I enjoyed this; even thought it was bleak at times and overall, quite heartbreaking, it was hopeful. I quite liked the character of Jess. It had an exI enjoyed this; even thought it was bleak at times and overall, quite heartbreaking, it was hopeful. I quite liked the character of Jess. It had an excellent ending. ...more
I didn’t like this as much as the author’s previous books.
It’s engaging, fast-paced and entertaining but there was just something missing. It felt...I didn’t like this as much as the author’s previous books.
It’s engaging, fast-paced and entertaining but there was just something missing. It felt... forced. Perhaps you have to be far more interested in music? Or more political? It’s definitely not horror.
It was missing the horror elements and the comedy that made the previous works so enjoyable. While there was an excellent claustrophobic scene in this book, it just didn’t deliver on the promise of horror. And while I liked the character of Kris, I didn’t really feel a connection to the others. The ending fell totally flat for me. It built to a crescendo and then just...stopped. ...more
This is so clogged up with unnecessary, verbose filler that it fails on the readability scale.
While the story is interesting, the reader has to ge2.5
This is so clogged up with unnecessary, verbose filler that it fails on the readability scale.
While the story is interesting, the reader has to get through a significant amount of clutter to even decipher the story and then, to frustrate the reader further, after wading through all that clutter, the story ends really abruptly.
Better stories along the same lines:
This House is Haunted - John Boyne The Silent Companions - Laura Purcell ...more
I really enjoyed he first half of this. It was atmospheric, tense and at times, downright frightening. If the story had ended when Jane left ThornfielI really enjoyed he first half of this. It was atmospheric, tense and at times, downright frightening. If the story had ended when Jane left Thornfield, it would have been a five-star book.
The second half was less enjoyable. It got really God-bothery. It seemed so far fetched. The writing was mostly filler. It was boring.
In terms of readability, this was a bit hit and miss. There were times that I was riveted and other times (mostly in the second half) where it would wax romantic for pages and was quite a slog.
I have a hard time with people romanticizing these male characters in old books. (See my review on Wuthering Heights.) I honestly thought Mr Rochester was volatile and abusive. I didn’t like him at all. He seemed to want to dominate Jane and he was pretty nasty to her at he start. Never mind what he did to poor Bertha! St John was also a jerk. He was obtuse, self-serving and manipulative (it was pretty rich of him to use the God-bothering to try and pressure Jane into marriage... wtf?). These two men were terrible and honestly if they were Jane’s only choice of husband, she should have just stayed on the teaching/governess path and died a spinster. It appears that, to Jane, after her experience with St John, Mr Rochester didn’t look so bad... but that’s not how it works. How Jane would ever be comfortable married to and living with a man that had (view spoiler)[imprisoned his wife in a remote country estate (hide spoiler)] is beyond me!
TL;DR: if this has ended when Jane left Thornfield - instant five stars. The second half rather spoilt it and the ending was disappointing; I expected more from Jane, I guess....more
3.5 This is a pretty good story by iBook standards. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the Southern Spirits stories but it was still enjoyable.
What I liked:3.5 This is a pretty good story by iBook standards. I didn’t enjoy it as much as the Southern Spirits stories but it was still enjoyable.
What I liked: • Sadie. I love a story with a Golden Retriever in it! • Walt. Ghosts are always excellent. • Marlow House. I love old manor houses! • Danielle was a interesting and developed main character. • No romance!
What I didn’t like: • Lily. Ugh what an annoying airhead! • Jon/Ian. Even though it was explained, I wasn’t buying it. • The story got bogged down in over-explaining at times. We heard the same story several times because it was explained to Danielle and then again when she relayed it to people. That gets tedious. • Overall, it’s a bit unpolished.
If you’re looking for a free iBook to read before bed, I recommend this. There’s a lot of garbage on iBooks but this is a good find!...more
This enthralled me right from the beginning. I really liked Bessy and it was really interesting to watch her grow as the book progressed, especiall4.5
This enthralled me right from the beginning. I really liked Bessy and it was really interesting to watch her grow as the book progressed, especially her narration!
There were some delightfully spooky parts of this story that provided tension and atmosphere.
I felt the ending fell a bit flat considering the run up to the conclusion, but it was still believable and I was happy for “the missus”. ...more
This wasn’t as good as the first story but still well above-average for both iBooks and fluff.
There was, I thought, must less spooky and more romanceThis wasn’t as good as the first story but still well above-average for both iBooks and fluff.
There was, I thought, must less spooky and more romance in this story than the previous one. The culprit was a bit more predictable in this story as well.
There were lots of great Lucy moments and I still like the relationship between Verity and the ghosts she meets. I’m going to keep reading the series!...more
Another excellent ghost story! Again, the novels have much more spook factor than the novellas (which tend to be a bit more heartwarming). There were Another excellent ghost story! Again, the novels have much more spook factor than the novellas (which tend to be a bit more heartwarming). There were some extra sweet Lucy bits! ...more
I was happily surprised by this freebie on iBooks! It has a perfect blend of spooky, thrill, cute and charming.
Verity was a very good main charac4.5
I was happily surprised by this freebie on iBooks! It has a perfect blend of spooky, thrill, cute and charming.
Verity was a very good main character. She was likeable, genuine and endearing. I think Lucy still remains my favourite character (she made a nest out of blankets!).
The ghosts were a fantastic group of characters.
The romance level was low.
All-in-all, I think this might be one of my favourite iBooks! ...more
I’m rounding this up to four because it was quite creepy in parts. It was also a fast and engaging read. I was riveted from the onset.
The problem3.5
I’m rounding this up to four because it was quite creepy in parts. It was also a fast and engaging read. I was riveted from the onset.
The problems I have are with the weak ending. I see from looking at other reviews that I’m not alone in questioning what exactly happened. The ending undermined the whole story up until that point and thusly made it fall a bit flat.
This book was a little more “out there” than the haunted houses stories I typically read but I did, for the most part, enjoy it (ending notwithstanding). ...more