Reviews with content warning for Animal death - I demoni di Wakenhyrst

Maud is the only witness when her father murders someone on the grounds of their manor house. Decades later, she finally agrees to reveal what she knows. Wakenhyrst is beautifully told through a blend of Maud’s perspective and entries in her father’s diary covering their life and the events leading up to the murder. This gothic novel perfectly captures the chilling atmosphere and mysterious Fen that entrances Maud. The hints of supernatural elements only adds to the tension as things build up to the inevitable climax. Michelle Paver is a great author for establishing the atmosphere of the wilderness and creating engrossing characters, so I wouldn’t have expected anything less with Wakenhyrst.

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outsmartyourshelf's review against another edition

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dark emotional mysterious sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Loveable characters? It's complicated

3.5

Maud Stearne lives at Wake's End with her father, mother, and younger brother, Richard. Her mother is frequently ill with what Maud refers to as 'the groanings', but it is not until some time later that she realises that her mother is suffering frequent pregnancies and miscarriages and/or still births. Counselled by his doctor to give his wife time to recover, Edward Stearne refuses to listen or take precautions and the worst happens and Maud, Richard and their new brother, Felix are left motherless. Maud grows to hate her father for this and for his relationship with Ivy the housemaid, which Maud discovers when she starts reading her father's diary. Things take a very strange turn though when her father starts to write about a sin he committed when young and that he fears he is being haunted by a demon as punishment. He starts to act erratically and Maud fears it is only a matter of time before someone is killed.

This is a strange read. It consists of chapters from Maud's point of view, alongside chapters which details the entries from her father's diary. Maud is a difficult character to like at first, she's very spiky but when you consider her childhood experiences it's not surprising. Maud sees herself as extremely plain and unattractive, and when she falls in love with the under-gardener, a young man called Clem Walker, she can hardly believe he feels the same, unfortunately it ends in tragedy. Edward Stearne is one of the most loathsome characters I've ever read about - a complete narcissist who thinks all women are brainless, money grasping whores (even his daughter). The supernatural side of the story is less believable than the idea that someone is slowly driving Stearne mad, and I think the author did a good job of showing how women were completely at the mercy of their male kin at that point in history. Overall I liked parts of it, but other aspects were frustrating, therefore I rate this one 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4).

Thanks to NetGalley and publishers, Head of Zeus, for the opportunity to read an ARC. I am voluntarily giving an honest review.

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amyg414d2's review against another edition

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4.0

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hettyreads's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

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