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A review by incredibletheyhulk
Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates
3.0
Trigger warning: it may be obvious from the title, but there is hanging/lynching episodes and noose imagery throughout the book. The book is not set in the American South where the history of racial violence makes such imagery extremely unsettling, but as a reader from there, it put me off a bit. The end tries to make up for it, and honestly would be some good advice for cities across the American South, but it was all very unsettling.
I really like Darcy Coates, and I was thrilled to read this to start off September. Gallows Hill has all the hallmarks of gothic fiction: a decaying house with a dark past, an orphan young woman, mysterious deaths, and pretty much anything else you might want from a book to start spooky season. Margot, the protagonist, returns to her childhood home after inheriting it from her deceased parents, only to find herself expected to run a business and to deal with a curse. Everyone is cagey about the mysterious bells and locks throughout the house, and it almost costs Margot her life.
About halfway through the book, I figured out the twist, but it didn't detract from the rest of the story. I sat on pins and needles waiting for Margot to figure it out. I didn't know the second part of the reveal (no spoilers), and that made up for the wait.
One part of the story drove me crazy. I once broke my wrist and had a cast for three months. The things one character was able to do with a broken arm in a cast are probably not possible. That aside, I really enjoyed this book.
I received an ARC through Netgalley for an honest review.
I really like Darcy Coates, and I was thrilled to read this to start off September. Gallows Hill has all the hallmarks of gothic fiction: a decaying house with a dark past, an orphan young woman, mysterious deaths, and pretty much anything else you might want from a book to start spooky season. Margot, the protagonist, returns to her childhood home after inheriting it from her deceased parents, only to find herself expected to run a business and to deal with a curse. Everyone is cagey about the mysterious bells and locks throughout the house, and it almost costs Margot her life.
About halfway through the book, I figured out the twist, but it didn't detract from the rest of the story. I sat on pins and needles waiting for Margot to figure it out. I didn't know the second part of the reveal (no spoilers), and that made up for the wait.
One part of the story drove me crazy. I once broke my wrist and had a cast for three months. The things one character was able to do with a broken arm in a cast are probably not possible. That aside, I really enjoyed this book.
I received an ARC through Netgalley for an honest review.