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A review by abiofpellinor
Cold Bath Street by A.J. Hartley
5.0
A book set in the small, relatively unknown, city that I live in for my undergraduate degree? Of course, I’m going to read it! Cold Bath Street by A.J. Hartley is an engrossing YA novel which looks into the ghost stories that surround Preston and the truth of them.
This was such a good book to read, as someone who is familiar with Preston it was really interesting being able to identify many landmarks and areas which were mentioned in the book as well as being really interesting to learn more about the myths and legends of a city I have come to know and love. But, it is definitely something you can still enjoy if you’re not familiar with the city. The ghost stories that Hartley introduces are all fully explained, and any locations mentioned don’t need much backstory, they’re just little easter eggs for those who do know the city.
I really enjoyed how this book panned out, with Preston being a really interesting character to follow and the time setting (not in the present day) made the book feel a lot more personal as Hartley draws on his previous experiences of the city, rather than how it is now. The mystery of each character is played out so well (although I definitely knew how two characters were linked together very early on, it was nice to see the resolution to that) and I felt such a strong connection with many of the characters. This is within the horror genre but is not something to shy away from if that isn’t usually your thing. I will flat out not watch any horror movies, but this is more intriguing and interesting with a hint of the supernatural and I definitely recommend pretty much anyone pick it up.
Within the book, there are also beautiful black and white illustrations which really add to the atmosphere and uclanpublishing really did a great job with the structure and appearance of this book! If you like mystery and intrigue with a little of the supernatural, or if you are familiar with Preston city, then I definitely recommend this read! So glad I picked it up! And thank you to my amazing friend Ash who lent me her copy ❤
This was such a good book to read, as someone who is familiar with Preston it was really interesting being able to identify many landmarks and areas which were mentioned in the book as well as being really interesting to learn more about the myths and legends of a city I have come to know and love. But, it is definitely something you can still enjoy if you’re not familiar with the city. The ghost stories that Hartley introduces are all fully explained, and any locations mentioned don’t need much backstory, they’re just little easter eggs for those who do know the city.
I really enjoyed how this book panned out, with Preston being a really interesting character to follow and the time setting (not in the present day) made the book feel a lot more personal as Hartley draws on his previous experiences of the city, rather than how it is now. The mystery of each character is played out so well (although I definitely knew how two characters were linked together very early on, it was nice to see the resolution to that) and I felt such a strong connection with many of the characters. This is within the horror genre but is not something to shy away from if that isn’t usually your thing. I will flat out not watch any horror movies, but this is more intriguing and interesting with a hint of the supernatural and I definitely recommend pretty much anyone pick it up.
Within the book, there are also beautiful black and white illustrations which really add to the atmosphere and uclanpublishing really did a great job with the structure and appearance of this book! If you like mystery and intrigue with a little of the supernatural, or if you are familiar with Preston city, then I definitely recommend this read! So glad I picked it up! And thank you to my amazing friend Ash who lent me her copy ❤