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hauntedacademia's Reviews (222)
“Sometimes, when our lives go off the rails, the best thing we can do is to shake free of the past and find a fresh start.”
When 22 year old Eileen goes missing after a hiking trip to Ashlough Forest, her camera is discovered washed up and containing bizarre photos that only leave more unanswered questions. As Eileen’s brother and his group of friends take off into the forest in search for Eileen after believing she is still alive, they venture further off the walking trails, deeper into the forest. But it seems that maybe Eileen’s disappearance wasn’t an accident and maybe they are not alone in the forest after all.
I really enjoyed this book. This was my first Darcy Coates novel and definitely wont be my last. It took my a while to get into at first but that changed very quickly as the plot thickened. The tension just kept building and I just had more and more questions. I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know. That is how I know the author did a fantastic job at keeping the reader intrigued.
Hunted was a crime thriller (possibly a horror?) done exactly right. The characters were likeable and made smart decisions. I have to be honest when I read that a group of teenagers were venturing into a forest, possibly occupied by either a serial killer or bigfoot, I didn’t have high expectations. I expected dumb teenagers making stupid decisions in classic slasher style. But boy was I wrong. I was very impressed with how smart Anna in particular was. I cared about her character the most. I didn’t really care for Carla, the detective. I kind of felt that she was useless for the most part of the book and only picked up and proved useful towards the end. Her POV’s didn’t interest me.
I had a great time reading Hunted and I am looking forward to reading more of Darcy Coates’ work.
I gave Hunted 4/5 stars
Check out my review on my book blog
When 22 year old Eileen goes missing after a hiking trip to Ashlough Forest, her camera is discovered washed up and containing bizarre photos that only leave more unanswered questions. As Eileen’s brother and his group of friends take off into the forest in search for Eileen after believing she is still alive, they venture further off the walking trails, deeper into the forest. But it seems that maybe Eileen’s disappearance wasn’t an accident and maybe they are not alone in the forest after all.
I really enjoyed this book. This was my first Darcy Coates novel and definitely wont be my last. It took my a while to get into at first but that changed very quickly as the plot thickened. The tension just kept building and I just had more and more questions. I couldn’t put it down because I needed to know. That is how I know the author did a fantastic job at keeping the reader intrigued.
Hunted was a crime thriller (possibly a horror?) done exactly right. The characters were likeable and made smart decisions. I have to be honest when I read that a group of teenagers were venturing into a forest, possibly occupied by either a serial killer or bigfoot, I didn’t have high expectations. I expected dumb teenagers making stupid decisions in classic slasher style. But boy was I wrong. I was very impressed with how smart Anna in particular was. I cared about her character the most. I didn’t really care for Carla, the detective. I kind of felt that she was useless for the most part of the book and only picked up and proved useful towards the end. Her POV’s didn’t interest me.
I had a great time reading Hunted and I am looking forward to reading more of Darcy Coates’ work.
I gave Hunted 4/5 stars
Check out my review on my book blog
“She understood with absolute certainty that she must run, flee the woods, escape the area before it was too late, but she had no comprehension of why”
Ashburn House has been the subject of rumours and gossip for decades. It’s owner, the elderly Edith Ashburn, never lets anybody visit and rarely ventures outside of the house. But following Edith’s death, her only living relative, Adrienne, inherits Ashburn House. The house is a lifeline that Adrienne cannot afford to refuse. Adrienne doesn’t believe in ghosts but it becomes increasingly hard to ignore the bizarre occurrences within the walls of Ashburn House. Coupled with strange and disturbing rumours from the villagers and their incessant curiosity to see inside Ashburn, Adrienne begins to uncover more and more of the house’s secrets.
I decided to read The Haunting of Ashburn House after finishing and enjoying Darcy’s other novel, Hunted. I’m a sucker for a good ghost story but I must admit I felt let down by this book. The pace felt very slow and due to there being only one character (mostly) throughout the book, there was barley any dialogue.
The story is told entirely from Adrienne’s perspective and we spend almost the entirety of the book with Adrienne, walking around the house and talking to her cat, Wolfgang. We weren’t told much about Adrienne as her character wasn’t really fleshed out. We were told she was a freelance writer but that is about it. I didn’t really get a feel for who Adrienne was as a person. Adrienne began to irritate me, not only because she was uninteresting but because she would continuously do stupid things.
The ghostly and spooky occurrences that are hallmarks of a haunted house story were few and far between. Not a lot happened. And when something did happen, it wasn’t amazing. Don’t get me wrong, this was an entertaining and quick read that will keep you busy for a few hours but don’t go into it expecting a spine-chilling haunted house of horrors. It’s nowhere near that for me.
It was very well written, much like the previous novel I have read by Darcy Coates, I just wish there was more to the ghost aspect of the story. This hasn’t put me off Darcy’s novels though, I would be inclined to read another.
Check out my review on my blog
Ashburn House has been the subject of rumours and gossip for decades. It’s owner, the elderly Edith Ashburn, never lets anybody visit and rarely ventures outside of the house. But following Edith’s death, her only living relative, Adrienne, inherits Ashburn House. The house is a lifeline that Adrienne cannot afford to refuse. Adrienne doesn’t believe in ghosts but it becomes increasingly hard to ignore the bizarre occurrences within the walls of Ashburn House. Coupled with strange and disturbing rumours from the villagers and their incessant curiosity to see inside Ashburn, Adrienne begins to uncover more and more of the house’s secrets.
I decided to read The Haunting of Ashburn House after finishing and enjoying Darcy’s other novel, Hunted. I’m a sucker for a good ghost story but I must admit I felt let down by this book. The pace felt very slow and due to there being only one character (mostly) throughout the book, there was barley any dialogue.
The story is told entirely from Adrienne’s perspective and we spend almost the entirety of the book with Adrienne, walking around the house and talking to her cat, Wolfgang. We weren’t told much about Adrienne as her character wasn’t really fleshed out. We were told she was a freelance writer but that is about it. I didn’t really get a feel for who Adrienne was as a person. Adrienne began to irritate me, not only because she was uninteresting but because she would continuously do stupid things.
The ghostly and spooky occurrences that are hallmarks of a haunted house story were few and far between. Not a lot happened. And when something did happen, it wasn’t amazing. Don’t get me wrong, this was an entertaining and quick read that will keep you busy for a few hours but don’t go into it expecting a spine-chilling haunted house of horrors. It’s nowhere near that for me.
It was very well written, much like the previous novel I have read by Darcy Coates, I just wish there was more to the ghost aspect of the story. This hasn’t put me off Darcy’s novels though, I would be inclined to read another.
Check out my review on my blog
“He could smell Grey London (smoke) and White London (blood), but to him, Red London simply smelled like home”
Kell is one of the last Travelers, magicians with a rare ability to travel between parallel Londons. There is Grey London, dirty and crowded and without magic, home to the mad king George III. There is Red London, where life and magic are revered. Then, White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. But once upon a time, there was Black London...
I have wanted to read A Dark Shade of Magic for years now but I never found the time to pick it up. I am a huge fantasy fan and I loved the ideas and concepts within this book.
There are so many characters introduced throughout this story and it really jumps right into the world from the very moment you open the book.
It consumed me from beginning to end. The two main characters, Kell and Lila, were both interesting and likeable. They meet under odd circumstances and eventually form an unlikely alliance that continues throughout the story. I really enjoyed this friendship and can’t wait to see more of these characters in the future.
I enjoyed the writing style of this book as I thought it was very well written and to me personally it didn’t give off a lot of “YA” vibes. The dialogue between characters was also realistic and not at all cringy, as are most ya fantasy novels. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it felt mature and not like your typical average young adult fantasy.
I really enjoyed my time reading A Darker Shade of Magic and I’m kicking myself that it has taken me so long to finally pick it up. I will be continuing on with the series in the near future.
A solid 4.5 stars.
Kell is one of the last Travelers, magicians with a rare ability to travel between parallel Londons. There is Grey London, dirty and crowded and without magic, home to the mad king George III. There is Red London, where life and magic are revered. Then, White London, ruled by whoever has murdered their way to the throne. But once upon a time, there was Black London...
I have wanted to read A Dark Shade of Magic for years now but I never found the time to pick it up. I am a huge fantasy fan and I loved the ideas and concepts within this book.
There are so many characters introduced throughout this story and it really jumps right into the world from the very moment you open the book.
It consumed me from beginning to end. The two main characters, Kell and Lila, were both interesting and likeable. They meet under odd circumstances and eventually form an unlikely alliance that continues throughout the story. I really enjoyed this friendship and can’t wait to see more of these characters in the future.
I enjoyed the writing style of this book as I thought it was very well written and to me personally it didn’t give off a lot of “YA” vibes. The dialogue between characters was also realistic and not at all cringy, as are most ya fantasy novels. I guess what I’m trying to say is that it felt mature and not like your typical average young adult fantasy.
I really enjoyed my time reading A Darker Shade of Magic and I’m kicking myself that it has taken me so long to finally pick it up. I will be continuing on with the series in the near future.
A solid 4.5 stars.
“Perhaps we were friends first and lovers second. But then perhaps this is what lovers are”