La decadencia de las cosas delicadas

by Beverley Lee

Barrington Hall es un lugar cargado de secretos, algo que Dan Morgan se ha esforzado por olvidar. El fallecimiento de un familiar le lleva de vuelta al lugar donde pasó los veranos de su infancia, y será en ese momento cuando Barrington Hall hará lo que crea necesario para que los recuerdos vuelvan a su mente.

Faye Morgan está corroída por la culpa y el pesar desde la muerte de Toby, su hijo adolescente. Se niega a abandonar el hogar donde su hijo vivía, y no puede sino trasvasar parte de su rencor hacia su marido por arrastrarla lejos de su hogar. Una vez instalada en la casa de campo donde pasará unos días, cree ver a un extraño muchacho en el bosque a medianoche, un joven que guarda cierta conexión con Barrington Hall, y su necesidad de saber más hará que se adentre en un mundo de pesadilla en el que el pasado y la venganza van de la mano.

La decadencia de las cosas delicadas, es una historia de dolor y horror sobrenatural con tintes góticos y fantasía oscura que explora cómo la pérdida puede dejar un gran agujero en nuestro interior. Un agujero lo bastante grande como para que cualquier cosa pueda colarse por él.

Genres: Horror, Paranormal, Gothic

358 pages, Paperback

First published April 7, 2020

About the author

Beverley Lee is the bestselling author of the Gabriel Davenport series (The Making of Gabriel Davenport, A Shining in the Shadows and The Purity of Crimson) The Ruin of Delicate Things, The House of Little Bones, The Sum of Your Flesh and The Haunting of Wounded Birds.

She is also co-author of Crimson is the Night: A Vampire Novelette and the vampire horror romance series A Conclave of Crimson: A Queer Vampire Romance, featuring a meeting of characters from the Gabriel Davenport series and the Beguiled By Night series with Nicole Eigener . Her shorter fiction has been included in works from Cemetery Gates Media, Kandisha Press, Brigids Gate Press and Off Limits Press. In thrall to the written word from an early age, especially the darker side of fiction, she believes that the very best story is the one you have to tell.
You can visit her online at beverleylee.com (where you’ll find a free dark and twisted short story download) or on Instagram and Twitter.

Reviews

[Debbie W. · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fantastical story about loss, betrayal and revenge, author Beverley Lee's unique writing style of insidious suspense kept me guessing - what will happen next?

Some other positive points about this book include:
1. Lee's expert use of detailed descriptions and figures of speech had me feel like I was immersed in this story;
2. some characters are quite interesting, especially her chosen creatures of horror;
3. the horrors that lie within Barrington Hall are much more sinister than those in Hill House (from the book The Haunting of Hill House);
4. it's not too often that I come across an author who uses 2nd person POV so well;
5. that ending - I didn't see that coming! and,
6. now I know that there's a word for the "pleasant smell that comes with rain after a long period of warm, dry weather" (petrichor)!

Some niggling points:
1. this story has a very slow start, and some ideas and phrases were quite repetitive;
2. characterizations of some characters, namely Faye, Robert and Albert, confused me at times,
3. I was disappointed that prominently-mentioned objects never played a major role in the story; and,
4. who keeps a catapult in their house? And why would you pack it in your rucksack while in a frenzy to get somewhere? (NOTE: a British GR friend cleared up this confusion for me - turns out a catapult in Britain is what we in North America call a slingshot, so this reference makes sense to me now! Haha! Thanks, Hilary!)

if you are a fan of paranormal horror with a flavor of fantasy, then be sure to check this story out!

[Peter · Rating 2 out of 5]

The book started strong and my expectations were high. Dan and Faye inherit a cottage from Dan's aunt Lucinda. They have lost their son Toby and are in grieve. Soon things turn out uncanny in the countryside. What is going on here? What is the secret of Barrington Hall? Instead of a straight forward plot the author soon gets over descriptive and longwinded in her narration. The atmosphere is uncanny and oppressive, no doubt about it, but there's not much going on. Maybe it was too literary for my taste. The mixture of horror, fantasy, gothic, eerie occurences and grieve somehow didn't work for me here. Maybe something for fans or for those who love slow burning books.

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you haven't read Beverley Lee's Gabriel Davenport Vampire Trilogy, you should remedy this post-haste! As soon as I heard that Lee was working on a tale of 'grief and horror', I was eager to get my hands on it.
The Ruin of Delicate Things is an appropriate title and a good indicator of what's in store for readers. Dan Morgan, grief-stricken over a tragic loss, brings his heartsick wife, Faye to his childhood manor called Barrington Hall.
Nestled in the woods, the cavernous Barrington Hall seems to enshroud the broken couple immediately. Lee expertly texturizes the couple's transition into their new lifestyle with foreboding darkness. The growing tension between Dan and Faye creates this separation that forces them to experience things individually, with only the reader seeing what is happening to them.
Faye finds herself exploring the grounds and sees a strange boy fliting here and there. Dan struggles alone with repressed memories of his childhood.
Along with these psychological horrors, Lee employs other ways to prey on her readers' fears.
There are some seriously creepy moments.
The first half of the book is a bit of a slow burn. Lee's writing is skilled and compelling enough to hang with some of the mundane, often repetitive scenes of dialog, descriptions of the house & grounds, etc. in order to paint the gothic setting and advance the character development.
About halfway through, the actual horror elements begin to emerge, new characters add to the layers of mystery and danger; the pacing is much more, ALIVE.
Reader discoveries are effective hooks to keep reading the next chapter and the next and the next.
The ending is a veritable fever-dream of dark fantasy elements and full-stop horror.
There are plenty of literary devices and surprises to keep the reader on their toes.
It took some time for this story to finally get the engine to turn over and start purring, but once it did-this became utterly bewitching.

March 21st, 2020: Just finished last night! I've been reading this on and off for about a month now, sandwiching Beverley's rich, atmospheric prose in between other, grittier (more raw) books. Readers looking for horror more like Shirley Jackson's style will love Lee's storytelling voice. Also, fans who would enjoy gothic, suspense-horror infused with elements of dark fantasy should bookmark this read.

[Vicki Herbert · Rating 3 out of 5]

Overly Long with Weak Plot

THE RUIN OF DELICATE THINGS by Beverly Lee

No spoilers. 3 stars. The first half of this novel was the best part, but keep in mind it is only in comparison to the second half, which was a chore to finish...

The bare basics of the synopsis is about a man, Dan Morgan, who inherits his Aunt Lucinda's cottage called Fairies End, which...

... as the name alludes to, is in a forest inhabited by fairies... and overseen by an evil fairy named Corrigan...

.... Corrigan feeds on despair... human despair...

Dan and wife Faye have lost their only son and they are depressed so, even though some bad memory about the cottage is niggling at the back of Dan's mind...

He drags his wife to his inherited new home. Faye, for her part, blames Dan for their son's death so she wears headphones to block him out and insists on separate bedrooms...

At this point you pretty much get what the first half is about and if you're not bored yet by all means carry on to the second half... and don't say you weren't warned...

I found this overly long novel to be slow moving and oh so repetitive. The reason for the conflict between Corrigan and the human race seemed contrived, making it seem vague and lame.

I thought that the story circled itself over and over and never arrived at a destination until the end, and the end was anticlimactic.

The idea was a good one, but the execution was weak, and it just didn't gel.

Warning: Some graphic animal cruelty is found throughout.

[Chandra Claypool (WhereTheReaderGrows) · Rating 5 out of 5]

There's something about the author being a friend that gets you even more excited but also even more nervous to read their new work. I already knew Bev was extremely talented from reading The Gabriel Davenport trilogy but I still didn't expect the brilliance that is The Ruin of Delicate Things.

Dan and Faye have lost their son and in that, their connection to each other. When Dan heads back to his childhood home at the bequeath of his aunt, he's also heading back to memories that had been buried deep. With that, the story behind the strange happenings at Barrington Hall... and these things will creepy crawl their way straight to your inner being. *SHIVER*

There's a LOT going on with this read - heartache, marriage issues, loss, history, fantasy, horror, thrills and chills. I can only imagine the various forms my face made as I went on their journey that spiraled into a goose pimply hell. Many a time did I physically shudder. Bev took her own fear of moths and incorporated that along with a number of other creatures that made my skin crawl.. A LOT. I felt SO MUCH for Corrigan and the story behind the story. Which way do I root? Well, the only way I could of course and you'll have to read this to figure it all out. I know I'll never think of certain creatures the same again. And I adored how the story played out with an ending that seemed extremely appropriate. I LOVE it when I finish a book with a smile on my face.

A gothic atmospheric read with bits of fantasy horror that I wanted more of. Put this on your TBR.

[books1001 · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ruin of Delicate Things by - @thecon - Book Review.
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First and foremost thank you to you Bev for sending me over an advanced reading copy, feeling super blessed!
-
The story follows Dan and Faye Morgan, married couple on the seek to heal their marriage after the tragic death of their only son.
Dan receives news of his Aunts passing and the cottage from his childhood that has now come into his possession, thinking this would be perfect idyllic setting to heal the marriage wounds, Dan and Faye travel out to remote village in the woods to set down camp.
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Upon arriving at the cottage Faye can feel an underlying presence around the cottage and in the woodlands on their doorstep! What past is Dan hiding from his childhood days spending time playing in the woods? And what is that thing hidden and locked up in the case in the living room held together by a knitting needle?
-
I don’t want to give anymore away other than you need to read this one guys, the atmospheric darkness that beholds you when reading is out of this world, every chapter more darkness trickles out! There’s tension, there’s horror and more than anything there’s emotional turmoil! - ABSOLUTE STUNNER!
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WARNING THIS BOOK DOES CONTAIN SPIDERS 😂💀
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An absolute perfect read of the highest writing standard, Bev really has knocked it out of the park with this one!
-
5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Lisa - *OwlBeSatReading* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh me oh my! 😱

I had high hopes for my second adventure of horror with Beverley Lee and I wasn’t disappointed! The haunted house trope has been ‘done to death’ as they say, but Beverley created a fresh and terrifying take on this horror sub-genre.

As you can see by the checklist that follows, it ticked every box for me -

Run down cottage✔️
Atmospheric woodland✔️
Messed up characters✔️
Haunted house✔️
Faeries✔️
Dark secrets✔️
Luscious descriptions✔️
Blood/gore✔️
Creepy crawlies✔️

Cracking stuff, beautifully written with a gentle, slow-burning, original plot. Loved it! 🖤

[Maria Teresa · Rating 4 out of 5]

La reseña completa en https://inthenevernever.blogspot.com/...

«Barrington Hall no iba a dejarle marchar».

¿Qué harías para recuperar la relación que tenías con tu esposa? Una conexión que se ha ido debilitando cada vez más desde que perdieron a tu hijo en un accidente. ¿Qué pasaría si volver a la casa de campo donde pasabas tus veranos cuando eras un niño no es la solución que esperabas para sanar tu matrimonio? ¿Si las advertencias veladas que todos te hacen en el pueblo tienen una base real? ¿Qué pasaría si el pasado que olvidaste regresa para atormentarte? Hoy quiero hablarles de La decadencia de las cosas delicadas, de Beverley Lee una novela gótica que tiene muchos de los elementos que me encantan: casas encantadas, pueblos pequeños, secretos, mitología y fantasía oscura. Libro que nos llega con la traducción de José Ángel de Dios.

[Becky Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

ADDITIONAL REVIEW:
I've just listened to the new audiobook narrated by Paul Rogan. Honestly, this gave me all the feels, shivers, jittering nerves and the dark sensation that something was creeping over my skin.
I loved the book anyway, but being a huge fan of audiobooks this was a must-listen. Unlike other books I've read and then listened to, The Ruin of Delicate Things audio version brought a whole new dimension of the story for me, truly submerging, pulling me under the water surface so to speak. Damn brilliant.

Original Review:
What does horror mean to you?
For me it's subtle, creeping, that foreboding feeling that leaches up your spine threatening to choke you. A sensation that keeps you from sleeping, as you lay in the dark, long after the pages are closed. For me, these are the best horrors, ones that are tethered to your spine with sparking emotions rather than the graphic blood spatter of a slasher massacre.

The Ruin of Delicate Things, from the very first chapter, reached into my soul grasping all those inner fears both as a mother and human, those tiny buried terrors that haunt my nightmares, palpating them in a tightly gripped fist as I read page after page. It was easy to get lost within the chapters of Ruin as was getting lost within the walls of Barrington Hall.

I never like to give too much away in a review, after all, you have the book blurb to read for the storyline. But what is important to say is that there are some very subtle details in these deftly composed lines, ones that you take in without realising, immersing you in the whole feel, atmosphere and history of its characters. Emotions run high in this book, from all its cast, from those we find an instant affinity with to those not so much, giving each a voice with true sentiments, fears and longings. And the dispute between good and evil rests on a shadowy divide from which you jump from side to side.

Beverley Lee's writing in this, as with her previous book series (The Making of Gabriel Davenport) is eloquent, masterful and confident. This is an author who knows her strengths, who has honed her art with tools of sublime prose, authentic characters and intricate plots, all skilfully draped in a veil of horror. This should be on everyone’s reading list this year.

Thanks goes to Beverley Lee for including me in her inner circle to beta read such a gem.

[Paul Preston · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ruin is a beautiful soft watercolor full of light pastels. However this art is transforming before your eyes. There is a splash of dark in the background, growing, multiplying, quickly taking over. The light fades, the paper is torn, crumpled, stepped on. Darkness has infiltrated and you are left with sorrow and awe. The masterpiece is tainted and grotesque and still absolutely gorgeous.
Beverley Lee will sucker punch you repeatedly and you will enjoy it. Complacency will settle in and as she gently gives you a hug, a razor blade slices your back leaving you wondering where that came from.
This book gets dark and suspenseful , mysteries of the gloomy fantastic unravel to explore what human evil does to fragile life. But the Fantastic has an evil side and a magic to prolong your mental torture.
So much I want to say but I can’t without spoilers.
Respect the forest and don’t go near Barrington Hall, that old abandoned house down by the lake. Pay attention to where you are and to the flashes you see out of the corners of your eye. There are spirits (forces) that want to spend an eternity with you.
4.5 stars

[Tim McGregor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Author Beverley Lee recently wrote an article on quiet horror, trying to pin down what that is and why it's so damn appealing. It's a subtle thing, working through atmosphere and dread, rather than jump scares and gore. It's a tricky thing to articulate in the abstract, something better experienced than explained. And Lee does that in spades in her novel, the precisely titled Ruin of Delicate Things.

There's a lot going on in this tale of two people, numb with grief and unable to connect, trying to find their way back to one another after a devastating loss. Their shared trauma is amplified by the haunting setting, by the dread of a lonely cottage in the woods and the dark things that scurry under the foliage. What works so well here is the quiet horror, the creeping sense of something not right, of a shadow flitting past one's peripheral vision. It builds on the sensuously macabre from a quaint rural setting into a rich tapestry of the Gothic, folk horror, dark fantasy, small town paranoia, and a karmic settling of accounts. Beverley Lee weaves all of this into a satisfying tale that gives goosebumps one moment and heartbreak the next.

[Ross Jeffery · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ruin of Delicate Things is a Gothic romp of a novel that combines the beauty of past masters into a meandering tale of grief, guilt, tragedy, retribution and healing of past wrongs.

Also what a title - it perfectly sums up this book, and what it does to you if you fall under its bewitching spell.

I’ve enjoyed some of Beverley Lee’s short fiction previously and I can testify now that her longer fiction is even more macabre and beautiful, it doesn’t take her long to cement the small town vibe with all of its hidden intricacies and unspoken secrets. We’re also offered the creeping unease of horror and what you expect from the Gothic in a matter of pages, Lee ensures that this is going to be one hell of a ride that will chill the very marrow in your bones.

The Ruin of Delicate Things is fully immersive and pulls at your heart strings, the work around grief in this book is truly masterful and it’s used to smother you in its cool and unforgiving embrace. And then the horror, which is sewn deftly into each paragraph will rock the reader to their very core, it’s a subtle horror that harks back to the brilliance of Shirley Jackson, a horror that leaves its mark on the reader long after you’ve finished reading.

As I’ve said comparisons can (and should) be made to Shirley Jackson with regards to the work Lee accomplishes so well with the sense of place – that being Barrington Hall. Barrington Hall is put across in so much detail, every line and brick and dark corner of that place is explored and given life. I’d go as far as to say that I enjoyed this offering more than I did ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ - there was more tension here than I found in those pages, and that is probably one of the biggest compliments I could bestow upon Lee and her magnificently horrifying story. I’d also say that the gothic elements of this are on par with Sarah Perry’s ‘Melmoth’ which in my opinion is one of the greatest Gothic horrors of recent times – The Ruin of Delicate Things is Gothic horror blended perfectly with dark fantasy, it’s an experience one won’t forget easily.

Touching on the Gothic horror and dark Fantasy now. The book is told in two parts, the first of which is a beautiful study on the Gothic, the sense of place, the tone of the horror that Lee weaves into the prose and the surrounding town, it is perfection. The second part of the book takes all the brilliance of the first part but ramps it up to eleven, it is full blown survival horror that bleeds into it elements of dark Fantasy, even a folklore vibe can be felt as we sense that the whole small town are aware of something that is not being said to these out-of-towners – a dark secret that they don’t want to or will not utter because of the consequences of those actions, instead the townsfolk remain aloof add a little bit odd and allow our protagonists to discover the horrors of this place all by themselves.

What took me back and made me stare in wide eyed amazement is Lee’s prose, it’s an utter delight, I’ve highlighted many chapters, some of her paragraph structures caused me to pause once I’d read it and read it again, not because it was confusing but because it was absolutely stunning, I just had to read it again and again to let it sink in, masterful stuff!

The character work and location work on show is a sheer masterclass, the locations (the town, woods, Barrington Hall) all become characters in their own right, adding an additional layer to the deep and beguiling story that Lee unravels before our eyes. Both of our main protagonists are wonderfully put across on the page, you can root for them, cry with them, hide in fear alongside them, cheer them on and you can’t help but become totally invested and enraptured with their plight and the horrors that come to pass.

The Ruin of Delicate Things showcases a writer who is at the top of her game, a stunning and haunting tale that will ruin you if you let it, pick up a copy now and see if you enjoy your time at Barrington Hall.

[Montse #SeguiréLeyendo · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

Reseña completa:

https://escaparateliterario.com/resen...

[Leigh F · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beverley Lee has captivated me story after story and once again she has stolen my breath away with The Ruin of Delicate Things.

The story starts out as a slow burn and continues to pick up pace all the way to the end. What a roller coaster of emotions this ride was. The characters felt like they were right next to me relating their stories right to me and making me feel all that they felt, from loss to fear to anger to strength.

I recommend this to anyone who likes a little bit of superstition and a whole lot of working through loss and those things that hold the loss at the forefront of our brains.

[Zai · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me ha gustado bastante esta novela, es muy diferente a todas las novelas de terror que he leído hasta ahora. Es una novela paranormal con una ambientación gótica, está dividida en 2 partes; la primera parte es más opresiva y aquí me ha costado bastante entrar en la trama, ya que hasta bastante avanzada la trama, no tenía claro de que trataba exactamente y la segunda parte, es más ágil, tiene más acción, y es donde se confluyen presente y pasado y todo se resuelve.

La novela es una novela coral, está narrada en primera persona, y vamos viendo los diversos puntos de vista de varios personajes.

Los personajes están bien perfilados, aunque los protagonistas, Dan y Faye, me han gustado no son mis favoritos, éstos son Corrigan y Milo, que son 2 secundarios con mucho peso en la trama.

La novela gira alrededor de Barrington Hall, una mansión en medio del bosque que está cerca de un lago, descubriremos que ese lago tiene bastante importancia....

A este pueblo es a donde viajan el matrimonio compuesto por Dan y Faye para tratar de recomponer su relación, tras la muerte de su hijo Toby, tras la muerte de la tía de Dan, Lucinda que le ha dejado en herencia una casa allí. Dan solo recuerda que pasó algunos veranos allí, pero según se instalan los recuerdos van aflorando poco a poco.

Además Barrington Hall esconde secretos, algo terrible ocurrió allí, que rompió la estabilidad entre la gente del bosque y la magia ascentral del bosque.

Es una novela que habla de la culpa, el dolor, los secretos del pasado y sobre todo, de la venganza.

[Coy Hall · Rating 5 out of 5]

A terrific dive into the gothic. Lee handles the emotional pain of her characters with nuance. The depth of the Morgans really drives the narrative, and it makes the horror set pieces terrifying. A beautiful work.

[Los libros de Baker Street · Rating 3 out of 5]

La historia me ha gustado mucho, pero no he empatizado nada con la forma de narrar de la autora. Muchas divagaciones y poco concreta.

[Gemma Evans · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ancient lore in a modern horror story

Beverley Lee does it again with this fantastic story. I think Milo will haunt me forever. A scary reminder of why we are to revere and not cross the Fae.

[Charles Edwards-Freshwater · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you a fan of deliciously dark and creepy tales? I certainly am, which is why Beverley Lee's latest offering is one of the most exciting book releases for me this year. Better yet, I am thrilled that it lived up to my expectations.

Following the story of Dan and Faye, a London couple who take up residence in seemingly idyllic woodland cottage after inheriting it from a weird aunt, The Ruin of Delicate Things soon gets dark and twisted, beckoning in things that go bump in the night and revealing that all is not well in this almost-fairytale setting.

In all honesty, I'm not usually creeped out by scary books, but I have to admit that some of the early chapters of this sent a tingle up my spine (reading at 2am definitely helped!) - Beverley has such a nice way with words that it's very easy to get sucked in and your mind start to play tricks on you - she really captures a specific feeling that makes you feel a bit vulnerable, alone and defenceless. I also really liked how the story wove together the past and the present - the themes at play are very interesting and we explore grief, abandonment, guilt and fractured relationships - all against a setting of macabre fantastical goings on.

I won't reveal any of the finer points of the plot or what creatures may be lurking in the woods, but it's safe to say that there are some images that will stick with me a long time!

A wonderful story for those who like things dark and unforgettable.

5 stars

[Christopher Henderson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beverley Lee spins an atmospheric tale of tragedy, guilt, and unhealed wounds, with an opening scene that weaves its spell perfectly, ensuring you will be pulled ever deeper, losing yourself in a plot that entwines the Gothic horrors of a haunted house with the older, more sinister realm of Faerie. Wonderful stuff.

[Emily Kestrel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Because of the cover, I was afraid this was going to be a generic haunted house story. But it’s not. (Although there is a haunted house.)

This one is unusual, very well written, with likable characters and an excellent setting. I would definitely recommend it to fans of dark fantasy/horror.

[Nicole Eigener · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was my second read of this book. I don't often re-read. If I do, it's because a book keeps re-emerging in my thoughts. I re-read when I need a story to settle into my marrow. This is one of those books. Such books become part of my forever shelves, part of my blood. The Ruin of Delicate Things is an absolutely unsung book that should be a classic, that should be mentioned alongside any mention of Shirley Jackson. Beverley Lee's language — her tone of voice, her dexterity for unfolding a tragic story — wholly earns her a title as a master of dark fiction.

This is a book for people who think they don't like horror, because it is isn't horror per se. There are some genuinely horrific moments, to be sure: but this story is more about the horror that lives within the human heart, about the horror that people can inflict upon others. And hidden within is a secret message: about history, about respecting things you doubt and cannot possibly understand. About how to reconcile those within a modern existence. The unsettling tales one hears growing up...are they just fables? Or will the truth of them finally come to claim its pound of flesh?

There is a heavy presence of grief woven throughout this book, which is difficult for some to face. There is tragedy, there is loss, there is redemption.

What you'll find in The Ruin of Delicate Things:

* British folk horror
* Lush, gothic, cinematic language
* Ghosts, both real and imagined
* Grief and longing for times past
* An abandoned, crumbling manor with secrets
* Cosy cottage vibes
* An unexpected twist on supernatural creatures
* Setting as character
* Village life
* Modern sensibilities battling long-respected legends

This is a book that will live in my heart rent-free forever. I adore Beverley Lee's voice, and I've read all her work. Aside from her Gabriel Davenport trilogy, this remains my favourite. It is an unsung classic of dark fiction, and I hope I live to see the day when it is celebrated alongside Jackson, Du Maurier's Rebecca, and Wuthering Heights. It is *that* good.

[D Gillis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Faye and Dan Morgan retreat to a house in the woods where he spent his childhood summers in an attempt to escape the crushing loss of their son. Dan has no real memories of his time there—he is haunted and doesn’t even know why. Beverley Lee does a wonderful job creating a sense of foreboding. Both Faye and Dan know something is off right from the start but this couple is so detached from each other that they don’t compare notes. Their estrangement is not helped by the odd atmosphere both at the house, the small town and the surrounding woods. The story starts out slow but when it takes off I couldn’t put it down. I found myself literally holding my breath. The scenes featuring Barrington Hall are some of my favorites. I felt like I was right there, moving through the rooms, wanting to cover my eyes but needing know what happens next! I loved the gothic atmosphere. Lee has written a five-star read. Highly recommended!

[The Girl with the Sagittarius Tattoo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dang! This turned out to be much better than I expected.

At first it's a story about a couple who've lost their teen son and are trying to heal and re-bond. Dan decides to bring his wife to the summertime home of his childhood after he receives word that his aunt has passed and has left him her cottage. This section, which takes up the first half of the book, lays all the groundwork for the big show later. The town elders all appear to believe there's a supernatural something (evil fairies) in the forest that must be respected or appeased, but nobody's being straight with the facts. Still, Dan's feels there's something to all this since there's a huge chunk of his last summer here missing from his memory.

The second half is where all the action is, and I really sat up and paid attention. Although it will be obvious to readers by the time they get there, revealing too much about what/ who/ why/ where will take something away. All I can say is that it was intriguing and contained a few intense moments.

This story sure felt a lot more substantial than its 244 pages! So how was the ending? Well, some pieces wrapped up appropriately/as expected, and other pieces fell short. Overall this book was pretty creative, if not perfect. A very fun and creepy little read - just get through the slowish first half.

[Linda Lou · Rating 5 out of 5]

What first drew me to this book was the cover followed by the title. However, it wasn’t till I finished the book that I saw how much the title reflected the story… life, love, innocence, friendship, guilt and the fragility of it all. All delicate things. All ruined.

The Ruin of Delicate Things is well written and easily drew me into the story. It also happened to be at night during a lightning and thunder storm with pounding rain which intensified the foreboding tone of Lee’s descriptive passages of terror and grief.

Why don’t characters listen when you try to tell them something or warn them? Why in the world would someone willingly go inside a creepy, abandoned and foreboding house on the cusp of a brewing storm? Not me; however I did keep reading and turning the pages as quickly as I could.

Lee easily led me into the story even though I knew something bad was going to happen. I kept telling Dan and Faye don’t open the door, stay in the cottage, don’t go outside, stay out of the woods; but they didn’t listen. And me? I couldn’t stop reading and turning the next page until, I disappeared into this story of dread and dark magic.

Sidebar: I’ve read Lee’s Gabriel Davenport series and found it just as horrifically enticing, if not more so.
Horrifically Enticing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Nora · Rating 4 out of 5]

Following the story of Dan and Faye, a London couple who has recently lost their son and take up residence in a seemingly idyllic woodland cottage after inheriting it from an aunt Dan used to spend his summers at as a child. But the upcoming childhood memories bring back things that would better be forgotten and buried. There is somethings about the woods that hum dark secrets and do not promise anything good. Faye finds herself pulled into this strangly dark world of her husbands past and risks to lose herself in it.
This tale of tale of grief and horror is one of my highlights of 2020!
I found myself very impressed with the atmosphere Lee created, a perfect mix of cold terror and beautiful poetic writing. Multiple raw and emotionally driven narratives sucked me into the story and I fell in love with every charcater, even the monster. Beverley Lee has a wonderful way of bewitching your senses with her detailed and rich narrative. This was a delicate journey of mystery, fear and abysses.
Beverley is such a kind and nice woman, please support her and do yourself the favour of reading this wonderful book !

[Catherine McCarthy · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Ruin of Delicate Things: what a title, and it sums up this story to perfection.
Grief, guilt, tragedy, it’s all there, but interwoven through a tale set in a cottage, in a woods, with an abandoned mansion nearby. Yes, all the elements which make for a fantastical, spooky ride.
For me, Beverley Lee’s descriptive skills are spot on. Right from the start I was immersed in every scene, with Barrington Hall, in particular, vividly depicted. This gave it a gothic feel which I love.
I found myself empathizing with several of the characters throughout and for different reasons: Faye dealing with the loss of her son, Dan likewise but also because he was guilt-ridden because of what had happened in the past, and even Corrigan’s back story.
All in all, thoroughly enjoyable with some very atmospheric, creepy parts.
Add it to your autumn TBR list – you won’t regret it!

[Crookedhouseofbooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fairytale with razor sharp teeth

I found myself much impressed and fully invested right from page one. Beverley's descriptions and details border on poetic and the storyline is unique with a blending of whimsical fantasy and cold blooded terror. The use of multiple povs with the characters is flawlessly executed and I'm happy to say that I connected with each character, including the monster.

[Godzillareads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it's pretty safe to say this is my favorite book of 2020. All the things I love are inside. Haunted house/ ghost story, old family secrets, mysterious old home hidden away in the woods, and the fair folk. A dark gothic fairytale that feels like it was written just for me.

[Michelle M. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unexpected

Some familiar parts, a quiet, rural English village, distrustful locals, and a sense that something is very wrong here. The unfolding of the story is fascinating, weaving fairy tales and ghost stories into something unexpected, creepy and compelling.