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Sight Unseen: The Haunting of Blackstone Manor
When house flipping investor Katie Pearson scores an amazing deal on an old Victorian home sight unseen, she not only unleashes its original historic beauty, she also unleashes an unholy and terrifying evil presence. Now Katie, the atheist-now-turned-believer, must destroy the evil or become consumed by it.
188 pages, Paperback
Published November 17, 2016
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437 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews
January 21, 2020
Sight Unseen: The Haunting Of Blackstone Manor is a story about ghosts inhabiting a house two ladies are planning to renovate for resale — or “flip” in the current vernacular.
Ghost stories may scare, excite and entertain children, but we’re not children. Moreover, I had recently read and reviewed another ghost story by a well-known and reputable writer which I had found dull and disappointing. And finally, the opening line of this book, Sight Unseen, did not exactly bring the Pulitzer Prize to mind: “Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch. Silence. Scratch scratch scratch.” That’s a direct quote.
You might then wonder why I continued reading Sight Unseen. Well, I found intriguing a few reviewers who were praising an ending they said they didn’t see coming; the book was short, so it wouldn’t be wasting too much of my time; and it was free, so how bad could it be?
Evidently the author took my question as a personal challenge.
It was bad because the author, James Matheson and presumably a male, has created two main female characters, so he has to write how he thinks women talk and act. Thanks to Mr. Matheson’s understanding of the opposite sex, they say gonna and gotta a lot. The girls giggle a lot. There’s an embarrassing reference to a “hot” building contractor’s “buns.” Worst of all, their simplistic dialogue makes the ladies sound like simpletons.
It was bad because his two main characters drink way, way, way too much wine. If he had written his characters as thinking instead of drinking, they might have sounded marginally intelligent. (On second thought, I correct myself. The characters didn’t sound stupid because they were drunk. They sounded stupid because their author is a lousy writer.)
Mostly it was bad because the author created a paint-by-numbers ghost story about things that go bump in the night in a haunted house. And why was the house haunted? Because a family had been murdered there. Sound familiar? Think Stephen King and a hundred other writers. Make that at least a hundred others.
Finally, the few reviewers who said the book had an ending they didn’t see coming need to have their eyes examined.
I challenge you to write a book this bad. I bet you can’t.
Ghost stories may scare, excite and entertain children, but we’re not children. Moreover, I had recently read and reviewed another ghost story by a well-known and reputable writer which I had found dull and disappointing. And finally, the opening line of this book, Sight Unseen, did not exactly bring the Pulitzer Prize to mind: “Scratch scratch scratch. Scratch scratch. Silence. Scratch scratch scratch.” That’s a direct quote.
You might then wonder why I continued reading Sight Unseen. Well, I found intriguing a few reviewers who were praising an ending they said they didn’t see coming; the book was short, so it wouldn’t be wasting too much of my time; and it was free, so how bad could it be?
Evidently the author took my question as a personal challenge.
It was bad because the author, James Matheson and presumably a male, has created two main female characters, so he has to write how he thinks women talk and act. Thanks to Mr. Matheson’s understanding of the opposite sex, they say gonna and gotta a lot. The girls giggle a lot. There’s an embarrassing reference to a “hot” building contractor’s “buns.” Worst of all, their simplistic dialogue makes the ladies sound like simpletons.
It was bad because his two main characters drink way, way, way too much wine. If he had written his characters as thinking instead of drinking, they might have sounded marginally intelligent. (On second thought, I correct myself. The characters didn’t sound stupid because they were drunk. They sounded stupid because their author is a lousy writer.)
Mostly it was bad because the author created a paint-by-numbers ghost story about things that go bump in the night in a haunted house. And why was the house haunted? Because a family had been murdered there. Sound familiar? Think Stephen King and a hundred other writers. Make that at least a hundred others.
Finally, the few reviewers who said the book had an ending they didn’t see coming need to have their eyes examined.
I challenge you to write a book this bad. I bet you can’t.
November 26, 2016
Very hard to put down.
Caught up from the first paragraph. Started to read on the way to work and had to make myself turn off the Kindle so that I didn't miss my stop. Katie was easy to sympathize with and feel her frustration. Looking for more stories that are rich and compelling from this author.
Caught up from the first paragraph. Started to read on the way to work and had to make myself turn off the Kindle so that I didn't miss my stop. Katie was easy to sympathize with and feel her frustration. Looking for more stories that are rich and compelling from this author.
April 23, 2018
Quick Read
A quick and easy read. I enjoyed the slightly predictable nature of the story. It had enough quirks and unique aspects to keep me interested.
A quick and easy read. I enjoyed the slightly predictable nature of the story. It had enough quirks and unique aspects to keep me interested.
February 7, 2017
Creepy thriller!
This was quite a scary book about a haunted house with a dark and sinister history. Katie's bought an old historic house with the intent to fix it up then sell for a profit. But, the house did not want that.
This was quite a scary book about a haunted house with a dark and sinister history. Katie's bought an old historic house with the intent to fix it up then sell for a profit. But, the house did not want that.
January 28, 2017
Sight unseen
Nice and scary. Good read for a long night. Possible 2nd book would be cool with the way it ended
Nice and scary. Good read for a long night. Possible 2nd book would be cool with the way it ended
February 9, 2017
You can tell the author is a man
You can definitely tell the book was written by a man who seems to have an obsession about the main character's "boobs". As a woman I can honestly say that some of the silly comments and thoughts I've heard from men......not women. Men might enjoy his obsession but I certainly don't!
The wording is often awkward and distracting. The book is gets bogged down by details about things that don't contribute at all to the story.
I only got to chapter 5 before saying enough.
I do not recommend reading Sight Unseen.
You can definitely tell the book was written by a man who seems to have an obsession about the main character's "boobs". As a woman I can honestly say that some of the silly comments and thoughts I've heard from men......not women. Men might enjoy his obsession but I certainly don't!
The wording is often awkward and distracting. The book is gets bogged down by details about things that don't contribute at all to the story.
I only got to chapter 5 before saying enough.
I do not recommend reading Sight Unseen.
November 25, 2016
Interesting
This is not my usual genre but I find the book to be interesting. It's not too long, the storyline doesn't drag on into endless boredom. I rather enjoyed it. I have the Kindle edition and I noticed some mis-spellings and grammatical errors, but that sometimes happens on Kindle.
This is not my usual genre but I find the book to be interesting. It's not too long, the storyline doesn't drag on into endless boredom. I rather enjoyed it. I have the Kindle edition and I noticed some mis-spellings and grammatical errors, but that sometimes happens on Kindle.
March 13, 2017
What a resounding "meh." I was hoping for some good, edge of the seat horror here, but I got nothing that hasn't been done a thousand times before and a thousand times better. There were some solid elements, such as the working with a , but mostly it just was an endless rehash of every haunted house trope you want to think of. This tried so hard to be The Haunting of Hill House that it became almost farcical. The writing was strained and the characters unsympathetic. I had hoped that with two female protagonists we might actually get somewhere, maybe cover some new ground, but the obsession with their own boobs and asses (what do men think adult women do when they have friends over? All that was missing was the giggling pillow fight.) and too much wine made them weak rather than compelling.
I did read it quickly because I had hopes that it would get somewhere in the end after starting so very slowly; it's very short so when it seemed like we had reached the story's climax at what my kindle showed was "82%" of the book, I figured there had to be a big double-twist coming. No, that's just the preview of the a different book; this one actually ends at 87% on my edition, and the "twist" of the end isn't surprising when you consider how mind-numbingly stupid most of the main character's other decisions had been.
The only good thing I can say is that the author describes the beauty of Victorian homes so well I had a sudden urge to go by one and start my own career as a home restorer. Don't think that's what he was going for, but it's the most inspiring thing that happened in the whole book. Take your wins where you get them, I guess?
I did read it quickly because I had hopes that it would get somewhere in the end after starting so very slowly; it's very short so when it seemed like we had reached the story's climax at what my kindle showed was "82%" of the book, I figured there had to be a big double-twist coming. No, that's just the preview of the a different book; this one actually ends at 87% on my edition, and the "twist" of the end isn't surprising when you consider how mind-numbingly stupid most of the main character's other decisions had been.
The only good thing I can say is that the author describes the beauty of Victorian homes so well I had a sudden urge to go by one and start my own career as a home restorer. Don't think that's what he was going for, but it's the most inspiring thing that happened in the whole book. Take your wins where you get them, I guess?
February 5, 2017
There was nothing original in this story. Same old tried and true murder in an old house which is now haunted. The only thing different is that the heroine is a house flipper, and not a hapless new home owner. The writing is stilted and there are problems with grammar and spelling. Very disappointing.
October 15, 2017
Very creepy thriller. Quite a scary book about a haunted house with a dark and sinister history. Kate bought the house site unseen with the intent on fixing it up and sell it for a profit. But the house has other ideas.
The boo was a good fast-paced engrossing story. There is a lot of action and it pulls you in so you can't put the book down. It was an enjoyable read.
The boo was a good fast-paced engrossing story. There is a lot of action and it pulls you in so you can't put the book down. It was an enjoyable read.
October 15, 2017
Very good read!
I enjoyed this story and it flowed easily and quickly. Only reason I gave it 3 rather than 4 stars as I didn't feel the excitement carried all the way through the book; there were times when I felt the momentum had slowed down. Otherwise, this was a great, quick read!
I enjoyed this story and it flowed easily and quickly. Only reason I gave it 3 rather than 4 stars as I didn't feel the excitement carried all the way through the book; there were times when I felt the momentum had slowed down. Otherwise, this was a great, quick read!
September 7, 2020
Great spooky story with believable and enjoyable characters
I alway like a good haunted house tale and usually forgive the author for unbelievable (and occasionally stupid) characters. But this book has it all ~ great characters, fun dialogue (! Thank you for not giving me holier than thou people!), and spookiness galore. Loved it!
I alway like a good haunted house tale and usually forgive the author for unbelievable (and occasionally stupid) characters. But this book has it all ~ great characters, fun dialogue (! Thank you for not giving me holier than thou people!), and spookiness galore. Loved it!
May 8, 2017
Terrible.
The only reason this got 2 stars instead of 1 was because it was such an easy read. The characters were flat, the dialogue stilted and the scary bits were cliched. Can't recommend this to anyone.
The only reason this got 2 stars instead of 1 was because it was such an easy read. The characters were flat, the dialogue stilted and the scary bits were cliched. Can't recommend this to anyone.
June 11, 2017
DON'T BOTHER
I gave this one star because I could not read this book. Got to chapter nine and gave up. The author seems to just put whatever words pop into her head on paper. Just badly written, did the book get edited?!?!
I gave this one star because I could not read this book. Got to chapter nine and gave up. The author seems to just put whatever words pop into her head on paper. Just badly written, did the book get edited?!?!
August 7, 2017
Blackstone Manor
This book is awesome! A good fast-paced engrossing story. There is a lot of action and it pulls you in so that you can't put the book down. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Karj
This book is awesome! A good fast-paced engrossing story. There is a lot of action and it pulls you in so that you can't put the book down. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Karj
October 23, 2018
Glad I read this book in the light of day.
Throughly enjoyed this book. Happy I read 85% of it in the day time at work. I noticed I was jumping at noises in the night that I would normally would have ignored.
Throughly enjoyed this book. Happy I read 85% of it in the day time at work. I noticed I was jumping at noises in the night that I would normally would have ignored.
July 28, 2017
Decent!
I enjoyed this book as is as
Exciting and interesting. It is well written and edited and held me spellbound while wondering what was going to occur next.
I enjoyed this book as is as
Exciting and interesting. It is well written and edited and held me spellbound while wondering what was going to occur next.
November 14, 2017
Good
I read it in one sitting. Interesting, not too deep. A good read for a peaceful and enjoyable afternoon. Will read more of the author's books.
I read it in one sitting. Interesting, not too deep. A good read for a peaceful and enjoyable afternoon. Will read more of the author's books.
December 7, 2017
Good read
Spooky but cleaver. Great ending. Hard to put down. Lots of twists. Exciting page turner. Plan to read more by this author.
Spooky but cleaver. Great ending. Hard to put down. Lots of twists. Exciting page turner. Plan to read more by this author.
July 13, 2018
A lot of people lived in Blackstone Manor. I had trouble keeping track. I would've liked more backstory on the ghost.
April 19, 2020
Greatly enjoyed!
Very good read. Didn’t want to put it down. Can’t wait to read the others. The descriptions were like you could picture yourself there.
Very good read. Didn’t want to put it down. Can’t wait to read the others. The descriptions were like you could picture yourself there.
July 24, 2020
I'm hooked!
I stayed up way pasty bedtime because I could not put this book down! I have already purchased book 2 & 3! Very spooky & very entertaining. Loved it!
I stayed up way pasty bedtime because I could not put this book down! I have already purchased book 2 & 3! Very spooky & very entertaining. Loved it!
August 9, 2020
A good book that was very interesting reading, full of mystery and suspense. I look forward to the next one in this series!
November 20, 2020
Great stories
The first story was really good than you get a bonus story that just ends and leaves you hanging but the second story was good also
The first story was really good than you get a bonus story that just ends and leaves you hanging but the second story was good also
December 8, 2021
Good story
I really enjoyed this book. It's an easy read! Great suspense and the story just rolled on. I'm looking forward to the next one
I really enjoyed this book. It's an easy read! Great suspense and the story just rolled on. I'm looking forward to the next one
June 13, 2022
The story is sorta based on an actual crime that happened to a famcaily, here in US..
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Want to read
September 5, 2023It was good. The end disappointed me a little. But the story was entertaining.
March 13, 2017
Spooky good read
I always enjoy a good haunted house story and Blackstone Manor was great. From the house to the characters the author sets a fast pace that kept me reading and guessing what might happen next. The ending was well done .The first book that I have read by this author,but it won't be the last.
Another great book provided by kindle unlimited subscription.
I always enjoy a good haunted house story and Blackstone Manor was great. From the house to the characters the author sets a fast pace that kept me reading and guessing what might happen next. The ending was well done .The first book that I have read by this author,but it won't be the last.
Another great book provided by kindle unlimited subscription.
March 7, 2017
This was a really good idea that just sort of fell flat. I liked the story, but there was a lot of potential that just wasn't fully developed. I wasn't a fan of the writing unfortunately - I felt like it jumped around too much.
February 14, 2017
Great read
I enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. I would really like to see a sequel!! Can't wait yo read the author's other books
I enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. I would really like to see a sequel!! Can't wait yo read the author's other books
Displaying 1 - 30 of 49 reviews