readingwithgee_'s review
4.0
The haunting of Henderson Close is for the most part written to follow Hannah, who finds herself relocating to Edinburgh and taking up work as a tour guide after the recent split from her (cheating *cough*) husband.
But she isn't just any boring old tour guide, oh no! She's a performing tour guide, parading around the oh so spooky (and derelict) Henderson Close, dressed up along side her Co workers as the former residents of the close and feeding their paying guests "horror stories" of the terrible events which took place there back in the 1890's and the chilling events that have taken place ever since, but they're just stories.. Right?
Of course they are! Well.. Until a series of strange and unexplained evens begin taking place on the Close, including creepy sightings and what at first can only be described as "flashbacks" which affect not only Hannah, but a couple of her Co workers AND the odd, very sceptical customer too, *shudders*
Now, this is one GOOD BOOK! It's creepy, it's suspenseful and there's so many twists and turns that I almost found myself getting lost along side Hannah! And the imagery, the imagery is fantastic, Catherine Cavendish really did a great job at making you feel as though you were right there in the book, seeing everything our characters were seeing, walking the same streets, and trust me when I say (with how descriptive Catherine is) that's not always a good thing.. And I LOVED It!
The only minor things stopping me from giving this book 5 stars, if I'm going to be completely honest with you guys (and am I ever not??) is, well for one I occasionally found myself getting slightly mixed up and confused, there are several POV'S and also several time frames, and although I did love the different time jumps, I kept having to go back and see who was speaking at the time and urging myself to remember who they were and why they were important. And the other thing being that I found parts to be quite repetitive and unorganised, we kept jumping from time frame to time frame and then from location to location without much warning or build up and it felt like I was just re-reading pointless parts of the book (and multiple pointless trips to the pub) and in all honesty I could have done without it, and maybe had more of Mairead and George in there, about their pasts and their connections to the close rather than having a build up to tell us there was something connecting them and then just knowing rather than seeing like we did with most other build ups, I feel slightly cheated!
All in all I did thoroughly enjoy this read, the characters were good, the storyline and the development of the characters and imagery were even better! And I strongly reccomend this book to anybody who doesn't mind being opened up to the fear of all that goes bump in the night!
I gave this book 4 stars! Many thanks to Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the E-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
But she isn't just any boring old tour guide, oh no! She's a performing tour guide, parading around the oh so spooky (and derelict) Henderson Close, dressed up along side her Co workers as the former residents of the close and feeding their paying guests "horror stories" of the terrible events which took place there back in the 1890's and the chilling events that have taken place ever since, but they're just stories.. Right?
Of course they are! Well.. Until a series of strange and unexplained evens begin taking place on the Close, including creepy sightings and what at first can only be described as "flashbacks" which affect not only Hannah, but a couple of her Co workers AND the odd, very sceptical customer too, *shudders*
Now, this is one GOOD BOOK! It's creepy, it's suspenseful and there's so many twists and turns that I almost found myself getting lost along side Hannah! And the imagery, the imagery is fantastic, Catherine Cavendish really did a great job at making you feel as though you were right there in the book, seeing everything our characters were seeing, walking the same streets, and trust me when I say (with how descriptive Catherine is) that's not always a good thing.. And I LOVED It!
The only minor things stopping me from giving this book 5 stars, if I'm going to be completely honest with you guys (and am I ever not??) is, well for one I occasionally found myself getting slightly mixed up and confused, there are several POV'S and also several time frames, and although I did love the different time jumps, I kept having to go back and see who was speaking at the time and urging myself to remember who they were and why they were important. And the other thing being that I found parts to be quite repetitive and unorganised, we kept jumping from time frame to time frame and then from location to location without much warning or build up and it felt like I was just re-reading pointless parts of the book (and multiple pointless trips to the pub) and in all honesty I could have done without it, and maybe had more of Mairead and George in there, about their pasts and their connections to the close rather than having a build up to tell us there was something connecting them and then just knowing rather than seeing like we did with most other build ups, I feel slightly cheated!
All in all I did thoroughly enjoy this read, the characters were good, the storyline and the development of the characters and imagery were even better! And I strongly reccomend this book to anybody who doesn't mind being opened up to the fear of all that goes bump in the night!
I gave this book 4 stars! Many thanks to Netgalley and Flame Tree Press for the E-arc of this book in exchange for an honest review!
kirkw1972's review
5.0
I love Edinburgh and I love ghost/horror stories so this was, for me, a brilliant read. The story flips between Hannah and her colleagues in present day, Miss Carmichael in 1881 but we also have some time slip as the modern day characters flip back in time to uncover the mysteries of Henderson Close.
I enjoyed all the characters, loved the twists as the book neared the end and found it to be a real page turner. There is so much atmosphere, it was very easy to put yourself into any of the time zones. Everything was so easy to picture and I really felt part of the story.
Now I want to go back and do the scary walks I never got to do before and see some Edinburgh ghosts for myself! It's my first book by both Flame Tree Press and Cavendish but it definitely won't be the last for either.
I enjoyed all the characters, loved the twists as the book neared the end and found it to be a real page turner. There is so much atmosphere, it was very easy to put yourself into any of the time zones. Everything was so easy to picture and I really felt part of the story.
Now I want to go back and do the scary walks I never got to do before and see some Edinburgh ghosts for myself! It's my first book by both Flame Tree Press and Cavendish but it definitely won't be the last for either.
atlantabelle's review
3.0
This book had a great premise and I thought I would love it. While I did enjoy it for the most part, I felt there was too many unneeded flaskbacks. There were characters that could have been fleshed out more and their storylines could have been explained better. That being said, it was a quick, light read that kept my attention for the most part.
oddly's review
3.0
Nice to see a couple of ladies of horror fiction on the Flame Tree Press list for spring. There are so many great women penning horror novels, and I'd like to see a bit more even representation, especially from presses that only publish genre fiction.
This one immediately caught my eye as it is set in Edinburgh, a city that is close to my heart since I studied abroad there. I'd love to go back to Scotland. One of my favorite things I did in the city was a tour of the Mary King's Close. How crazy is it to think that while you're walking the streets of Edinburgh, there is a whole city beneath it, the city of many centuries ago, that they just bricked up and built over? To get to go down and see a bit of that history, hear the stories, and (fingers crossed!) see a ghost is just everything.
This story centers around Hannah, a new tour guide at the Henderson Close. But strange and spooky things begin happening to her and her coworkers and there's no other way to explain them: they are being haunted.
I really loved the beginning of the book: there is a great historical element with a short prologue that sets up one of the main stories that they talk about on their tours, and the description of the tour and the ghost stories really delivered me to the setting.
Once the book gets about halfway, I started feeling overwhelmed with how many different elements were at play. There are multiple different ghosts with different agendas, there is some time travel weirdness that I didn't feel was fully explained (and played by different rules for different characters), there's a demon creature, many different perspectives telling the story, and multiple time periods, settings, and character arcs. It all began to feel a bit jumbled and just too much.
There is one chapter featuring a little boy and the girl ghost so far out of time and place with the rest of the book I completely forgot it until it slotted into place toward the end of the book, and it just felt so obvious that the chapter had been written specifically to create that moment. It just felt so manufactured and out of place. There was just so much going on that I felt the narrative could have been parred down into something more streamlined.
Overall though, it was a fairly interesting ghost story, and I did like the way it all wrapped up. I'm always on the lookout for good haunted tales!
My thanks to Flame Tree Press for sending an advance copy of this one to read and review.
This one immediately caught my eye as it is set in Edinburgh, a city that is close to my heart since I studied abroad there. I'd love to go back to Scotland. One of my favorite things I did in the city was a tour of the Mary King's Close. How crazy is it to think that while you're walking the streets of Edinburgh, there is a whole city beneath it, the city of many centuries ago, that they just bricked up and built over? To get to go down and see a bit of that history, hear the stories, and (fingers crossed!) see a ghost is just everything.
This story centers around Hannah, a new tour guide at the Henderson Close. But strange and spooky things begin happening to her and her coworkers and there's no other way to explain them: they are being haunted.
I really loved the beginning of the book: there is a great historical element with a short prologue that sets up one of the main stories that they talk about on their tours, and the description of the tour and the ghost stories really delivered me to the setting.
Once the book gets about halfway, I started feeling overwhelmed with how many different elements were at play. There are multiple different ghosts with different agendas, there is some time travel weirdness that I didn't feel was fully explained (and played by different rules for different characters), there's a demon creature, many different perspectives telling the story, and multiple time periods, settings, and character arcs. It all began to feel a bit jumbled and just too much.
There is one chapter featuring a little boy and the girl ghost so far out of time and place with the rest of the book I completely forgot it until it slotted into place toward the end of the book, and it just felt so obvious that the chapter had been written specifically to create that moment. It just felt so manufactured and out of place. There was just so much going on that I felt the narrative could have been parred down into something more streamlined.
Overall though, it was a fairly interesting ghost story, and I did like the way it all wrapped up. I'm always on the lookout for good haunted tales!
My thanks to Flame Tree Press for sending an advance copy of this one to read and review.
ljwrites85's review
4.0
After the breakdown of her marriage and her daughter moving abroad, Hannah lands her dream job, leading tourist round the legendary Henderson Close buried under modern Edinburgh. It quick becomes a nightmare when unexplained things start happening to Hannah and her friends George and Mairead. The ghostly going on get worse, it’s clear something evil has been released. Can Hannah stop things before it gets any worse?
The Haunting of Henderson Close is fascinating ghostly read, that combines mystery with myths and legends.
There are two narratives, switching between modern day Edinburgh and the 19th century which I really enjoyed. The author does really well trying to get the atmosphere across of olden day Henderson Close, the ending stink, brutally and poverty of those less fortunate.
There is so much in this story, time slips, disappearing people, demons, intriguing characters and spooky goings on but I want to maintain that element of mystery for you so I’m not going to say too much more.
If you like a bit of a scare but not a fan of blood and guts, I would suggest you should pick this up as it’s not overly gory (*whispers* there are a couple scenes quite late on in the book, you could always skim those bits but you didn’t hear that from me).
Honestly though, this is another book that I’ve read recently that I don’t quite know what to make of the ending, did I like it, did I not? The jury is out on that.
Overall The Haunting of Henderson Close is atmospheric and creepy read with an air of mystery that will keep you hooked from beginning to end.
The Haunting of Henderson Close is fascinating ghostly read, that combines mystery with myths and legends.
There are two narratives, switching between modern day Edinburgh and the 19th century which I really enjoyed. The author does really well trying to get the atmosphere across of olden day Henderson Close, the ending stink, brutally and poverty of those less fortunate.
There is so much in this story, time slips, disappearing people, demons, intriguing characters and spooky goings on but I want to maintain that element of mystery for you so I’m not going to say too much more.
If you like a bit of a scare but not a fan of blood and guts, I would suggest you should pick this up as it’s not overly gory (*whispers* there are a couple scenes quite late on in the book, you could always skim those bits but you didn’t hear that from me).
Honestly though, this is another book that I’ve read recently that I don’t quite know what to make of the ending, did I like it, did I not? The jury is out on that.
Overall The Haunting of Henderson Close is atmospheric and creepy read with an air of mystery that will keep you hooked from beginning to end.
luciameetsbooks's review
3.0
Agh how I was needing to read a horror story! And The Haunting of Henderson Close was just what I wanted right now.
This book has Hannah as its main character, this amazing woman that is trying to find her place in the world after her daughter goes away to work and she goes through a divorce, that's how she finds herself working as a tour guide on Henderson Close. I loved her and her personality, she was funny, smart and above all, adorable as a friend. I think I'd be able to read about her for quite a while without getting bored or tired.
Then we have other interesting characters that I got to connect immediately with and I was so thrilled to find out about their unique stories. Of course, we didn't get to know them deeply because that was part of the mystery but I did truly enjoyed the facts that we got to know. The only one I didn't care about at all was the male friend in the group (I've already forgotten his name, that's a clear sign of how much attention I paid him), he was really plain and I didn't know why he was there on the first place. For me, he had nothing in common with my girls.
However, the most enjoyable thing about this book is its creepiness. From the start, this book gave me the chills and I actually jumped a couple of times when someone around me made a loud noise while I was reading 😂. The downside though, was that it got less and less scary as the story went on in my opinion, it was hard to picture the things described as something dark.
A super interesting thing I found unique on this story was that it used a lot of Scottish slang because it's set there and even though I had to look up quite a few words on the dictionary, I loved doing it and it made the story feel much more real. I could imagine it was me there in Scottland talking to all these different people and I loved it.
Regarding the ending, I didn't like who was to blame. I felt like it didn't make a lot of sense and it came out of nowhere which was a bit dissapointing.
To sum up, The Haunting of Henderson Close has amazing characters, it makes you feel like you're inside it and it has some really creepy scenes. However, if you're looking for a truly scary book, saddly I wouldn't recommend the second half of this one which was a huge let down for me since that was what I was looking for.
This book has Hannah as its main character, this amazing woman that is trying to find her place in the world after her daughter goes away to work and she goes through a divorce, that's how she finds herself working as a tour guide on Henderson Close. I loved her and her personality, she was funny, smart and above all, adorable as a friend. I think I'd be able to read about her for quite a while without getting bored or tired.
Then we have other interesting characters that I got to connect immediately with and I was so thrilled to find out about their unique stories. Of course, we didn't get to know them deeply because that was part of the mystery but I did truly enjoyed the facts that we got to know. The only one I didn't care about at all was the male friend in the group (I've already forgotten his name, that's a clear sign of how much attention I paid him), he was really plain and I didn't know why he was there on the first place. For me, he had nothing in common with my girls.
However, the most enjoyable thing about this book is its creepiness. From the start, this book gave me the chills and I actually jumped a couple of times when someone around me made a loud noise while I was reading 😂. The downside though, was that it got less and less scary as the story went on in my opinion, it was hard to picture the things described as something dark.
A super interesting thing I found unique on this story was that it used a lot of Scottish slang because it's set there and even though I had to look up quite a few words on the dictionary, I loved doing it and it made the story feel much more real. I could imagine it was me there in Scottland talking to all these different people and I loved it.
Regarding the ending, I didn't like who was to blame. I felt like it didn't make a lot of sense and it came out of nowhere which was a bit dissapointing.
To sum up, The Haunting of Henderson Close has amazing characters, it makes you feel like you're inside it and it has some really creepy scenes. However, if you're looking for a truly scary book, saddly I wouldn't recommend the second half of this one which was a huge let down for me since that was what I was looking for.
ericarobyn's review
adventurous
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
5.0
The Haunting of Henderson Close by Catherine Cavendish is a beautifully eerie tale of historic tours, lingering spirits, séances, and the bravery required to find answers to mysteries that brought danger upon those that went looking.
When the book kicks off, we meet Miss Carmichael, a wonderful woman who lives in Edinburgh and pays many visits to a place called Henderson Close where she helps the poor as much as she can. But one day, she is attacked and killed.
Many years later, after the area had been built upon, a tour company allows visitors to come in through a gift shop to go underneath to explore the old area as the guides tell them about those that used to live there. The tour is supposed to be historic, but many visitors are there hoping to see the rumored ghosts.
After Hannah joins the tour company, she sees some strange things right away. While skeptical at first, she soon realizes that her experiences aren’t just her peers pulling her leg as the newbie on the crew. These rumored ghosts have proven themselves to be very real, and they need Hannah’s help.
I picked this one up on a sunny July day and sat out on my porch to read it. Boy, am I glad it was a warm and sunny day! This book left me with quite the chill!
I was sucked in immediately! In fact, I got seventy-four pages in before realizing I hadn’t paused to look up or take any notes on my favorite passages! I was just that immersed!
The atmosphere that Catherine has created here is so striking. She really plays on all of the senses when describing a scene, you’ll feel like you’re right there with the characters.
Catherine also carefully increases the volume of horror steadily throughout the story! Beginning with a few little bursts of spookiness, we soon turned the dial up to things that gave me the chills, and then the knob was all the way at max where we saw some brutal and terrifying things! I loved every minute of it!
The plot itself was brilliant. I really enjoyed that the storyline was organized in a way that slowly gives the reader more information from various perspectives until they are able to see the full picture. While there were plenty of chapter breaks, I didn’t feel like I could set this book down at all. I needed to know more!
And that ending! PHEW. I did not see any of that coming! This was such an awesome story from start to finish!
My Favorite Passages from The Haunting of Henderson Close
Greyfriars Kirkyard at night. Chill. Dark. The church ghostly in the silver moonlight. Trees denuded of leaves, their branches reaching out their skeletal fingers to the heavens. It didn’t take much imagination to see ghosts walking among the gravestones of the generations of the Edinburgh dead, slumbering – or lying unquietly – beneath their granite blankets.
She forced herself to move steadily when every pore of her being screamed at her to run. The visitors had recovered and were now chatting excitedly among themselves, moving slowly. Oh, so slowly. Behind them the banging had become an incessant loud thumping. At any minute, it sounded as if the boards would give way and something would crash through and into the Close. Hannah dreaded what that something might be.
Lucky for him the night was still pitch dark and he knew the streets so well. A sudden noise nearby startled him and he melted into the shadows of a doorway.
A sudden blast of cold air whipped past her ears, stinging them with the sharp chill. But in the trees not a leaf stirred. It was the stillest of nights.
My Final Thoughts on The Haunting of Henderson Close
This is a perfect read for fans of beautiful gothic horror that’s filled with twists and turns, with beauty and darkness, and which features characters with a lot of heart and some major bravery.
If you couldn’t already tell by the sheer number of exclamation points I used in this review, I had a blast reading this!
tuxedokitties's review
3.0
A good solid ghost story set in Edinburgh. Spooky enough to hold my interest and the author uses the beautiful city and its history to good effect.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.
Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a copy in exchange for an honest and unbiased review.