Review: The Path of Thorns by A.G. Slatter

I was attracted to this book because of the beautiful cover - and I love reading new twists on fairy tales!

The Path of Thorns is a gothic, historical fantasy. Set in the imaginary world of Sourdough, loosely based on Victorian England (I think!), where witches, ghosts and werewolves are real, Asher Todd goes to live with the eccentric Morwood family as governess to their three young children. Asher knows little about being a governess, but she is skilled in botany and herb-craft - and perhaps a little bit more. Morwood Grange might be a creepy old house, chock-full of dark family secrets, but Asher has a few of her own - not least the real reason why she is there! And exactly what did happen to the governess before her...?

If you love dark twists on fairy tales or gothic horror, this is the book for you. Deliciously creepy and packed full of twists, The Path of Thorns is a clever mash-up of genres. It's hard to review without giving away spoilers. Pay attention as each layer is revealed because no character is quite what they seem! The characters often tell each other fairy stories (there is a fabulous twist on Little Red Riding Hood), which adds an extra dimension.

Beautifully written and completely engrossing, The Path of Thorns is one of my favourite reads this year. Would suit fans of Naomi Novik, the Brontës, Daphne du Maurier, Angela Carter and Mary Shelley. Well, I did say it was a mash-up of genres!

Thank you to A.G. Slatter and Titan Books for my copy of this book, which I requested via NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Review: The Girl at the Window by Rowan Coleman

I love Rowan Coleman's books, particularly The Summer of Impossible Things, which is one of my all-time favourites! I particularly enjoy that each of her stories are slightly different to each other, so I never know quite what to expect!

The Girl at the Window is one of those novels with several timelines cleverly woven together. In the present day, Trudy Heaton returns to her family home, Ponden Hall, after several years away. Running alongside this is a glimpse into Ponden Hall's past, plus the story of how Trudy met her husband - he's been missing a year, presumed dead. There are also mentions of Emily Bronte, who visited Ponden Hall, which is a real place in Yorkshire and allegedly the inspiration for Wuthering Heights.

I love history, so I particularly enjoyed the story of the Hall's past (I'd have liked to have known more about the lady balloonist!) and the ghosts that live there still. I loved the developing relationship between Trudy and her blunt, eccentric mother (they had not previously got on). There is also a mystery involving a lost library of valuable books and Emily Bronte's missing manuscript - one of my favourite bits is where Trudy decides to go 'digging for treasure' in the mud! Ironically, as much as I love old houses, another favourite scene was where Trudy visits an ultra-modern house and her son becomes lost - heart-stopping!

I really enjoyed The Girl at the Window and can't wait to read what Rowan writes next! I'd thoroughly recommend this to anyone who loves stories about spooky old houses where the former residents haven't quite moved out, and gothic mysteries.

Thank you to Rowan Coleman and Ebury for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Related Post:

Review: The Summer of Impossible Things by Rowan Coleman

Review: Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel by Ruth Hogan

Ruth Hogan is one of my favourite authors. I adore her offbeat, quirky characters and fabulous writing, so I was thrilled to receive an early copy of this book. 

Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel is told from two points of view. Tilly is a mischievous, cheeky, boundary-pushing six-year-old, who likes playing with matches and talking to the dead. She loves her charming father but feels fairly ambivalent about her mother, who is 'not like the mummy in the soap powder adverts'. After her father dies, her mother takes a job at Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel in Brighton, a refuge for people who feel they don't fit in with the rest of the world. Tilly loves her new home and all her new friends, including Queenie's glamorous mother, who is a different film star each day of the week. Forty years later and Tilly is now Tilda, an obsessive-compulsive with a ghost dog, and hates meeting new people, but she returns to The Paradise Hotel after her mother's death to try to find out where everything went wrong.

Ruth Hogan brilliantly captures what it feels like to be a child and the way adults seem to speak in a strange code. I loved the way Tilly confused Bermondsey with Purgatory, and all her mis-heard words to hymns. I loved the sweet romance, the fabulous Joseph Geronimo, and I wish I could adopt Eli the dog. At the end of the book the jaw-dropping revelations come thick and fast, including one epic twist I felt incredibly stupid for not spotting but I was enjoying the story far too much to play my usual game of 'I bet I know what's going to happen next'. And the ending is so sweet and touching and poignant I actually cried. And I never cry! Ever!

I can see this appealing to anyone who loves cleverly written stories with lovable, quirky characters, and for fans of authors such as Joanna Cannon (Three Things About Elsie) and Gail Honeyman (Eleanor Oliphant). 

Queenie Malone's Paradise Hotel is one of my favourite books this year, probably ever. I really wish I could visit. I'm sure I would fit in just fine...

I was lucky enough to receive an advance copy of this book, which will be published on 7th February 2019.

Thank you to Ruth Hogan and Two Roads for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Blog Tour & Review: The Stranger Diaries by Elly Griffiths

I was thrilled to be asked to take part in the blog tour for Elly Griffiths's latest novel, The Stranger Diaries. It's a brilliant story with a fiendishly clever  mystery, and I know you'll love it! Scroll down for my review and details of where to buy the book. AND, sneakily buried right at the bottom of this page, you'll find the chance to win your own copy! (Not the chocolates though! They didn't last longer than Halloween!)

About the Book

Clare Cassidy is no stranger to tales of murder. As a literature teacher specialising in the Gothic writer R.M. Holland, she teaches a short course on them every year. Then Clare's life and work collide tragically when one of her colleagues is found dead, a line from an R.M. Holland story by her body. The investigating police detective is convinced the writer's works somehow hold the key to the case.

Not knowing who to trust, and afraid that the killer is someone she knows, Clare confides her darkest suspicions and fears about the case to her journal. Then one day she notices some other writing in the diary. Writing that isn't hers...

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Review

I was attracted to this book because of the beautiful cover but I'm also a huge fan of Elly Griffiths, particularly her Ruth Galloway series. However, The Stranger Diaries is slightly different - it's a standalone murder mystery, set in a school, which may or may not be haunted!

The story starts with Clare, who teaches English at Talgarth High. The school was once the home of gothic horror writer R.M. Holland, and the top part of the school has been kept as a museum to him and his work; his study is exactly as it was in his day. Scattered throughout the novel are extracts from his most famous short story, The Stranger, and when one of Clare's friends is found dead, a line from this story is found beside the body.

The second point of view is that of the investigating police officer, DS Harbinder Kaur, who was my favourite character, mainly because of her dry sense of humour and the way she is permanently in a grump. I do hope she gets her own series - along with her mother! The third main character is Georgia, Clare's daughter, who humours her mother's ideas of how teenagers should behave and is very funny.  

The Stranger Diaries is a modern take on Victorian mysteries and ghost stories, particularly the way it cleverly backtracks to show the same events from a different character's viewpoint. Running alongside the present-day murders is the mystery of how R.M. Holland's wife died. Is it her ghost that reputedly haunts the school? And just who is Mariana? 

The Stranger Diaries will appeal to anyone who enjoys traditional murder mysteries and I'm sure fans of Elly's Ruth Galloway series will love it. I adored the touch of gothic and the spooky bits - particularly when the teenage Harbinder 'met' the ghost. I hadn't a clue who the murderer was and, as I read a lot of crime fiction, this is always a plus for me!

One of my favourite reads this year! And please, please can Harbinder have a series of her own?!!

Thank you to Elly Griffiths and Quercus for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

About the Author

Winner of the 2016 CWA Dagger in the Library, Elly Griffiths was born in London. She worked in publishing before becoming a full-time writer. Her bestselling series of Dr Ruth Galloway novels, featuring a forensic archaeologist, are set in Norfolk. The series has won the CWA Dagger in the Library, and has been shortlisted three times for the Theakston's Old Peculier Crime Novel of the Year. Her Stephens and Mephisto series is based in 1950s Brighton. She lives near Brighton with her husband, an archaeologist, and their two children.

If you're in London on the 12th of November, you'll be able to hear Elly talk at the Crime Files Rooftop Book Club, along with fellow authors Sabine Durrant and Rachel Abbott. More details, including how to obtain tickets, can  be found here.

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Win a Copy!

If you'd like to be in with a chance to win a hardback copy of The Stranger Diaries you can enter via Rafflecopter below. It's simple to use and the more clicks (follow Elly on Twitter, follow Elly on Facebook, etc) the more chances you have to win. The competition closes on 8th November 2018. Good luck!

Terms and Conditions: We're sorry but this competition is only open to those living in the UK. Your personal details won't be stored for longer than the competition runs and your details won't be passed onto anyone else. We will only contact you if you are a winner. If the winner does not respond within 48 hours of being notified, another name will be drawn.

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Review: A House of Ghosts by W.C. Ryan

I was attracted to this book because of the absolutely gorgeous cover and the title. I love, love, love stories about spooky old houses as well as traditional-style murder mysteries. I should probably have paid a bit more attention to the blurb because, while there is both a deliciously haunted house and a clever murder mystery, the story is set in 1917 and is also about spies, secret plans and traitors - which is not normally my thing at all. However, I absolutely loved it!

Donovan (the sole survivor of his regiment) and Kate (employed by the War Office to crack codes) are dispatched by 'C' to a house party at Blackwater Abbey on a remote island just off the Devon coast. Lady Highmount has invited her friends and two psychics to her house for a seance. She is hoping to make contact with her sons who are missing in action, believed dead. Her husband, Lord Highmount, is a man of working class origins who has made his fortune manufacturing weapons. Someone is selling plans of these to the Germans, and it's up to Donovan and Kate to find out who.

While there are plenty of (real) ghosts at Blackthorn Abbey, I think this book would suit readers of murder mysteries best. There are some truly chilling moments (the seance!), but perhaps not enough jump shocks for fans of ghost stories. There are, however, plenty of twists for vintage crime fans and a good puzzle to get their teeth into!

I adored the characters and their sparky dialogue. The action is shared equally between Donovan and Kate; she's a thoroughly modern heroine and not just there to make the hero look good. I really hope this is the first book in a new series, because I would love to read more!

Brilliant stuff! Thoroughly recommended!  

Thank you to W.C. Ryan and Bonnier Zaffre for my copy of this book, which I requested from NetGalley and reviewed voluntarily.

Halloween Reads 2017

I love stories about ghosts and witches, and things that go bump in the night. I especially love frightening myself half-to-death reading them in the weeks leading up to Halloween! My favourites are ghostly, historical gothics, such as The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell and This House is Haunted by John Boyne, but this year I did step out of my comfort zone with Dark Matter, a brilliant twist on the haunted house story, set in the Arctic circle.

I've rated all these books five star 'Halloween Reads' but they are not all ghost stories. The Witchfinder's Sister is based on real events. The Yellow Wallpaper is a little gem of a psychological suspense (and currently free on Kindle). The humour of Mystery at Maplemead Castle will have you in stitches.

But whatever you love to read, I'm sure there's something for everyone!

Happy Halloween!

The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

Elsie Bainbridge, newly married, newly widowed, arrives at her husband's crumbling ancestral home to wait for her baby to be born, with only the company of a few resentful servants and her husband's widowed cousin, Sarah. When Elsie and Sarah explore the house they find two wooden props, skillfully painted to look like children, hidden away in a locked garret: a girl and a gypsy boy - and the girl looks just like Elsie.

Historical, dual-timeline, psychological suspense, gothic, paranormal.

Full review here.

A Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay

Despite the age gap between Merry and her older sister Marjorie, they have a close, loving relationship - until Marjorie starts to behave strangely. Is she having a psychotic breakdown, or has she been possessed by a demon? Or is she just faking the whole thing? When the medical profession are unable to help, her parents call in the local catholic priest. It's then that events spiral out of control and the family find themselves starring in a TV reality show called The Possession.

Contemporary, psychological suspense, paranormal.

Full review here.

This House is Haunted by John Boyne

It's 1867 and Eliza Caine has just taken the post of governess at Gaudlin Hall - the previous governess is so keen to hightail it out of there, she passes Eliza at the train station on her way back to London. The house is huge, gothic, and very creepy. It appears to run without any servants and there is no sign of any other adult - just two very strange young children. What happened to the five governesses before her? And why does she get the impression that someone really, really doesn't want her there?

Historical, gothic, paranormal.

Full review here.

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. Five men set out on an expedition, one-by-one they all fall by the wayside until only one is left completely alone in the snowy wilderness. Or is he?

Historical, psychological suspense, paranormal.

Full review here.

The Witchfinder's Sister by Beth Underdown

Newly widowed, Alice returns to Essex to live with her brother, Matthew Hopkins. One of the servants tells her he has a great book that has the names of all the witches written down in it. Yet this is the 17th century - who believes in witches?

But in the town there is talk. Young children have died and people are saying it was done with witchcraft. Intimidated by her brother, Alice remains quiet, believing the women will be found innocent. Instead, more women are seized and imprisoned, and now Matthew wants Alice to help him.

Historical, true-life.

Full review here.

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman

The narrator has recently moved to a large, decaying house with her husband to recover from 'temporary nervous depression'. Her husband, who is also her doctor, has refused to let her work (write), so she has nothing to occupy her mind other than to lounge about their bedroom and obsess about the wallpaper. She feels that, 

"There is something strange about the house - I can feel it. I even said so to John one moonlight evening, but he said what I felt was a draught, and shut the window."

Historical, psychological suspense.

Full review here.

The Lost Village by Neil Spring

In 1932 famous ghost hunter Harry Price and his assistant, Sarah, travel to an uninhabited village on Salisbury Plain, currently being used as a training ground by the British Army, to investigate exactly what it is that has got the soldiers so spooked.

(Released on 19th October 2017).

Historical, gothic, paranormal.

Full review here.

Mystery at Maplemead Castle by Kitty French

At the grand old age of 27, Melody 'I see dead people' Bittersweet has decided to stop fighting the unique talent which is persistently getting her fired/losing her potential boyfriends, and has set up The Girls' Ghostbusting Agency. Along for the ride are best friend Marina, the terrifyingly efficient Glenda, and naive young Artie, who has just enough sense to dig the girls out of trouble if they need it. In this story, Melody and her friends investigate Maplemead Castle and find it haunted by circus folk - two trapeze artists and their ringmaster - doomed to repeat the events that led to their deaths every single night. 

Contemporary, cosy mystery, humour, romance, paranormal.

Full review here.

Midnight Crossroad by Charlaine Harris

Psychic Manfred Bernardo has just moved to to the town of Midnight in Texas, which is basically just a few run-down stores around an intersection with one set of traffic lights. His new neighbours seem friendly enough, if a little ... strange ... but he's sure he's going to fit in just fine. He's right about that, because while Manfred has a few secrets in his past, it's nothing compared to those of his new friends.

Contemporary, cosy mystery, paranormal, supernatural.

Full review here. 

Related Posts

Halloween Reads 2016

10 Books Which Chilled Me (on my personal blog)

Review: The Lost Village (Ghost Hunters #2) by Neil Spring

I was attracted to this book by the deliciously creepy cover - I do love a traditional ghost story! At the time, I had not read the first book in the series (The Ghost Hunters) but I had seen the ITV adaptation. With hindsight, I should have read The Ghost Hunters first. I have now! There is quite a lot of past history between the main characters, Harry Price and Sarah Grey, explaining their unusual relationship - although the author does cover this in the early chapters.

The Lost Village starts in 1978 when Sarah hears a news story about the discovery of a child's remains in an uninhabited village on Salisbury Plain. It then cuts to 1932, when Sarah and Harry turn up at the same village - used as a training ground by the British Army - to investigate exactly what it is about the place that has got the soldiers so spooked.

The story was far scarier than the first one in the series, quite dark in places, and there are some genuinely chilling moments. While I loved the character of Harry Price in the first novel, here he doesn't seem quite so likeable. And although I can relate to Sarah being fascinated by such a larger-than-life character, I couldn't quite see that there was any more to their relationship than that.

Having said that, I did enjoy The Lost Village. While it didn't terrify me, it was scary enough to raise a few chills. I loved the setting of an abandoned village. There was also a spooky old house, church bells that rang themselves, séances, lots of double-crossing, and a few good twists I didn't see coming. I loved the scene at the end, when Imber's secret was revealed, although the final revelation was possibly a twist too far.

If you're in the mood for a gothic ghost story, The Lost Village makes the perfect Halloween read - but I would definitely recommend reading the first book in the series before this one, to fully appreciate the three main characters and their relationship with each other. 


Rating: 4.5 rounded up to 5 stars

I was lucky enough to read an advance copy. The Lost Village will be published on 19th October 2017.

Thank you to Neil Spring, Quercus, and Netgalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Related Post:

Review: The Ghost Hunters by Neil Spring

Review: The Silent Companions by Laura Purcell

Well, I read this one in twenty-four hours flat! I picked it up, meaning to read a few pages and return to it later, but was completely and utterly hooked. I ended up reading the last half in the evening without realising it had got dark outside until I hit the last page. And reading this book while sitting in the dark is not really a good idea!

The Silent Companions is a deliciously gothic mystery/horror with a dual timeline - Victorian England and the reign of Charles I. The story starts with a new doctor meeting one of the patients at St Joseph's Hospital for the Insane. The patient is mute so she writes down the events that led to her incarceration a year ago. We then switch to Elsie Bainbridge, newly married, newly widowed, arriving at her husband's crumbling ancestral home to wait for her baby to be born. She's also running from scandal - her husband was wealthy and the whispers about whether or not his death was natural have already started. Although escorted by her younger brother, he soon leaves her in the company of a few resentful servants and her husband's widowed cousin, Sarah. When Elsie and Sarah explore the house they find two wooden props, skillfully painted to look like children, hidden away in a locked garret: a girl and a gypsy boy - and the girl looks just like Elsie...

As you will have already worked out, I found The Silent Companions absolutely gripping. It's very well-written and very fast-paced - unusual for this kind of novel. Something happens on practically every page and the clever thing is that until almost the very end you are never quite sure whether Elsie is imagining everything that happens, or if she's being 'Gaslighted', or if there really was something evil locked up in that garret.

One of my favourite reads this year. Recommended, particularly if you love authors such as Shirley Jackson and Daphne du Maurier, stories like The Turn of the Screw and The Woman in Black - and terrifying yourself half to death on a dark autumn evening!

Thank you to Laura Purcell, Raven Books/Bloomsbury, and Netgalley for my copy of this book, which I received in exchange for an honest review.

Links:

If you're curious as to what a 'silent companion' actually looks like, you'll find pictures on the author's Pinterest page.

Review: Midnight Crossroad (#1 Midnight Texas) by Charlaine Harris

I bought this one because I'm a huge fan of Charlaine Harris and I loved her Sookie Stackhouse and Harper Connelly books. Unfortunately, I'm the kind of person who downloads ebooks and then promptly forgets I've bought them, so it was only when I saw the trailers for the TV series (Midnight, Texas) based on this book that I remembered I had it!

Midnight Crossroad is the first book in a trilogy. The others are Day Shift and Night Shift, although I did see an interview with Charlaine where she said she might write more. Psychic Manfred Bernardo has just moved to to the town of Midnight in Texas, which is basically just a few run-down stores around an intersection with one set of traffic lights. His new neighbours seem friendly enough, if a little ... strange ... but he's sure he's going to fit in just fine. He's right about that, because while Manfred has a few secrets in his past, it's nothing compared to those of his new friends.

Midnight Crossroad is basically a cosy mystery crossed with a paranormal. There was a lot I enjoyed. I loved the characters, particularly Manfred, Fiji and Mr Snuggly. I loved the murder mystery, the clever twists and the left-of-field final denouement. I loved the idea of this mysterious town where every inhabitant has a secret, not revealed all at once (unlike the TV series). I liked the fact that it was a quite leisurely read, taking the time to build up the characters, but unfortunately it was a little bit too leisurely at times. There was an awful lot of detail about the way the characters had decorated their houses, what Fiji had planted in her garden, and what was on the menu at Home Cookin'. There are also a lot of characters introduced very quickly and I got a little confused as to who was who.

I wavered between giving this a four or a five star, and settled on four - even though that ending blew me away, and I've just bought the next two books. So I'm feeling a bit mean.

Recommended, but only if you like your cosy mysteries with a gentle pace and supernatural characters - and bear in mind it's a lot different to the TV series.