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judefire33's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This is the first book I’ve read by Victoria Williamson, and as it is set in Petersfield just up the road from where I live, and I was somewhat intrigued.
Set just after the end of WW1, we find Charlie Briggs a draft dodger and pilferer, who is on the run from the Police in London ( his home city), so he is hiding out in Petersfield in Hampshire.
He comes across a rare book in a book shop and steals it so that he sell it and hopefully be set up for a long while afterwards, which he thinks will be a good idea with the Police on his tail. However very unsettling events start to unravel, and consume Charlie leading to his sorry end.
I found the characterization of Charlie really good, not a likeable character but a well written one. The events and description of WW1 are quite vivid and tangible, and really made for a spooky novella.
A small book that I read in an evening, but one that certainly gave me the jitters!
A solid 4 star read.
bookforthought's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
The Great War may be over, but its haunting presence lingers on for Charlie Briggs, a crook trying to lay low in a small Hampshire town while waiting for the heat to die down after a botched job in London. But hiding out doesn’t mean he needs to stop working completely, even though riches seem scarce in town. So he can’t quite believe his luck when he spots a book so rare and so valuable it could actually set him up for the rest of his life. But will this last job turn out to be more than he bargained for?
I was completely captivated by this short story and its haunting Christmas setting. Charlie was a deeply unlikeable main character, someone who clearly had a hard life but made some extremely questionable choices to satisfy his greed much more than his need. And boy, was it satisfying to see that greed come back to haunt him.
The effects of the curse and the war setting were extremely vivid, with a slow build-up that kept me turning the pages, desperate to see its conclusion. Although I found this to be really well-built (especially for such a short book), the ending is perhaps what I found to be the weakest element in the story. I’ll keep this spoiler-free, but I felt it didn’t quite do justice to the great build-up to that point and had a (minor) inconsistency.
Still, it was a greatly entertaining read perfect for anyone looking to keep the spooky vibes alive during the Christmas season!
I received a copy of this book as part of the blog tour organised by TheWriteReads. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
I received a copy of this book as part of the blog tour organised by TheWriteReads. This did not affect my opinion of the book in any way.
Content Warnings
Graphic: War and Death
Moderate: Violence
amothersmusings1's review against another edition
4.0
I read this superb Gothic novella “The Haunting Scent of Poppies” in one sitting, it was easy to read, very addictive and does leave you pondering on the horrors of war and how awful the use of mustard gas must have been in the trenches.
Charlie the main protagonist is a really greedy and selfish man that the reader is supposed to dislike and the consequences of theft and greed came across strongly in this story, using a haunted book to highlight these sins.
I wasn’t just haunted by the scent of poppies but by the haunting scenes of war during the Great War. Truly upsetting and shows just how brave the soldiers were. Captured concisely and without preamble the scenes were realistic and saddening.
It’s often known that short stories don’t always work due to needing to cover so much in such a short period but this really worked for me and packed a punch in its beautifully designed size.
The author has a deep interest in history and archaeology which shows in abundance in all her novels. Combining her love of exploring the past with her fascination with supernatural tales makes her well placed to write this absorbing ghostly gothic tale and having read a few of Victoria Williamson’s short stories before, I will continue to follow this author and I am happy to recommend.
#TheHauntingScentOfPoppies - ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
roshreviews's review against another edition
mysterious
fast-paced
3.75
In a Nutshell: A paranormal historical novella dealing with two kinds of horrors: the horror of war and the ghostly one. Both are equally haunting. A quick and fairly satisfying read.
Story Synopsis:
Just a few months after the Great War has ended, petty criminal Charlie Briggs is forced to lay low in a small Hampshire town during the holiday season. But he hasn’t stopped looking for the next victim to be cheated or the next object to be purloined.
When he discovers a precious antique book, he steals it and waits for his fence to set up a life-altering transaction that will bring him enough moolah. The book, however, has other plans.
The story comes to us through the limited third-person perspective of Charlie.
At just a hundred pages long, this novella is a quick read that can be easily completed in a single sitting. But don’t assume that it is an easy read, as well. There are many gut-wrenching scenes in the descriptions of the war scenes. It is painful to remember that such events actually occurred, and men did suffer because of such weapons. The paranormal elements are also eerie, but at some corner of our minds, we always think of paranormal content as fiction. Therefore, to me, the war-related horrors were more traumatising. It was quite ironic that the book Charlie was trying to fence was Sun Tzu’s famous ‘The Art of War’.
The titular poppy is the perfect floral choice for this book. Not only do poppies symbolise remembrance and respect for veterans of WWI and later wars, but the flowers also stand for imagination, sleep, and blood in various interpretations, all of which are applicable to this plot. The haunting scent of the flowers is quite visceral in the storyline.
I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book. Though things get a tad bit repetitive in between because of the similarity of Charlie’s nightmares, the writing is still gripping enough to keep the reader going. Some scenes are so vivid that I felt almost claustrophobic while reading them.
The writing creates a nice interplay between actuality and imagination. Even until the end, it is tough to figure out how many of Charlie’s experiences were a result of his distraught mind and how many were genuinely caused by the ghost. This adds a nice layer of complexity to the already intriguing plot. The story being set at Christmas time adds to the impact as everything in Charlie’s life is exactly the opposite of what Christmas stands for.
Charlie is an unusual main character in that he is a person you would love to hate. It is tough to feel sorry for him when the rare book turns his life upside down. This is one of the stories where you would be supporting the ghostly entity rather than its (his?) victim.
That said, I wish there was some more detailing to Charlie and his experiences. One basic fact that is skipped out is Charlie’s age. Age isn’t always material to understanding characters, but it sure helps. In this case, knowing how old Charlie was would have guided me much in evaluating his life choices and his behaviour. Moreover, I never figured out why Charlie was the “chosen one” for the ghost. There were others who owned the book before and they didn’t seem to suffer the same way. The repeated “Remember me” also didn’t clarify matters. Keeping in mind the personality of the human who haunts Charlie in the ghostly avatar, the post-death behaviour didn’t make sense.
The ending is a winner in every way except one. There’s no closure, no explanation of the whats and whys. Things just happen and then they end. That was a big disappointment to me as I like to know the justifications behind a supernatural entity’s actions so that I can sleep better at night. 😛
All in all, if you are looking for a dark Christmas story with no frivolity and much eeriness, this would be a good choice for you, as long as you aren’t bothered much by the lack of ghostly closure.
Story Synopsis:
Just a few months after the Great War has ended, petty criminal Charlie Briggs is forced to lay low in a small Hampshire town during the holiday season. But he hasn’t stopped looking for the next victim to be cheated or the next object to be purloined.
When he discovers a precious antique book, he steals it and waits for his fence to set up a life-altering transaction that will bring him enough moolah. The book, however, has other plans.
The story comes to us through the limited third-person perspective of Charlie.
At just a hundred pages long, this novella is a quick read that can be easily completed in a single sitting. But don’t assume that it is an easy read, as well. There are many gut-wrenching scenes in the descriptions of the war scenes. It is painful to remember that such events actually occurred, and men did suffer because of such weapons. The paranormal elements are also eerie, but at some corner of our minds, we always think of paranormal content as fiction. Therefore, to me, the war-related horrors were more traumatising. It was quite ironic that the book Charlie was trying to fence was Sun Tzu’s famous ‘The Art of War’.
The titular poppy is the perfect floral choice for this book. Not only do poppies symbolise remembrance and respect for veterans of WWI and later wars, but the flowers also stand for imagination, sleep, and blood in various interpretations, all of which are applicable to this plot. The haunting scent of the flowers is quite visceral in the storyline.
I enjoyed the atmosphere of the book. Though things get a tad bit repetitive in between because of the similarity of Charlie’s nightmares, the writing is still gripping enough to keep the reader going. Some scenes are so vivid that I felt almost claustrophobic while reading them.
The writing creates a nice interplay between actuality and imagination. Even until the end, it is tough to figure out how many of Charlie’s experiences were a result of his distraught mind and how many were genuinely caused by the ghost. This adds a nice layer of complexity to the already intriguing plot. The story being set at Christmas time adds to the impact as everything in Charlie’s life is exactly the opposite of what Christmas stands for.
Charlie is an unusual main character in that he is a person you would love to hate. It is tough to feel sorry for him when the rare book turns his life upside down. This is one of the stories where you would be supporting the ghostly entity rather than its (his?) victim.
That said, I wish there was some more detailing to Charlie and his experiences. One basic fact that is skipped out is Charlie’s age. Age isn’t always material to understanding characters, but it sure helps. In this case, knowing how old Charlie was would have guided me much in evaluating his life choices and his behaviour. Moreover, I never figured out why Charlie was the “chosen one” for the ghost. There were others who owned the book before and they didn’t seem to suffer the same way. The repeated “Remember me” also didn’t clarify matters. Keeping in mind the personality of the human who haunts Charlie in the ghostly avatar, the post-death behaviour didn’t make sense.
The ending is a winner in every way except one. There’s no closure, no explanation of the whats and whys. Things just happen and then they end. That was a big disappointment to me as I like to know the justifications behind a supernatural entity’s actions so that I can sleep better at night. 😛
All in all, if you are looking for a dark Christmas story with no frivolity and much eeriness, this would be a good choice for you, as long as you aren’t bothered much by the lack of ghostly closure.
I have read two books by this author, both meant for middle-graders. However, this book is definitely not for children. Officially, it is aimed at adult readers, and I am glad about this, because it means that this talented author will now find an expanded readership.
3.75 stars.
My thanks to TheWriteReads and author Victoria Williamson for a complimentary copy of 'The Haunting Scent of Poppies’. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
The digital version of this book is currently available free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
My thanks to TheWriteReads and author Victoria Williamson for a complimentary copy of 'The Haunting Scent of Poppies’. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.
The digital version of this book is currently available free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.
rina1986_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
booksare42's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
3.5
Thank you to The Write Reads for organizing this blog tour and to the publisher, Silver Thistle Press, for providing me with a copy of this novella. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
The Haunting Scent of Poppies is a haunting novella that takes place in the days leading up to the first Christmas after World War One. This novella follows Charlie, a petty criminal on the run, whose most recent theft might be more than it seems.
In this novella, Charlie steals a rare book that should set him up for life. Unfortunately for Charlie, this book is haunting him and it causes him to experience the horrors of war that it’s previous owner experienced. Suddenly he’s surrounded by the stench of mustard gas and the haunting scent of poppies is following him everywhere he goes.
The Haunting Scent of Poppies does an excellent job weaving the flashbacks of the horrors of trenches with the post-war setting that the story takes place in. The reader is seamlessly transported from a quiet English town to the front lines and back again, in a way that makes them feel unsettled and looking over their shoulder. The novella also left me wondering what was real and what was just a hallucination, which added another haunting layer to the story.
While I didn’t like Charlie, I did appreciate how complex of a character he was. It’s difficult to figure out who Charlie is because he’s constantly changing his story to blend in and take advantage of the person he’s talking to. His sins are catching up with him and I was on the edge of my seat wondering if he’d be able to get away from them.
Overall, The Haunting Scent of Poppies is a very haunting and mysterious read. It’s the perfect story to reach for if you’re looking for something spooky to read on a long winter night.
The Haunting Scent of Poppies is a haunting novella that takes place in the days leading up to the first Christmas after World War One. This novella follows Charlie, a petty criminal on the run, whose most recent theft might be more than it seems.
In this novella, Charlie steals a rare book that should set him up for life. Unfortunately for Charlie, this book is haunting him and it causes him to experience the horrors of war that it’s previous owner experienced. Suddenly he’s surrounded by the stench of mustard gas and the haunting scent of poppies is following him everywhere he goes.
The Haunting Scent of Poppies does an excellent job weaving the flashbacks of the horrors of trenches with the post-war setting that the story takes place in. The reader is seamlessly transported from a quiet English town to the front lines and back again, in a way that makes them feel unsettled and looking over their shoulder. The novella also left me wondering what was real and what was just a hallucination, which added another haunting layer to the story.
While I didn’t like Charlie, I did appreciate how complex of a character he was. It’s difficult to figure out who Charlie is because he’s constantly changing his story to blend in and take advantage of the person he’s talking to. His sins are catching up with him and I was on the edge of my seat wondering if he’d be able to get away from them.
Overall, The Haunting Scent of Poppies is a very haunting and mysterious read. It’s the perfect story to reach for if you’re looking for something spooky to read on a long winter night.
biblionerdrflxn's review
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
***Thank you to TheWriteReads and the publisher for providing a copy of the book. My review contains my honest thoughts about my reading experience.***
I was immediately sucked in by the writing in The Haunting Scent of Poppies. It was beautiful and set the ambiance of the story perfectly. I never thought I'd love a ghastly ghost story set at Christmas, but it really worked. The book was short with a steady pace, and I devoured it in one sitting. There were some times that the plot felt a bit repetitive because the same hallucinations kept happening to the main character over and over. However, the author managed to always make things seem like they were moving forward despite the repetition of certain images/situations.
The characterization in The Haunting Scent of Poppies was quite good, as well. Almost immediately, I detested Charlie. He was greedy and self-absorbed, and all he ever did was take advantage of other people. The more I learned about him, the less I liked him. After he stole the book, he slowly began to realize that his greed results in consequences. He did exhibit some growth, and I began to feel sorry for him as the horrors of his haunting unfolded with some pretty gruesome ramifications. However, I'm not sure that he truly took the lesson to heart because even his drive to correct his wrongs seemed mostly motivated by self-preservation.
The events in The Haunting Scent of Poppies were vividly described. The horrors of war were illustrated in grim detail through Charlie's hallucinations/flashbacks. The scenes from the trenches were tense, and the haunting sequences were thrilling and and had me on the edge of my seat waiting to find out Charlie's fate. I do wish, however, that we'd gotten to see a bit more period-specific content. The historical aspects, other than information about the war, didn't really do much to identify the time period of the setting. Nothing was out of place, though. I just didn't get as good of a sense of the period as I'd have liked.
Overall, The Haunting Scent of Poppies was a short, but impactful, look at the horrors of war and the destructive influence of greed. It's definitely not a happy holiday read, but if you're looking for something tragic and spooky set at Christmas, this story is definitely worth a try. Therefore, I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.
I was immediately sucked in by the writing in The Haunting Scent of Poppies. It was beautiful and set the ambiance of the story perfectly. I never thought I'd love a ghastly ghost story set at Christmas, but it really worked. The book was short with a steady pace, and I devoured it in one sitting. There were some times that the plot felt a bit repetitive because the same hallucinations kept happening to the main character over and over. However, the author managed to always make things seem like they were moving forward despite the repetition of certain images/situations.
The characterization in The Haunting Scent of Poppies was quite good, as well. Almost immediately, I detested Charlie. He was greedy and self-absorbed, and all he ever did was take advantage of other people. The more I learned about him, the less I liked him. After he stole the book, he slowly began to realize that his greed results in consequences. He did exhibit some growth, and I began to feel sorry for him as the horrors of his haunting unfolded with some pretty gruesome ramifications. However, I'm not sure that he truly took the lesson to heart because even his drive to correct his wrongs seemed mostly motivated by self-preservation.
The events in The Haunting Scent of Poppies were vividly described. The horrors of war were illustrated in grim detail through Charlie's hallucinations/flashbacks. The scenes from the trenches were tense, and the haunting sequences were thrilling and and had me on the edge of my seat waiting to find out Charlie's fate. I do wish, however, that we'd gotten to see a bit more period-specific content. The historical aspects, other than information about the war, didn't really do much to identify the time period of the setting. Nothing was out of place, though. I just didn't get as good of a sense of the period as I'd have liked.
Overall, The Haunting Scent of Poppies was a short, but impactful, look at the horrors of war and the destructive influence of greed. It's definitely not a happy holiday read, but if you're looking for something tragic and spooky set at Christmas, this story is definitely worth a try. Therefore, I rate it 4 out of 5 stars.
readingbelowtheclouds's review
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
loz_reads's review
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A brilliant novella. Perfect for these cold winters night. A lot packed into a little book. Though the page number is incorrect on here. The book is 97 pages long.
I loved her descriptions of the bookshop.
I loved her descriptions of the bookshop.
elementarymydear's review
5.0
Such a spooky read, perfect for the long winter nights!
We’re transported back to the first Christmas after the First World War, and already the world seems to be moving on. We meet our main character, Charlie, who sees an opportunity to make some money by selling a rare book – but there is, of course, more to this book than meets the eye!
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This was such an atmospheric, immersive read, and although it’s quite a short book, for the entire time I was reading it, I was completely lost in the story. It has the tone of a classic Christmas ghost story, with almost Dickensian qualities.
What I found particularly striking about this book, though, is how the supernatural element intertwined with the real-life flashbacks Charlie had about the war. Not only was it a really interesting way to explore those themes, but it also added an extra layer of unknown to the story. It gave it an emotional weight that wouldn’t necessarily have been there had the story just been about a haunted book, and it really added to the book as a whole.
This little novella is a great short, spooky read, perfect for these cold winter days.
I received a free copy for an honest review.
We’re transported back to the first Christmas after the First World War, and already the world seems to be moving on. We meet our main character, Charlie, who sees an opportunity to make some money by selling a rare book – but there is, of course, more to this book than meets the eye!
📚Blog📖YouTube📖Instagram📚
This was such an atmospheric, immersive read, and although it’s quite a short book, for the entire time I was reading it, I was completely lost in the story. It has the tone of a classic Christmas ghost story, with almost Dickensian qualities.
What I found particularly striking about this book, though, is how the supernatural element intertwined with the real-life flashbacks Charlie had about the war. Not only was it a really interesting way to explore those themes, but it also added an extra layer of unknown to the story. It gave it an emotional weight that wouldn’t necessarily have been there had the story just been about a haunted book, and it really added to the book as a whole.
This little novella is a great short, spooky read, perfect for these cold winter days.
I received a free copy for an honest review.