Tag: ghosts

Blog Tour: A House of Ghosts – W. C. Ryan

Blog Tour: A House of Ghosts – W. C. Ryan

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

BOOK REVIEW - 2019-10-20T135404.289
Release Date: October 4th 2018
Publisher: Bonnier Zaffre
Pages: 419
Find it on: Goodreads. BookDepository. Waterstones.
Source: The publisher kindly sent me a copy of this book to review.
Rating: 4/5 stars

Synopsis

Winter 1917. As the First World War enters its most brutal phase, back home in England, everyone is seeking answers to the darkness that has seeped into their lives.
At Blackwater Abbey, on an island off the Devon coast, Lord Highmount has arranged a spiritualist gathering to contact his two sons who were lost in the conflict. But as his guests begin to arrive, it gradually becomes clear that each has something they would rather keep hidden. Then, when a storm descends on the island, the guests will find themselves trapped. Soon one of their number will die.
For Blackwater Abbey is haunted in more ways than one . . .
An unrelentingly gripping mystery packed with twists and turns, A House of Ghosts is the perfect chilling read next winter.

Review

As we get to the last few months of the year I find myself reaching more and more for dark and chilling reads that will have me on the edge of my seat. I had pretty high expectations going into this one, I had heard lots of brilliant buzz and hype around it, and I’m so happy to say it delivered. Chilling, mysterious and featuring a brilliant setting.

The story is set in a remote, isolated house on an island off the Devon coast. I completely fell in love with this setting, it was the perfect place to make attempts to contact the dead, and it definitely helped to heighten the tension as we try to figure out the secrets surrounding the guests. I really liked the characters too, we are given two POVs in this story and I really enjoyed both Donovan and Kate’s perspectives as they tried to uncover the mysteries in Blackwater Abbey.

The story is full of plot twists and plenty of surprise moments to keep you hooked. I really enjoyed Ryan’s writing style, and felt the pacing was just perfect to give you that chill up your spine. I also really enjoyed the Wartime setting of this book, it’s not something I read often and loved that extra layer it brought to the story. If you’re looking for something eerie and dark with a real claustrophobic feel, this should definitely be on your wish list.  A House of Ghosts is perfect Halloween reading, and I can’t wait to try more from this author.
4 stars

William Ryan Blogtour 19 Sept (1)

Waiting on Wednesday: Tunnel of Bones #15 – Victoria Schwab

Waiting on Wednesday: Tunnel of Bones #15 – Victoria Schwab

by Nicole Sweeney ♥ 0 Leave a Comment

bones
Synopsis

Trouble is haunting Cassidy Blake . . . even more than usual.

She (plus her ghost best friend, Jacob, of course) are in Paris, where Cass’s parents are filming their TV show about the world’s most haunted cities. Sure, it’s fun eating croissants and seeing the Eiffel Tower, but there’s true ghostly danger lurking beneath Paris, in the creepy underground Catacombs.

When Cass accidentally awakens a frighteningly strong spirit, she must rely on her still-growing skills as a ghosthunter — and turn to friends both old and new to help her unravel a mystery. But time is running out, and the spirit is only growing stronger.

And if Cass fails, the force she’s unleashed could haunt the city forever.

Thoughts

tunnelWelcome to another Waiting on Wednesday! This week I wanted to talk about Tunnel of Bones by Victoria Schwab which is the second instalment in her Cassidy Blake series. Victoria Schwab is like a new found favourite author for me – I read a few of her books last year and loved them and I have the rest of them on my 2019 TBR. Middle grade is not something that I read very often but when I heard about Victoria Schwab’s ghost story set in Edinburgh I just had to pick up a copy – and I’m so glad I did because I enjoyed it so much and read it in one sitting. If you want to read my full review for the book you can check it out here. I ended up giving it five stars and I’m eagerly awaiting the release of the next book in the series. This time Cassidy is in Paris in the famous catacombs and I’m so excited because I loved the film As Above So Below – a horror film set in the same place. The first book was so creepy and fun and I’m sure Tunnel of Bones will be just as brilliant. The second instalment in the Cassidy Blake series is publishing September 5th from Scholastic Books.