Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Carrow Haunt

Reviews tagging 'Blood'

The Carrow Haunt by Darcy Coates

6 reviews

lydiavsbooks's review against another edition

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Diverse cast of characters? Yes

3.75

My first Darcy Coates and it was exactly what I was wanting. A creepy, fast moving haunted house story that started off with a Hill House type dynamic of a group of near strangers coming together to investigate the house. I really liked the added premise of our main character being a tour guide for the haunted house, it added some extra details to the backstory of the house and mixed up the dynamics a little.

Although I don't think these characters will be particularly memorable for me, I did enjoy their development throughout and the dynamics between the group. Bernard was probably my favourite, although I do think he was presented as almost rude and standoffish by the other characters when really the poor bloke just wanted some personal space.

It was a very action packed story with cliffhangers nearly every chapter, which I can find to detract from the creepy elements, but I think this one balanced it well. There was lots happening but without becoming too desensitised to the ghosts or spooky happenings, and there were a couple of moments I did actually find kinda scary, which I enjoyed.

My only criticism really was the ending, there are a couple of reveals towards the end that I just found too convenient to make sense. I'm not unhappy with how it ended, but it was just a bit too happy of an ending and that kinda took me out of it a little.

Overall a really good time, a very solid haunted house story and I'll definitely be reading more from this author.

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ursacygni's review against another edition

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adventurous dark emotional hopeful inspiring mysterious sad tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.75

Another excellent haunted house tale from Darcy Coates. This one has some twists and turns you wouldn't expect. The story brings together a mixture of science, mysticism, history, and a hefty helping of bravery to see our protagonist through the day. As always Darcy is great at finding ways to make your skin crawl, your emotions take a plunge, and your heebies thoroughly jeebied. Give this one a read

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doomluz's review

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dark emotional mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.75

This is the first Darcy Coates book I’ve read. I also have to admit I haven’t read a lot of books about ghosts.

Ghost movies usually give me nightmares, but I still enjoy them. I definitely think being raised Catholic and fearful of malevolent spirits and ouija boards has a lot to do with why they scare me so much even though I’m no longer religious. It wasn’t until I saw several people on Instagram post about how much they love Darcy Coates that I realized I haven’t read a lot of ghost stories so I wanted to check one out.

This book was pretty creepy. It was fast paced and kept me absorbed in the story.

The only thing I wasn't sure how I felt about is the ending. No one ended up really dying and the epilogue ends more like a romance would with an engagement. I don't mind the characters having a happy ending, but it felt a little out of place and like emotional whiplash.

Overall I enjoyed the book and will likely check out more Darcy Coates and other ghost stories in the future.

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