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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!
📚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.
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.
angethology's review
3.75
"No matter how fast he ran, he'd never be able to escape the stench of mustard and the haunting scent of poppies."
Set a few months after The Great War, this novella focuses on Charlie Briggs, a conniving thief who's used to pilfering valuable objects to get by. He decides to get his hands on a rare, valuable book from a bookshop that could potentially set him up for life. But upon obtaining the book, he discovers something strange that affects him unlike his previous thieving shenanigans: he starts hallucinating and envisions the horrible scenarios that the previous owner of the book (a soldier) went through.
Charlie Briggs often fabricates his background story depending on the circumstances, but he often mentions having been in the army — despite never having served before. However, he's also very clearly uneasy at the mention or thought of the war, and has a certain complex about it: "He might not have fought in the War, but hadn't he done his time too?" While people often feel the need to glorify wars and participating in them regardless of the tragedies they bring, Charlie's disposition on the opposite spectrum, scoffing at the idea of anything related to the military.
It's almost like he's on some kind of high horse to compensate the fact that he's a criminal. However, he soon sees a few glimpses of what it's actually like to be a soldier in war. Eroding in a state of stupefaction and delirium, the line between reality and imagination starts to blur, but Charlie knows that something much more eerie and supernatural is happening, with a particular phrase being etched into his mind "Remember me!"
A short yet effectively spooky, gothic novella that lingers on your mind even with its length.
Set a few months after The Great War, this novella focuses on Charlie Briggs, a conniving thief who's used to pilfering valuable objects to get by. He decides to get his hands on a rare, valuable book from a bookshop that could potentially set him up for life. But upon obtaining the book, he discovers something strange that affects him unlike his previous thieving shenanigans: he starts hallucinating and envisions the horrible scenarios that the previous owner of the book (a soldier) went through.
Charlie Briggs often fabricates his background story depending on the circumstances, but he often mentions having been in the army — despite never having served before. However, he's also very clearly uneasy at the mention or thought of the war, and has a certain complex about it: "He might not have fought in the War, but hadn't he done his time too?" While people often feel the need to glorify wars and participating in them regardless of the tragedies they bring, Charlie's disposition on the opposite spectrum, scoffing at the idea of anything related to the military.
It's almost like he's on some kind of high horse to compensate the fact that he's a criminal. However, he soon sees a few glimpses of what it's actually like to be a soldier in war. Eroding in a state of stupefaction and delirium, the line between reality and imagination starts to blur, but Charlie knows that something much more eerie and supernatural is happening, with a particular phrase being etched into his mind "Remember me!"
A short yet effectively spooky, gothic novella that lingers on your mind even with its length.
Thank you Silver Thistle Press and The Write Reads for the copy, I'm leaving this review voluntarily.
f33lthesun's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
franmoldaschl's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Loved it. Ghost story in the tradition of A Christmas Carol. Very much a mood.
shelfofunread's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death, Grief, War, and Injury/Injury detail
Minor: Violence
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