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A review by wisecraic
What Walks These Halls by Amy Clarkin
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
**I was provided an audiobook of this work post-publication by the publisher through NetGalley.**
Amy Clarkin presents What Walks These Halls, a YA horror centered on a family run paranormal investigation service. Or at least, it was family run until Raven and Archer O'Sullivan's father died at an investigation at Hyacinth House. Five years have passed since then and both Archer and Raven are adults looking to make their way in life. Archer has decided there is nothing he wants more than to restart the family business. Raven wants nothing to do with it, but is committed to being the voice of reason for her brother and the team. This only becomes more necessary when Raven learns that Archer has been hired by a realtor to investigate Hyacinth House. Archer wasn't there the night her father died, but Raven is pretty sure what happened was her fault and the entity of Hyacinth House remembers.
Full disclosure: I had purchased a copy of this book for myself from Unplugged Book Box prior to receiving this audio copy. This is my first read through of the book and I intend to keep my physical copy :)
Narrator Róisín Rankin really contributed to my enjoyment of this book. Clarkin is an Irish author and this novel takes place in Ireland. As such, it was only appropriate to have an Irish narrator and Rankin's lovely accent really contributed to the atmosphere of the story. Rankin also has a lightness in both tone and pitch that gave voice to Raven's youth without sounding child-like. I was pleased to learn that there are more books with this narrator and would be more inclined to pick up a book if I saw Rankin's name attached.
Of course, Rankin's performance could not have been what it was without the foundation of Clarkin's words. YA horror can admittedly be hit or miss for me, but Clarkin really leaned into simply letting the scary parts be scary. There is a sense of dread that grows throughout the book with moments of higher tension that build upon each other. The atmosphere was a big strength for this book, but the book could not have been a success without the characters.
Clarkin provided a team that was easy to root for and was full of found family vibes. There is also some queer representation in this book, though it is a casual queerness that is not the focal point of the story. I actually really liked that being queer was not a highlighted character trait, but was merely a part of the character for this type of horror story.
I would not hesitate to recommend this novel in a similar vein to fans of the Jackaby series by William Ritter or Lockwood & Co series by Jonathan Stroud with the understanding that What Walks These Halls has a more modern setting.
Suffice it to say, I am very much looking forward to future works by Clarkin as it seems our team of investigators has more trouble heading their way.
Amy Clarkin presents What Walks These Halls, a YA horror centered on a family run paranormal investigation service. Or at least, it was family run until Raven and Archer O'Sullivan's father died at an investigation at Hyacinth House. Five years have passed since then and both Archer and Raven are adults looking to make their way in life. Archer has decided there is nothing he wants more than to restart the family business. Raven wants nothing to do with it, but is committed to being the voice of reason for her brother and the team. This only becomes more necessary when Raven learns that Archer has been hired by a realtor to investigate Hyacinth House. Archer wasn't there the night her father died, but Raven is pretty sure what happened was her fault and the entity of Hyacinth House remembers.
Full disclosure: I had purchased a copy of this book for myself from Unplugged Book Box prior to receiving this audio copy. This is my first read through of the book and I intend to keep my physical copy :)
Narrator Róisín Rankin really contributed to my enjoyment of this book. Clarkin is an Irish author and this novel takes place in Ireland. As such, it was only appropriate to have an Irish narrator and Rankin's lovely accent really contributed to the atmosphere of the story. Rankin also has a lightness in both tone and pitch that gave voice to Raven's youth without sounding child-like. I was pleased to learn that there are more books with this narrator and would be more inclined to pick up a book if I saw Rankin's name attached.
Of course, Rankin's performance could not have been what it was without the foundation of Clarkin's words. YA horror can admittedly be hit or miss for me, but Clarkin really leaned into simply letting the scary parts be scary. There is a sense of dread that grows throughout the book with moments of higher tension that build upon each other. The atmosphere was a big strength for this book, but the book could not have been a success without the characters.
Clarkin provided a team that was easy to root for and was full of found family vibes. There is also some queer representation in this book, though it is a casual queerness that is not the focal point of the story. I actually really liked that being queer was not a highlighted character trait, but was merely a part of the character for this type of horror story.
I would not hesitate to recommend this novel in a similar vein to fans of the Jackaby series by William Ritter or Lockwood & Co series by Jonathan Stroud with the understanding that What Walks These Halls has a more modern setting.
Suffice it to say, I am very much looking forward to future works by Clarkin as it seems our team of investigators has more trouble heading their way.