Review by detective_dipstick - Gallows Hill

detective_dipstick 's review for:

Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates

5.0

adventurous dark emotional mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

I absolutely loved this book. I read halfway through the physical copy a while back, but recently completed the audiobook. Firstly, I’m glad I gave it a second chance. While the first 1/3-1/2 of the book is a slower-burn, I was still very much engaged with the premise of exploring an old and newly inherited house. The introduction and subsequent development of the side characters’ personalities also kept me involved.

Coates did a fantastic job in weaving an overall eerie, unsettling feeling of anxiety into the story from the very start. I as the reader, felt my own anxiety intensifying as it did for Margot as the plot unfolded. Coates’ use of deep and disturbing description (along with an excellent narrator) evoked vivid imagery that truly made listening to the audiobook feel like watching a horror movie.

I appreciated how all of the different storylines (Margot’s arrival and adaptation to living at Gallow’s Hill, the history of the family business and dark secrets, the overall local lore surrounding the property, and the side characters’ relationship individual relationship with the house) all tied in together at the end, leaving no question unanswered. The twist at the end was no exception (though definitely creepy as Hell)!

I would highly recommend this book to any horror fan looking for a good scary story that ventures far from the typical haunted house trope and can be enjoyed in any season!

Content Warnings