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amysbooknook8's review against another edition
3.0
You're doing what now? BUT WHY... dudeee stahhppp!... uhhhh... ???
**accurate representation of my thoughts throughout this book
❤️
**accurate representation of my thoughts throughout this book
❤️
kblincoln's review against another edition
5.0
Daphne's mother is dying of brain cancer, but the tumor is changing the reserved artist into a woman who confesses a dark secret: her name is fake and she's from a small town in Minnesota where the townspeople believe she slaughtered her entire family with an axe.
Despite Daphne's own inner darkness and fear, she travels to Willoughby, MN and there meets a helpful young man Edwin, an enthusiastic amateur sleuth Librarian, and an old lady who claims to see dead people. But in this town people don't go out alone after night, and there's a strange preponderance of tragedies.
Can Daphne overcome her own weakness to discover what truly happened with her mother all those years ago before Willoughby claims another life?
This is straight up the best kind of horror: tense psychological mystery, quirky characters, creepy atmosphere all leading up to a satisfyingly horror movie gory end.
The prose here is quite visual, details conveyed in a way that made it easy to imagine the action. Take this bit of vivid imagery: "The blade appeared dull and as rusty as the shed's door hinges. When she ran the pad of her thumb down the edge, it sliced into her skin, causing a teardrop of blood to drip from the swirls of her fingerprint. It was sharp after all."
But what's great about horror is the ability to plumb psychological depths in ways "regular" novels sometimes can't. And this book goes both into the guilt one feels after making a terrible mistake as well as what weakness vs strength is in terms of survival. One part that made me especially happy along this vein was that Edwin is an adopted Korean boy in a town of blonde Minnesotans, and this book doesn't ignore that, but incorporates a bit of race issues into the town's relationship with Edwin.
There was a teaser for the next book in the back, and I'll definitely be following along to find out if Edwin and Daphne have further Willoughby adventures.
Despite Daphne's own inner darkness and fear, she travels to Willoughby, MN and there meets a helpful young man Edwin, an enthusiastic amateur sleuth Librarian, and an old lady who claims to see dead people. But in this town people don't go out alone after night, and there's a strange preponderance of tragedies.
Can Daphne overcome her own weakness to discover what truly happened with her mother all those years ago before Willoughby claims another life?
This is straight up the best kind of horror: tense psychological mystery, quirky characters, creepy atmosphere all leading up to a satisfyingly horror movie gory end.
The prose here is quite visual, details conveyed in a way that made it easy to imagine the action. Take this bit of vivid imagery: "The blade appeared dull and as rusty as the shed's door hinges. When she ran the pad of her thumb down the edge, it sliced into her skin, causing a teardrop of blood to drip from the swirls of her fingerprint. It was sharp after all."
But what's great about horror is the ability to plumb psychological depths in ways "regular" novels sometimes can't. And this book goes both into the guilt one feels after making a terrible mistake as well as what weakness vs strength is in terms of survival. One part that made me especially happy along this vein was that Edwin is an adopted Korean boy in a town of blonde Minnesotans, and this book doesn't ignore that, but incorporates a bit of race issues into the town's relationship with Edwin.
There was a teaser for the next book in the back, and I'll definitely be following along to find out if Edwin and Daphne have further Willoughby adventures.
atleastelise's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
jlynnelseauthor's review against another edition
5.0
A fast-paced character-driven story about a young woman, Daphne, looking or the truth behind her mother's mysterious past. I had a hard time putting the book down. The differing points of view help to add tension at just the right moments as Hafdahl slowly unveils the secrets behind Daphne's mother's past and also the town of Willoughby.
The characters are diverse, and I enjoyed each point of view that Hafdahl fleshed out. There are also plenty of surprises in store. I really could not guess what would happen next, and I enjoyed every minute of it!
Hafdahl's female-driven suspense/horror novel is a creepy, funny, spine-tingling, immersive, and lyrically-told tale. I can't wait for more from this author!
The characters are diverse, and I enjoyed each point of view that Hafdahl fleshed out. There are also plenty of surprises in store. I really could not guess what would happen next, and I enjoyed every minute of it!
Hafdahl's female-driven suspense/horror novel is a creepy, funny, spine-tingling, immersive, and lyrically-told tale. I can't wait for more from this author!
hckilgour's review against another edition
dark
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5
Honestly this is more thriller than horror.
Overall I was highly frustrated with Daphne as a character. She was constantly feeling like she was treated like a child. Well, she damn well acted like it. And it was so relieving when Edwin, at her insistence, exploded and finally told her that. Not that it really fixes much of the problem.
The ptsd kind of aspect was good.
How daphne and Edwin were “in love” by the end bewilders me cause they knew each other for like less than a week.
I do with there’d been more actual investigation instead of just fluff.
I did like the twist with the killer. I didn’t see it coming.
The povs with any character aside from daphne and Caroline were pretty much useless.
I also didn’t care for the supernatural aspect of the book. It just felt so left field and not really developed or explained.
Overall I was highly frustrated with Daphne as a character. She was constantly feeling like she was treated like a child. Well, she damn well acted like it. And it was so relieving when Edwin, at her insistence, exploded and finally told her that. Not that it really fixes much of the problem.
The ptsd kind of aspect was good.
How daphne and Edwin were “in love” by the end bewilders me cause they knew each other for like less than a week.
I do with there’d been more actual investigation instead of just fluff.
I did like the twist with the killer. I didn’t see it coming.
The povs with any character aside from daphne and Caroline were pretty much useless.
I also didn’t care for the supernatural aspect of the book. It just felt so left field and not really developed or explained.
stranger_sights's review against another edition
4.0
brandi_the_bibliophile's review against another edition
5.0
Disclaimer: I received e-book versions of this novel and it's follow up Daughters of Darkness from Author Meg Hafdahl in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was recently given the opportunity to review the first two books of the Willoughby Chronicles by Author Meg Hafdahl. This post is in regards to the first book in the series, Her Dark Inheritance.
Daphne Forest, shocked by her mother's deathbed confession of living under an assumed identity and of her family's tragic murders, sets off to Willoughby, Minnesota, to learn the truth of her mother's existence while also dealing with her own dark past.
Willoughby, MN is your normal blue collar town where everyone knows each other, and all their dirty secrets. At night, it becomes a whole different environment where the citizenry knows not to venture out in the dark.
Once in town, Daphne meets townspeople who remember the murders of her mother's family well, and learns that the town has even built up a tourism trade built around being where the Bergman family were murdered and how the "Minnesota Borden", Daphne's mother, got away with murdering her parents and twin brother and left town never to be seen again.
Afraid of how the town will react, Daphne, goes incognito while seeking to prove her mother's innocence with the help of Edwin, a local man who works at the hotel where Daphne is staying, who also believes that Willoughby has a dark side it is hiding.
I really enjoyed reading this book. While there is a slow burn learning about Daphne's own secret, the story was fast paced, there is great character development, and development of the town of Willoughby was outstanding. I found it refreshing that the story is told by two main characters, Daphne in the present, and her mother in the past. Neither of the main characters are perfect, they are both flawed individuals who have secrets they want to keep hidden at all costs. I finished reading the story in two days, moving through it quickly because the story was compelling and the twists kept me from wanting to put the book down.
I will be starting book two in the Willoughby Chronicles, Daughters of Darkness, as soon as possible because I want to see what becomes of Daphne and Edwin as well as what secrets the town of Willoughby is still hiding. I can't wait until my next trip to Willoughby.
I was recently given the opportunity to review the first two books of the Willoughby Chronicles by Author Meg Hafdahl. This post is in regards to the first book in the series, Her Dark Inheritance.
Daphne Forest, shocked by her mother's deathbed confession of living under an assumed identity and of her family's tragic murders, sets off to Willoughby, Minnesota, to learn the truth of her mother's existence while also dealing with her own dark past.
Willoughby, MN is your normal blue collar town where everyone knows each other, and all their dirty secrets. At night, it becomes a whole different environment where the citizenry knows not to venture out in the dark.
Once in town, Daphne meets townspeople who remember the murders of her mother's family well, and learns that the town has even built up a tourism trade built around being where the Bergman family were murdered and how the "Minnesota Borden", Daphne's mother, got away with murdering her parents and twin brother and left town never to be seen again.
Afraid of how the town will react, Daphne, goes incognito while seeking to prove her mother's innocence with the help of Edwin, a local man who works at the hotel where Daphne is staying, who also believes that Willoughby has a dark side it is hiding.
I really enjoyed reading this book. While there is a slow burn learning about Daphne's own secret, the story was fast paced, there is great character development, and development of the town of Willoughby was outstanding. I found it refreshing that the story is told by two main characters, Daphne in the present, and her mother in the past. Neither of the main characters are perfect, they are both flawed individuals who have secrets they want to keep hidden at all costs. I finished reading the story in two days, moving through it quickly because the story was compelling and the twists kept me from wanting to put the book down.
I will be starting book two in the Willoughby Chronicles, Daughters of Darkness, as soon as possible because I want to see what becomes of Daphne and Edwin as well as what secrets the town of Willoughby is still hiding. I can't wait until my next trip to Willoughby.
tracyreads's review
3.0
This was pretty good read. The premise is interesting and the characters are decently developed. No synopsis recap here but I will say that I enjoyed the Caroline parts of the story more than that of Daphne, the MC. A lot of information is given out in a way that made it hard for me to suspend my disbelief and I feel like having two protagonists here really muddied things at the end.
That being said, I’d probably pick up the next book in this series just to see where the author takes the storyline. The pace is quick and it makes for an easy, fast read. I feel like the town of Willoughby has more secrets to unravel and I’m curious. So while I didn’t fall in love with THIS book, it has intrigued me enough to seek out more.
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of her book for review consideration.
That being said, I’d probably pick up the next book in this series just to see where the author takes the storyline. The pace is quick and it makes for an easy, fast read. I feel like the town of Willoughby has more secrets to unravel and I’m curious. So while I didn’t fall in love with THIS book, it has intrigued me enough to seek out more.
Thank you to the author for sending me a copy of her book for review consideration.
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