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The Haunting of Lannister Hall
For many years, no living soul has set foot in Lannister Hall. High fences surround the property, and guards work 24/7 to make sure that nobody breaks through. Finally, however, something has changed. Finally permission has been granted to a small team who are going to go into the house and uncover its darkest secrets.
Lannister Hall was once the scene of tragedy. Catherine Lannister was found dead, and both her husband and child were never seen again. It's said that Catherine's ghost still walks the empty rooms, searching for her daughter. But when three investigators arrive at the house, how will the ghost react? Will she welcome their help, or will she turn on them as they attempt to get to the truth?
The Haunting of Lannister Hall is a ghost story about a haunted house, about a woman who will do anything for her daughter, and about a deadly warning once given by a dying mother.
Lannister Hall was once the scene of tragedy. Catherine Lannister was found dead, and both her husband and child were never seen again. It's said that Catherine's ghost still walks the empty rooms, searching for her daughter. But when three investigators arrive at the house, how will the ghost react? Will she welcome their help, or will she turn on them as they attempt to get to the truth?
The Haunting of Lannister Hall is a ghost story about a haunted house, about a woman who will do anything for her daughter, and about a deadly warning once given by a dying mother.
502 pages, Kindle Edition
First published September 16, 2019
584 people are currently reading
589 people want to read
About the author
Amy Cross
668 books1,698 followersAmy Cross writes novels and short stories in a number of genres, mainly horror, paranormal and fantasy. Books include The Farm, Annie's Room, The Island, Eli's Town and Asylum.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 96 reviews
April 25, 2021
Omg 😱
December 20, 2019
I read this book out of curiosity, essentially. Amy Cross has a lot of books. 161, according to the long list at the back of this one (probably more by the time you read this). The earliest of which was 2011 and the past several years have averaged 20ish-plus books per annum. That seems a crazy amount of material to put out, and a lot of it has fair-and-up reviews. A glance shows most of her novels hitting over 3-stars and averaging somewhere between 3.5 & 4. She has some fans, for sure, who write the sort of review that says things like "Five Stars! Best Book Amy Cross Has Written Since Mid-September!" and she has some detractors* but overall she seems to have this immense output where she aims to write about 10k words per day and most of it is considered definitely readable and affordable. I had to give such a writer a try.
My result with a sample-size of one is...ok. There are elements of the novel I really liked. (1) The concept of society dealing with scientific proof that ghosts are real was neat. (2) The use of the past and present to deal with social hierarchies of student versus professor and wife versus husband and ways these themes play off each other. (3) The exploration of how current scientific understanding about Real Ghosts (tm) is flawed. (4) The semi-twists explored with the past and present.
It breaks very little new ground (the scientific basis of ghosts is the closest it gets to new territory, but it sticks mostly to the shallow end of those waters). Mostly it is exactly the sort of book that you would expect with a title of the form The Haunting of [X, where X is not Hill] {House | Manor | Grange | Park | Elevator}. A group of folks go to a house, that is haunted, and there are hauntings. It is broadly in the Hill/Hell House mode with a research team made of a domineering-male-type and a couple/three folks picked for reasons and things are More Haunty and More Ghosty than expected. Like several others of the type, there is a historical thread that runs "parallel" to the investigation and explains things, somewhat.
It is a perfectly adequate haunted house novel.
Most issues arise in the very spots that could have been strengths. The scientific aspect of ghosts is spouted out with much gusto and provides the backbone of the plot, but it seems also an afterthought. Had more care been spent on this part, I think it could have actually been a strong successor in at least the lines of The Stone Tape. The conflicts between hierarchies becomes a bit too easy a villain-victim game. The bad guys become increasingly Big Badly as time goes on to the detriment of the plot. Sure, it shores up any wishy-washy grey areas but a couple revelations are so dastardly that one longs a bit for some moral ambiguity. The social upheaval of Real Ghosts (tm) comes across as a bit odd in a world in which a large number (maybe not a majority in every country, but a significant portion) of people legit do believe in ghosts and far more believe in some sort of soul/afterlife. And how exactly does the high-security elements of the house (in which guards are posted 24/7 to stop people from getting in) make any sense? Especially since it only has a minor impact on the storyline.
In the end, it is the end, the last 10%, that seems to be the novels downfall. Right when things could be getting more ramped up and more complicated and more twisty, the novel gets to its most non-ironic parts and things just happen. It is an ending, and not a terrible one, but the ending just flows right from form. In other words, it is exactly the sort of ending that a Haunting of [X] novel would have.
I'm still down to read another book or two by her, so if any fans find this review then feel free to let me know what I should try for, next.
====
* Including those sort of detractors a lot of horror writers get where someone leaves a 1-star review with two sentences about how they don't like horror novels...and never is clear how such a person found such a novel.
My result with a sample-size of one is...ok. There are elements of the novel I really liked. (1) The concept of society dealing with scientific proof that ghosts are real was neat. (2) The use of the past and present to deal with social hierarchies of student versus professor and wife versus husband and ways these themes play off each other. (3) The exploration of how current scientific understanding about Real Ghosts (tm) is flawed. (4) The semi-twists explored with the past and present.
It breaks very little new ground (the scientific basis of ghosts is the closest it gets to new territory, but it sticks mostly to the shallow end of those waters). Mostly it is exactly the sort of book that you would expect with a title of the form The Haunting of [X, where X is not Hill] {House | Manor | Grange | Park | Elevator}. A group of folks go to a house, that is haunted, and there are hauntings. It is broadly in the Hill/Hell House mode with a research team made of a domineering-male-type and a couple/three folks picked for reasons and things are More Haunty and More Ghosty than expected. Like several others of the type, there is a historical thread that runs "parallel" to the investigation and explains things, somewhat.
It is a perfectly adequate haunted house novel.
Most issues arise in the very spots that could have been strengths. The scientific aspect of ghosts is spouted out with much gusto and provides the backbone of the plot, but it seems also an afterthought. Had more care been spent on this part, I think it could have actually been a strong successor in at least the lines of The Stone Tape. The conflicts between hierarchies becomes a bit too easy a villain-victim game. The bad guys become increasingly Big Badly as time goes on to the detriment of the plot. Sure, it shores up any wishy-washy grey areas but a couple revelations are so dastardly that one longs a bit for some moral ambiguity. The social upheaval of Real Ghosts (tm) comes across as a bit odd in a world in which a large number (maybe not a majority in every country, but a significant portion) of people legit do believe in ghosts and far more believe in some sort of soul/afterlife. And how exactly does the high-security elements of the house (in which guards are posted 24/7 to stop people from getting in) make any sense? Especially since it only has a minor impact on the storyline.
In the end, it is the end, the last 10%, that seems to be the novels downfall. Right when things could be getting more ramped up and more complicated and more twisty, the novel gets to its most non-ironic parts and things just happen. It is an ending, and not a terrible one, but the ending just flows right from form. In other words, it is exactly the sort of ending that a Haunting of [X] novel would have.
I'm still down to read another book or two by her, so if any fans find this review then feel free to let me know what I should try for, next.
====
* Including those sort of detractors a lot of horror writers get where someone leaves a 1-star review with two sentences about how they don't like horror novels...and never is clear how such a person found such a novel.
October 5, 2019
WOW!
This is by far the best book that Amy Cross has written!
Dr. Carter and two of his students go to Lannister Hall to prove that ghosts do exist. One of Dr. Carter's rivals has proven that ghosts exist, but Dr. Carter needs to see it for himself.
Maddie and Josh have just finished setting up perimeter sensors when Maddie sees the ghost of Catherine Lannister. She quickly informs Dr. Carter and Josh of this phenomenon. Dr. Carter has told Maddie and Josh that ghosts do not see, feel, or communicate with humans. He's also told them that ghosts can't hurt you.
I encourage you to read this book and find out if what Dr. Carter said is true or not!
This is by far the best book that Amy Cross has written!
Dr. Carter and two of his students go to Lannister Hall to prove that ghosts do exist. One of Dr. Carter's rivals has proven that ghosts exist, but Dr. Carter needs to see it for himself.
Maddie and Josh have just finished setting up perimeter sensors when Maddie sees the ghost of Catherine Lannister. She quickly informs Dr. Carter and Josh of this phenomenon. Dr. Carter has told Maddie and Josh that ghosts do not see, feel, or communicate with humans. He's also told them that ghosts can't hurt you.
I encourage you to read this book and find out if what Dr. Carter said is true or not!
November 12, 2019
A good read if you dont question anything.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I wanted to read it to the end but all the way through i kept saying how is that. Firstly the author never explains how they have proved ghosts exist, all this research which is not even hinted at. Then you have Dr Carter who talks like someone out of a nineteen century novel, does the author really think Drs speak in the first person like the queen. Then you have Catherine Lanister boarded up in a part of the house without any mention of food, water, clothes, toilet so on. She was obviously there for some time. Then there is the fact this house has been abandoned for over a hundred years, no one else apart from Carter has gone in there. I don’t think so. I could go on and on with the that doesn’t make sense scenario but at the end of the day it is a book and surprisingly i kept reading it because i was enjoying it and i do believe in Ghosts.
I have mixed feelings about this book. I wanted to read it to the end but all the way through i kept saying how is that. Firstly the author never explains how they have proved ghosts exist, all this research which is not even hinted at. Then you have Dr Carter who talks like someone out of a nineteen century novel, does the author really think Drs speak in the first person like the queen. Then you have Catherine Lanister boarded up in a part of the house without any mention of food, water, clothes, toilet so on. She was obviously there for some time. Then there is the fact this house has been abandoned for over a hundred years, no one else apart from Carter has gone in there. I don’t think so. I could go on and on with the that doesn’t make sense scenario but at the end of the day it is a book and surprisingly i kept reading it because i was enjoying it and i do believe in Ghosts.
December 8, 2019
I started off loving this book and thought that I had finally found an author who could write a fictional ghost story without boring me to death. The problems that I had with this book was that aside from a side character of the main characters dad who was hardly in it, all the male characters were horrible. The ghost of Catherine Lannister did not marry up with the personality of Catherine when she was alive. The things she did as a ghost just didn’t make any sense to me. There was a point in this book where everything had been wrapped up and I really felt it was the end of the book even though I was only about 92% through the book. It was the perfect place to end the story but it just kept on. By this stage I had really had enough and skimmed to what I felt was an unnecessary and baffling ending. I own one other book by this author and at this stage I am unsure whether I will ever read it.
February 22, 2020
An amazing ghost story. I truly enjoyed flipping the pages one after the other, and when I couldn't
read during the week because of life....The book stayed front and center on my mind.
It was a diverse bunch of characters that's for sure. I will be reading more of Amy Cross in
the near future. :)
read during the week because of life....The book stayed front and center on my mind.
It was a diverse bunch of characters that's for sure. I will be reading more of Amy Cross in
the near future. :)
March 18, 2020
Good read
I managed to knock this one out quickly. It was a nice, easy read, and the story flowed well. The twist at the was great!
I managed to knock this one out quickly. It was a nice, easy read, and the story flowed well. The twist at the was great!
March 30, 2020
Amazing
This book had !e on the edge of my seat and not wanting to put it down!! I recommend it to anyone that enjoys supernatural thrillers!
This book had !e on the edge of my seat and not wanting to put it down!! I recommend it to anyone that enjoys supernatural thrillers!
May 6, 2020
Best book
I have read a lot of Amy Cross books, and this one by far, is one of her best. The suspense keep me reading far longer in to the night than I should have. Well, worth it!!
I have read a lot of Amy Cross books, and this one by far, is one of her best. The suspense keep me reading far longer in to the night than I should have. Well, worth it!!
January 25, 2021
The first Amy Cross book that I've read and it was okay. The storyline was pretty interesting, but the ending was a major let-down. The writing was neat and interwove the two timelines flawlessly, but what bothered me was that the characters kept interrupting each other in almost every page (and I'm not a fan of incomplete dialogues). The loose ends were tied up, but not as well as I'd have liked them to be. Overall, it's a good easy read if you don't look past the surface.
January 16, 2021
I've been a fan on Amy Cross' haunted house stories, however this was my least favorite.
November 10, 2023
This is in fact a 2.5 star review.
Though I'm aware of Cross' hugely prolific output, this was my first book of hers and indeed, my first true paranormal novel focusing specifically on ghosts.
The set-up is familiar, but there's some background narrative on the ongoing controversy surrounding the reality of ghosts that I found engaging. I liked the then-and-now shifting between timelines to tell the story as well.
The book was low on description and heavy on dialogue, which gave it a TV series feel in places. This is fine, but I felt character depth and background was lacking with regard to some of the modern-day characters.
Unfortunately, everything started to come unravelled in the closing stages of the book. The ending felt rushed, with some hugely significant revelations skipped over, motivations unresolved and a jarring, sudden ending that left the whole thing feeling a tad unfinished. The numerous typos didn't help either.
Though I'm aware of Cross' hugely prolific output, this was my first book of hers and indeed, my first true paranormal novel focusing specifically on ghosts.
The set-up is familiar, but there's some background narrative on the ongoing controversy surrounding the reality of ghosts that I found engaging. I liked the then-and-now shifting between timelines to tell the story as well.
The book was low on description and heavy on dialogue, which gave it a TV series feel in places. This is fine, but I felt character depth and background was lacking with regard to some of the modern-day characters.
Unfortunately, everything started to come unravelled in the closing stages of the book. The ending felt rushed, with some hugely significant revelations skipped over, motivations unresolved and a jarring, sudden ending that left the whole thing feeling a tad unfinished. The numerous typos didn't help either.
November 12, 2019
Don’t read at night
LOVED this book so much it took me several days to think of my review. This was the best horror book I’ve probably ever read. It’s about a haunted house, but what I love is that it jumps between 1899 and present day. So we slowly get all the back story. I can’t recommend this book enough. Should have been 5 stars but, there were a lot of editing mistakes. (Grammar punctuation ect) And there were two instances that were not explained. Not for a cliffhanger, there is no cliffhanger. Just wasn’t explained. Both were from 1899. Regardless still an amazingly awesome, scary and I mean scary book. Every time you think you’ve got it figured out, bam. Totally wrong. Kept me guessing all the way through the end. And that ending, Wow. The ending will blow your mind. Happy reading.
LOVED this book so much it took me several days to think of my review. This was the best horror book I’ve probably ever read. It’s about a haunted house, but what I love is that it jumps between 1899 and present day. So we slowly get all the back story. I can’t recommend this book enough. Should have been 5 stars but, there were a lot of editing mistakes. (Grammar punctuation ect) And there were two instances that were not explained. Not for a cliffhanger, there is no cliffhanger. Just wasn’t explained. Both were from 1899. Regardless still an amazingly awesome, scary and I mean scary book. Every time you think you’ve got it figured out, bam. Totally wrong. Kept me guessing all the way through the end. And that ending, Wow. The ending will blow your mind. Happy reading.
February 25, 2020
Not usually a fan of this authors books, but I highly recommend this one!
I have not been a big fan of Amy Cross's books in the past; either they are to long or too gory for my taste. This book however, I throughly enjoyed! When I'm enjoying a book so often they are over just when they are getting good. This one, was the perfect length. I also don't generally like books that go back and forth between two story lines. This one executed it beautifully! Both storylines truly complimented each other. They intertwined flawlessly, giving you insight and understanding at the perfect times, with just enough information and back story to build the well executed momentum blending the two stories into one wonderfully cohesive book.
I have not been a big fan of Amy Cross's books in the past; either they are to long or too gory for my taste. This book however, I throughly enjoyed! When I'm enjoying a book so often they are over just when they are getting good. This one, was the perfect length. I also don't generally like books that go back and forth between two story lines. This one executed it beautifully! Both storylines truly complimented each other. They intertwined flawlessly, giving you insight and understanding at the perfect times, with just enough information and back story to build the well executed momentum blending the two stories into one wonderfully cohesive book.
October 12, 2019
What a strange story!
A weak willed and subservient mother turning into a vengeful, murderous ghost. Human civilization unable to function anymore, on hearing the news that ghosts do exist. All a bit far fetched and, quite frankly, mad! Yes, it is but the plot worked and the author succeeded in producing a first rate supernatural horror.
A weak willed and subservient mother turning into a vengeful, murderous ghost. Human civilization unable to function anymore, on hearing the news that ghosts do exist. All a bit far fetched and, quite frankly, mad! Yes, it is but the plot worked and the author succeeded in producing a first rate supernatural horror.
March 23, 2020
Amazing book
This was an intense book. The storyline is of great interest to me that is why i wanted to read it. The plot kept you hanging on each twist and turn. I didn't know what to expect. I finished it in one night, couldn't put it down. The ending a was total nail biter. Never saw it coming.
This is a great read, highly recommended
This was an intense book. The storyline is of great interest to me that is why i wanted to read it. The plot kept you hanging on each twist and turn. I didn't know what to expect. I finished it in one night, couldn't put it down. The ending a was total nail biter. Never saw it coming.
This is a great read, highly recommended
December 24, 2019
A decent enough ghost story, kept me reading. Let down somewhat by too many typos in the text, and a somewhat unsatisfactory ending, which marked it down to 3 stars instead of 4, for me.
In spite of that, an enjoyable read.
In spite of that, an enjoyable read.
February 11, 2020
Truly Awful
Amateurish beyond belief. More the product of a middle school student then a professional writer. Please don’t do yourself the disservice of evening opening this book.
Amateurish beyond belief. More the product of a middle school student then a professional writer. Please don’t do yourself the disservice of evening opening this book.
November 28, 2022
Interesting story
A typical ghost hunt with new evidence Chasing a mother ghost of a young girl to find out what happened on such a deadly night
A typical ghost hunt with new evidence Chasing a mother ghost of a young girl to find out what happened on such a deadly night
September 26, 2020
Great book
Couldn't put it down
Couldn't put it down
May 26, 2020
Honestly, this book held everything I could want from a ghost story. High anticipation, a very creepy tone, and overall downright disturbing. It felt like so many other ghost stories, so as to warrant a familiarity in how these things are to be handled. But also so extremely different and creative. I almost want to equate this to if Shirley Jackson (The Haunting of Hill House) and Charlotte Perkins Gilman (The Yellow Wallpaper) came together and made a novel, that would be like reading this twisted story from Amy Cross. This was impeccable writing, strong ties to enacting strength and virtue. I also found the format of her style to flow wonderfully and to fully captivate attention. She also displays emotion in a way I found relatable and fulfilling without being overdramatic. Even though I loved it so much, I found one very prominent detail to hold me back from a full 5 star rating. If my question is answered and it was due to a misread on my part, I will more than happily upgrade my rating, but there is a specific scene in which the Lannisters are introduced that, based on my reading, was never clarified. Literally everything else went answered, but this detail I felt should have not been missed due to it’s prominence in the overall build and introduction. Because of this, even though I found it undesirable since I enjoyed so much of it otherwise, I decidedly left my rating a star below. Although, if you do not share this same unfulfilled feeling that results from a plot hole and want to read something decently creepy, I would highly recommend this book. I personally still look forward to reading more from Amy Cross and highly respect her writing.
Read
March 10, 2020Sorry, this “book” was just eye-roll material. I have to ask some spoiler questions: *Nails in Josh’s *eyes? Uh, *why...? Katie subserviently allowed insane Dr. Carter to take her cell phone while Josh is screaming with nails in his eyes .. why? Katie wandered around “communicating” with Catherine while Josh lay in a heap with nails in his eyes .. why?
Katie stole Milly’s corpse from a university *without getting caught? Katie stopped at a store to buy a shovel with the stolen corpse on the backseat of her car?
At the beginning of Catherine’s story, she fell asleep and, subsequently, Milly hung herself, which Catherine couldn’t remember. Supposedly some demonic influence was causing Catherine to have chronic lapses in memory. But there *was no demon; there was just some weird guy dressed up in a costume popping out of shadows, to try to drive Catherine insane. So what caused Catherine’s amnesias and why was Milly so sobbingly-terrified of her mother in the beginning, but then was suddenly, absolutely *desperate for her mother to come protect her, prompting Catherine to miraculously discover an escape route from her makeshift prison? And, btw, why did Catherine hide Milly’s dead body in a *wall?
I’m sorry, I like spooky stories, and this was a nice try. But, ultimately, it was just silly.
Katie stole Milly’s corpse from a university *without getting caught? Katie stopped at a store to buy a shovel with the stolen corpse on the backseat of her car?
At the beginning of Catherine’s story, she fell asleep and, subsequently, Milly hung herself, which Catherine couldn’t remember. Supposedly some demonic influence was causing Catherine to have chronic lapses in memory. But there *was no demon; there was just some weird guy dressed up in a costume popping out of shadows, to try to drive Catherine insane. So what caused Catherine’s amnesias and why was Milly so sobbingly-terrified of her mother in the beginning, but then was suddenly, absolutely *desperate for her mother to come protect her, prompting Catherine to miraculously discover an escape route from her makeshift prison? And, btw, why did Catherine hide Milly’s dead body in a *wall?
I’m sorry, I like spooky stories, and this was a nice try. But, ultimately, it was just silly.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 31, 2022
Randomly found this last night on my Kindle ‘unread’ list and settled in, hoping for a creepy read. I have to admit…about two thirds in I gave in and had to put Friends on for some lighthearted background noise! 🤦🏼♀️
This was a great read, hooked me in at the start and kept me constantly wondering how it was going to end. Told via two interwoven timelines, past and present stories weave and eventually collide at Lannister Hall; in 1899 we have the Lannisters and their fears that something evil is living in their home, and in the present day we have a team of scientists intent on proving the existence of ghosts by spending a couple of nights in that same house.
I don’t want to give away any of the twists, so I’ll just say that while some of it is your typical haunted house story, the chapters from the past really bring an emotional depth to the overall plot that I wasn’t expecting. I actually found I cared more about these past characters than those in the present. And I was NOT expecting that ending!
I am always on the hunt for genuinely creepy/scary books, and I’m so glad I gave this one a go. A solid four stars from me, one I’d recommend to anyone looking for a bit of halloween spookiness in the coming months. But do it properly…read it in the dark. Even if you do have to have a sitcom on in the background….😉
⭐️4/5⭐️
This was a great read, hooked me in at the start and kept me constantly wondering how it was going to end. Told via two interwoven timelines, past and present stories weave and eventually collide at Lannister Hall; in 1899 we have the Lannisters and their fears that something evil is living in their home, and in the present day we have a team of scientists intent on proving the existence of ghosts by spending a couple of nights in that same house.
I don’t want to give away any of the twists, so I’ll just say that while some of it is your typical haunted house story, the chapters from the past really bring an emotional depth to the overall plot that I wasn’t expecting. I actually found I cared more about these past characters than those in the present. And I was NOT expecting that ending!
I am always on the hunt for genuinely creepy/scary books, and I’m so glad I gave this one a go. A solid four stars from me, one I’d recommend to anyone looking for a bit of halloween spookiness in the coming months. But do it properly…read it in the dark. Even if you do have to have a sitcom on in the background….😉
⭐️4/5⭐️
February 24, 2020
The end of this book was very disappointing. I however found every other part of the book very interesting. So at least there is that!
However, parts of the books lore felt very contrary to each other. I felt like a lot of the characters motivations weren’t fully fleshed out, almost as if the book was rushing to get to the end. A lot more detail and pacing in the character development would have made it a better read.
I don’t regret reading the book, it was a good spooky read and managed to make me a bit nervous as a read. So much of this book was done right though that I felt cheated by the parts that I didn’t feel were fleshed out.
I also automatically knock off a star if I find more than five obvious spelling or grammar errors. So I would have gave it a 4/5 if it hadn’t had SO MANY little errors that bugged me as I read.
However, parts of the books lore felt very contrary to each other. I felt like a lot of the characters motivations weren’t fully fleshed out, almost as if the book was rushing to get to the end. A lot more detail and pacing in the character development would have made it a better read.
I don’t regret reading the book, it was a good spooky read and managed to make me a bit nervous as a read. So much of this book was done right though that I felt cheated by the parts that I didn’t feel were fleshed out.
I also automatically knock off a star if I find more than five obvious spelling or grammar errors. So I would have gave it a 4/5 if it hadn’t had SO MANY little errors that bugged me as I read.
July 30, 2023
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5
This was my first ever horror book. I originally assumed that horror books aren’t scary, because who would be scared by words on paper? OH MY GOD, was I proven wrong
Me. I was scared shitless.
I read this in the bath with some coffee shop ambience on in the background, the room was candlelit (I read on my kindle) but I WAS TOO SCARED to get out the bath when I was done😭😭 This book terrified me, it got me so good!
The ambience, the plot, the characters, I loved it all!!
I will say that the plot twist at the end was amazing!! I also enjoyed the dual time lines, as you can see team of three figure something out, then see it happen to Catherine. IE, You see them discover letters, and you see Catherine write them!! It’s so cool (but sad) to see both sides of things.
I definitely recommend this book to fans of the conjuring universe :))
This was my first ever horror book. I originally assumed that horror books aren’t scary, because who would be scared by words on paper? OH MY GOD, was I proven wrong
Me. I was scared shitless.
I read this in the bath with some coffee shop ambience on in the background, the room was candlelit (I read on my kindle) but I WAS TOO SCARED to get out the bath when I was done😭😭 This book terrified me, it got me so good!
The ambience, the plot, the characters, I loved it all!!
I will say that the plot twist at the end was amazing!! I also enjoyed the dual time lines, as you can see team of three figure something out, then see it happen to Catherine. IE, You see them discover letters, and you see Catherine write them!! It’s so cool (but sad) to see both sides of things.
I definitely recommend this book to fans of the conjuring universe :))
January 24, 2020
I'm addicted to the ghost story fiction genre right now and it's so hard to determine what's good because just about everything seems to garner good reviews. I think critical reviews grow rare as we enter a new era of ideals and social restraint to keep peace with people we don't know or care about. Reviews for this title were mostly favorable so I took a chance...
... and I didn't really like this book. Following the same template used in Blackwych Grange, 3 scientists (one of them an overbearing asshole) enter titular haunted house and all Hell breaks loose.
It did the standard time jump mechanic favored in ghost fiction, playing back and forth between the present to the time the haunting began. I think this type of writing can backfire when you give away too much. It eliminates any guess work at all and leaves us just reading a script. This one definitely does. We are left reading about a mother driven insane and a trio of modern adventurers no one cares about. Most of the character development is devoted to Catherine and little to any of the others. Just slap a red shirt on them and get it over with. The story tries to weave a thread in there about what happens when ghost are proven real, but I failed to see how it added to the story at all.
I won't go into the ending here because I've already given away most of it, but it didn't really make any sense. We don't know what was motivating Katie to do what she did and we don't know what the Hell Catherine was lingering around for. And as I removed it from my Kindle, I remembered that I didn't care.
... and I didn't really like this book. Following the same template used in Blackwych Grange, 3 scientists (one of them an overbearing asshole) enter titular haunted house and all Hell breaks loose.
It did the standard time jump mechanic favored in ghost fiction, playing back and forth between the present to the time the haunting began. I think this type of writing can backfire when you give away too much. It eliminates any guess work at all and leaves us just reading a script. This one definitely does. We are left reading about a mother driven insane and a trio of modern adventurers no one cares about. Most of the character development is devoted to Catherine and little to any of the others. Just slap a red shirt on them and get it over with. The story tries to weave a thread in there about what happens when ghost are proven real, but I failed to see how it added to the story at all.
I won't go into the ending here because I've already given away most of it, but it didn't really make any sense. We don't know what was motivating Katie to do what she did and we don't know what the Hell Catherine was lingering around for. And as I removed it from my Kindle, I remembered that I didn't care.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 1, 2020
Decent Ghost Story
A decent story that unfortunately doesn’t keep up the tension that is built up from the start. The ebook is riddled with poor grammar and punctuation and takes away from the flow of the story.
I felt no resolution with the ending which was a major disappointment, but the journey of the characters was well portrayed, mixing the past of Lannister House with the ghost hunters of today (or near future).
Overall, I would recommend this book, but don’t expect too much, and the ending lacked the emotional feel of the rest of the book.
A decent story that unfortunately doesn’t keep up the tension that is built up from the start. The ebook is riddled with poor grammar and punctuation and takes away from the flow of the story.
I felt no resolution with the ending which was a major disappointment, but the journey of the characters was well portrayed, mixing the past of Lannister House with the ghost hunters of today (or near future).
Overall, I would recommend this book, but don’t expect too much, and the ending lacked the emotional feel of the rest of the book.
February 5, 2020
Creepy Ghost Story!
The writer sets her story in two time periods, the 1890’s and the present day. This adds interest to the plot and explains how the ghost came haunt Lannister Hall.
The characters of Catherine, her husband, Jonathan, Millicent, her daughter, and Katie, a college student, are well fleshed out, and given histories, opinions, emotions, and natural dialogue.
♥️✝️🐑✡️♥️
The writer sets her story in two time periods, the 1890’s and the present day. This adds interest to the plot and explains how the ghost came haunt Lannister Hall.
The characters of Catherine, her husband, Jonathan, Millicent, her daughter, and Katie, a college student, are well fleshed out, and given histories, opinions, emotions, and natural dialogue.
♥️✝️🐑✡️♥️
February 14, 2020
Book was very good and held my interest through the whole book. However. I did Not like the ending. Saw no point to her being killed by the ghost!!!!
I do not see why she murdered the girl. Josh and Dr. Carter i understand, but not the girl at end of book
I do not see why she murdered the girl. Josh and Dr. Carter i understand, but not the girl at end of book
April 12, 2020
Interesting concept but just misses out
I've read a few books by this author now, and I like her style generally. The story idea could be great, but for me (without giving the ending away), telling this story from the first person perspective doesn't work.
I've read a few books by this author now, and I like her style generally. The story idea could be great, but for me (without giving the ending away), telling this story from the first person perspective doesn't work.
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