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3.71 AVERAGE
3.71 AVERAGE
This was FUN! It was creepy, mysterious, and I actually really enjoyed the ending! Just a good ol fashioned haunted house story!
3.5 stars, rounded to 4. Super spooky parts that had me covering my eyes (not easy when you're reading!) Despite being pretty fast paced, I found myself reaching for other things when 8bhad to put it down and making myself pick this up to read until the half way mark. I loved the atmosphere and ending!
Gosh, I loved this. It was creepy and atmospheric and ghostly. But I also liked the gruesome nature of it, the grittiness of the story and the gore and the phenomenon. It was fantastic. The Ashburn family had many secrets, and I devoured all of them.
On a structural level, this is your perfect paranormal story. The clues collect, the suspense builds, the stakes grow, the pieces fall together. I especially loved the resolution. The last page. Oh, my heart.
The writing is wonderful. The descriptions were so well done that I felt like I was there. I could picture Ipson and Ashburn House and the forest. I grew attached to Adrienne and Wolfgang, her cat. I've read several of Coates' short stories, but this is the first novel-length offering that I've experienced, and frankly, I am impressed.
I don't know what drew me to buy this one, the third of her Haunting books, last year, but I'm glad I did. I can't wait to devour the rest of them.
This book, for a ghost-loving, paranormal, haunting lover like myself, was absolutely perfect.
On a structural level, this is your perfect paranormal story. The clues collect, the suspense builds, the stakes grow, the pieces fall together. I especially loved the resolution. The last page. Oh, my heart.
The writing is wonderful. The descriptions were so well done that I felt like I was there. I could picture Ipson and Ashburn House and the forest. I grew attached to Adrienne and Wolfgang, her cat. I've read several of Coates' short stories, but this is the first novel-length offering that I've experienced, and frankly, I am impressed.
I don't know what drew me to buy this one, the third of her Haunting books, last year, but I'm glad I did. I can't wait to devour the rest of them.
This book, for a ghost-loving, paranormal, haunting lover like myself, was absolutely perfect.
I love Darcy Coates' haunted house stories so much. They're easy to ready and really creep me out. I've read this awhile ago and it was actually the first of her books that hooked me. Its atmospheric and a great escape.
What a fun read! If you're a lover of a solid ghost story, I would definitely recommend this book. Though I found the author overused certain phrases or words like "cacophony" and any descriptor of the protagonist's cat. However, the story kept me guessing and was thoroughly enjoyable. Not so spooky that I avoided reading, but definitely made me avoid mirrors for a bit.
2.5,,
lost a freaking brain cell while reading
didnt realize the main character WAS SO stupid it was annoying, i kept thinking all the things SHE SHOULD'VE DONE but never did.
all she did was boiling water and fed her cat!
it was REALLY scary and creepy at the beginning which was good but then the character's actions didn't make sense at all to me.
like, you just moved to a new house, supposedly to be haunted and all she did was linger in the lounge room!!! shut tthe hell up woman!! should've EXPLORED, or at least CLEANED the house?? and she probably wouldn't have to go thru all the hassles which also MADE ALMOST zero sense,,
i was so PISSED OFF at the character like she asked the wrong questions to people and UGH feel like she'll be the one of those character that d** first in horror movies. SHE IS THAT BAD.
really she had 24 hours in a day and ALL SHE DID WAS JUST WAIT UNTIL NIGHTFALL WHERE CREEPY STUFFS STARTED HAPPENING,, ffs this woman.
the thing is i was curious to see what happened in the Ashburn house years ago, UNLIKE our main character here, that's why i kept reading.
the revelations were SO UNDERWHELMING i wanted to cry, but i only have like 10% left of the book?? so i just kept reading and torturing myself
lost a freaking brain cell while reading
didnt realize the main character WAS SO stupid it was annoying, i kept thinking all the things SHE SHOULD'VE DONE but never did.
all she did was boiling water and fed her cat!
it was REALLY scary and creepy at the beginning which was good but then the character's actions didn't make sense at all to me.
like, you just moved to a new house, supposedly to be haunted and all she did was linger in the lounge room!!! shut tthe hell up woman!! should've EXPLORED, or at least CLEANED the house?? and she probably wouldn't have to go thru all the hassles which also MADE ALMOST zero sense,,
i was so PISSED OFF at the character like she asked the wrong questions to people and UGH feel like she'll be the one of those character that d** first in horror movies. SHE IS THAT BAD.
really she had 24 hours in a day and ALL SHE DID WAS JUST WAIT UNTIL NIGHTFALL WHERE CREEPY STUFFS STARTED HAPPENING,, ffs this woman.
the thing is i was curious to see what happened in the Ashburn house years ago, UNLIKE our main character here, that's why i kept reading.
the revelations were SO UNDERWHELMING i wanted to cry, but i only have like 10% left of the book?? so i just kept reading and torturing myself
Maybe a 3.5 but rounded up.
Overall I really enjoyed it, especially the unraveling of the family lore.
However, the inconsistent tone, uneven pacing, and clunky dialogue stuck out for me.
Would definitely read more Coates' books, especially if I'm feeling like an easy, creepy read.
Something that I did find kind of amusing... the audiobook has an American narrator, and for the most part it sounds like it's supposed to be set in the north America (maybe not, just the impression that I got), but then some expressions, dialogue, or wording was so Australian that it suck out like a sore thumb, especially when spoken with an American accent. Made me chuckle.
Overall I really enjoyed it, especially the unraveling of the family lore.
However, the inconsistent tone, uneven pacing, and clunky dialogue stuck out for me.
Would definitely read more Coates' books, especially if I'm feeling like an easy, creepy read.
Something that I did find kind of amusing... the audiobook has an American narrator, and for the most part it sounds like it's supposed to be set in the north America (maybe not, just the impression that I got), but then some expressions, dialogue, or wording was so Australian that it suck out like a sore thumb, especially when spoken with an American accent. Made me chuckle.
Darcy Coates got me reading this book only in the day time because it had me freaked out that much. I gave it 4/5 stars because even though the haunted house elements were soooo cliché and predictable, I never stopped reading…..unless it was nighttime. Don’t judge me.
Another reviewer suggests labeling this more clearly as a zombie book. I'd agree. And enjoyed it more before the actual creature appeared. 3 stars. Fun for Halloween and as a part of a subscription club, but won't feel the need to revisit. Main character could have used more depth too.
