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gorbon's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Gore, Medical trauma, and Child death
Moderate: Religious bigotry, Death, Body horror, Murder, Racism, Fire/Fire injury, and Gaslighting
michelles13's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.75
belovedsnail's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Solid gothic spooky story. Read’s skill at building atmosphere is the best thing about it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Violence
kimiloughlin's review against another edition
3.0
This was my first foray into horror... maybe not ever but definitely in a long time. While this was a great spooky October read, I often felt let down by the direction and depth of the plot. Charley Winslow is sent to school for the sons of military fathers after his mother dies and his father is busy in Cairo. When his new friend disappears, only to be brushed off as a runaway, Charley starts snooping around the mysterious school with it's crumbled East Wing and many secret doors and passageways. Turns out, boys have gone missing for years and nobody's done anything about it.
I was very enticed by the prospect of a haunted school and definitely got excited to read and find out what was happening. I sympathized with Charley and his forays with school bullies and unsympathetic masters. There were definitely elements of creepy crawlies that had my spine tingling as well as a who-can-he-trust feeling that had you on the edge of your seat. However, I couldn't really suspend my disbelief for the plot. The novel was very much grounded in a horrible reality which meant that these various missing boys and crumbling wing that somehow held the key to the whole mystery was left unmonitored and undiscovered for years (aka nothing magical or unexplainable). I can kind of understand the townspeople not doing anything because of their close relation to the school, either as workers, family/friends of workers, or relationship to the Headmaster and former family of the Earl, but I found it kind of crazy that the families of the boys who disappeared never raised any red flags. I don't want to spoil anything but it seems that at least one boy has disappeared every year for decades and through lies to the family feigning illness or truancy of the boys, somehow no one was the wiser. Sure, all these families are military families so they might be busy elsewhere or might not want to question authorities but with the sheer level of destruction in the end, I was unconvinced this could have been hidden for so long.
I really liked the creepy setup of the one-time Abbey. The school was previously the residence of an Earl and his family for generations and previous to that (or contemporaneous, I wasn't sure), an Abbey for the town. When it was converted to a school, all the gravestones were removed and put in the crypt but no bodies were moved. It seems that bones often turn up when graves get upended which is spectacularly creepy. I do wish that tied into the plot a bit more but it definitely set the tone up well for me.
All in all, it was a fine read though I wanted a little bit more from it. This definitely would make a great spooky mini-series as well.
I was very enticed by the prospect of a haunted school and definitely got excited to read and find out what was happening. I sympathized with Charley and his forays with school bullies and unsympathetic masters. There were definitely elements of creepy crawlies that had my spine tingling as well as a who-can-he-trust feeling that had you on the edge of your seat. However, I couldn't really suspend my disbelief for the plot. The novel was very much grounded in a horrible reality which meant that these various missing boys and crumbling wing that somehow held the key to the whole mystery was left unmonitored and undiscovered for years (aka nothing magical or unexplainable). I can kind of understand the townspeople not doing anything because of their close relation to the school, either as workers, family/friends of workers, or relationship to the Headmaster and former family of the Earl, but I found it kind of crazy that the families of the boys who disappeared never raised any red flags. I don't want to spoil anything but it seems that at least one boy has disappeared every year for decades and through lies to the family feigning illness or truancy of the boys, somehow no one was the wiser. Sure, all these families are military families so they might be busy elsewhere or might not want to question authorities but with the sheer level of destruction in the end, I was unconvinced this could have been hidden for so long.
I really liked the creepy setup of the one-time Abbey. The school was previously the residence of an Earl and his family for generations and previous to that (or contemporaneous, I wasn't sure), an Abbey for the town. When it was converted to a school, all the gravestones were removed and put in the crypt but no bodies were moved. It seems that bones often turn up when graves get upended which is spectacularly creepy. I do wish that tied into the plot a bit more but it definitely set the tone up well for me.
All in all, it was a fine read though I wanted a little bit more from it. This definitely would make a great spooky mini-series as well.
onikaj's review against another edition
5.0
A truly enjoyable read. The vibe was so melancholy but I couldn't help but have hope for Charley as he is a child. The author gave a good feel for all the characters involved and I felt as if I knew them. Its truly amazing that this is the author's debut novel and she deserved her Bram Stoker nomination. I look forward to reading more and more of her work.
raforall's review against another edition
4.0
Appears in my October 2020 take over of THE READERS' SHELF column in Library Journal: https://www.libraryjournal.com/?detailStory=scary-reads-horror-that-is-sure-to-please
Finding an awesome debut can feel like winning the lottery to the right reader, and this year’s Bram Stoker Award Best First Novel winner is no exception there. THE BONE WEAVER’S ORCHARD by Sarah Read is a engrossing Gothic tale set in North Yorkshire in the mid 1920s within the creepy walls of The Old Cross School for Boys. Charley, a young insect loving, misfit student knows there is something sinister going on in the tunnels under the building, but he has no idea just how far into the past, how deep, and yet also, how close to home the horrific truths are. This is a haunted house tale that begins like you have read before, filled with dark secrets and monsters hiding in plain sight, but it is also surprisingly original featuring a fresh voice telling a compelling, character driven, sympathetic story of friendship, bravery, and coming of age that is filled with nightmares and hope and Charley is a boy who will resonate with many readers. Read-alike: Fans of the new take on the old Gothic trope as seen in MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia with its escalating dread, sympathetic protagonist, and sinister family secrets will also enjoy Read’s lesser known novel.
Finding an awesome debut can feel like winning the lottery to the right reader, and this year’s Bram Stoker Award Best First Novel winner is no exception there. THE BONE WEAVER’S ORCHARD by Sarah Read is a engrossing Gothic tale set in North Yorkshire in the mid 1920s within the creepy walls of The Old Cross School for Boys. Charley, a young insect loving, misfit student knows there is something sinister going on in the tunnels under the building, but he has no idea just how far into the past, how deep, and yet also, how close to home the horrific truths are. This is a haunted house tale that begins like you have read before, filled with dark secrets and monsters hiding in plain sight, but it is also surprisingly original featuring a fresh voice telling a compelling, character driven, sympathetic story of friendship, bravery, and coming of age that is filled with nightmares and hope and Charley is a boy who will resonate with many readers. Read-alike: Fans of the new take on the old Gothic trope as seen in MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia with its escalating dread, sympathetic protagonist, and sinister family secrets will also enjoy Read’s lesser known novel.
estherbismarck's review against another edition
2.0
2,5.
Aunque es interesante y la resolución me ha gustado, es demasiado confuso en la narración, cuesta entender muchas veces lo que está pasando.
Aunque es interesante y la resolución me ha gustado, es demasiado confuso en la narración, cuesta entender muchas veces lo que está pasando.