Review: Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver

I was attracted to this book because of the cover - I love magpies! I'm also a huge fan of Michelle Paver and her chilling ghost stories (Dark Matter and Thin Air). Wakenhyrst is written in a different genre: a gothic historical mystery set in a spooky old manor house - my favourite kind of book!

Wakenhyrst starts in 1966. A journalist has written about a notorious murder that occurred in 1913, implying that darker forces might have been involved: witchcraft, in other words. The man accused of this murder spent the rest of his life in a lunatic asylum creating sinister paintings, often featuring a woman surrounded by demonic imps. Back in 1913, Maud lives alone with her father at Wake's End. Haunted by a mysterious event in his past, he becomes obsessed with the idea that demons are all around us and records these increasing rambling thoughts in his diary. Maud is equally obsessed - with escaping the claustrophobic confines of the manor house to run wild in her beloved fens.

Wakenhyrst is at heart a gothic mystery. Who was murdered in 1913? Who murdered them - and why? Are the fens really haunted by ghosts and demons, or do they exist only in the mind of Maud's father? And were the rumours true? Was Maud really guilty of witchcraft?

I loved the practical, no-nonsense character of Maud, her instinct for survival, and her sweet romance with Clem. And I adored the tame magpie, Chatterpie! Michelle Paver is a brilliant writer, excelling at creating an atmosphere of subtle menace that builds towards a shocking finale and a supernatural twist. The story is subtle; it's a slow burn of a tale, that won't suit the reader who loves jump-shocks and big dramatic twists, but this was a five-star read for me. So I have no hesitation in recommending it, particularly to anyone loves a spooky, gothic mystery; a kind of Shirley Jackson crossed with Daphne du Maurier.

Thank you to Michelle Paver and Head of Zeus for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

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Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

Review: Dark Matter by Michelle Paver

Dark Matter is a ghost story with a difference. Instead of the traditional haunted house, it takes place on the Norwegian island of Spitsbergen in the middle of an Arctic winter - four months of complete darkness.

The story is told in the form of a journal written in 1937 by Jack Miller. Impoverished by misfortune, he feels he's missed out on fulfilling his dream of being a physicist and jumps at the chance to go on an Arctic expedition. But one by one each member of his team falls by the wayside and soon he is left completely alone in the snowy wilderness. Or is he?

"Gruhuken seems to have had a dismal past. I don't want any of it poking through."

Dark Matter is not the kind of thing I usually read (Arctic expedition, etc) but I absolutely loved it. The style of writing, the incredible detail about life in the Arctic - the amount of research the author must have undertaken! Menace is slowly built up, layer upon layer, until the shocking truth of what happened at Gruhuken is revealed. My nerves were shredded.

If you're looking for a thoroughly chilling (in more ways than one!) Halloween read - this is it. Also, great illustrations! Recommended!

Note: The book is shorter than it looks. On Kindle it ended at 85%. The remainder is made up of the author's notes (fascinating!), a Q&A, and a sample of her next book.