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wilsonkayla's review against another edition
5.0
Wolvercraft Manor: Saige Wolvercraft is returning to her ancestral home on a small island in the English Channel, fully against her will. She has a strained relationship with her family, who all think she is crazy, but she still came for her brother’s wedding. Oh, and her ex who ghosted her five years ago is here too. Lovely. She starts experiencing some supernatural happenings before she even gets to the island, and it only gets worse when she gets to the house. Is Saige really crazy, like everyone thought her mother was, or is there something wrong with Wolvercraft Manor?
I love a gothic haunted house story and this did not disappoint. Wolvercraft Manor is spooky, funny, and there is even some romance. The ghost story is really well done and I was sufficiently creeped out while I was staying up way too late, trying to solve the mystery. I really liked Saige. She is smart and funny and brave and I just wanted her family to LISTEN. Jeez her family was infuriating. Like, they just thought all the mysterious deaths in the family were a coincidence??? Anyway. Her ex, Jasper, was a good mystery solving partner who obviously cared about Saige but was also young and dumb and figuring out how to be a romantic partner.
This was great spooky book that had everything I was in a gothic horror novel, like seances, generational trauma, and inclement weather. Perfect for reading during a thunderstorm.
Thanks to LibraryThing and Tangled Tree Publishing for the ARC!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
I love a gothic haunted house story and this did not disappoint. Wolvercraft Manor is spooky, funny, and there is even some romance. The ghost story is really well done and I was sufficiently creeped out while I was staying up way too late, trying to solve the mystery. I really liked Saige. She is smart and funny and brave and I just wanted her family to LISTEN. Jeez her family was infuriating. Like, they just thought all the mysterious deaths in the family were a coincidence??? Anyway. Her ex, Jasper, was a good mystery solving partner who obviously cared about Saige but was also young and dumb and figuring out how to be a romantic partner.
This was great spooky book that had everything I was in a gothic horror novel, like seances, generational trauma, and inclement weather. Perfect for reading during a thunderstorm.
Thanks to LibraryThing and Tangled Tree Publishing for the ARC!
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
cj82487's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
gus_reads's review against another edition
4.0
3.5/5⭐
This book is a page-turner, that's undeniable. It definitely kept me hooked. However, I think it's important that readers start this history with the appropriate expectations: this a romance novel with a supernatural/gothic setting. There are a bunch of creepy scenes, ghosts, curses and scary moments, but this is mainly a love story set in a haunted house.
The overall impression that the reader has is that this is going to have a happy ending - which for me is one of the main characteristics of romance novels. Another one is strong feelings and sudden realizations/changes of mind (sometimes with little development)
Regarding the romance: the clichés would be second-chance + forced proximity + lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers. Those were well developed, I think. Romance is not one of my most common genres, but I think fans of those clichés will definitely love this book.
There were other clichés regarding the family and friends that I didn't enjoy, mainly, the "not like other girls" one and the "evil and shallow beautiful woman". Honestly, Zoe didn't need to be such a b*tch for the story to work. In general, I wish characters had been less black-and-white, with more nuances to their behaviour. At the beginning, the story looked more adult/mature, but then it becomes more new/young adult, with a lot of insights on the main character's overthinking. Also, she was SO many unjustified knowledge; sentences like "she could feel that it was true" were too frequent. It would have been more believable for me if those statements -and other explanations- weren't there. It's okay to build doubt.
That takes us to the horror story: it had some twists that I didn't expect, although I'm not a frequent reader of horror stories; probably more experienced readers would have guessed them. My impression is that many of this twists were mainly included for some shock factor, but honestly, I don't mind. They do make the reading experience agile and entertaining.
So yeah, in summary: not a complex book and it will probably disappoint readers that look strictly for horror. BUT for the rest of us, specially those who like romance, this will be an enjoyable read, perfect for spooky season o a weekend trip.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tangled Tree Publishing for the eARC!
This book is a page-turner, that's undeniable. It definitely kept me hooked. However, I think it's important that readers start this history with the appropriate expectations: this a romance novel with a supernatural/gothic setting. There are a bunch of creepy scenes, ghosts, curses and scary moments, but this is mainly a love story set in a haunted house.
The overall impression that the reader has is that this is going to have a happy ending - which for me is one of the main characteristics of romance novels. Another one is strong feelings and sudden realizations/changes of mind (sometimes with little development)
Regarding the romance: the clichés would be second-chance + forced proximity + lovers-to-enemies-to-lovers. Those were well developed, I think. Romance is not one of my most common genres, but I think fans of those clichés will definitely love this book.
There were other clichés regarding the family and friends that I didn't enjoy, mainly, the "not like other girls" one and the "evil and shallow beautiful woman". Honestly, Zoe didn't need to be such a b*tch for the story to work. In general, I wish characters had been less black-and-white, with more nuances to their behaviour. At the beginning, the story looked more adult/mature, but then it becomes more new/young adult, with a lot of insights on the main character's overthinking. Also, she was SO many unjustified knowledge; sentences like "she could feel that it was true" were too frequent. It would have been more believable for me if those statements -and other explanations- weren't there. It's okay to build doubt.
That takes us to the horror story: it had some twists that I didn't expect, although I'm not a frequent reader of horror stories; probably more experienced readers would have guessed them. My impression is that many of this twists were mainly included for some shock factor, but honestly, I don't mind. They do make the reading experience agile and entertaining.
So yeah, in summary: not a complex book and it will probably disappoint readers that look strictly for horror. BUT for the rest of us, specially those who like romance, this will be an enjoyable read, perfect for spooky season o a weekend trip.
Thanks to NetGalley and Tangled Tree Publishing for the eARC!
asymdoll13's review
dark
funny
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I loved the relationship building in this novel. Plus... ghosts in a manor? I'm totally there.
bookwormabby54's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Death, Gore, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Suicide, Blood, Grief, and Murder
minipanda's review
2.0
Wasn't able to get into the story.
I'm a huge fan of horror and the paranormal. So when I saw the high rating and the description, I knew I had to request this. Unfortunately, the story wasn't as immersive or horror-filled as I would have liked. Nothing about the story stood out. I ended up skimming through most of the novel.
Overall, not for me.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Cas E. Crowe, and Tangled Tree Publishing for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
I'm a huge fan of horror and the paranormal. So when I saw the high rating and the description, I knew I had to request this. Unfortunately, the story wasn't as immersive or horror-filled as I would have liked. Nothing about the story stood out. I ended up skimming through most of the novel.
Overall, not for me.
***Thank you to NetGalley, Cas E. Crowe, and Tangled Tree Publishing for graciously sending me the ARC to review. As always, all thoughts are my own.***
rosyviv's review
adventurous
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-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
5.0
Now this is a proper horror novel! A cursed haunted house has obviously been done time and time again, but given the right twist with well-written imagery and you've got yourself a freshly-made horror story that's just waiting to put you on a knife's edge - and that's exactly what this book is! (I literally had to sleep with a night light on while reading this book bc that's how scared I was!)
Crowe did such a great job in mixing classic horror, the supernatural, and witchcraft all in one story to where all three balanced each other out instead of one out-shining the others. Also loved the main character's, Saige, transformation as starting out as a broken & tortured soul and then really developing into a true brave heroine that no longer lets fear paralyze her. The whole story was well-planned and the pacing was excellent - this book is perfect for anyone feeling the spooky-vibes or a creepy read!
Crowe did such a great job in mixing classic horror, the supernatural, and witchcraft all in one story to where all three balanced each other out instead of one out-shining the others. Also loved the main character's, Saige, transformation as starting out as a broken & tortured soul and then really developing into a true brave heroine that no longer lets fear paralyze her. The whole story was well-planned and the pacing was excellent - this book is perfect for anyone feeling the spooky-vibes or a creepy read!
bookeduntil's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
bjohnny's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5