emmaeden93's review
3.0
I thoroughly enjoyed the concept of this book, it was a very unique perspective and not one we normally see. The characters are well written, and we see a quite diverse range of lifestyles throughout the book. The buildup of the plot was great, there were scenes that definitely pulled on the heartstrings, scenes that make you angry and scenes that are quite spooky too.
Unfortunately for me, the ending was a bit of a let down after such a fantastic buildup. I agree with others who said that it kind of just closed off, all the problems sort of got solved within a few chapters and the end felt a bit rushed and not genuine. That’s not to say it was a bad book, it just left it being a 3 star rather than 4!
I will add, please check triggers for this book as there are a few!
Unfortunately for me, the ending was a bit of a let down after such a fantastic buildup. I agree with others who said that it kind of just closed off, all the problems sort of got solved within a few chapters and the end felt a bit rushed and not genuine. That’s not to say it was a bad book, it just left it being a 3 star rather than 4!
I will add, please check triggers for this book as there are a few!
wellreadintrovert's review
4.0
After a call that sends Rachel running from her past, she finds herself the victim of a brutal murder in the elevator of her upmarket apartment building. The story doesn't end there though. She wakes, tethered to the place of her death. Rachel spends her time watching her neighbors, unravelling the secrets of their lives and avoiding other entities that stalk the building too. She knows one thing, nothing is ever as it seems - a lot happens behind closed doors.
I loved The Ghosts of Thorwald Place, it was unique for me to read from the point of view of the actual murder victim. The added past journal entries gave a great backstory and helped explain why our MC was the way she way before she passed. The mass of characters were very easy to follow, each adding their own element to the ever building story. The narrator was wonderful vocalising everyone in a way that I was able to tell people apart and gave everything their own personalities. I read as a mixture of audio and physical copy, and highly recommend the audiobook version purely for the added spook the narrator Rachel Fulginiti has contributed. The only real let down for me was the pacing did slow down in some parts, often almost to a halt, but it wasn't enough to make the read unenjoyable at any time.
This one is for anyone who loves a good suspenseful thriller with touches of light paranormal horror.
I loved The Ghosts of Thorwald Place, it was unique for me to read from the point of view of the actual murder victim. The added past journal entries gave a great backstory and helped explain why our MC was the way she way before she passed. The mass of characters were very easy to follow, each adding their own element to the ever building story. The narrator was wonderful vocalising everyone in a way that I was able to tell people apart and gave everything their own personalities. I read as a mixture of audio and physical copy, and highly recommend the audiobook version purely for the added spook the narrator Rachel Fulginiti has contributed. The only real let down for me was the pacing did slow down in some parts, often almost to a halt, but it wasn't enough to make the read unenjoyable at any time.
This one is for anyone who loves a good suspenseful thriller with touches of light paranormal horror.
pages_and_ash's review against another edition
5.0
Holy cow we have been sleeping on this book. This book is beautiful and I’m sad I didn’t pick it up sooner. It’s been such a long time since I was this obsessed with a book. It has such a unique concept. I was hooked from the start and really got invested in the lives of the apartment dwellers. Easily a five star read.
A woman running away from her past life gets murdered in the elevator of a “safe” apartment complex. Her ghost is tied to the elevator, traveling up and down as residents use it. She quickly learns that most of the residents harbor secrets— some of them deadly. Will she be able to find her murderer, and protect her friends from the other ghosts in the building?
Tw: domestic abuse, suicide, murder
A woman running away from her past life gets murdered in the elevator of a “safe” apartment complex. Her ghost is tied to the elevator, traveling up and down as residents use it. She quickly learns that most of the residents harbor secrets— some of them deadly. Will she be able to find her murderer, and protect her friends from the other ghosts in the building?
Tw: domestic abuse, suicide, murder
lilaclicoricetissie's review
5.0
Oh, wow. Wow, wow, wow. The Ghost of Thorwald Place is a fantastic book, one that had me at hello.
Its major selling point is the afterlife theme, at least for me: call me biased, but it’s so interesting to see what the creativity of an author can do with it. Here, Power weaves the tried-and-true ghost trope together with intriguing subplots, creating a literary gem.
[Keep reading @ Bookshelves & Teacups]
Its major selling point is the afterlife theme, at least for me: call me biased, but it’s so interesting to see what the creativity of an author can do with it. Here, Power weaves the tried-and-true ghost trope together with intriguing subplots, creating a literary gem.
[Keep reading @ Bookshelves & Teacups]
connorjdaley's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Received the audio through NetGalley, and I thought that Rachel Fulginiti did a great job with this.
This was a unique story for me. I was for the most part pulled in by the cover, so I did not give the blurb a read. I’m not sure what I was expecting, but it was not for the main character to be murdered in the very beginning of the story! I guess I thought with the book’s title that it would be about her being haunted, not killed and becoming a ghost! (FYI, that is revealed in the blurb, so not me spoiling). So, it was a nice surprise and worked for me as a plot twist.
The main character is believable and relatable. Her grief and paranoia has pushed her to become a complete agoraphobe inside her well secured apartment complex. Even though she completely cuts herself off from the outside, it’s not enough to keep her safe. Nothing is. I didn’t really feel like that was creepy while listening to it, but now that I’m writing it out it surely does.
The author does a great job subverting a lot of the expectations around paranormal activity—what a ghost can do, and can not do, may surprise you a lot. It is much more along the lines of someone normal trapped in the in between of life and death, than it is like a malignant spirit in movies.
The author weaves a very twisting story, where every character, and every interaction, may lead to another clue or even another mystery. My only gripe is I did feel like this went on to the point where the main character’s story is a little less mysterious than I wished it would have been. Personally a 4/5* for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Murder, Toxic friendship, Addiction, Injury/Injury detail, Mental illness, Violence, and Blood
marcirenee1974's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
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? It's complicated
4.0
This book was much better than I anticipated, as ghosty books aren't usually my jam. But throw in a murder and a couple of mysteries to solve and I am all in! I loved the twists and turns of this book and the kinda happy ending. Off to look up more books by this author!
#TheGhostsofThorwaldPlace
#NetGalley
#TheGhostsofThorwaldPlace
#NetGalley
emilyepew's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
First off, if you enjoyed The Lying Game series by Sara Shepard and are looking for an adult book that is similar, I would definitely try this one.
This book is very interesting in the way that it is written. I read it as an audiobook and I honestly think it really enhanced the experience. This book is very narration heavy as our main character is a ghost throughout pretty much the entire book. As a result, most of the events in the book are being viewed from a third person perspective.
The overall mystery (who killed Rachel?) is compelling. You want to know what happened to her and why. This is definitely aided by the fact that Rachel is trying to solve her own murder. The overall answer to this question did feel a little lackluster to me, but the journey there is enjoyable enough to still give this 4 stars.
I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a new sort of perspective in the mystery genre, and anyone who isn't a huge fan of super intense, thrilling mysteries. It is an enjoyable book overall.
This book is very interesting in the way that it is written. I read it as an audiobook and I honestly think it really enhanced the experience. This book is very narration heavy as our main character is a ghost throughout pretty much the entire book. As a result, most of the events in the book are being viewed from a third person perspective.
The overall mystery (who killed Rachel?) is compelling. You want to know what happened to her and why. This is definitely aided by the fact that Rachel is trying to solve her own murder. The overall answer to this question did feel a little lackluster to me, but the journey there is enjoyable enough to still give this 4 stars.
I would recommend this to anyone who is looking for a new sort of perspective in the mystery genre, and anyone who isn't a huge fan of super intense, thrilling mysteries. It is an enjoyable book overall.
roshreviews's review
challenging
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
In a Nutshell: I didn’t expect paranormal elements to be a part of this ‘mystery-thriller’. But despite some scenes that were a tad too spooky for this scaredy-cat, I enjoyed the book. Entertaining, though somewhat slow. Better enjoyed without overanalysing.
Story Synopsis:
Rachel Drake, who is hiding from someone, has not stepped out of her apartment in the two years she has lived in Thorwald Place, a doorman building for those who can afford it. When Rachel gets a phone call one night, she knows that she has been found and decides to run away. She gets murdered in the lift while on her way to the garage.
Now Rachel’s ghost is stuck in Thorwald Place, tied to the lift. Her reach is limited to the apartments near the elevator. As she gets a glimpse of the residents of the building, she realises that all of them have some dark secret. Could any of them have been her killer? Or was it the person she had been hiding from?
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Rachel.
Where the book worked for me:
👻 Rachel was a distress helpline volunteer when alive, and this aspect is woven well into her afterlife arc. She isn’t necessarily a likeable character, but she’s good at heart, though a bit slow to get a grasp of things. I liked this imperfect depiction of a lead. She is as human as can be with her judgemental nature coupled with genuine concern for others, all of which is quite ironic as she isn’t a human for most of the story.
👻 There are many characters in the story, whom we see though Rachel’s eyes while her ghost wanders into various apartments. Almost all these secondary characters are complex and even creepy. It just goes to show that humans are scarier than ghosts!
(Of course, you can take this point and turn it on its head as well, saying, “There were too many creepy characters within a single building!” But it added to the fun, especially as each character was distinct.)
👻 Though somewhat morbid, the writing incorporates plenty of humour through Rachel’s comments about the residents.
👻 An amazing ending that kept throwing surprise after surprise my way. Who doesn’t love surprises! The final scene was just beautiful.
👻 I didn’t guess the killer and I enjoyed all the red herrings thrown in my direction.
👻 I loved the diary excerpts as they revealed a lot about Rachel’s personality.
👻 I am a big scaredy cat when it comes to paranormal novels. I like all fictional ghosts to have a rational reason for existence (Don’t laugh!) and a happy ‘ending’. This book satisfied me on that count.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
☠ The level of spookiness was slightly above my comfort level. Of course, this point isn’t a shortcoming of the book per se, but of my limitations as a reader.
☠ I didn’t buy the little girl’s back story. It wasn’t convincing.
☠ There’s a little bit of repetition in Rachel’s first person thoughts. This stands out more in the audio version.
☠ Things become farfetched in the final quarter. The need to provide a satisfactory ending to all characters made the story cross logical limits and rush to tie all ends neatly. (Reminding you again, I still enjoyed the actual finale. So not all was lost!)
☠ One thing I simply didn’t figure out was how agoraphobic Rachel was not at all hesitant about leaving her flat after the phone call. Not once does she deliberate over stepping out! So the agoraphobia felt more like a decorative label than an actual phobia.
The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 11hrs 18 min, is narrated by Rachel Fulginiti. I enjoyed her performance. She doesn’t try too hard to give individual voices to the myriad characters, making them sound natural. Her narration was very easy on the ears, and gave the audiobook the perfect realistic touch. I’d definitely recommend the audio version, especially as the book is on the longish side at 400+ pages.
That said, there are too many characters to keep track of in this story. If you are an audiobook newbie, better stick to reading.
All in all, this was a nice audiobook for me, despite its going over the top at the end. If you don’t overanalyse the proceedings and just go with the flow, this can be a great entertainer.
The book has elements of mystery and drama, with a hefty dollop of the outworldly. The dominant genre here is drama, which worked in my favour. Mystery lovers will also find much to like. (However, horror fans will find it too mild, and horror phobes will find it too scary.)
Definitely recommended to those looking for an unusual mystery read with paranormal elements. For a debut work, it is quite ambitious, and achieves most of what it sets out to do. I will surely try more by this author.
4 stars.
My thanks to CamCat Books and NetGalley for the ALC of “The Ghosts of Thorwald Place”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
PS: I don’t know why but the cover somehow gives a historical vibe to me, despite the clear presence of the elevator. Is it the font?
Content Warnings: Domestic abuse, infidelity, murder, suicide, human death, brutal animal death, (Well, there are graphic human deaths also, but we readers love animals more.),… Y’all, treat it as a horror story and prepare yourselves accordingly!
Story Synopsis:
Rachel Drake, who is hiding from someone, has not stepped out of her apartment in the two years she has lived in Thorwald Place, a doorman building for those who can afford it. When Rachel gets a phone call one night, she knows that she has been found and decides to run away. She gets murdered in the lift while on her way to the garage.
Now Rachel’s ghost is stuck in Thorwald Place, tied to the lift. Her reach is limited to the apartments near the elevator. As she gets a glimpse of the residents of the building, she realises that all of them have some dark secret. Could any of them have been her killer? Or was it the person she had been hiding from?
The story comes to us in the first person perspective of Rachel.
Where the book worked for me:
👻 Rachel was a distress helpline volunteer when alive, and this aspect is woven well into her afterlife arc. She isn’t necessarily a likeable character, but she’s good at heart, though a bit slow to get a grasp of things. I liked this imperfect depiction of a lead. She is as human as can be with her judgemental nature coupled with genuine concern for others, all of which is quite ironic as she isn’t a human for most of the story.
👻 There are many characters in the story, whom we see though Rachel’s eyes while her ghost wanders into various apartments. Almost all these secondary characters are complex and even creepy. It just goes to show that humans are scarier than ghosts!
(Of course, you can take this point and turn it on its head as well, saying, “There were too many creepy characters within a single building!” But it added to the fun, especially as each character was distinct.)
👻 Though somewhat morbid, the writing incorporates plenty of humour through Rachel’s comments about the residents.
👻 An amazing ending that kept throwing surprise after surprise my way. Who doesn’t love surprises! The final scene was just beautiful.
👻 I didn’t guess the killer and I enjoyed all the red herrings thrown in my direction.
👻 I loved the diary excerpts as they revealed a lot about Rachel’s personality.
👻 I am a big scaredy cat when it comes to paranormal novels. I like all fictional ghosts to have a rational reason for existence (Don’t laugh!) and a happy ‘ending’. This book satisfied me on that count.
Where the book could have worked better for me:
☠ The level of spookiness was slightly above my comfort level. Of course, this point isn’t a shortcoming of the book per se, but of my limitations as a reader.
☠ I didn’t buy the little girl’s back story. It wasn’t convincing.
☠ There’s a little bit of repetition in Rachel’s first person thoughts. This stands out more in the audio version.
☠ Things become farfetched in the final quarter. The need to provide a satisfactory ending to all characters made the story cross logical limits and rush to tie all ends neatly. (Reminding you again, I still enjoyed the actual finale. So not all was lost!)
☠ One thing I simply didn’t figure out was how agoraphobic Rachel was not at all hesitant about leaving her flat after the phone call. Not once does she deliberate over stepping out! So the agoraphobia felt more like a decorative label than an actual phobia.
The audiobook experience:
The audiobook, clocking at 11hrs 18 min, is narrated by Rachel Fulginiti. I enjoyed her performance. She doesn’t try too hard to give individual voices to the myriad characters, making them sound natural. Her narration was very easy on the ears, and gave the audiobook the perfect realistic touch. I’d definitely recommend the audio version, especially as the book is on the longish side at 400+ pages.
That said, there are too many characters to keep track of in this story. If you are an audiobook newbie, better stick to reading.
All in all, this was a nice audiobook for me, despite its going over the top at the end. If you don’t overanalyse the proceedings and just go with the flow, this can be a great entertainer.
The book has elements of mystery and drama, with a hefty dollop of the outworldly. The dominant genre here is drama, which worked in my favour. Mystery lovers will also find much to like. (However, horror fans will find it too mild, and horror phobes will find it too scary.)
Definitely recommended to those looking for an unusual mystery read with paranormal elements. For a debut work, it is quite ambitious, and achieves most of what it sets out to do. I will surely try more by this author.
4 stars.
My thanks to CamCat Books and NetGalley for the ALC of “The Ghosts of Thorwald Place”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.
PS: I don’t know why but the cover somehow gives a historical vibe to me, despite the clear presence of the elevator. Is it the font?
Content Warnings: Domestic abuse, infidelity, murder, suicide, human death, brutal animal death, (Well, there are graphic human deaths also, but we readers love animals more.),… Y’all, treat it as a horror story and prepare yourselves accordingly!
cassiecat's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
4-4.25⭐️🎧
It’s a Canadian based debut book and narration. It’s a strong debut.
It’s a Canadian based debut book and narration. It’s a strong debut.
A murder mystery with ghosts. It just my kind of quirky book. I do enjoy a delve into the supernatural.
I had the audiobook version read by Rachel Fulginiti, who did a good job with the narration, she created a good atmosphere.
Rachel Drake never leaves her safe haven an apartment in a block with a doorman until a phone call sends her running.
She is murdered, she finds herself tethered to the building where the secrets of her neighbours are revealed, but is restricted to an area of the position of the lift.
I liked how she was tethered to the proximity of the lift, it added a quirky detail which added to the frustration for Rachel and added a bit of anticipation/suspense for the reader. I was engaged with Rachel wanting her to get her answers.
A voyeuristic view into lives and deaths of the many other occupants of the building. There’s so many lies, secrets, and twists, it kept me entertained throughout. It’s an easy listen, the supernatural element gives it a different edge, I thought that aspect was well handled. There’s a subplot regarding Will at the end that just stretched things a step too far for me. Surprised my niggle was was one of the living rather than the dead.
You have to be open to the supernatural element to be able to enjoy it. It’s one that I really enjoyed and would recommend.
rach_reads1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
This was sooo good 😍
Rachel is an introvert, isolated in her apartment and fearful of her past. She works from home and volunteers on a women's help hotline. One night she gets a call, and they know her real name. Fleeing in terror, she doesn't make it out the building. And neither does her soul.
Her spirit is tied to the elevator in which she was murdered, unable to rest until her killer is caught. From her small sphere of influence, she explores the apartments next to the elevator, observing the secrets of their inhabitants and looking for answers.
Events unfold in a fairly quick succession as the colourful lives of the occupants are revealed.
A great story with an unexpected ending.
Rachel is an introvert, isolated in her apartment and fearful of her past. She works from home and volunteers on a women's help hotline. One night she gets a call, and they know her real name. Fleeing in terror, she doesn't make it out the building. And neither does her soul.
Her spirit is tied to the elevator in which she was murdered, unable to rest until her killer is caught. From her small sphere of influence, she explores the apartments next to the elevator, observing the secrets of their inhabitants and looking for answers.
Events unfold in a fairly quick succession as the colourful lives of the occupants are revealed.
A great story with an unexpected ending.