veiled threat,  the pair arrives as the gala is beginning. This was an extremely well planned and executed story. The trials are excruciatingly horrific, sick and twisted.  This engaging horror novel shpuld be adapted for streaming, I don't think broadcast is ready.

[Trevor Zeigler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Calvin has grown as a writer with his second novel! His writing has gotten a lot of better, there were less times I was confused than when I read the first novel. Besides his writing the story is engaging and keeps the reader on their toes. It allows the reader guess and be rewarded with those guesses but leaves enough in the story to surprise you at every turn. Can't wait to see where Calvin goes in his writing career but I will be here for it!

[Maitreyee Joshi · Rating 5 out of 5]

After rooting for the house in the first book (guilty 😅), I found myself switching sides and praying for the safety of my favourite characters.
There are moments that make you think ‘well that can’t be it’ or make you doubt the characters.
The last few chapters really do justice to the story and give a great conclusion.
All in all, the series is really fun to read especially the second book.
P.S. you won’t want to release your breath till the last page!

[Caroline · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Family Rites is the sequel to The House Rules which was Naraghi’s debut. The story line of these two books is creative, intense and a fun ride. I liked this book more than the first mainly because the writing flowed more smoothly. The picture Naraghi created was clear and allowed me to fully immerse myself in the story. Gothic horror isn’t my usual genre, but I did enjoy this series.

[Laura McCloud · Rating 4 out of 5]

After the events of the Blythorne gala, Lonnie and Jamie find themselves trying to fit into a new “normal”. Family rites starts off with an emotional reality for these young gentlemen as they navigate life after such extreme deceit and trauma from The House Rules (book 1). You will find yourself deeply connected to these characters as they grapple with having to return to where their nightmares began. This twisty, fast paced thriller had me guessing the entire way through and boy was I wrong in almost all of my guesses. As the story unravels, you will question everything and realize you cannot really trust ANYONE! Following The House Rules, this sequel was more than I could have asked for and dare say…even more riveting than the first one!

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved this book! A great sequel. Both books are good reads. I loved this one having so many more characters and more interacting from everyone too and the friendships that emerge at the end loved it all.

[Victoria Woodwaski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really loved how this was a continuation of the first book. The duology was wrapped up very nicely. I can’t wait to see what Mr. Calvin Naraghi writes next!