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3.66 AVERAGE
3.66 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, Death
Moderate: Adult/minor relationship
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
This book follows the Caleigh family who are renting Crickley Hall as they cope with a family tragedy. But unbeknownst to them, Crickley Hall is haunted by a terrible secret in its history.
I really wanted to like this book as I love haunted house stories but unfortunately, this one just didn't do anything for me. I never really connected to any of the characters and so I didn't really care when they were in danger. I did like the haunting scenes and the climax was fast-paced and exciting. I did really dislike the very ending of this book, however. I also thought that this book needed another round with an editor as there are many unnecessary scenes and there is no good reason for this book to be over 600 pages.
Overall, I didn't like this book very much and honestly, I'm left feeling a little disappointed.
I really wanted to like this book as I love haunted house stories but unfortunately, this one just didn't do anything for me. I never really connected to any of the characters and so I didn't really care when they were in danger. I did like the haunting scenes and the climax was fast-paced and exciting. I did really dislike the very ending of this book, however. I also thought that this book needed another round with an editor as there are many unnecessary scenes and there is no good reason for this book to be over 600 pages.
Overall, I didn't like this book very much and honestly, I'm left feeling a little disappointed.
As a fan of horror as a genre in both movies and books, I really should have read [a:James Herbert|80984|James Herbert|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1395179325p2/80984.jpg] before now. However, I have always gravitated towards more fantasy-horror novels like [a:Stephen King's|3389|Stephen King|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1362814142p2/3389.jpg] books, rather than the paranormal-horror that Herbert tends to do. After finding this in a charity, I thought it was a good time to give him a go. Whilst I must confess that it kept me reading and was entertaining, it didn't quite reach my hopes.
From the moment the family enter, they are unsettled. Chester, the family dog, takes an immediate disliking to the place, and desperately tries to escape as soon as he can. It's not just him however, the entire family can sense something is wrong with this place. Percy Judd, the elderly caretaker, informs the family of the dark history of the hall, with 11 orphans drowning there during the blitz.
The Caleigh's struggle to settle into the house however, with strange sounds and unexplainable occurrences, Eve soon believes the property is haunted. Gabe is more skeptical however, although as the events become more and more frequent, he begins to believe his family might be in danger. But will they be able to escape before it's too late?
First things first, there are definitely some passages in this that many will not like. Although I've not read him before, I've heard that he was particularly gruesome and graphic and (though I didn't think it was too bad) there is some extreme cruelty to children detailed. I think this made the story more unsettling and creepy, but I can imagine there are many who would find this too disturbing.
Okay, I'll first describe what I liked with the novel before covering it's weaknesses. First of, the most important thing is the atmosphere. Herbert does a great job of keeping the tension palpable, with a sense of unpredictability so that you never feel comfortable. The reader was constantly kept on a knife-edge, never sure whether something was going to happen, or if the family would be safe.
I think you could also argue the characters were pretty strong. I understood the reasons behind the decisions each character made (although my god Gabe could be overly stubborn). Each felt realistic, and were developed enough to make it interesting, but not too much as to make it boring.
Now getting onto the weaknesses - the book was just too damn long. A large chunk of the final third of the book could easily have been cut, and it felt like it could do with a good proofread. The padding wasn't particularly interesting, and it just slowed down the pace of the novel. It seemed at times he had forgotten what he written, because certain parts were repeated again and again.
It is also sadly, incredibly predictable. It felt like your run-of-the-mill ghost story: sure it wasn't a carbon copy of any that I've read before, but it feels like it falls into all the tropes that you could find in any supernatural thriller... and to be honest, they were all so obvious that they weren't very interesting. I know Herbert is supposed to be a highly commended horror writer, so the fact that he does this just seems a little strange.
Overall, the book is very digestible. If you like supernatural horrors, then you'll find it entertaining, but nothing special. If you want something a little more complex, a little more interesting.. this isn't for you. I think you'll find it a little boring. I don't mean to sound overly harsh on the book, because I definitely enjoyed it, but it certainly wasn't a stand out in any way!
Spoiler
On the year anniversary of their son Cam's disappearance, Gabe and Eve Caleigh decided to move into the countryside for a few months to recuperate. Gabe, who works as an engineer, has a job there and, to get away from London, relocates the family to Hollow Bay, and their new home at Crickley Hall. From the outside, the building looks bland and depressing, and the interior feels oppressive and foreboding.From the moment the family enter, they are unsettled. Chester, the family dog, takes an immediate disliking to the place, and desperately tries to escape as soon as he can. It's not just him however, the entire family can sense something is wrong with this place. Percy Judd, the elderly caretaker, informs the family of the dark history of the hall, with 11 orphans drowning there during the blitz.
The Caleigh's struggle to settle into the house however, with strange sounds and unexplainable occurrences, Eve soon believes the property is haunted. Gabe is more skeptical however, although as the events become more and more frequent, he begins to believe his family might be in danger. But will they be able to escape before it's too late?
First things first, there are definitely some passages in this that many will not like. Although I've not read him before, I've heard that he was particularly gruesome and graphic and (though I didn't think it was too bad) there is some extreme cruelty to children detailed. I think this made the story more unsettling and creepy, but I can imagine there are many who would find this too disturbing.
Okay, I'll first describe what I liked with the novel before covering it's weaknesses. First of, the most important thing is the atmosphere. Herbert does a great job of keeping the tension palpable, with a sense of unpredictability so that you never feel comfortable. The reader was constantly kept on a knife-edge, never sure whether something was going to happen, or if the family would be safe.
I think you could also argue the characters were pretty strong. I understood the reasons behind the decisions each character made (although my god Gabe could be overly stubborn). Each felt realistic, and were developed enough to make it interesting, but not too much as to make it boring.
Now getting onto the weaknesses - the book was just too damn long. A large chunk of the final third of the book could easily have been cut, and it felt like it could do with a good proofread. The padding wasn't particularly interesting, and it just slowed down the pace of the novel. It seemed at times he had forgotten what he written, because certain parts were repeated again and again.
It is also sadly, incredibly predictable. It felt like your run-of-the-mill ghost story: sure it wasn't a carbon copy of any that I've read before, but it feels like it falls into all the tropes that you could find in any supernatural thriller... and to be honest, they were all so obvious that they weren't very interesting. I know Herbert is supposed to be a highly commended horror writer, so the fact that he does this just seems a little strange.
Overall, the book is very digestible. If you like supernatural horrors, then you'll find it entertaining, but nothing special. If you want something a little more complex, a little more interesting.. this isn't for you. I think you'll find it a little boring. I don't mean to sound overly harsh on the book, because I definitely enjoyed it, but it certainly wasn't a stand out in any way!
One of the few books that's genuinely scared me. Hard going in bits due to subject matter, but we'll worth it.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
3.5 stars
Finally finished!! Some of this book was painfully slow, skim reading rather than paying attention to it but it was so boring in parts, it eventually started to pick up to more creepy goings on but that was at the halfway point and I very nearly put it down and DNF'd it.
The treatment of the children is horrible and, sometimes, horrific, nice little twist or two and ended how I hoped it would, apart from one or two things.
My star rating is due to all the slow and boring parts where my eyes were beginning to glaze over but once the action and story picked up I flew through the rest.
At least there were no massive rats with their biting and clawing and blood thirsty insanity.
Well, except that one rat.
Finally finished!! Some of this book was painfully slow, skim reading rather than paying attention to it but it was so boring in parts, it eventually started to pick up to more creepy goings on but that was at the halfway point and I very nearly put it down and DNF'd it.
The treatment of the children is horrible and, sometimes, horrific, nice little twist or two and ended how I hoped it would, apart from one or two things.
My star rating is due to all the slow and boring parts where my eyes were beginning to glaze over but once the action and story picked up I flew through the rest.
At least there were no massive rats with their biting and clawing and blood thirsty insanity.
Well, except that one rat.
Good horror elements. My second Herbert book. Really enjoy the setting of Hallow Bay.
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