Owl Manor: The Dawning

by Zita Harrison

A tale of unspeakable murder, a doomed alliance, and retribution from the beyond
Sometimes the tide sweeps us into a fog where dark forces are at work…suddenly good and evil become blurred. Powerless and defenseless, we swim toward it, and wonder if we’re going mad.

Eva is born in the wrong era. In 1800s America, women are required to obey their husbands without question and to submit to their presumed superiority. But Eva wants more. Willful and ambitious, she considers herself equal to men. But the times are unrelenting, and it is her curse to remain unheard.

Rafe is a misogynist. Born of a demented mother who shattered his childhood and family, he is forever tormented by a scathing mistrust of women.

The tide brings them together at Owl Manor, a place shrouded in darkness, forsaken by the sun. A place where owls breathe in the very fabric of the walls, and shadows wander the passages. Where good and evil blur.

Will Eva make the right choice?

Owl Manor – the Dawning, the first in a trilogy of Gothic suspense novels, is inspired by authors such as Daphne du Maurier (Jamaica Inn), Carlos Ruiz Zafon (Shadow of the Wind), Shirley Jackson (The Haunting of Hill House).

"Gothic was never like this in that Zita Harrison digs deeper and ranges farther. I think she may write with the spirit of Shirley Jackson peering over her shoulder.” – Mallory A. Haws: The Haunted Reading Room Reviews

Genres: Horror, Gothic

484 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 15, 2018

About the author

I have found nothing out there that compares to the thrill of creating and experiencing Art. Art in every form: writing, painting, music, theater; all in the end expressions of life. The joys, the agonies, the frustrations. However abstract, transcendental, bizarre, Art draws from life; a vision, a thought, an epiphany sparked by what is going on around us. It challenges boundaries, explores new ideas and new ways to communicate them, and, finally, has the power to reach and connect with people of all different cultures and beliefs.

To share two of my favorite quotes on the topic: about Art, Pablo Picasso once said: "A work of art must make a man react, feel strongly, start creating too, if only in his imagination. He must be seized by the throat and shaken up; he has to be made aware of the world he's living in and for that he must first be jolted out of it." Thank you, Maestro. That says it all.

And my favorite quote about writing is one from Carl Sagan: "Writing is perhaps the greatest of human inventions, binding together people who never knew each other, citizens of distant epochs. Books break the shackles of time. A book is proof that humans are capable of working magic." YES!!

All my life I have been passionate about both Writing and Art and am now happily writing, and creating Art in the form of both Graphic Design as well as personal Art.

I designed the covers for all my novels which inspired me to offer cover design to writers at a very reasonable price, since I'm trying to get my name out there! In my career as a Graphic Designer I have designed posters, CD covers, brochures, and many other things which have equipped me with the skills necessary to do book covers. Visit my COVER DESIGNS page and my OTHER DESIGNS pages to see samples of my work! I am working on a PRICING and SPECIAL OFFERS page and hope to have it up soon!

Reviews

[Luvtoread (Trying to catch up) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Impressive Storyteller! This is a wonderful gothic horror novel. The writing is beautifully done and takes you back to another time, where you feel you are living in another world and witnessing the events that take place within this unusual story. The story follows high spirited and beautiful Eva who was raised by her well off aunt and uncle who also have daughters, yet Eva was loved as one of their own. Eva marries very young and has a child, but she is dissatisfied at the way her life has turned out. The other main character is Rafe Bradstone who had an unfortunate and abusive childhood and has many scars and wounds that still fester with the cruelty of his upbringing. There is a serial killer of prostitutes reigning fear and terror in Denver but the town hasn't any clues of who this monster could be. Owl Manor will appear with an air of grandeur and foreboding in it's majestic yet dark beauty and many, many stone owls adorn this mansion inside and outside. You must read this book youself, to find out the why the owls have become the name of Owl Manor. I was mesmerized by the storytelling and beautiful writing that Zita Harrison has created in this book. I haven't read a gothic novel in many years and this book captured all the eerie and dark emotions with slow building suspense that was exceptionally gratifying. I can't say enough good things about this book. This is a must read if anyone is interested in gothic books or just a terrific dark story that is so well-written. I want to thank Netgally and Booksgosocial for allowing me to read this digital ebook in exchange for my unbiased and honest review. I highly recommend this book and given a rating of 4 1/2 Dark 🌟🌟🌟🌟✴ Stars!!

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 4 out of 5]

I confess that the description put me off a little. I am not a fan of romance novels but I do love a good historical fiction.

Eva is a young woman with a strong will and bright mind who feels there must be something more to life than the drudgery of settling into marriage and bearing children that she doesn't really want, with a man who turns out to be less than what she had hoped for. Not having many opportunities in the 1850s she is swept by circumstance to live in squalor and poverty while her husband pursues his dream of striking gold.

There's a serial killer on the loose, whose hatred of his mother drives him to murder prostitutes, believing the world is a better place without these unclean women. Money and privilege conceal his heinous acts and seem to keep him above suspicion from everyone...except the owls. When he crosses paths with Eva, her strong will may be her salvation or her demise.

I received a complimentary copy for review.

[Sophie Narey (Bookreview- aholic) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first time I've read a book by this author and I must admit that I really enjoyed the writing style. I found it an easy book to read that flowed nicely throughout. Sometimes with this genre the books tend to go off on a tangent and lose the reader, but this book cleverly avoids doing this and so the reader stays engaged the whole time.

I found that the depth of knowledge this book has clearly shows that the author has done their research and looked into the fact for when the book is set. I will definitely be looking out for more books from this author!

I received a free copy of this book in return for an honest review

[N.N. Heaven · Rating 5 out of 5]

There has possibly never been another book like this one. The author crafts a story in duality with the strident suffragist Eva - who seems to be at least sixty years ahead of her time, and with Rafe - the deranged yet calm when not fulminating murderer of 'sinful' women. The book carries you through two tales that only begin to intersect halfway along. The relationship between Eva and Rafe is one of the most complex ever created by an author. You have a woman who has spent her life fighting for the right to be considered an equal and a man who has spent his life thinking all women are scheming and evil.



The twist is when Eva, knowing only that there is something seriously wrong with Rafe, but finds comfort in his accepting her forthright opinions. Rafe detests all women but comes to find Eva has a way about her that doesn't remind him of any other woman he has met and that enthralls him.



One might think the central point of this book is a philosophical analysis of women's rights in mid 19th century America. The premise seems to be a woman who demands an equal place and voice in society is so alien to society that only a mentally deranged murderer sees value in her.



This book seeps into your soul. I found myself dreaming about this book as I read it. The reader will also find that this story is all encompassing that the length of time spent reading will seem like an endless journey.



There is so much in this book that it has the capability of appealing to almost everyone. I recommend it to any fans of gothic horror like Poe wrote and anyone who enjoys deep character exploration rarely seen in 21st century fiction.



My Rating: 5 stars



Reviewed by: Mr. N



This review first appeared: https://www.nnlightsbookheaven.com/si...

[Annemarie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owl Manor will definitely keep you turning the pages and reading late into the night.

The characters of Mr. Bradstone, Mr. Gilbert and Eva are very well developed and as such show great insight into why a wealthy serial killer is the way he is; why a bought and paid for accomplice has done nothing to stop him and how a well brought up woman suffering during extremely hard times, was able to still the beast.

This is the first book by author Zita Harrison that I have read but it certainly won't be the last. Happy reading. Annemarie

I received an Advance Reader Copy of Owl Manor through BookSirens and have chosen to leave a review.

[G.J. Griffiths]

I began reading Owl Manor: The Dawning, a Gothic Romance, with some trepidation; not because this genre of novel makes me feel nervous or fearful about its scary content, but because I grew out of this type of book long ago. When I was much younger I enjoyed Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, The Pit and the Pendulum and other similar novels, usually looking forward to a bit of madness and murder that would take place within the walls of an old castle or manor house. Notwithstanding this doubt I read on and found the first half of Zita Harrison’s book intriguing through her excellent portrayal of Eva, the main character, and the sorry domestic situation in which Eva found herself when she rushed into her marriage with Lewis. This was during the early years of the 19th century when the plight of women was to be much less than equal in status, et cetera, than men. We are completely sympathetic to this clever, attractive and strong-willed young mother who hates the poverty and struggle of her life. The desperate circumstances that she and her family are in when they move to the gold rush region of Denver, Colorado, change for the better when Eva becomes a servant at Owl Manor – enter the crazy madman, Mr. Bradstone.

From this point onwards Eva’s behaviour towards ‘the master’, and more seriously her intrinsic character, changes so much that I began to suspend my belief in the story. While I quite understand that some heroines, such as Elizabeth Bennet and Jane Eyre, in historical novels seem destined to fall for the flawed male character that shares the limelight with them in the novel, in this book I found it stretched the credibility too much. Apart from this I found the typos and edits throughout and the rushed final chapter also spoiled my enjoyment. There are very few ‘surreal’ novels of the ghostly, ghoulish, gothic or fantasy type that can dispel my overall feeling of “nonsense” when I read them. The books of Mervyn Peake, J.R.R. Tolkien and Dennis Wheatley will always, for me, take a lot of beating.

[Bara B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owl Manor is an easy and fast-paced read. It's a combination of many genres. Romance. Mystery. A bit of horror. Ghosts involved. There's quite a bit of philosophy in it, too, which is my favorite part. I loved the discussion of religion, redemption, and sin. The thoughts about women's right were interesting, too. Though I'm not sure if the opinion of a girl back in the 19th century could be that strong. And maybe not from someone who got married at 19 and had a family. Seems like it could come to one gradually in life. But the main heroine was an interesting woman, for sure. Definitely, an unusual mentality for that time. Would've loved to hear more for the reasons for such an opinionated woman to join a brothel.
The man, the main character—a good match. With traumatic childhood and sadistic habits, he nevertheless was likable. Sort of Beauty and the Beast story. A lot of description of feelings, contemplations. The development of the relationship was slow but engaging, and the ending... was a nice surprise. Not what I though it was going but quite shocking. Now that I think about it, it's perfect for a book like Owl Manor.

[Escape Into Reading · Rating 4 out of 5]

Horror, mainly the gothic subgenre, is something that I tend to stay away from when reading for pleasure and reading for reviews. I can get easily unnerved by what I am reading, and with my husband traveling 2-3 days a week, I have learned to stay away from those genres. But with him being home (new job=more at home time), I decided to take a chance and read Owl Manor. I am glad that I did because this book was incredibly creepy and very heartbreaking at the same time.

Owl Manor: The Dawning is book 1 in the Owl Manor series. This is the first book in the series, so there will be no gentle suggestions about reading the previous books.

Owl Manor: The Dawning had exciting storylines. There was Eva’s storyline. Raised by her aunt and uncle, Eva is a headstrong, intelligent young woman determined to make it in a man’s world. But then she gets pregnant, is forced to marry a man beneath her station, and is turned bitter by these events. But, Eva is a dutiful wife and mother who follows her husband to Denver (in Kansas territory) during the gold rush. In Denver, she finds mind-numbing poverty. After her husband becomes ill from working in the mines, Eva is forced to find employment. She is offered a job as a maid at Owl Manor, a mansion decorated with owls in the Rocky Mountains. What Eva finds at Owl Manor is a home and a companion with its mysterious owner.

The second storyline is about Rafe. Rafe is a wealthy Englishman who is damaged. His deranged mother abused him, and he was also forced to witness his father being humiliated by his mother. After his mother leaves Rafe and his father, Rafe is dealt the blow of finding his father after committing suicide. Then, Rafe vowed to kill any woman who was a harlot (aka a prostitute). He thinks that by killing them, he is doing the world a favor. Moving from London to the States for school, Rafe settles in Morganton, NC, and continues his killing spree. He then moves to Denver and builds a mansion in the mountains. Rafe also continues killing. But, this time, something mystical happened, and owls started attacking Rafe whenever he left the house. Soon housebound and covered with scars, Rafe starts having manic moments where he destroys his study and bedroom. That stops when he meets Eva. Taken with Eva, Rafe can forget the horror of his past and suppress his urges to kill. But that only lasts a little while before Rafe has the desire to kill again. Everything comes to a head when Eva discovers Rafe’s secret. What will happen to Eva? What will happen to Rafe? Will his secret be kept at Eva’s expense, or will something terrible happen?

I wouldn’t say I liked Eva for most of the book. I don’t know if the author intended the reader to dislike her, but I did. Eva was very unpleasant until she went to Owl Manor. She was an inattentive mother who discussed why she didn’t want children in front of Abigail (yes, that led to issues). Eva blamed her husband for her financial straights, yet she did nothing (except beg and consider prostitution) until she was offered a job at Owl Manor. But, when she got to Owl Manor, there was a gradual change in her attitude towards life and her family. Her attitude toward life improved, but it worsened for her family. Those scenes where she visited her sick husband were tough to read. Even when she was elevated to companion/mistress to Rafe, I was still “meh” about her. But it wasn’t until the very end of the book that I started to feel bad for her. She had gotten herself and her family into a situation that would be impossible to escape. I wasn’t surprised at what happened to her at the end.

I felt terrible for Rafe, but I wouldn’t say I liked his actions. He was shaped by what his mother did and his father’s inaction. It was a classic case of nature vs. nurture, with nature winning this round. I firmly believe that if he had been treated better by his mother, he wouldn’t have gone down the path he did. I did find his reaction to Eva a little heartbreaking. In those scenes, you could see who he could have become if he hadn’t been abused or witnessed everything he did.

I found the use of the owls in Owl Manor very creepy. It unsettled me a little when the author explained that souls used owls to fly to the Underworld. I got chills whenever there was a scene where owls were involved. They were hanging out on the house, waiting for Rafe to come out, and then would attack him, sending chills through me.

The horror angle was well written. The author was able to scare the heck out of me by insinuating things. A drape that moved or a reflection in the glass. I got goosebumps just reading those passages!!

The end of Owl Manor was a mess. I don’t mean a mess writing-wise (nope, the author was spot on with that), but a mess with everything that happened. Also, add that what happened to Rafe at the end was anti-climactic. I was left shaken by what happened and looking forward to reading book 2!!

I would recommend Owl Manor: The Dawning to anyone over 21. There is violence, mild language, and very mild, non-graphic, sexual situations/scenes.

[Cathleen Townsend · Rating 3 out of 5]

Owl Manor: The Dawning is a gothic horror story, set in the mid-1800s. Kudos to the author for setting it in Denver in its gold rush days, as opposed to the more typical London, and including some truly lovely descriptive language. The tale was well structured and well told—I have no complaints with author’s writing ability.

The story begins with the discovery of a discarded corpse, a saloon girl strangled and dumped in the river. The onlookers can only hope that the crime was committed by a passing madman, but of course, that isn’t the case.

We spend a lot of time in the head of the murderer, Rafe Bradstone, as he writes letters to his dead father. A sad, demented, violent man—he’s nobody you want to understand well. His main goal in life appears to be getting away with murdering prostitutes.

And the main character, Eva, provides no sympathetic relief. She regrets her marriage to her husband, Lewis. His insistence on leadership where she feels he lacks talent has soured their union. She rues her reckless lack of judgment in marrying a man she thought she could control. But she was unwilling to work behind the scenes with a man of her own social class, or to stay single and chaste and pursue one of the few careers available to women in that period. So she traded a pampered upper-middle class life in Chicago for one of drudgery on the frontier.

Eva’s longing for independence even scarred her relationship with her daughter, Abigail. Paying attention to her daughter was apparently too much for this self-centered woman. The only person for whom she apparently has any respect is her friend, Maricela, a local “soiled dove.” The life of a prostitute is painted as one with all the independence that Eva lacks.

There was no sympathetic character to root for, and for me, that spoiled the story. I didn’t care what happened to these make-believe people, and thus, had no enjoyment. I’ve read gothic before, but Eva was no Jane Eyre. Nor was there even a Rochester. Everyone was just…icky in their own particular way.

But if readers don’t mind a lack of characters whom they might want to see triumph or at least feel sorry for, then Owl Manor: The Dawning may be a satisfying story.

[P.L. Tavormina · Rating 5 out of 5]

Owl Manor - the Dawning.

This is a story with good overall writing, and deeply atmospheric sense of setting, and a fairly satisfying cast of characters. I enjoyed discovering a new (to me) writer, and I was most pleasantly surprised by how well this author tells a story. The prose is developed and immersive.

On the con side, there’s some overwriting, especially in Eva’s first-person chapters. The third-person chapters read smoothly to me and are really nicely done, and I kept thinking the author must have more practice with that style. Eva, in her first-person chapters, had a habit of being overly aware/overly descriptive of her actions and feelings; at times there’s a blow-by-blow aspect to what she’s doing. These sorts of details work better in third person, where there’s usually more distance between the reader and the character.

I also had difficulty really wanting to spend much time with the characters, and I think this is partly because for the most part they don’t really want to spend much time with each other. Maybe it's a genre thing--gothic horror, which I don't read much of. It could be the slight overwriting that pushes me away; the odd paragraph that doesn’t pull much weight.

Back to the many things that work. The overall story structure is good and the characters are developed. There’s tension and conflict, a very nice movement of plot, and lovely setting. I had a great sense of the era. The owls are fun, a really nice element carried throughout, and it bears repeating that the writing is quite good. For these reasons I’ll happily give this book five stars.

[Matt Gianni · Rating 5 out of 5]

OWL MANOR: THE DAWNING by Zita Harrison, is book #1 in the planned OWL MANOR series. It begins in 1859 near Denver during the Colorado Gold Rush, with miners discovering the strangulation murder of a prostitute in the river they're panning in. The story centers on a defiant Evelyn Moore, known as Eva, who is unsettled by the traditionally limited roles of nineteenth century women. So she escapes what she considers her oppressed home in Chicago by marrying Lewis, a man who drags her to Denver in his search for gold. But all does not work out well for her, Lewis, and their daughter Abigail. At this point Eva finds herself drawn to Owl Manor, despite the dark and mysterious master of the estate.
It is written in Eva's first-person point of view, other third-person POVs and, interestingly, letters from a serial killer to his dead father. Harrison holds a masters degree in English literature, and the influence of Edgar Allen Poe and the Bronte sisters is evident. The writing is very polished, indicating either a rigorous revision method or professional editing. Fifty-five short chapters make for convenient stopping and re-starting points. Highly recommended for fans of gothic suspense and macabre ghost stories. Looking forward to OWL MANOR: ABIGAIL, the next novel in the OWL MANOR series.

[Cynthia Maddox · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where to start?

This is a great story. There's a little of everything: mystery, suspense, romance, ghosts, animals that behave strangely, and a serial killer. It is a great read.

Ms Harrison is a good writer. Multiple viewpoints are tricky and many authors simply don't know how to handle them but she handles them very well. Each chapter is devoted to a single character's thoughts and observations. The transitions were clear and kept the action moving at a steady pace. The technique made it easy to find a stopping place, too. And you'll need that or you'll be reading all night. It is "can't put it down storytelling."

(Warning, there may be spoilers. I'll try and limit them.)

Eva is a headstrong woman with opinions that are 100 years ahead of her time and it brings her more grief than she dreamed. Eva, her husband and their daughter and her mother end up in Denver where she must beg on the streets. After her husband dies, she decides to seek work in a brothel. However, there's a serial killer loose who is killing prostitutes.

Gilbert, the butler for the owner of Owl Manor meets Eva begging on the street and offers her a job as a maid. She accepts but finds the atmosphere at Owl Manor is anything but normal. Eventually, she begins to reconsider her decision but there is no place to go where she'll be safe.

Evil seems to hover over Owl Manor and you just know that this isn't going to end well for someone. Somewhere in the midst of it all I found myself feeling sorry for the serial killer and hoping that Eva could bring redemption to him and find her own happiness. I hoped for a happily ever after for Eva, for Alice, for Gilbert, and even for Rafe. As we all know, redemption is not always possible and happy endings, well, you'll have to decide.

I never saw the ending coming. Rarely does an author surprise me. I usually have things figured out by the middle. Not so for this story. Good job, Ms Harrison.

(I received a free copy of this novel to review.)

[Balroop Singh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owl Manor: The Dawning by Zita Harrison haunted me till I clicked on the last page of my kindle – such is the power of this book! I couldn’t put it down. A page-turner, with parallel plots that intermingle, as the story gets more intense, this book is brilliantly written. The story flows with stunning imagery and emotions, vivid descriptions and reeks of macabre mystery. Owls are the sentinels of ‘Owl Manor,’ conveying a subtle message of nemesis.

Zita knows her characters; they are chiseled so well that they fit the molds with extreme precision. Eva endears herself with her open mind, love for nature, her kindness and curiosity, her determination and self-belief. True to her cause, she often questions the purpose of her living. She grows with the story and is sensitive enough to understand the compulsions of her friend, Maricela. She could hear the sounds of the forest and figure out the omens of doom but Owl Manor seemed to have cast a spell on her or was it Rafe?

What an irony that Rafe, a deeply disturbed man, a misogynist meets Eva, an embodiment of egalitarianism! Could she change him, pull him out of the abyss he had created for himself? Would Gilbert, Rafe’s loyalist spill the beans? Zita has handled all the situations extremely well. My only disappointment is that the end is too drawn out. Joseph is a superfluous character and could have been eliminated. On the whole this is an outstanding book.

[Corinne Sparks · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an ARC in return for an honest review.


Owl Manor is a wonderful example of Regency style Gothic horror, heavy on the tropes of the genre, but still telling a taut and masterful story.
The heroine is a mix of a modern feminist in thought, trapped in an age where women are commodities, and a naive young woman that so often features in these gothic novels. It sounds jarring, but provides modern readers a reason to root for our young Eva as she pits herself against Owl Manor and the secrets within.
There are all the right ingredients for a gothic novel - a large sweeping manor house, the spirits of murdered young women, a dark and foreboding man, and our heroine, plunged into the middle of all this in a mix of fate and poor life choices; which lead to some comical moments when read with a modern viewpoint, but make perfect sense within the body of the novel.
The book has some stand out moments - the toxic and yet seemingly irresistible draw of Owl Manor and its owner is skillfully written, and the descriptions and comportment of the household is true to the era. The romance, which is a tense slow burn, really adds to the book, as we know it is a bad idea, and yet, the participants cannot help themselves, and like any good tragedy, we the readers must buckle down to observe the fallout.
It has a few flat moments too - some of the characters are a little single minded in their "evil", and the overarching plot makes me think that the author has strong opinions on the subjects within - which can draw one out of the novel.
However, overall, Owl Manor was a great horror novel, and I sat and read it in one sitting, enjoying the spooky ambiance and delighting in reading all my favourite Regency motifs in one place.

[Guy Estes · Rating 3 out of 5]

My main issue with this story is there really isn't anyone to root for. Every male character was a useless idiot except for Rafe, and he was a serial killer. Mr. Gilbert was a nice enough fellow, but he was also an abject coward and none too bright. Eva had likable aspects, but I often found myself a bit irritated with her. For roughly the first quarter of the book, we see she's an intelligent young woman with an independent mind, but after a while she comes across as having an "everyone is an idiot except me" attitude. She looks down on the women of her family for being subservient to the men, for not going out and doing something other than being wives, mothers, and homemakers. It never occurred to her that perhaps some of those women were perfectly happy with their lives; maybe their lives weren't perfect, but they were pretty good, and a damn sight better than Eva's - you can start with the fact that none of them ended up sharing a bed with a serial killer and go from there. And while she might not like the social conventions of her day, if she'd followed them she wouldn't have gotten herself knocked up and stuck in a miserable marriage, which set everything else in motion. Eva was every bit as judgmental as she thought men were. She was a neglectful mother, and while she realized this, she did absolutely nothing to rectify the situation. She acknowledged it, then went on about her business as usual. Apparently angsting about her life or unraveling the mind of Rafe Bradstone was more important than raising her child. Neglectful parenting is a flaw I cannot overlook or forgive. More than once she admits a particular flaw, she realizes she's about to make a mistake - and then goes ahead and does it anyway. When your independence overrides good sense, it might be time to check your independence just a bit.

At first glance, the message seems to be in support of the independent woman over she who follows societal norms, but when I finished the book and reflected on it, I got to wondering if the message was the exact opposite - Eva was her own worst enemy. She was independent, headstrong, and impulsive, and these traits were the cause of every single one of her problems. This is why she got knocked up, which set all her other miseries in motion. If she'd just obeyed Gilbert's instruction and stayed out of Rafe's room, she wouldn't have drawn the attention of serial killer, with all its attendant problems. The message I got was, if you don't want to end up in a very bad place, stick to social conventions, which is not a philosophy I adhere to. Sometimes it's good to defy social conventions. Other times you either bend with the breeze or you break. Doggedly showing independence each and every time is every bit as mistaken as blindly following the crowd.

And there were career options for women in the 19th century. Granted, they were few and limited, but they did exist, whereas in this story prostitution was about the only option. One of the more prominent ones being that of a teacher, and Eva would've been very well suited for this profession - she was well-read, had lots of book smarts, loved discussing and imparting ideas. If she'd conformed to her family's wishes, she could've gone on to become a teacher and led a relatively independent life, perhaps saving up money to start a business or something, which was the life she craved.

A protagonist must be flawed to be authentic, but Eva's flaws far outweighed her good points, so by the time the climax played out, I was just sort of "meh."

[Jay · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book oozes atmosphere, from the flashes of white in the dark, dark, green woods as owls swoop by, to the hushed darkness in Owl Manor where ghosts walk and the servants tremble in fear of their mysterious master. The author's inspiration - Edgar Allan Poe, Shirley Jackson, Daphne du Maurier, et al - is evident and fans of these other authors will be delighted and feel right at home.

The writing is evocative and dense with description, and cleverly switches from first person to third person as each chapter is told either by or from the perspective of a different character, including letters to a long-dead parent. This keeps the story fresh and interesting, and scenes are told from different view points and motivations of the characters are revealed. And the characters are well drawn, each with their own voice and motivations, and tragic path to follow... and which the reader may not necessarily guess.

There is real work evident in the world building in this book - the author has clearly done her research and writes authoritatively about the powerlessness of women, the plight of miners, and the abject poverty of those unlucky in the gold rush. These passages reminded me of the award-winning The Luminaries in the way in which they effortlessly paint the backdrop against which the characters toil to make a better life for themselves. For that, to me, is the real theme of the book: every character is working to make a better life for themselves or, for some with grander visions, for the world at large. And this motivation is what is behind the surprising and tragic end to the book as well, one which I did not see coming but which left me feeling satisfied and with the realisation that the story simply could not have ended in any other way.

Summary

An unexpectedly sweet surprise, like a cherry at the heart of a dark, bitter chocolate, this book is for fans of Edgar Allan Poe, the web TV series 'The Haunting of Hill House', seemingly disconnected characters coming together in fateful and catastrophic ways, and the claustrophobic atmosphere of The Turn of the Screw.

[books_with_sass · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owl Manor: The Dawning is the first novel in the Owl Manor Trilogy by Zita Harrison. A gothic novel set in Denver City, Territory of Kansas during the gold rush of 1859.

Eva was born in the wrong generation. She was born at a time when women were supposed to defer to their husbands in all things because they were thought to not be able to have intelligent thoughts or conversations. Yet that is what Eva craved, for her husband to listen to her opinions and include her in decisions. When he chose to move their small family to Denver City in search of gold, Eva told him it was a bad choice, but he wouldn't listen to her. Once there, he is unable to find gold and they end up poor and begging for food. When Lewis gets sick, Eva becomes a housemaid for Mr. Bradstone.

Rafe Bradstone is a wealthy man who has traveled widely over the years. His devoted servant Gilbert Brown has accompanied him on all his travels. Now they have ended up in Denver City in a manor in the mountains that Rafe can never leave. Owls come out of nowhere and attack Rafe any time he tries to leave the manor for any reason, but they never attack anyone else. There is lore that the souls of those murdered become owls, could that have anything to do with Mr. Bradstone's imprisonment in his own home?

When Eva and Rafe first meet, she steps in to care for him during one of his episodes. Rafe is a very stand-offish man, never speaking to any of the servants. But he becomes curious about Eva, as she doesn't seem to be afraid of him, and they start up a friendship where they converse and argue about books, politics, and everything else. Rafe treats her as she's always wanted to be treated, as a respected equal. But Gilbert is afraid for Eva's life, as she is getting too close to the master. Can Gilbert save her from the dark Mr. Bradstone?

This was definitely a slow build for me, but once Eva and Rafe started interacting the pace quickened. The writing was atmospheric and evocative, creating a singular world for these characters to live in.

All in all, this is a great start to the trilogy, with a nice cliffhanger at the end. If you enjoy the gothic novels of Daphne du Maurier or Shirley Jackson, then you will enjoy this.

[Brenda Davies · Rating 4 out of 5]

I do not usually read gothics, so I did a little research on the genre, and from what I can tell, this novel stands up as a tale about the suppression of women who fight for independence whilst combining murder and deceit.
This is a tale of unspeakable murder. Murders committed by Rafe, a man who's life has been shattered by his childhood experiences. A man who blames women of the night for his own mother's shortcomings.
This is about a doomed alliance between Rafe and Eva. Eva is a woman who yearns for independence. She is headstrong and considers herself, quite rightly, equal to the men that surround her.
This gothic tale includes retribution from the grave. Owl manor is dark and imposing and the owls lie in wait to take their revenge.
Although Eva wants so much more from life, her battle to achieve it leaves her fighting her husband and fighting to survive, literally hand to mouth at times. Rafe's servant Gilbert offers her a job at Owl manor when she is at her most desperate. It is whilst working at Owl manor that Rafe and Eva get together, as unlikely as that might seem at first. However, he is a man who accepts her opinions and she is a woman who calms his unhinged mind. For a while at least. I wanted Eva to try and understand Rafe's troubled mind but he was not a man who gave much away. In fact we only have insight into his personality from letters he wrote to his dead father. All his deepest thoughts are written down but never spoken or read by anyone. Typical of the man. But perhaps delving into the mind of a serial killer is best left alone.
It was a pity that in order to be wilful and ahead of her time in her thinking, Eva also had to be a neglectful mother. Equality and motherhood can and does work, but I get that this has to be the case for the sequel to work.
At the end of the book I discovered that the author had also designed the book cover. I'm well impressed because the cover is fantastic.
Altogether I think it was well written, a bit slow in places for me but I think this suits the genre.

[Joseph Carrabis · Rating 1 out of 5]

I appreciate the author's effort, and both storycrafting and storytelling fell far from the mark for me. My inboard editor kicked in in the first paragraph and didn't let up through the entire read.
Please note I read differently from most people. Genre is irrelevant to me, storycrafting and storytelling skill are what I look for and what makes any book - fiction and non-fiction - worth reading to me.
My review should be ignored by genre readers.
Owl Manor - The Dawning is, I'm told, in the Gothic Suspense genre. I'm sure it is, and I review based on storytelling ability. Telling me Gothic Suspense's tropes include "...an environment of fear, the threat of supernatural events, and the intrusion of the past upon the present." is irrelevant to me.
Dark castles, wind-swept moors, ancient curses made manifest, and ghostly sightings don't make a story worth reading. Craft and skill make a story worth reading.
To me.
Specific to Owl Manor - The Dawning, I found the throughline - the core reason for the story to exist - missing. The plot seemed textbook. I kept wanting to see the author flavor it and never got a taste of how the author made the plot her own. I also couldn't accept the characters as real people. They were too two-dimensional for me and several served no purpose and could have been removed. The atmosphere and setting were derivative and not presented in a way intended to bring readers into either the genre or the author's canon.
I'm sure Harrison intended to write an enjoyable read, and I'm equally sure she accomplished that for many.
In short, Owl Manor - The Dawning didn't interest me based on craft issues. And to me, without the craft necessary to hold a story together and propel a reader to the story's conclusion, genre is meaningless.

[Alexi · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was SO excited to see a book that checked off a lot of my bookish wants - modern take on a gothic story, set in Colorado, murder, and OWLS.

If you’re in for a gothic novel with modern, gold rush twists - this book might be for you! There are captivating chapters, interesting situations, and a shit ton of owls. Also- guaranteed that you won’t guess the ending!

While the idea was there, and the author certainly seems to know her stuff about gothic literature - this book just didn’t do it for me. Too often I felt that the situation or the characters were too modern to fit the chosen time period, and that character development was not done well. There could've been so much more to be given by the location and by the characters, that it felt that the story was lacking in depth. I was also pretty upset by the implied terribleness of feminist ideas and the objectifying of women, all through the lense of a female protagonist.

I didn't feel that the relationship between Eva and "the master" progressed enough to give them the relationship that they had at the end. It wasn't believable for me that Eva would be so willing to jump into bed with a madman given how ruled she was by other thoughts, and how much she regretted just sleeping with her husband before thinking things through.

I felt as if there were a lot of "retelling" of how we should feel about the characters - the narration just spelling out our feelings for us, instead of letting us feel how we felt about the characters directly due to their thoughts and actions. This was disappointing for me on many fronts.

[AnnaReads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love gothic horror novels so Owl Manor by Zita Harrison was a must read for me.

The story is set in the 1850s and 60s when option for women were few, get married, raise children, keep house. That’s about it. Eva wants more, she is more than disappointed with how her life turned out to be. She is married with a child. And to top that her husband moves the family to a different city. After a misfortune with her husband, Eva has to agree to work at Owl Manor. As she starts working there she starts to have visions about a woman and see owls. The descriptions about those instances are very vivid and creepy. So is the whole setting. I loved every word of them.

The owls have a very significant meaning, their stone counterparts adorn Owl Manor’s every surface. Owl Manor is owned by Rafe Bradstone, a very rich mine owner. He has some very serious mother issues. I can’t say I liked him that much but he is an interesting character and I wanted to find out everything about him. In a way his character is the best in the book, the most developed.

At the same there is a serial killer on the prowl, killing ladies of the night in horrible ways. The whole town of Denver lives in fear of their lives.

Excellent storytelling. I had to keep reading even of it meant that I stay up way past my bedtime.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher and Zita Harrison for giving me an opportunity to read this riveting story.

[Donnally Miller · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is ridiculously overwritten. There are a lot of lazy words here that aren’t working as hard as they should. The author is addicted to explaining herself instead of just letting the story speak for itself.
There is a lot of wind up for very little pitch. There are three different points of view, plus one character who is constantly explaining himself in epistolary fashion. Eva’s point of view is first person and the other two are third person. The author could have limited herself to Eva’s narrative. Everything the reader learns from Gilbert’s point of view would have had more impact if Eva had discovered it on her own (which she eventually does anyway), and Joseph’s point of view is a complete waste of time that leads nowhere.
The characters come across as shallow, unintelligent and unperceptive. About a third of the way through the book, Eva discovers a copy of Hegel’s Philosophy of History on her employer’s bookshelf, covered with an “extensive amount of dust.” Hegel? Really? This scene is specifically said to be taking place in Denver in 1860. J. Sibree’s English translation was published in 1857, and three years later it is found in Denver covered with dust? I felt certain the author was giving her readers a contextual clue of some sort, but the book is never referred to again, and for the life of me I couldn’t detect any thematic relevance. I was finally forced to conclude this was a lazy writer’s way of saying the character who owned the book was a cutting edge intellectual, since nothing in the letters he wrote or the conversations he took part in would give anyone that idea.

[Liesl Ross · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was an interesting and new take on the Gothic horror genre. I loved the setting (early Denver) and appreciated the author's historic details. I will admit during the 1st chapter of the book, the (in my opinion) overly flowery and descriptive prose made me wonder if I would be able to finish the book. Fortunately, after that chapter, she settles into a just-the-right descriptive narration. I was particularly surprised how she was able to get me to care about the main male protagonist. He's definitely a Bad Boy who's actions would never give anyone the warm fuzzies. However, in spite of his nature, I did find myself hoping that by some miracle that he would be redeemed by love (sappy, but true). Good ending, though not what I'd hoped for in my illogical heart. All in all an entertaining & worthwhile read.

[Ann Birdgenaw · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owl Manor: The Dawning is the first book in the Owl Manor series by Zita Harrison. Eva is a strong-willed woman who is way ahead of her time of early 19th century America. But things are beyond her control when she gets pregnant and follows her husband to Denver, Colorado during the gold rush. Her husband falls ill, and in order to support her family Eva takes a job as a maid at Owl Manor. This is where she meets the deranged, housebound serial killer also known as the Master of the manor. Eva has a strange hold over the misogynistic Rafe; but is it strong enough to quench his instinct to kill all ‘harlots’ and do the world a favor? An atmospheric suspense that is sometimes hard to read as there is a lot of human misery, suffering and unlikable characters but the journey is an exciting one if you like gothic, supernatural thrillers.

[A. Claire Everward · Rating 5 out of 5]

Captivating gothic story. The details and characters were absolutely incredible and I enjoyed the turn of every page. Every character is a world of their own, every character has a story and their inner pain. The author skillfully weaves women's rights and other important matters into this world in a way that makes you want to take the next step forward and read some more. The stories of the characters made me want to see what’s next, what will wait for each of them at the end. At times it’s not so easy to read but the author skillfully makes you a part of the story and you simply can’t let go.

[Josette Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

Something is off about Mr. Bradstone. He rarely socializes with others and he is very unapproachable. He has a terrible secret and when he finds Gilbert in an alleyway, he finds he has found someone to give him undying loyalty. Time goes on and the owls keep an evil man from committing more crimes. When Eva enters the picture, things seem to get a bit better. This book was definitely disturbing and very chilling. The atmosphere of the book enabled the reader to envision oneself at the manor. It was dark and oppressive as described by the lighting and shadows of the manor and the forests surrounding the manor. The end of the book was not something I saw coming.

[Icy-Cobwebs-Crossing-SpaceTime · Rating 5 out of 5]

First in a historical Gothic romance series, OWL MANOR THE DAWNING also contains some strong doses of feminism, depth psychology, and unexpected characters, situations, events. I grew up devouring Gothic suspense--yes, a genre to itself--not only the mainstream writers, such as Dorothy Eden, Phyllis A. Whitney, Victoria Holt, and the Queen, Daphne du Maurier, as well as the paperback Gothic romantic suspense of the 1960's and 1970's. So when I encountered OWL MANOR THE DAWNING, I felt at home, but also thought "Gothic was never like this,, in that Zita Harrison digs deeper and ranges farther. I think she may write with the spirit of Shirley Jackson peering over her shoulder.

[Debra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Owl Manor kept me turning the pages to explore the life of the recluse Mr. Bradstone along with his faithful staff, especially Gilbert. You will learn his backstory of how he became the way he was until things change for the better for awhile after poor, down on her luck, Eva joins Mr. Bradstone's staff.

Supernatural elements coupled with elements of a thriller with just a tad of romance (I guess you could call it that though had a strange way to get there which fits the entire story as a whole).

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[wendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fantastic story that involves Gothic and historical genre. H
The killer is slaying women of the night and of course these types of women do not have a place in that side of society so many feel that the killer is doing them a favor.
It has been a while since I have been encaputured by a Gothic novel but this one truly did.. I absolutely loved it!!! I will be recommending it to everyone I know.

[Erika Clements · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This gothic romance had hints of Frankenstein with a taste of Beauty and the Beast. Rafe Bradstone is the recluse master of Owl Manor. Eva is the poor widower who needs to find a job. She is hired at Owl Manor where her relationship with Rafe begins...if only she knew of his sinister past before she moved in...