Reviews

The Night Visitors by Richard V. Hirst, Jenn Ashworth

zukythebookbum's review against another edition

dark mysterious slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? It's complicated
• Loveable characters? No
• Diverse cast of characters? No
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

Really enjoyed this quick creepy read. Loved how it was told through a series of emails - seeing the sent dates and times of each one was an interesting technique to show the mindset of each character as the story unfolded. The mystery at the heart of the story was intriguing and kept me gripped. Definitely had some very unsettling moments. 

Recommend reading this over the space of one or two readings to really get that “down the rabbit hole” feeling.

velvet_young's review against another edition

dark mysterious fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot

4.25

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Content Warnings

Moderate: Blood

circlesofflame's review

3.0

This is a novella told in emails exchanged between two related characters as one (the younger cousin) tries to find the truth behind a family mystery and use her older cousin's fame as an established writer to publish a book. As more is uncovered about the mystery and about each of the two main characters through their exchanges, the novella takes an increasingly tense and potentially supernatural turn. I loved the acerbic wit of Alice's elderly relative, a woman who frequently imbibed liberal amounts of alcohol and thus becomes liberal with her rapier wit, sharp tongue and use of swar words!

The climax to this work really made it for me, as it gripped me at the beginning and lost me for a great portion of the middle, but the ambiguity and unexpected nature of the ending made the reading of this entirely worth it. It is only because the writing or plot didn't grip me for such a large portion that I felt that I could rate it no higher than three stars as a result.

chaotic_wholesome's review

5.0

Utterly breath-taking. The Night Visitors was everything I want from horror: It envelops you, blocking out the background noise -- the telly, husband doing the washing-up, the cat asking for treats -- and leaves you stuck inside your own mind, actively reminding your body to breathe. A ghostly-and-thoroughly-human tale.