Holly Trinity and the Ghosts of York: An Urban Fantasy Novel

by Ben Sawyer

Mira Chaudhri didn’t believe in ghosts until one killed the electrician.

Yesterday, Mira was a perfectly ordinary inhabitant of the historical city of York. Tonight, she’s going to learn that every scary story ever told about her city is true, and many more besides. But only one woman knows them all…

Holly Trinity has protected the city for longer than she’d care to admit. A lifetime spent battling supernatural horrors, patrolling the boundaries of the spirit world, and fighting off hell itself with nothing but an umbrella and a Kate Bush mixtape.

But now Holly needs a helping hand, and Mira’s about to become her new best friend.

Welcome to York. Where owt’s possible.

Holly Trinity and the Ghosts of York is the first novel in Ben Sawyer’s series of urban fantasy stories.

Genres: Urban Fantasy

304 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 28, 2021

About the author

Ben Sawyer is a writer of paranormal fiction who has lived in and around York for 15 years, and this ancient and unique city has grown very close to his heart. After 20 years gainfully employed in the media, he has decided to document the strange world lurking in York’s dark snickelways, and take a funhouse mirror to its history.

Reviews

[Frances · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's always interesting to read a book by a new author. I do like fantasy crime so was keen to try this. Coming from York it was good to see the accuracy of descriptions of the city and be able to follow the story around. I loved the variety of characters, sense of place and history. It was sad and creepy in parts, but also had romance and friendship to balance this. Will look out for more.

[Jo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Mira works in a bookshop in York. One day she's witness to something inexplicable and she's brought into the realm of ghosts and ghoulies and the young woman tasked with protecting the city. This is a wonderful modern take on the king under the mountain folk tale with Holly being turned into a semi-immortal guardian of York who awakens every time she's needed. I'm a regular visitor to York so I loved all the references to places I know but this is a great book with a mix of drama and comedy. Will definitely read more.

[Shaitarn · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fantastic gripping read! Interesting magic/ghost system, there's intrigue and twists plus some amusing moments. I'd highly recommend if you like spooky mysteries, and even better if you like York as the story is very realistic in locations and making good use of them in the story.

[Anne Carlill · Rating 4 out of 5]

I found this novel really interesting. I read it because Ben Sawyer was doing an event at York Explore Central Library, in York UK, which I couldn’t attend so I bought a copy instead. It’s genre, fantasy, is not one I would normally read but, as it had some history in there, I thought I’d give it a try. You meet Mira (Mira Chaudhri), who works in a second hand bookshop, near the beginning and I liked her character from the start. She’s a twenty something sharing a flat with her male best friend Sam. The story begins as Mira encounters the dead body of the electrician she was waiting for. Previously, two other similar murders had happened so Mira is questioned by police. In the meantime, she keeps encountering this woman, she calls the Red Queen, who she finds out is called Holly Trinity. Holly is a whirlwind of a character with long red wavy hair and is said to have appeared, over the centuries, to hunt down murderous ghosts. This is where the history comes in and I found the historical sections particularly intriguing. It has made me want to search out the locations to find out more. The book has romance, laughter and jeopardy so all the things that make me want to know what happens next in a novel.

[Georgie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am a York local and was lucky enough to attend the launch event for this book. The plot was gripping and creepy, and I loved reading about parts of the city I know….and parts I don’t. I enjoyed the historical detail and the clever way it was interwoven into an urban fantasy/paranormal plot. The two female leads are really well written (that’s so refreshing!) and the side characters such as a detective and a flat-mate are nicely fleshed out too.

Would recommend to people from/interested in York; ghost story fans and urban fantasy fans. Looking forward to more in this series.

[Grace · Rating 5 out of 5]

I recently finished this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I really appreciated the sense of mystery throughout the book, alongside the sense of humour and comedy. As someone who lives in York, the feeling of familiarity made the book even more special for me. My favourite character has to be Holly, I loved the mentions of Kate Bush! I am 16 years old and really enjoyed it, I would recommend it to people of my age and older.

[Natasha Alsop · Rating 5 out of 5]

More please!

I found this book completely by chance after seeing it in a Tiktok video and I'm so glad I did! I love York and a keen interest in ghosts goes hand and hand with that. I loved coming across stories and locations (I've even stayed in an apartment in the building that Mira lives in before) that I've already come across before, and could imagine the characters' surroundings even more vividly.

Holly in particular was a very charming and colourful character and I'm so looking forward to reading the next book. (And I think I've already worked out what building might play a large part in the plot...? We shall see!)

[Liz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Holly Trinity and the Ghosts of New York’ is an entertaining and well written urban fantasy. I like to read urban fantasies that are not set in London, New York or other US cities so was pleased to add York to the list.

I thought Holly was a great character and I wanted to have learn more about how she volunteered to be ‘The King Under The Mountain’ but I’m hoping we’ll find out more in the next book. Mira was a good sidekick and a clever way to introduce this world to the reader.

The Hangman was a creepy adversary.

I liked the mix of mythology, folklore and modern technology.

[Helen Fullerton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this book so much I had to take a 2 week hiatus in the middle of reading it because I knew there were only (currently) 2 books in the series. Dear Ben, please write more soon. Oh and can I please play Holly if this is ever made into a film/TV series (Mary the Ghost)

[GeeAlbi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Paranormal vibes with some funny moments, emotional moments, & moments that made me go, ‘oh… woah!’ Didn’t know if I was going to like this but genuinely enjoyed every minute of it! Storyline definitely kept me interested & it was a fun read.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this book after stumbling across the author's social media profile. I really enjoyed it and I'm looking forward to reading more from the author.

[Ellie Pockley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic story and lovable characters.