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Hidden Company
A dark psychological thriller set in a Victorian asylum in the heart of Wales. Warning - contains highly disturbing material!1893, and nineteen year old Flora George is admitted to a remote asylum with no idea why she is there, what happened to her child, or how her wealthy family could have abandoned her to such a fate. However, within a short space of time it becomes apparent dark forces are at work, and she must save herself from something far worse than that of a harsh regime.2018, and forty-one year old Isobel Lee moves into the gatehouse of what was once the old asylum. Chosen as a refuge from the lifelong psychic attacks endured as a reluctant medium, from the moment of arrival it is clear there is a terrible secret here, which is desperate to be heard. Angry and upset, Isobel baulks at what she must now face. But with the help of local dark arts practitioner, Branwen, face it she must. This is a dark story of human cruelty, folklore and superstition. But the human spirit can and will prevail...unless of course, the wrath of the fae is incited...
318 pages, Paperback
First published December 19, 2018
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660 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 150 reviews
January 11, 2019
I have loved every single book of Sarah England's I have read so far, and this book was no exception.
My biggest issue was that I was unable to read it before going to sleep, as is my habit. I had to read it in broad daylight, because this book scared the whatsits out of me!!!
It is told from the dual POV's of Flora in the late 19th century and Isobel in the present day. Flora ends up in an insane asylum, something she is stunned and confused by. Isobel has the gift of Sight, which she is uneasy about. She stays at the former gatehouse to the asylum and "things that go bump in the night" soon appear to her. Luckily, she has Branwen, a local witch, to talk to because otherwise the village seems to be full of aggressive, nasty characters. Branwen needs her help, but is Isobel up to the task?
To say that this book was creepy and unsettling was an understatement, and I felt a great deal of sadness and shock when it came to the descriptions of what Flora and her fellow mental health patients had to put up with. I have no doubt that the author has done her research and that these things DID actually occur in many mental health facilities at the time. I am so glad that things have changed.
If you want a well-written, haunting story that will have you looking over your shoulder and will keep you up at night, this is the book for you :)
4.5 stars from me.
My biggest issue was that I was unable to read it before going to sleep, as is my habit. I had to read it in broad daylight, because this book scared the whatsits out of me!!!
It is told from the dual POV's of Flora in the late 19th century and Isobel in the present day. Flora ends up in an insane asylum, something she is stunned and confused by. Isobel has the gift of Sight, which she is uneasy about. She stays at the former gatehouse to the asylum and "things that go bump in the night" soon appear to her. Luckily, she has Branwen, a local witch, to talk to because otherwise the village seems to be full of aggressive, nasty characters. Branwen needs her help, but is Isobel up to the task?
To say that this book was creepy and unsettling was an understatement, and I felt a great deal of sadness and shock when it came to the descriptions of what Flora and her fellow mental health patients had to put up with. I have no doubt that the author has done her research and that these things DID actually occur in many mental health facilities at the time. I am so glad that things have changed.
If you want a well-written, haunting story that will have you looking over your shoulder and will keep you up at night, this is the book for you :)
4.5 stars from me.
October 30, 2019
A good read. The narrative that is set in the nineteenth-century was very well written and researched but the present day narrative was somewhat chaotic at times. I felt more work had been put into Flora’s story than Isobel’s. Despite a few holes in it the plot was quite interesting and entertaining.
May 25, 2020
Was abit disappointed with this read couldn't really fully engage with the characters, did like the creepy feel to this book was an average read for me.
January 7, 2019
4.5 stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐
So enjoyed this! It's creepy, tense and atmospheric; great escapist fiction. 'Hidden Company' combines so many things I enjoy in horror/thriller stories including the fae, Victorian asylums and folklore, all infused with a good dose of Gothic. I had a few unanswered questions at the end, so I mentally made up my own answers :) Not telling what they are, though! And that cover art as well, love it!
Recommended.
So enjoyed this! It's creepy, tense and atmospheric; great escapist fiction. 'Hidden Company' combines so many things I enjoy in horror/thriller stories including the fae, Victorian asylums and folklore, all infused with a good dose of Gothic. I had a few unanswered questions at the end, so I mentally made up my own answers :) Not telling what they are, though! And that cover art as well, love it!
Recommended.
June 29, 2020
Hidden Company is a dark, creepy and claustrophobic supernatural thriller that I thoroughly enjoyed. What went on in that asylum was truly disturbing, and I found it hard to put the book down.
December 31, 2018
The cover and blurb drew me into reading “Hidden Company” by Sarah England. It was an interesting read switching from 1893 to present day.
I didn’t know anything about ancient folklore and spirits but this book was packed full of it and it was brimmed with creepy supernatural forces.
It was a disturbing read, the fear and pain of the people trapped in the asylum was so apparent and as the reader I wanted to reach into the pages and help them somehow.
This is part one of the trilogy which I am sure will continue to be a great read.
I didn’t know anything about ancient folklore and spirits but this book was packed full of it and it was brimmed with creepy supernatural forces.
It was a disturbing read, the fear and pain of the people trapped in the asylum was so apparent and as the reader I wanted to reach into the pages and help them somehow.
This is part one of the trilogy which I am sure will continue to be a great read.
January 4, 2021
Well this book jumps right into it. It's a usual asylum story never really knowing if they are ill or not. The flashes between the past and the presence was annoying for me but I know that they were needed for the story. I like the look into the asylum with the day trip out and how the public reacted to the inmates. It's very normal for the times. I liked the doctors children and how they helped in the end. From about 85% I knew where this was going and I wasn't surprised at all.
November 11, 2019
Hidden Company was relatively well written but unfortunately failed to meet my expectations. It started weakly, and despite its mostly strong prose, relied far too heavily on cliche. While the setting was well rendered, the characters were weak, without a true sense of who they were. I was halfway through before I realised that Flora George, one of the main characters wasn't a middle-aged woman. She is meant to be nineteen years old, but she was written in a way that made me think she was far older.
At times it felt like Hidden Company had bitten off more than it could chew. It had tried to cram too much into the plot that it lost track of where it could go. It tried to be supernatural, but still have the characters try to rationalise everything. They actively engage with paranormal experiences, but always attempt to rationalise certain things, making the end a bit wishy-washy. It's a shame because the final twist could have been really affecting. It was potentially clever but was betrayed by the poor development of the supernatural elements of the scenes set in the modern-day. Not to mention the fact that is was preceded by one of the worst moments of info-dump I've ever come across. It all amounted to, not a terrible reading experience, but a relatively lacklustre one. I was invested enough to keep reading, but not sufficiently invested not to skim read.
Combined with some glaringly repeated writing mistakes like "speeded" rather than "sped" and "disorientated" rather than "disoriented" I was left thoroughly underwhelmed by Hidden Company. There is also an undercurrent of Anglocentricsm throughout the whole novel. Wales and the Welsh are regularly described as dark, backward, and sinister, while the English protagonist is the one who saves the day and sees things for how they really are. I doubt it was intentional, but it's certainly something I noticed while reading. Then, when the main character said that she "popped a couple of paracetamol" to "send her into oblivion for a while," I nearly threw my Kindle across the room. That's not what paracetamol does, and it was those kinds of mistakes and biases that just came together to make the whole book feel forced.
While Hidden Company may be a good enough read for a rainy day when you have a few hours to spare (and nothing else on your bookshelf), it certainly isn't anything to write home about. It wasn't new. It wasn't original. It was disjointed, had weak characterisation, and had a severely under-developed plot. Thank goodness I got it free on Prime Reading because if I'd paid money for it, I would have been more disappointed than I already am.
At times it felt like Hidden Company had bitten off more than it could chew. It had tried to cram too much into the plot that it lost track of where it could go. It tried to be supernatural, but still have the characters try to rationalise everything. They actively engage with paranormal experiences, but always attempt to rationalise certain things, making the end a bit wishy-washy. It's a shame because the final twist could have been really affecting. It was potentially clever but was betrayed by the poor development of the supernatural elements of the scenes set in the modern-day. Not to mention the fact that is was preceded by one of the worst moments of info-dump I've ever come across. It all amounted to, not a terrible reading experience, but a relatively lacklustre one. I was invested enough to keep reading, but not sufficiently invested not to skim read.
Combined with some glaringly repeated writing mistakes like "speeded" rather than "sped" and "disorientated" rather than "disoriented" I was left thoroughly underwhelmed by Hidden Company. There is also an undercurrent of Anglocentricsm throughout the whole novel. Wales and the Welsh are regularly described as dark, backward, and sinister, while the English protagonist is the one who saves the day and sees things for how they really are. I doubt it was intentional, but it's certainly something I noticed while reading. Then, when the main character said that she "popped a couple of paracetamol" to "send her into oblivion for a while," I nearly threw my Kindle across the room. That's not what paracetamol does, and it was those kinds of mistakes and biases that just came together to make the whole book feel forced.
While Hidden Company may be a good enough read for a rainy day when you have a few hours to spare (and nothing else on your bookshelf), it certainly isn't anything to write home about. It wasn't new. It wasn't original. It was disjointed, had weak characterisation, and had a severely under-developed plot. Thank goodness I got it free on Prime Reading because if I'd paid money for it, I would have been more disappointed than I already am.
June 14, 2022
Another fantastic five star read from this author. A dark, creepy and atmospheric supernatural thriller. Set in two time periods 1893 and the present day. Flora is a patient of the asylum. No one ever leaves this place and what happens when they die? A deeply abhorrent and heartbraking insight on how Flora suffered. Fast forward to the present and Isobel is staying at the Gatehouse a small cottage in the grounds of the asylum. Isobel is a reluctant medium who fears what. Thanks to Brenwen a witch she learns how to control her gift. Little does she realise that others want their secrets kept. A real gothic tale which had me reading late into the night. This author has done it again, loved it!!!
December 29, 2018
I've read all this author's books and have been impressed with each one, including this book. The story is told via two different characters - Flora in the late 1800's, and Isobel in the present day.
Isobel moves to an isolated Welsh village where she begins hearing things and having visions. She's tried avoiding her psychic abilities but her new house won't let her. Flora, feeling abandoned by her family, suffers at the hands of the doctor and his staff in a Welsh asylum. What links these two women?
As always with this author's writing, her descriptions of places, people and scenery put you in the story - which on a few occasions can be unnerving and unsettling to say the least! The pace is perfect and you can't help but wish you could help the asylum patients as you read.
Another excellent piece of psychological horror from one of my favourite authors.
Isobel moves to an isolated Welsh village where she begins hearing things and having visions. She's tried avoiding her psychic abilities but her new house won't let her. Flora, feeling abandoned by her family, suffers at the hands of the doctor and his staff in a Welsh asylum. What links these two women?
As always with this author's writing, her descriptions of places, people and scenery put you in the story - which on a few occasions can be unnerving and unsettling to say the least! The pace is perfect and you can't help but wish you could help the asylum patients as you read.
Another excellent piece of psychological horror from one of my favourite authors.
January 5, 2019
It is 1893 and Flora is taken to what appears to be a grand house but is actually an asylum as well as being a house of horrors. She has no memory of why she has been taken here or why her family have abandoned her. The inmates of the asylum are treated barbarically but Flora realises that there are things more frightening than the physical torments.
Present day & Isobel has taken a lease on the gatehouse that was serving the asylum. She has been a reluctant medium all her life & she wants peace & quiet to try & reset her life. It doesn't take long for her to realise that this peace & quiet & this house have nothing in common!
The author really captures the menacing atmosphere of the countryside. Mingling the ghost story with the supernatural, this is a book that will have you wanting to keep the lights on when you go to sleep! Well worth a read!
Present day & Isobel has taken a lease on the gatehouse that was serving the asylum. She has been a reluctant medium all her life & she wants peace & quiet to try & reset her life. It doesn't take long for her to realise that this peace & quiet & this house have nothing in common!
The author really captures the menacing atmosphere of the countryside. Mingling the ghost story with the supernatural, this is a book that will have you wanting to keep the lights on when you go to sleep! Well worth a read!
January 8, 2021
I found this to be a rather odd story. Told in alternating timelines we get the experience of two women separated by time, one a prisoner stuck and abused in an old English asylum and another with psychic powers who in modern times is staying on the same property and being haunted/visited by lingering spirits. There was a lot going on and I can't be sure I got the full picture 100%. I like asylum stories but this was rather typical and not all that shocking. I got confused here and there and are even more so having finished. Not sure what I'm supposed to take away from the book but needless to say it sucked me in and was a decent story.
December 26, 2018
This is my first book by this author and being a fan of both psychological and supernatural I was looking forward to the combination of the two. I certainly wasn't disappointed.
This is a story set in 2 different eras and both are brought to life by the wonderful descriptions by the author.
The horror of life in a 19th century asylum was played out in such detail that each excruciating 'treatment' was a vivid picture in my minds eye.
The present day story involves Isobel moving to this strange little Welsh village to have the space and peace to come to terms with her own abilities as a medium which has plagued her since childhood.
The two stories combine in a sometimes sad and sometimes terrifying way and I felt for both Flora and Isobel in the situations they found themselves in.
I could continue to write about this book for much longer, going into more details of why I loved it but I'd give away too many spoilers, let's just say if you're looking for something to hook you in, then this is the book for you.
This is a story set in 2 different eras and both are brought to life by the wonderful descriptions by the author.
The horror of life in a 19th century asylum was played out in such detail that each excruciating 'treatment' was a vivid picture in my minds eye.
The present day story involves Isobel moving to this strange little Welsh village to have the space and peace to come to terms with her own abilities as a medium which has plagued her since childhood.
The two stories combine in a sometimes sad and sometimes terrifying way and I felt for both Flora and Isobel in the situations they found themselves in.
I could continue to write about this book for much longer, going into more details of why I loved it but I'd give away too many spoilers, let's just say if you're looking for something to hook you in, then this is the book for you.
December 22, 2018
All I can say is what an amazing read. I highly recommend this book as it had me gripped from beginning to end. The unfortunate story of Flora put into an asylum and the unspeakable treatment or should I say torture she received when that wasn't the help she needed but due to the time it was all seen as unacceptable behaviour for that time period. It definitely makes you think of what else is living in this world with us and other beliefs such as paganism.
I read this book as an ARC reader. A psychological thriller with a mixture of other things mixed in. Great writing by a great author. Congratulations and should definitely be on everyone's list of books to read.
I read this book as an ARC reader. A psychological thriller with a mixture of other things mixed in. Great writing by a great author. Congratulations and should definitely be on everyone's list of books to read.
January 5, 2019
I am new to this author but the blurb was very appealing on this book. I was not disappointed as the storyline had me at the first chapter. It is written on 2 timelines 1893 and the present day,The descriptions of the terror unleashed on patients in the 1800's and the way they are locked away is so scary. Flora is moved to an asylum at 19 and she has to try and escape the horrible treatments.
In 2018 Isobel has rented a cottage to get away from it all. It turns out to be so much more than a cottage and she has to accept that she has psychic abilities and she can't escape them. She knows something happened in the cottage but she tries to avoid it until she really has no choice.
I loved this book and am going to look out for others by this author, give it a try you won't be disappointed.
In 2018 Isobel has rented a cottage to get away from it all. It turns out to be so much more than a cottage and she has to accept that she has psychic abilities and she can't escape them. She knows something happened in the cottage but she tries to avoid it until she really has no choice.
I loved this book and am going to look out for others by this author, give it a try you won't be disappointed.
February 9, 2019
Very creepy! I think the only reason I gave it 3 stars is because I wanted more of an ending for Isobel and the characters from her timeline. That and the fact that this took place over just a few days. Other than that, it was a good, but disturbing read.
March 29, 2020
This was the first book I have read by S. E. England and I'd be quite happy to read more. It was a good story, that felt original during a time where a lot of books I pick up feel very similar and have a lot of parallels.
I loved the two separate timelines and how England tied them together nicely. Flora as the suffering victim of an insane asylum and Isobel, the psychic medium who connects to her over 100 years later. Initially, I found myself wondering about the two separate timelines, but once they started to become intertwined, they made perfect sense.
I loved the fact that this was more of a horror than a fantasy. There was a lot more relating to ghosts and devils than there was the fae, however, I did enjoy the insertion of folklore, which lent itself to the plot beautifully.
My only real gripe with this was that it didn't fully feel finished off. I was left to infer a lot from the information I was given, rather than actually being given the reasons behind things. I was left with a lot more questions than answers, especially relating to Isobel's timeline. I felt that the ending in her time period was rather anti climactic and left me wondering about a lot of partial reveals. I don't know whether England did this on purpose, in order to let us draw our own conclusions, but I would have preferred more explanations.
Other than my one gripe, I did really enjoy this book and it's originality and look forward to trying more books by this author.
I loved the two separate timelines and how England tied them together nicely. Flora as the suffering victim of an insane asylum and Isobel, the psychic medium who connects to her over 100 years later. Initially, I found myself wondering about the two separate timelines, but once they started to become intertwined, they made perfect sense.
I loved the fact that this was more of a horror than a fantasy. There was a lot more relating to ghosts and devils than there was the fae, however, I did enjoy the insertion of folklore, which lent itself to the plot beautifully.
My only real gripe with this was that it didn't fully feel finished off. I was left to infer a lot from the information I was given, rather than actually being given the reasons behind things. I was left with a lot more questions than answers, especially relating to Isobel's timeline. I felt that the ending in her time period was rather anti climactic and left me wondering about a lot of partial reveals. I don't know whether England did this on purpose, in order to let us draw our own conclusions, but I would have preferred more explanations.
Other than my one gripe, I did really enjoy this book and it's originality and look forward to trying more books by this author.
January 23, 2019
This is the first book I've read by this author and what a book to start with, wow. A chillingly disturbing story that sent chills through my body. A must read in my opinion and can't wait to read more by this author.
January 25, 2019
Two time lines, one horrible nightmare. A twisted malignant fate of two soul spun together in a tale of woe and sorrow. Hidden Company, by Sarah England, is a psychological horror of old legend spun in present day Wales. It will twist your belief in the Fae and force you to second guess what is real and what is not. Following the lives of two women, one in 1893 and the other, 2018, each has their own horrible delimmas to deal with, physically and mentally, and they are anything but relenting. Hidden mysteries, twisted agendas; England’s attempt at warping your mind is a sure assault of misguiding the reader with an array sensory overload.
I will admit, this turned out to be a very interesting read that was grim and gritty. Full of horrific imagery in asylums during the late 1800’s, it was like stepping back in time to witness the mistreatment of “patients” that were ill of the mind. A dark gothic horror of Victorian era. Albeit there were some sections of the story that were a bit confusing, it was easy to get back on track to the main point of the story. The ending was told in a unique way that is left for interpretation by the reader, which I adore such endings. It’s always fun to try and decipher the POV of crazy people and then compare it to the narrative of the sane ones. So you can see how the story will unfold, some parts filled delusions and others embedded in reality. 4 out of 5 stars.
Thank you Sarah for making this story available to read, it was a fun journey. This is the first story I’ve read by her and it is pretty good. Check it out.
Author F. D. Gross
Grelldragon@hotmail.com
I will admit, this turned out to be a very interesting read that was grim and gritty. Full of horrific imagery in asylums during the late 1800’s, it was like stepping back in time to witness the mistreatment of “patients” that were ill of the mind. A dark gothic horror of Victorian era. Albeit there were some sections of the story that were a bit confusing, it was easy to get back on track to the main point of the story. The ending was told in a unique way that is left for interpretation by the reader, which I adore such endings. It’s always fun to try and decipher the POV of crazy people and then compare it to the narrative of the sane ones. So you can see how the story will unfold, some parts filled delusions and others embedded in reality. 4 out of 5 stars.
Thank you Sarah for making this story available to read, it was a fun journey. This is the first story I’ve read by her and it is pretty good. Check it out.
Author F. D. Gross
Grelldragon@hotmail.com
June 23, 2020
I picked this book because of the cover. So many times, I was tempted to quit. I have found that I tend to speed read when pushing myself to finish a book that I can't quite condemn to the DNF list. Grammatical errors tend to trip me up, forcing me to back up, reread and figure out what was meant. The author often used excessive commas and hyphens when breaking the sentence into two or three sentences would have read clearer. There were also many, oh so many, fragmented sentences. What kept me reading, despite the repetitiveness, was the 1893 section about Flora. I would almost swear that two different people wrote the two different timelines. Flora's account was a bit cliche and not terribly original but yet it was interesting. Isobel (2018) was simply illogical, the conversations forced and naive. I really disliked these portions of the story and hurried to get through them. I actually liked the ending to Flora's story but wished I had quit at that 25% mark based on the ending to Issy's story. I wish that the entire book had reflected the talent shown in Flora's sections. The book just wasn't for me.
January 5, 2021
1.5 stars
Was this a ghost story? A fae story? A mental illness story? All of the above? I honestly couldn't tell you, because I really don't know what I just read. I feel like it was written to be one way, then another idea popped into the writer's head, and so the story became that, then another idea, and so on and so forth. There was just too much going on, and it was hard to manage and get immersed in.
I didn't feel like the chapters connected very well. It would take me a little bit to get into the story, and by the time I would be interested, we were jumping back or forward in time, and it was a cycle with every time jump.
By the time I got to the end (which I actually hadn't predicted), I just honestly didn't care. I didn't really enjoy Isobel's story, and I only enjoyed Flora's for bits and pieces here and there.
Was this a ghost story? A fae story? A mental illness story? All of the above? I honestly couldn't tell you, because I really don't know what I just read. I feel like it was written to be one way, then another idea popped into the writer's head, and so the story became that, then another idea, and so on and so forth. There was just too much going on, and it was hard to manage and get immersed in.
I didn't feel like the chapters connected very well. It would take me a little bit to get into the story, and by the time I would be interested, we were jumping back or forward in time, and it was a cycle with every time jump.
By the time I got to the end (which I actually hadn't predicted), I just honestly didn't care. I didn't really enjoy Isobel's story, and I only enjoyed Flora's for bits and pieces here and there.
December 23, 2018
Hidden Company is categorised as a dark psychological thriller but in my opinion, it is sheer horror, a most compelling and scary read which is told in two separate time periods, one being the 19th century and the other the present. Flora George is incarcerated in an asylum and although her family are paying for her treatment it is a far from a pleasant stay and is plagued by very sinister happenings. The present-day story is of Isobel Leigh who's mind is frequently dragged back into times gone by and echoes of the past have a very unsettling effect on her. The descriptions in this book sent shivers down my spine and the ending is gruesome to say the least.
February 28, 2020
A creepy tale. Told in 2 parts modern day & past with a dark visit to an asylum, which becomes torture for 1 character. It’s dark & wicked treatment seeming never ending. What will happen when things come to light & could there be any give in the darkness. Time to read it
Audiobook review
Ok edit!!! This was creepy to read. Now I’ve listened to it. It’s creepier!! The asylum run by a Dr I’d name worse than Dr & his horrid staff.
The narrator takes this story into freaky & I loved every minute of it!!
Audiobook review
Ok edit!!! This was creepy to read. Now I’ve listened to it. It’s creepier!! The asylum run by a Dr I’d name worse than Dr & his horrid staff.
The narrator takes this story into freaky & I loved every minute of it!!
Read
September 8, 2019I haven't read a horror novel in ages, I liked the set up in this one and the time slip aspect and who doesn't like a story centered around an asylum? ;) But... the ending left me feeling flat. Like it was missing something.
October 13, 2019
Awful, the writing style is something you would expect from a year 9 student trying to scare their mates. Couldn’t bear to finish it when there is so many amazing books out there waiting to be read!
October 29, 2020
Hidden Company is the first Sarah England novel I've read. Told through dual timelines of 1893 and 2018, it's an unsettling story but certainly not terrifying.
In 1893 nineteen year old Flora George is banished to a remote Welsh asylum. With her privileged life now a distant memory, the regime is brutal and living conditions squalid. Why has she been abandoned in this wretched place? Before long she senses an evil presence. Her only chance of survival is to get as far away as possible and never return.
In 2018 forty-one year old psychic medium Isobel Lee rents the old asylum gatehouse. The local villagers, suspicious of incomers, don't take kindly to Isobel's curiosity. Far from being a peaceful retreat, she finds herself bombarded by the long-dead spirits of the asylum's residents. With the help of local dark arts practitioner Branwen, Isobel tries to uncover the awful truth of what really happened 125 years ago.
I decided to read Hidden Company based on the author's good reputation and the fantastic cover art. I love all things dark and creepy and at first glance it appeared to be my kind of book. But whilst I enjoyed it, I was expecting far more terror and chills. I wanted to be too scared to turn the lights off at night; too frightened to come out from beneath the bedcovers. Sadly I was neither. Don't get me wrong — it's cleverly written and I thought the dual timelines worked extremely well — but it fell a bit short of the mark for me.
Before I end my review I must mention the totally awesome epilogue. It was this final turn of events that elevated the story and left me thinking WOW! In fact I'm still thinking about that ending several days later. What a brilliant way to finish the book.
Book Source: Purchased copy
Read my review on my blog: https://bit.ly/3jCqkgj
In 1893 nineteen year old Flora George is banished to a remote Welsh asylum. With her privileged life now a distant memory, the regime is brutal and living conditions squalid. Why has she been abandoned in this wretched place? Before long she senses an evil presence. Her only chance of survival is to get as far away as possible and never return.
In 2018 forty-one year old psychic medium Isobel Lee rents the old asylum gatehouse. The local villagers, suspicious of incomers, don't take kindly to Isobel's curiosity. Far from being a peaceful retreat, she finds herself bombarded by the long-dead spirits of the asylum's residents. With the help of local dark arts practitioner Branwen, Isobel tries to uncover the awful truth of what really happened 125 years ago.
I decided to read Hidden Company based on the author's good reputation and the fantastic cover art. I love all things dark and creepy and at first glance it appeared to be my kind of book. But whilst I enjoyed it, I was expecting far more terror and chills. I wanted to be too scared to turn the lights off at night; too frightened to come out from beneath the bedcovers. Sadly I was neither. Don't get me wrong — it's cleverly written and I thought the dual timelines worked extremely well — but it fell a bit short of the mark for me.
Before I end my review I must mention the totally awesome epilogue. It was this final turn of events that elevated the story and left me thinking WOW! In fact I'm still thinking about that ending several days later. What a brilliant way to finish the book.
Book Source: Purchased copy
Read my review on my blog: https://bit.ly/3jCqkgj
December 27, 2018
This was my first book by this author but it certainly won’t be the last - both story lines really pulled me in. I felt for Flora and her fellow ‘lunatics’ incarcerated in a Victorian asylum and at the mercy of the sadistic staff, but I also quite liked the weird Welsh village with its cast of sinister characters Isobel finds herself in in the present time.
Great combination of dark suspense, a mystery to puzzle out, local folklore and supernatural elements and a most fabulous antidote to all the sickly sweet Christmas movies I’ve been watching over the festive days.
Great combination of dark suspense, a mystery to puzzle out, local folklore and supernatural elements and a most fabulous antidote to all the sickly sweet Christmas movies I’ve been watching over the festive days.
December 26, 2018
This is one of the first books of this genre that has actually had me gripped. The story pulls you in straight away and is full of tension and spookiness. The book flits between present day and the 1800s and tells the story of Flora in 1800s and Isobel in the present. This is one of those books that has you wanting to keep reading to find out what happens. Highly recommended, I’m going to read more of this authors now of the same genre. Fabulous.
January 4, 2019
Another screaming success!
A few grammatical errors and typos, but we'll forgive the author in the light of yet another un-putdownable read. Some well rounded characters and good use of language - both technical and descriptive. I feel more depth could have been made of some of the villager characters and areas of foreshadowing, and also wish that the ending was not quite so rushed. Otherwise I fully enjoyed the read :-)
A few grammatical errors and typos, but we'll forgive the author in the light of yet another un-putdownable read. Some well rounded characters and good use of language - both technical and descriptive. I feel more depth could have been made of some of the villager characters and areas of foreshadowing, and also wish that the ending was not quite so rushed. Otherwise I fully enjoyed the read :-)
October 17, 2022
Enjoyed it. Love an asylum setting in a book and this one was done very well.
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