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elisegeorge 's review for:
The Silent Companions
by Laura Purcell
Now THIS is what every gothic novel should be! The motifs are all there - the decaying mansion, locked doors that open themselves, creepy paintings, creepy nursery, creepy diaries, mysterious deaths, possible witchcraft, a relentless sense of impending doom, and even a black cat. Setting this primarily in the 1800s was a great choice as the Victorians were fascinated with the supernatural and were fairly superstitious. The atmosphere reminded me of The Woman in Black in the best way.
I was unfamiliar with "silent companions" prior to reading this, but the author has done some great research and puts a unique historical spin on the haunted doll cliche. I don't often get creeped out while reading but there were some scenes in this book that made me genuinely uneasy. Elsie, the main character, is much more sensible and rational than I would have been - there is no way I would have brought those things out of the attic and into the house. It's a classic horror-story case of "why would you do that?! this is so obviously a bad idea!" but instead of annoying me, it made me eager for the scares soon to come.
As far as the writing, it wasn't anything spectacular, but the story kept me hooked. The main characters are as dynamic as they need to be, and the secondary characters are interesting and entertaining enough to let their lack of character development slide. There was even an unexpected dose of humor from time to time. I didn't have the same negative reaction to the dual (triple?) timeline as some other reviewers, and thought that the sections that take place in 1635 were a great way to add backstory without becoming an exposition dump. The climax was not too melodramatic and provided some well-earned clarity after all the breadcrumbs we've been following throughout the story. It all pays off, tied together but not too perfectly: the book ends on a deliciously spooky note that not all thrillers or gothic novels are able to achieve.
The Silent Companions could have had another 50-100 pages to really add some more creeping dread and scares, but I don't think it suffered at a shorter length. I read this in a day (mostly in one sitting) and it had earned its 5 stars from me before I was even halfway through. Highly, highly recommend to anyone in search of a gothic ghost story that packs some good chills.
Side note: I really need more spooky novels that take place in the 1600s.
I was unfamiliar with "silent companions" prior to reading this, but the author has done some great research and puts a unique historical spin on the haunted doll cliche. I don't often get creeped out while reading but there were some scenes in this book that made me genuinely uneasy. Elsie, the main character, is much more sensible and rational than I would have been - there is no way I would have brought those things out of the attic and into the house. It's a classic horror-story case of "why would you do that?! this is so obviously a bad idea!" but instead of annoying me, it made me eager for the scares soon to come.
As far as the writing, it wasn't anything spectacular, but the story kept me hooked. The main characters are as dynamic as they need to be, and the secondary characters are interesting and entertaining enough to let their lack of character development slide. There was even an unexpected dose of humor from time to time. I didn't have the same negative reaction to the dual (triple?) timeline as some other reviewers, and thought that the sections that take place in 1635 were a great way to add backstory without becoming an exposition dump. The climax was not too melodramatic and provided some well-earned clarity after all the breadcrumbs we've been following throughout the story. It all pays off, tied together but not too perfectly: the book ends on a deliciously spooky note that not all thrillers or gothic novels are able to achieve.
The Silent Companions could have had another 50-100 pages to really add some more creeping dread and scares, but I don't think it suffered at a shorter length. I read this in a day (mostly in one sitting) and it had earned its 5 stars from me before I was even halfway through. Highly, highly recommend to anyone in search of a gothic ghost story that packs some good chills.
Side note: I really need more spooky novels that take place in the 1600s.