mlboyd20's review
4.0
4.5 stars
I would like to thank the author and Xpresso Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to read this by providing me with a complimentary copy. Doing so does not sway my review in any way.
I have just found a new series to read. Mary Hades is a true mixture of mystery, murder and ghosts that pleased me from start to finish. Twists and turns in every chapter, but not to the point that was overwhelming. A campfire type story that is built up to stand on its own and carry through an entire book.
Mary Hades has been through a lot in her 17 years. She's seen things that very few do, she's experienced situations that you wouldn't wish on anyone. She takes this knowledge, using key elements as tools to what is coming. On top of all this, her best friend is a ghost. Between the two of them, they have the ability to outwit crazy spirits, bring others into their small circle and learn a thing or two about themselves along the way.
This is a great story to start the series with. It gives the reader the understanding of what Mary and her friend have experienced and what they have to look forward to. I recommend reading the prequel novellas too. The author gives the reader the information on their lives prior, but I feel that the prequels will fill in some of the blanks. You don't have to read the prequels to read this book though, the author fills the reader in on past happenings quite well.
The author got me on this one. I thought I knew where it was going and in some ways that's where it did go, but on another count it wasn't. I can't go into it because than I'd be giving the story away. The detailed settings throughout the book really kept the pace moving and I felt like I was there, part of the surroundings, watching the story unfold. My only dislike with this book was the character building of Seth. I felt like there was something missing with him, there were times when he just felt flat.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good ghost story, mixed with horror, suspense, mystery and thrills. I would say readers 13 and up would find this a great read. In some ways, it reminded me of Anna Dressed in Blood, but not in a copycat way, but in a good comparative style, ie if you liked ADiB, you'd like Mary Hades.
I look forward to reading further books in the Mary Hades series, and plan on doing so in the very near future. The horror genre is one of my favorites and Sarah Dalton is able to bring it to the reader through YA literature, leaving out a lot of the gore found in the adult horror books but still keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.
I would like to thank the author and Xpresso Book Tours for giving me the opportunity to read this by providing me with a complimentary copy. Doing so does not sway my review in any way.
I have just found a new series to read. Mary Hades is a true mixture of mystery, murder and ghosts that pleased me from start to finish. Twists and turns in every chapter, but not to the point that was overwhelming. A campfire type story that is built up to stand on its own and carry through an entire book.
Mary Hades has been through a lot in her 17 years. She's seen things that very few do, she's experienced situations that you wouldn't wish on anyone. She takes this knowledge, using key elements as tools to what is coming. On top of all this, her best friend is a ghost. Between the two of them, they have the ability to outwit crazy spirits, bring others into their small circle and learn a thing or two about themselves along the way.
This is a great story to start the series with. It gives the reader the understanding of what Mary and her friend have experienced and what they have to look forward to. I recommend reading the prequel novellas too. The author gives the reader the information on their lives prior, but I feel that the prequels will fill in some of the blanks. You don't have to read the prequels to read this book though, the author fills the reader in on past happenings quite well.
The author got me on this one. I thought I knew where it was going and in some ways that's where it did go, but on another count it wasn't. I can't go into it because than I'd be giving the story away. The detailed settings throughout the book really kept the pace moving and I felt like I was there, part of the surroundings, watching the story unfold. My only dislike with this book was the character building of Seth. I felt like there was something missing with him, there were times when he just felt flat.
I recommend this book to anyone who likes a good ghost story, mixed with horror, suspense, mystery and thrills. I would say readers 13 and up would find this a great read. In some ways, it reminded me of Anna Dressed in Blood, but not in a copycat way, but in a good comparative style, ie if you liked ADiB, you'd like Mary Hades.
I look forward to reading further books in the Mary Hades series, and plan on doing so in the very near future. The horror genre is one of my favorites and Sarah Dalton is able to bring it to the reader through YA literature, leaving out a lot of the gore found in the adult horror books but still keeping the reader on the edge of their seat.
autwills's review
3.0
I'm on the fence about this book. I didn't love it, but I didn't hate it.
I really wish you had more of a back story to Mary. The book opens up in a really strange place, and you keep getting snippets of what happened, but not a clear story.
I really liked Mary's bff, Lacey, as well as the supporting characters Neil and Seth.
I don't feel as though the book was thought through. It kinda felt like the end was thrown in because it sounded like a good idea.
I really wish you had more of a back story to Mary. The book opens up in a really strange place, and you keep getting snippets of what happened, but not a clear story.
I really liked Mary's bff, Lacey, as well as the supporting characters Neil and Seth.
I don't feel as though the book was thought through. It kinda felt like the end was thrown in because it sounded like a good idea.
elephant's review
4.0
In this creepy ghost story, Mary and her ghost friend, Lacey go on vacation with Mary's parents to Nettleby where they encounter a vengeful, murderous ghost and a hot guy named Seth. Now, it is up to them to put the ghost to rest. Can they and their friends put her to rest, or will she add them to her list of murders? This is a fun to read YA paranormal romance ghost story. I received this book free to review from Netgalley.
authorheatherw's review
4.0
I picked up Mary Hades right after finishing My Daylight Monsters so I was fully immersed in the story. I do recommend reading the novella first in order to get an adequate introduction to Mary’s predicament and how she ended up with a ghost for a best friend.
I liked the camp setting since it was both humorous and spooky. There was a lot of mystery surrounding the locals and I was just as curious as Mary about the cause of the freakish deaths. I got a few scares while reading, but I liked that the story is more spooky than gory.
I liked Mary again in this book and really liked the introduction of Seth. They had a really sweet relationship. Nothing too heavy happens in the book, so this book is definitely appropriate for younger teen readers.
I wasn’t crazy about the ending, but there are sequels so I guess I’m intrigued enough to read more books in the series.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!
I liked the camp setting since it was both humorous and spooky. There was a lot of mystery surrounding the locals and I was just as curious as Mary about the cause of the freakish deaths. I got a few scares while reading, but I liked that the story is more spooky than gory.
I liked Mary again in this book and really liked the introduction of Seth. They had a really sweet relationship. Nothing too heavy happens in the book, so this book is definitely appropriate for younger teen readers.
I wasn’t crazy about the ending, but there are sequels so I guess I’m intrigued enough to read more books in the series.
Rating: 4/5 Stars
Thanks to the publisher for a copy of the novel for review!
bluebeewrites's review
3.0
Istyria book blog ~ B's world of enchanted books
While it's not the best ghost story I've read, it was an enjoyable one for me. I liked the characters, I liked the romance because it wasn't the main focus in this book and I enjoyed the story itself. The only things that bothered me were its rather disappointing end and it feels like the story isn't work out well enough because of that. I expected more in the end. It's also very short, my ebook version is only 157 pages so it's a pretty quick read. I'd recommend it to fans of ghost stories and all that kind of stuff. The cover is pretty though!
iilex's review
3.0
As some other reviewers noted, you may want to read [b:My Daylight Monsters|18626145|My Daylight Monsters (Mary Hades #0.5)|Sarah Dalton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380894174s/18626145.jpg|26415542] before reading Mary Hades. It's not strictly necessary, but this book does refer back to that one a lot and you should probably think of this one as the second in the series. Don't worry though - My Daylight Monsters is a Kindle single and can be bought for $1.99 (or for $8 or $9 physically), so it's not a huge investment.
For a self-published YA paranormal, Mary Hades is pretty solid. I honestly feel a little bad giving it only 3 stars - if we could have half stars, I'd bump it up to 3.5 stars.
Mary Hades is about a girl named Mary Hades (naturally) who can see ghosts. She also has some other psychic abilities which manifest in the form of "monsters" coming to her and warning her of imminent death and danger. After Mary's disastrous stay in a psychiatric institution (see: [b:My Daylight Monsters|18626145|My Daylight Monsters (Mary Hades #0.5)|Sarah Dalton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380894174s/18626145.jpg|26415542]), the Hades family is headed to the Northern English moors for a camping holiday. Mary's best friend, a ghost named Lacey, tags along as well. When they reach their destination, Mary quickly finds out that the ghost of a murdered little girl named Amy is haunting the moors and causing the deaths of males in the area. Since this is a YA book after all, Mary meets the obligatory love-interest (named Seth) and she also becomes friends with a gay Goth couple who come to the moors for some ghost hunting. Mary & the gang need to figure out a way to stop Little Amy from killing any others.
Like I said, I thought this was a solid book. I didn't think it was anything too extraordinary, but I did enjoy it. The book is atmospheric and at times creepy and I really enjoyed the setting of the moors. Some of the locations in this series have been a little cliche for a gothic work (mental hospital & moors) but oh well. I've loved reading stories set on the moor since I first read [b:Wuthering Heights|6185|Wuthering Heights|Emily Brontë|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388212715s/6185.jpg|1565818] and [b:The Secret Garden|2998|The Secret Garden|Frances Hodgson Burnett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327873635s/2998.jpg|3186437] as a child. A horror fan might find this one a little tame, but someone interested in paranormal YA might think it's the perfect amount of scary.
I actually didn't mind the romance in Mary Hades. I thought the romance in My Daylight Monsters was much too underdeveloped and somewhat unnecessary, so it was a good thing this book pretty much dropped Mo from the storyline entirely. Seth had an interesting backstory and was actually connected to the main plot. I also liked the resolution of the romance by the ending ()
Lastly, one of my favorite aspects of Mary Hades and this whole series, actually, is its setting. To this American reader, Mary Hades seems very English. Both Mary Hades and My Daylight Monsters are filled with British slang and it just definitely had a different feel from American YAs. I realized that almost all of the YAs I've read that have been set in the UK have been historical fiction and not contemporary (haha). So the English setting is definitely a plus!
So if you like paranormal YAs, especially those with ghosts, I'd recommend reading Mary Hades. Definitely one of the better self-published YA novels I've come across.
For a self-published YA paranormal, Mary Hades is pretty solid. I honestly feel a little bad giving it only 3 stars - if we could have half stars, I'd bump it up to 3.5 stars.
Mary Hades is about a girl named Mary Hades (naturally) who can see ghosts. She also has some other psychic abilities which manifest in the form of "monsters" coming to her and warning her of imminent death and danger. After Mary's disastrous stay in a psychiatric institution (see: [b:My Daylight Monsters|18626145|My Daylight Monsters (Mary Hades #0.5)|Sarah Dalton|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1380894174s/18626145.jpg|26415542]), the Hades family is headed to the Northern English moors for a camping holiday. Mary's best friend, a ghost named Lacey, tags along as well. When they reach their destination, Mary quickly finds out that the ghost of a murdered little girl named Amy is haunting the moors and causing the deaths of males in the area. Since this is a YA book after all, Mary meets the obligatory love-interest (named Seth) and she also becomes friends with a gay Goth couple who come to the moors for some ghost hunting. Mary & the gang need to figure out a way to stop Little Amy from killing any others.
Like I said, I thought this was a solid book. I didn't think it was anything too extraordinary, but I did enjoy it. The book is atmospheric and at times creepy and I really enjoyed the setting of the moors. Some of the locations in this series have been a little cliche for a gothic work (mental hospital & moors) but oh well. I've loved reading stories set on the moor since I first read [b:Wuthering Heights|6185|Wuthering Heights|Emily Brontë|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1388212715s/6185.jpg|1565818] and [b:The Secret Garden|2998|The Secret Garden|Frances Hodgson Burnett|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327873635s/2998.jpg|3186437] as a child. A horror fan might find this one a little tame, but someone interested in paranormal YA might think it's the perfect amount of scary.
I actually didn't mind the romance in Mary Hades. I thought the romance in My Daylight Monsters was much too underdeveloped and somewhat unnecessary, so it was a good thing this book pretty much dropped Mo from the storyline entirely. Seth had an interesting backstory and was actually connected to the main plot. I also liked the resolution of the romance by the ending (
Spoiler
I guess we'll see if Seth ends up in any subsequent volumes.Lastly, one of my favorite aspects of Mary Hades and this whole series, actually, is its setting. To this American reader, Mary Hades seems very English. Both Mary Hades and My Daylight Monsters are filled with British slang and it just definitely had a different feel from American YAs. I realized that almost all of the YAs I've read that have been set in the UK have been historical fiction and not contemporary (haha). So the English setting is definitely a plus!
So if you like paranormal YAs, especially those with ghosts, I'd recommend reading Mary Hades. Definitely one of the better self-published YA novels I've come across.
ljbentley27's review
4.0
With YA fiction being so on trend at the moment I think that it is a really difficult market to enter. It is dog eat dog. However, when you have a really great story to tell – much like Sarah Dalton had – then you really have nothing to fear. Mary Hades is a chilling, unique story.
As a protagonist, Mary is really likeable. Maybe her best quality is that she doesn’t mope on her past as a reason for the way that she is. Also she isn’t fiercely independent and she does rely on the other characters. Oftentimes, characters are written in such a way that they aren’t allowed to show moments of weakness but I felt that Dalton created a realistic leading lady in Mary Hades.
As for the story, it made for a gripping read. I am so glad it has been made into a series because quite clearly Mary has more tales to tell.
Well done Sarah Dalton for writing a cracking book.
Mary Hades by Sarah Dalton is available now.
Follow Sarah Dalton (@sarahdalton) on Twitter.
As a protagonist, Mary is really likeable. Maybe her best quality is that she doesn’t mope on her past as a reason for the way that she is. Also she isn’t fiercely independent and she does rely on the other characters. Oftentimes, characters are written in such a way that they aren’t allowed to show moments of weakness but I felt that Dalton created a realistic leading lady in Mary Hades.
As for the story, it made for a gripping read. I am so glad it has been made into a series because quite clearly Mary has more tales to tell.
Well done Sarah Dalton for writing a cracking book.
Mary Hades by Sarah Dalton is available now.
Follow Sarah Dalton (@sarahdalton) on Twitter.
ayanamifaerudo's review
3.0
I did not finish reading Mary Hades the first time I opened the book. I thought it would go to the DNF pile but, instead, it went to the read later stack. I read the last part, you see, and I saw that the MC did not end up with the guy. I know, it seemed like a shallow reason but I was in a romance kick at that time and I wanted an HEA.
But I decided to give the book another chance and I'm glad I did because it reminded me that not everything is about romance. Well, not almost everything.
Mary Hades was not as scary as I wanted it to be. Someone was haunting and committing murders, someone was being haunted, someone was broken and only one had the key to ending it all. Yes, they're familiar tropes. But then, Mary Hades's focus was not so much on horror but the intricacies behind that horror. Things that were more horrible than the haunting.
But I decided to give the book another chance and I'm glad I did because it reminded me that not everything is about romance. Well, not almost everything.
Mary Hades was not as scary as I wanted it to be. Someone was haunting and committing murders, someone was being haunted, someone was broken and only one had the key to ending it all. Yes, they're familiar tropes. But then, Mary Hades's focus was not so much on horror but the intricacies behind that horror. Things that were more horrible than the haunting.
ladygrey's review
5.0
**I received a free digital copy of this book from NetGalley in return for an honest review.**
This is an amazing start to what I am sure will be an amazing series. This book left me breathless, and right on the edge of my seat (how cliche I know). Sarah Dalton is amazing at setting the atmosphere of a story, a way with words and characters. For any one who liked [b:Girl of Nightmares|12507214|Girl of Nightmares (Anna, #2)|Kendare Blake|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344463840s/12507214.jpg|17492836] by [a:Kendare Blake|4086715|Kendare Blake|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1276645449p2/4086715.jpg] you will love this book. It is decidedly creepier to me and there are some incredibly twisted dark parts that I was not expecting. Just an amazing book.
This is an amazing start to what I am sure will be an amazing series. This book left me breathless, and right on the edge of my seat (how cliche I know). Sarah Dalton is amazing at setting the atmosphere of a story, a way with words and characters. For any one who liked [b:Girl of Nightmares|12507214|Girl of Nightmares (Anna, #2)|Kendare Blake|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1344463840s/12507214.jpg|17492836] by [a:Kendare Blake|4086715|Kendare Blake|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1276645449p2/4086715.jpg] you will love this book. It is decidedly creepier to me and there are some incredibly twisted dark parts that I was not expecting. Just an amazing book.
ltg584's review
4.0
The minute I laid eyes on this cover, I knew I had to read it. Yes, I admit I’m a cover whore. I’m guilty of judging books by their cover. One very small problem in this case… I jumped to conclusions about this book, and ended up being thrown for a loop. When I first started reading, I was expecting a mature read, dark and creepy. And while this book does have its creep factor, it also has a playful lilt to it that I wasn’t prepared for.
Something else I wasn’t prepared for… Sarah Dalton is British. Obviously, the book takes place in England, but I wasn’t ready for the steady stream of unfamiliar terminology. What on earth does “gormless” mean, anyway? (You don’t have to look it up for me. Thanks anyway, but I already did.) There are also the quirky spelling differences, like “tyres” and “programme”. The real trouble is that I don’t know whether or not to put a maturity warning on this or not, for words like “tosspot”, “tossers” or “bint”. It did knock me out of the story once or twice, but as long as I read the story with a British accent, I got along alright. ;)
There were a few moments in this story that were definitely creepy. You can’t possibly beat the setting! First off, they’re in the middle of nowhere. Nothing for miles in any direction. No one to hear you scream… Second, there’s a carnival. YAY Creepy Carnies! Throw in a couple scenes of wandering around in the deserted moors at night, and you have a recipe for nightmares! The characters are a completely mixed bag, and yet they all worked really well together. I liked the chemistry between Mary and Seth, and the way the dynamic shifts when you throw Lacey into the middle. The “quirky gay Goth couple” didn’t exactly stand front and center but I have a sneaking suspicion that they’ll have a major role going into further books. And those Things Mary sees? I definitely need to know more about those!!!
I absolutely love where this is going as a series, and I was very excited to see that there are several other stories to dig into (all with exquisite covers, I might add)! I will recommend reading the prequel, My Daylight Monsters, before Mary Hades. I haven’t read it yet, but there are tons of spoilers in this book, and I would have preferred reading it right from the beginning with a fresh slate.
A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Something else I wasn’t prepared for… Sarah Dalton is British. Obviously, the book takes place in England, but I wasn’t ready for the steady stream of unfamiliar terminology. What on earth does “gormless” mean, anyway? (You don’t have to look it up for me. Thanks anyway, but I already did.) There are also the quirky spelling differences, like “tyres” and “programme”. The real trouble is that I don’t know whether or not to put a maturity warning on this or not, for words like “tosspot”, “tossers” or “bint”. It did knock me out of the story once or twice, but as long as I read the story with a British accent, I got along alright. ;)
There were a few moments in this story that were definitely creepy. You can’t possibly beat the setting! First off, they’re in the middle of nowhere. Nothing for miles in any direction. No one to hear you scream… Second, there’s a carnival. YAY Creepy Carnies! Throw in a couple scenes of wandering around in the deserted moors at night, and you have a recipe for nightmares! The characters are a completely mixed bag, and yet they all worked really well together. I liked the chemistry between Mary and Seth, and the way the dynamic shifts when you throw Lacey into the middle. The “quirky gay Goth couple” didn’t exactly stand front and center but I have a sneaking suspicion that they’ll have a major role going into further books. And those Things Mary sees? I definitely need to know more about those!!!
I absolutely love where this is going as a series, and I was very excited to see that there are several other stories to dig into (all with exquisite covers, I might add)! I will recommend reading the prequel, My Daylight Monsters, before Mary Hades. I haven’t read it yet, but there are tons of spoilers in this book, and I would have preferred reading it right from the beginning with a fresh slate.
A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.