natattack_11's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.5
thebooktrail88's review against another edition
4.0
Reader, I read this.
In daylight as, well, I wasn't sure
But it was ghostly and spooky but ok....
Blackwater Abbey on a fictional island off the coast in Devon makes this sound very chilling and otherworldly. It reminded me early on of that house and island in the Agatha Christie novel And then There were None. The grey walls, the sharp and jagged rocks below, the howling winds and then there's the strange noises...
This is not a straight forward ghost story though as the ghosts are not what and who you think they might be. Well not exactly. It's hard to say too much without giving anything away but it's a goosebumpy ride getting there!
I think what really makes this a shivery read is the fact that the spiritualists are trying to get in touch with the ghosts of those lost in the war. And so the history and backstory of a lot of people comes out as do their secrets....and lies
An immersive read.
In daylight as, well, I wasn't sure
But it was ghostly and spooky but ok....
Blackwater Abbey on a fictional island off the coast in Devon makes this sound very chilling and otherworldly. It reminded me early on of that house and island in the Agatha Christie novel And then There were None. The grey walls, the sharp and jagged rocks below, the howling winds and then there's the strange noises...
This is not a straight forward ghost story though as the ghosts are not what and who you think they might be. Well not exactly. It's hard to say too much without giving anything away but it's a goosebumpy ride getting there!
I think what really makes this a shivery read is the fact that the spiritualists are trying to get in touch with the ghosts of those lost in the war. And so the history and backstory of a lot of people comes out as do their secrets....and lies
An immersive read.
perfectsham's review
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
Just a fun, spooky ghost story that's really well written and engaging. Great for a rainy day
bwilk408's review
4.0
When I found this on hoopla it was billed as a cozy mystery...it was that! An easy read with just enough suspense to keep you interested but not stressful!
kirkw1972's review
4.0
This is one of those books where I'm glad I didn't read the reviews online on certain sites first because there didn't seem to be a lot of love for it and for me it wasn't as bad as I would have thought reading the reviews.
It does have a good feel for And Then There Were None to it in the set up of the book. You can see the house and surrounding island so well. It was't hard to picture it at all. There's a lot less people die on this though and it has a lot more ghosts. I quite liked the added addition of ghosts pottering about the place giving a bit of atmosphere even if ultimately they didn't do much and they weren't overly scary.
I enjoyed the story, I liked trying to guess who was doing the haunting and where all the red herrings went to. I liked the setting of World War One and the back story to how some of the people arrived at the house and I enjoyed the 2 main characters.
Overall not a bad book for a lazy Sunday afternoon of reading
It does have a good feel for And Then There Were None to it in the set up of the book. You can see the house and surrounding island so well. It was't hard to picture it at all. There's a lot less people die on this though and it has a lot more ghosts. I quite liked the added addition of ghosts pottering about the place giving a bit of atmosphere even if ultimately they didn't do much and they weren't overly scary.
I enjoyed the story, I liked trying to guess who was doing the haunting and where all the red herrings went to. I liked the setting of World War One and the back story to how some of the people arrived at the house and I enjoyed the 2 main characters.
Overall not a bad book for a lazy Sunday afternoon of reading
pixieliscous's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
daffodilcherry's review
challenging
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
1.0
Not a positive book review coming up. I wanted to like this book so much, I love the concept, and I'm a huge fan of haunted houses, historical fiction, ghosts and closed door murder mysteries. If you like these things, this book is not for you. This book is however, a masterclass in how to build expectations with absolutely no payoff. Or payoff that is immediately thwarted three chapters later by the main character who is the best at everything.
If you are wondering if this book gets better: it doesn't. Oh but maybe- no. Skip to the last five chapters/30 pages and everything will be summed up. Yeah, that was kind of boring. Does it get scary? No. Do the eponymous ghosts have any bearing on the plot? No. Is the mystery entertaining and good? No. Is there a huge twist at the end that makes everything make sense? No. Does ghosts being everywhere and Kate being able to see them ever get explained or used to drive the plot forward? No. Do the two main characters have an interesting dynamic? No, but there's a forced heterosexual romance and sexual tension because??? I guess they're the only two fuckable people around? Wow there's a lot of named characters here, are any of them going to be relevant? No, while there are 22 named characters, the entire book could be slimmed down to a cast of ten easily. Is this a closed door murder mystery where the murder is committed by an intruder? Yes, and it is a sin to the entire genre.
Should you dump this book? Yes, because otherwise you will end up hate reading it and it's not even that satisfying.
If you are wondering if this book gets better: it doesn't. Oh but maybe- no. Skip to the last five chapters/30 pages and everything will be summed up. Yeah, that was kind of boring. Does it get scary? No. Do the eponymous ghosts have any bearing on the plot? No. Is the mystery entertaining and good? No. Is there a huge twist at the end that makes everything make sense? No. Does ghosts being everywhere and Kate being able to see them ever get explained or used to drive the plot forward? No. Do the two main characters have an interesting dynamic? No, but there's a forced heterosexual romance and sexual tension because??? I guess they're the only two fuckable people around? Wow there's a lot of named characters here, are any of them going to be relevant? No, while there are 22 named characters, the entire book could be slimmed down to a cast of ten easily. Is this a closed door murder mystery where the murder is committed by an intruder? Yes, and it is a sin to the entire genre.
Should you dump this book? Yes, because otherwise you will end up hate reading it and it's not even that satisfying.