Bellamy

by Darcy Coates

Thirty years ago, Leanne's brother died inside a children's asylum. Leanne has returned to the long-abandoned home in an effort to find closure, but she begins to suspect something lives on inside the building.

Bellamy is a story of lost memories, secrets, and a house that should never have existed.

Genres: Horror, Short Stories, Fiction, Adult, Mystery, Paranormal, Ghosts

40 pages, ebook

First published May 1, 2019

About the author

Darcy Coates is the USA Today bestselling author of more than a dozen horror and suspense novels.

She lives in the Central Coast of Australia with her family, cat, and a collection of chickens. Her home is surrounded by rolling wilderness on all sides, and she wouldn't have it any other way.

You can hear about her next book by joining her newsletter: www.darcycoates.com/updates

Reviews

[Shainlock · Rating 4 out of 5]

Leanne goes back to the home she and her brother shared and first we aren’t sure why, but then we realize it is to remember. She is there to bring back the memories she can’t seem to get to any other way. She spent 8 months here as a girl. This was an asylum for kids. Unwanted kids that were displaced or taken away. She just wants to remember so that she can stop the guilt; stop the nightmares.
What does she need to remember?
Excellent short story that reveals more as it goes on with a twist or two. I loved it. 4 stars

[Stacey · Rating 3 out of 5]

There was something wrong with Bellamy. She had been running from it for most of her life. It had brought her home, though. Perhaps it had always intended to. Perhaps no one every truly escaped the building.

It has been over thirty years since Leanne walked the hallways of her childhood home (Bellamy), but haunting dreams have brought her back to the asylum. She needs closure of what happened to her brother (Henry). As Leanne makes her way through the dilapidated building, disturbing memories that she has suppressed for years begin to rise to the surface. Although this is painful for her to relive, she needs to go back into the past to find the answers that she seeks.

**I think this horror story was well written. The only issue that I have with it is the last sentence which (for me) brought more confusion than clarity.**

[Cheryl · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a 4.5 star read.

Wow ....... that was a Daaayuum fine spooky read!! Darcy Coates really knows how to weave a mesmerisingly haunting tale, especially with her shorter works.

[Mehsi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome to Bellamy, I hope you have no plans because you aren't about to leave any time soon. *evil laughs*

Every time I see a new Darcy Coates book or story I just have to read it immediately. This time we have a short story/novella about a creepy children's asylum where things went bump in the night. Children disappearing, and one of those is the MC twin brother.

Yup, imagine losing your twin brother and knowing that you stood (or was paralysed in your bed) defenceless when he was taken. It is no wonder that our MC ran away from the place, but she wants to go back now because she wants to end things. She wants closure. She wants to end this chapter and stop the nightmares that are plaguing her. And what do you do then? Go to the place during the evening of course. With just a flashlight. What could possibly go wrong? Yep, I had a bit of a laugh that she went to the place when it was getting dark. The place is falling apart, it is creepy as hell, and sure maybe no one is around (or so we think) but still maybe go when it is day? :P

As she steps into the building she gets flashbacks to things that happened when she was still a child. She is slowly remembering things from back then, though some things are hidden in the dark until much much later, then we get the true words that were said that she has forgotten. I have to say it was all very creepy, because while the past parts are a bit tamer there is still some things happening, sometimes just a feeling and sometimes much more when Patience makes her entrance.

I loved the atmosphere of the house, and I loved finding out more and more about it and what kind of things happened in the house. There is tons of things to find out, and believe me you will be on the edge of your seat and if you are like me you will also get goosebumps.

The ending and what happened there, holy carp, I thought it couldn't get any creepier but it did. I loved the revelations there and how that changed things. The last sentences of the novella? I am kind of curious what it means for our MC, and why she is apparently OK with it. I guess maybe it means she is closer to a certain someone? Still, it was a creepy way to end this story.

All in all, highly recommended! I can't wait for the next full novel by this author. I can't wait to see what it is going to be about. Hopefully tons of creepiness.

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[destiny ♡ howling libraries · Rating 5 out of 5]

There was something wrong with Bellamy. She had been running from it for most of her life. It had brought her home, though. Perhaps it had always intended to.

This is definitely one of Darcy's cozier titles, and it hit me in the feels in all the right, subtle ways. I loved how atmospheric the Bellamy setting was and the way Leanne's memories slowly came back to her, making her a bit of an unreliable narrator at times. I could see this making such a good horror movie, especially reminding me of something Guillermo del Toro might direct: gothic, isolated, and a bit heavy. I definitely recommend it to anyone who's already a fan of Darcy's or anyone looking to try out her work in a quick, bite-sized portion. (Plus, for it to be such a short story, it felt very developed!)

✨ Content warnings for: grief, child/sibling disappearance (implied death), a side character appears to be terminally ill

———
twitter | booktok | bookstagram | blog

[jut · Rating 5 out of 5]

spooky. perfect. you won't leave.

[☠Kayla☠ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this short story. It held my interest the whole time, and unlike the other short stories in the book Dead Lake, this one I really liked. It was spooky, and the atmosphere was perfect. I also really loved the ending and how everything played out.

[Jess ☠️ · Rating 2 out of 5]

1.5★

This person can't write. I mean, technically she can, but not well. It felt like every third sentence began with "Leanne". Leanne turned, Leanne climbed, Leanne sighed, Leanne stepped, Leanne pointed, etc.

Even when Coates tries her hand at scene setting, it's just so plain. There are no similies, no delicate touches, no flourish... Just a basic description of what things look like to good old Leanne.

So Leanne makes her way through a haunted house and relives her traumatic past and then it's a ghost story. I don't think this is a spoiler because this, no doubt, is what people came for.

Coates obviously has a dedicated following and they clearly love this pap. There's nothing wrong with that but it's definitely not for me.

I took a shot. It's a very short story and I almost didn't finish it. I can't fault the premise hence the 2★ rating (would be 1.5 if Goodreads coult get its shit together), but the execution left much to be desired for me. Fair to say I won't be reading any novels by this author.

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5/5
Well written but bland and predictable with no scares and little tension.

[Kassandra Patti · Rating 4 out of 5]

I wish this was longer, it has so much potential! So scary from the start.

[Hannah Cluff · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved loved this short story! So creepy and I may have liked it better than Darcy’s book dead lake where I found this story! Fun twists at the end! Definitely add this to your Halloween reads!

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars: I Cried
Disclaimer: Please remember that these are my opinions and if you feel differently, that’s okay. Thanks!

Notes: POV = 3rd Person
Characters: This story is too short to get a good read on Leanne (FMC) but I liked her. I felt bad for her. Connected to her story, which is something I hold in high regard when I read.

Plot/Story: Bellamy is a closed children’s asylum that Leanne lived in. She goes back to see if she can figure out what happened while she lived there. I wouldn’t call this story scary at all, I would call it heartbreaking.

General: This is a very quick read.

Overall:
I really liked this book. The ending gave me a sense of peace as if I had been a child at Bellamy.

[Mortisha Cassavetes · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read EVERYTHING Darcy Coates! I just love all of her work and this is no exception. This is a short story but still has everything a Darcy Coates novel gives you so expect spooky! The story follows Leanne and how she goes to the children's asylum that her brother was taken to and died there. She wants closure but she gets a lot more than that. I do not want to go into the story more as to not spoil it but I highly recommend this book as well as all of Darcy Coates books!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love, love, love Darcy Coates! It's been awhile, so when the email came I was so happy to look inside! You cannot go wrong with Darcy! She is a must read!!

[Brenna Schneider · Rating 4 out of 5]

If this was a full story instead of a 40 page short story I would definitely be interested in reading again.

[Ami 乁⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠o⁠ ⁠˘⁠ ⁠ㄏ (written by Jane Austen) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Maybe because I read it during the evening but I didn't feel anything while reading it. There was a shadow of creepiness but by the end even that was melted away.

The premise is not very different than her other few books except instead of a house our gullible character visits an asylum (a sort of temporary home for young children) because there's an unsolvable mystery in her past. The story progresses through flashbacks and the creepiness is slowly and thoroughly built as we progress through the strange tale like Leanne does through Bellamy. At this point in the story, I was actually kind of thrilled for the big reveal but it was...lacklustre. It was so totally supernatural and not in an extremely horrifying way that I lost all my inclination and excitement.

That being said, the ambiguous statement at the end did give me a start. I couldn't help but feel that there was more than what met the eye. I think that is one of the charms of Darcy Coates' short stories, she keeps it open-ended and essentially makes it a little bit more creepier.

It was not the best of her work and I didn't exactly enjoy it a lot but it was nevertheless good-ish.

Rating: 3.1 out of 5

[Elizabeth Lanaghan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Book Review: Bellamy by Darcy Coates

Rating: 🐾🐾🐾
Genre: Horror/Short Story

Review: Of the 4 short stories at the end of Dead Lake, this one was my least favorite. I don’t really feel that it had the horror aspect that I come to anticipate from a Coates book, but it was still pretty good. The ending was bittersweet and I enjoyed all the flashbacks throughout the story. Still a relatively quick read!

#bookworm #bookaddict #bookreview #bookrecommendation #bookrecommendations #booksofinstagram #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #readersofinstagram #bellamy #darcycoates #horror #horrorbooks #horrorbooksaddict #bookreader #booklover #booknerd #bookreviewer #currentlyreading #readingtime #readersofinsta #goodreads #goodreadschallenge2021 #bookshelf #booksbooksbooks #bibliophile #bookstagramcommunity

[Halcyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I previously read Craven Manor and The Carrow Haunt by Darcy Coates, which to me were two stories with easy 4 star ratings, so I knew that for this novella I would be in good hands.

I was hoping for a tale that was a bit spooky, that had a little bit of paranormal elements to it, but not too much, since I was using it as a quick read before heading out the door. What I wanted turned out to be exactly what I was given, so naturally I was very happy with what I read.

Sometimes when reading short stories, you are at the end, and then you wonder where the rest of your story went, because it felt unfinished and you wanted more than what you got. I didn't get that feeling with this little novella at all.

I would definitely not hesitate to read something of Darcy Coates again in the future, because I quite like what she has to write. Hope you feel the same way.

Happy Reading!

[Wade · Rating 3 out of 5]

“Bellamy was a children’s asylum. It was never intended to be a permanent home.”

“Bellamy had likely been forgotten by everyone who had not lived there.”

“There was something ahead of her. She didn’t know how she could tell when it was too dark to see, but she could feel the presence. A figure, standing just out of arms’ reach, watching her.”

A decent shorter story. Wasn’t particularly scary but had a few good moments. I guessed the ending/twist so that took a little fun out of it. Like most shorter stories, would have helped if the book had been fleshed out more.

[The_Books_Music_Life · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating: 5 stars.

I enjoyed this so much. It was creepy, unsettling, atmospheric, basically it was everything a Darcy Coates book is known for.

For being a short story of around I think 34 pages, it didn't feel like a short story. Everything was explained, the ending was great and the way she wrote it, it didn't feel rushed.

I would absolutely recommend this short story if you're looking for a quick, creepy read.

[Amber · Rating 2 out of 5]

Another story in the dead lake collection I was not fond of. This story follows Leanne as she returns to a Childrens Asylum that she lived in as a child. Now the asylum is abandoned and decpret, or so we believe. This was a ghost/ closure type of story. It just seemed to drone on for me even though it was only about 50 pages.
2 stars

[Nikki Pena · Rating 3 out of 5]

Can a short story drag on? Cause this seemed like it did. Maybe it was that I lost interest midway and forgot about it for a couple of days.
But once Leanne made it behind the door, I was excited. Unfortunately the excitement was short lived because the ending seemed to be similar to a typical mainstream movie.

[Roland · Rating 2 out of 5]

The style was really good, but for me the story entirely lacked the suspense, the horror, the creeps or anything unexpected.

If this would be a movie, it would be the most generic, stock popcorn horror flick ever, utilizing the haunted asylum trope and all the worn out jumpscares.

[chz · Rating 4 out of 5]

My favorite of the short stories of hers I've read. I could picture the building, the characters. While I did figure out the twist, it was well written. I love how Darcy can use a word to describe a sound, and I hear it in my head.

[Louis Henke · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bellamy is a wonderful read. It grabs on to you and won't let go; I read it in one sitting, late at night. I didn't see the end coming. I highly recommend it!!

[Anne-Marie · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a quick story....I read it in one sitting!
Yes it's a short story but a creepy one!
The ending was not what I expected...
Excellent short and highly recommend

[Jeanine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good short eerie story.

[Jye · Rating 5 out of 5]

She’s done it again. I personally would love for this to be extended into a full-size novel.

[Andrea · Rating 4 out of 5]

Creepy good!

[Odd Fallweather · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another terrifying delight from Darcy Coates. I can envision every detail as if watching it on a screen. She is a truly magnificent storyteller.