What do you think?
Rate this book
The Farm
Dragged away from London by her widowed father, Paula hates the idea of living on a remote Norwegian farm. Soon, however, she starts to realize that her new home is filled with hints of its horrific past. The farmhouse itself is haunted, and strange ghostly children occasionally appear in the yard. Meanwhile, something deadly lurks in the barn, waiting to claim anyone who dares step into the darkness.
Forty years earlier, the same farm was home to the Bondalen family. Three young girls – Elizabeth, Kari and Sara – each had to face the mysterious presence in the barn. They paid with their lives, and a devastating cycle of death was set in motion...
The Farm is a horror novel about a remote, snowy Norwegian farm, and about a struggle across forty years to confront a creature that has been feeding on the house for many years.
Forty years earlier, the same farm was home to the Bondalen family. Three young girls – Elizabeth, Kari and Sara – each had to face the mysterious presence in the barn. They paid with their lives, and a devastating cycle of death was set in motion...
The Farm is a horror novel about a remote, snowy Norwegian farm, and about a struggle across forty years to confront a creature that has been feeding on the house for many years.
275 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 1, 2015
537 people are currently reading
1598 people want to read
About the author
Amy Cross
662 books1,677 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.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
December 6, 2020
This was a fast paced haunted tale and a quick read of an abandoned farm!
Set in 1979, three sisters, Elizabeth, Kari, and Sara are living their lives on a farm with their parents. The youngest sister, Sara along with her sister Kari, find a dead body floating in a stream not far from their house. From then on, life will never be the same for the three sisters. Sara befriends a man that calls himself "Death" who is responsible for missing bodies in the area. Little does she know that befriending him will cause consequences to her family.
Modern day, Paula Ridley along with her father have bought the abandoned farm and as they settle in, Paula is convinced that the farm is haunted. Noises, creaks, and thumps are heard in the house. Paula has always been interested in ghosts and hauntings, so she is delighted when she realizes that the farm is haunted. She decides to investigate on her own to find out what she can of why the farm is haunted. Paula starts a chain of events that takes her down a long road of finding out the truth of the three sisters that once lived on the farm.
Thoughts:
Author, Amy Cross, really throws in all kind of things in this book as it not only involves a haunting, but there is a dash of science fiction brewing in the book too.
A word of warning though to readers: there is some torture and gore in the book, so if you cannot handle it, then you better not read it. Otherwise, if you like that kind of thing, then by all means pick up this book. Giving it five stars for keeping me glued to my kindle.
Set in 1979, three sisters, Elizabeth, Kari, and Sara are living their lives on a farm with their parents. The youngest sister, Sara along with her sister Kari, find a dead body floating in a stream not far from their house. From then on, life will never be the same for the three sisters. Sara befriends a man that calls himself "Death" who is responsible for missing bodies in the area. Little does she know that befriending him will cause consequences to her family.
Modern day, Paula Ridley along with her father have bought the abandoned farm and as they settle in, Paula is convinced that the farm is haunted. Noises, creaks, and thumps are heard in the house. Paula has always been interested in ghosts and hauntings, so she is delighted when she realizes that the farm is haunted. She decides to investigate on her own to find out what she can of why the farm is haunted. Paula starts a chain of events that takes her down a long road of finding out the truth of the three sisters that once lived on the farm.
Thoughts:
Author, Amy Cross, really throws in all kind of things in this book as it not only involves a haunting, but there is a dash of science fiction brewing in the book too.
A word of warning though to readers: there is some torture and gore in the book, so if you cannot handle it, then you better not read it. Otherwise, if you like that kind of thing, then by all means pick up this book. Giving it five stars for keeping me glued to my kindle.
November 2, 2016
4.5 stars
Here is another story with chapters that alternate between different perspectives and time periods. In 1979, an eight-year-old Norwegian girl named Sara Olesun finds a body in the river. While her older sister leaves to get help, Sara meets Death--or, at least, a man who claims to be Death. It isn't long before tragedy strikes Sara and her two sisters.
Years later, in the present day, John Ridley buys a farm in Norway. He and his teen-aged daughter, Paula, move into the same house once occupied by the Olesun family. Paula learns that the farm was so inexpensive because of its tragic past. She's excited at the prospect of seeing ghosts. Paula won't have to wait long....
Well-written and intriguing, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the past events and how they paved the way for the present-day horrors. This story was greatly imaginative and suspenseful. Amy Cross masterfully creates such great characters and her descriptive language placed me beside them where I seemed to witness the gore and horror firsthand.
I initially rated this 4 stars, but I'm bumping it to 4.5 and rounding up to 5. I really did enjoy this book!
Here is another story with chapters that alternate between different perspectives and time periods. In 1979, an eight-year-old Norwegian girl named Sara Olesun finds a body in the river. While her older sister leaves to get help, Sara meets Death--or, at least, a man who claims to be Death. It isn't long before tragedy strikes Sara and her two sisters.
Years later, in the present day, John Ridley buys a farm in Norway. He and his teen-aged daughter, Paula, move into the same house once occupied by the Olesun family. Paula learns that the farm was so inexpensive because of its tragic past. She's excited at the prospect of seeing ghosts. Paula won't have to wait long....
Well-written and intriguing, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about the past events and how they paved the way for the present-day horrors. This story was greatly imaginative and suspenseful. Amy Cross masterfully creates such great characters and her descriptive language placed me beside them where I seemed to witness the gore and horror firsthand.
I initially rated this 4 stars, but I'm bumping it to 4.5 and rounding up to 5. I really did enjoy this book!
June 6, 2018
The few books I've read by Cross haven't been "sleep with the lights on scary" but she can write a creepy, atmospheric ghost story that reels you in from page one and doesn't let up until the end.
I had originally planned on rating this 5 stars but after pondering over the couple of issues I had with it, I felt like 4 stars was more appropriate. The first thing that bothered me was that we were given the impression that Paula is a child, maybe very young teenager, still enrolled in school, yet the language she used (gd-d&mn this & gd that) and the way that she talked to her dad and acted wasn't very reflective of a young child. Then she was sleeping at home by herself and hanging out all night long with the snowplow guy who was a lot older and out of school already. So there was a definite age conflict going on.
Then we come to Jonah... Jonah supposedly had multiple brain surgeries over a period of 20+ years and had over 1/3 of his brain moved, yet his memory and ability to walk, talk and speak was not effected. That didn't come across as very believable to me.
Plus in Chapter 21,
Then in Chapter 23, the author writes-
Then toward the end we find out which I think is a huge plot hole that needs reworked.
If you can overlook those details it is a very entertaining ghost story and I had a lot of fun reading it as a buddy read with Marie. : )
I had originally planned on rating this 5 stars but after pondering over the couple of issues I had with it, I felt like 4 stars was more appropriate. The first thing that bothered me was that we were given the impression that Paula is a child, maybe very young teenager, still enrolled in school, yet the language she used (gd-d&mn this & gd that) and the way that she talked to her dad and acted wasn't very reflective of a young child. Then she was sleeping at home by herself and hanging out all night long with the snowplow guy who was a lot older and out of school already. So there was a definite age conflict going on.
Then we come to Jonah... Jonah supposedly had multiple brain surgeries over a period of 20+ years and had over 1/3 of his brain moved, yet his memory and ability to walk, talk and speak was not effected. That didn't come across as very believable to me.
Plus in Chapter 21,
Then in Chapter 23, the author writes-
Then toward the end we find out which I think is a huge plot hole that needs reworked.
If you can overlook those details it is a very entertaining ghost story and I had a lot of fun reading it as a buddy read with Marie. : )
February 18, 2020
I think Amy Cross is a terrific writer. A rising star in Horror, I wouldn't be surprised if in the coming years she were to become big! Moving along, this is two stories set decades apart. One in 1979 with three sisters living on a farm, the other in the present day with a heroic young girl named Paula. All tied together by conspiracies, ghosts, and an ancient Evil that thrives on the misery and pain of others.
This was a very quick read, I enjoyed it very much. I can't wait to read more of Amy Cross's books!
This was a very quick read, I enjoyed it very much. I can't wait to read more of Amy Cross's books!
July 17, 2019
This was the third book of Cross's I read. Like the previous two, I was quite enjoying it for a good 65-75%. But just like those other books, the story went off the rails about that point and had a somewhat unsatisfactory ending. It seems her pattern is to crank along and just lose it towards the end of the story, rushing because she doesn't quite know how to end it well.
February 4, 2017
Way too much use of the word "gd" and cursing from the main character who was supposed to be the innocent teenage daughter. 3.5 stars. A story like this was disturbing enough to not need that every sentence. Good grief. And why that? Just say damn. Or, hey, just be more articulate than that OR even just talk like a normal teenager and not a sailor. Here she was a teenager and her father didn't curse hardly or say anything to her about her mouth. What?
It was almost a DNF but I enjoy this author's books. Except for one other part where I was like .. ok, unnecessary, the story was great.
It was spooky and all. Just whew.
This would have been better as a series also instead of trying to cram all of this into one book.
It was almost a DNF but I enjoy this author's books. Except for one other part where I was like .. ok, unnecessary, the story was great.
It was spooky and all. Just whew.
This would have been better as a series also instead of trying to cram all of this into one book.
November 21, 2019
You get two for one in this book.
It begins in 1979 when Sara and her sister come across a dead body in the river. Waiting for her sister to return with help, Sara meets a mysterious man who claims to be Death. Not long after, bad things visit the family.
Flash forward thirty years. Paula and her father move into the old abandoned farm he bought at a bargain price because of it’s tragic history. She’s excited to learn it’s rumored to be haunted and she hopes to encounter ghosts. She should have been careful what she wished for.
I’ve read many of Amy’s books and she always manages to give me the chills. She did it again with The Farm. I like reading scary books at night. You get such vibes when it’s dark out and all is still. I managed to creepy myself out as the story got darker, the two separate stories came together and the horror come out to play.
I felt a strong connection to many of the characters and that made reading about some of the horrific things that happened to them hard to swallow. I wanted to go back and change the past and to warn Paula and her father about what was really haunting the old farm.
Be prepared. This is a true horror haunting.
It begins in 1979 when Sara and her sister come across a dead body in the river. Waiting for her sister to return with help, Sara meets a mysterious man who claims to be Death. Not long after, bad things visit the family.
Flash forward thirty years. Paula and her father move into the old abandoned farm he bought at a bargain price because of it’s tragic history. She’s excited to learn it’s rumored to be haunted and she hopes to encounter ghosts. She should have been careful what she wished for.
I’ve read many of Amy’s books and she always manages to give me the chills. She did it again with The Farm. I like reading scary books at night. You get such vibes when it’s dark out and all is still. I managed to creepy myself out as the story got darker, the two separate stories came together and the horror come out to play.
I felt a strong connection to many of the characters and that made reading about some of the horrific things that happened to them hard to swallow. I wanted to go back and change the past and to warn Paula and her father about what was really haunting the old farm.
Be prepared. This is a true horror haunting.
March 27, 2018
The farm was not a bad book. I was not scared and I was hoping it would be for me. The end of the book, the thing in the barn, that was a good twist for me. I did not expect that at all. The ending was a little sad for me. Overall, I was hoping for more out of this book but it wasn't bad just wanted to be scared more.
March 26, 2019
This would have been 4 stars for me if it wasn’t for the mc and all the cussing. I don’t mind cuss words but it felt unnecessary for it to be every other word especially from a teenage character.
May 11, 2020
Closer to 4.5 stars.
I flew through this book. Books with alternating perspectives/timelines always reel me in super easily because I love trying to piece together the plot using two different vantage points, plus they tend to end each chapter on a cliffhanger so I have to hurry up and read through the next chapter to get to what happens next! It was done very effectively here, for sure.
The story itself seems like a typical haunted house story at first glance, but it becomes much more dark and insidious. It got a bit gruesome, but thankfully it didn't dwell on it. There was just enough detail where you knew what happened, without it being gratuitously described. It ended up being a pretty unique book, and I really enjoyed it.
However, it definitely needed another editing round or two, as there were some typos/inconsistencies (at one point, it said the barn when it absolutely had to be the shed per previously established context), and some of the action was a bit confusing either in how it was written or (what I perceive to be) inconsistencies. It just could've been tightened up a bit.
Overall though, I really enjoyed this. I'll definitely be reading more by the author.
I flew through this book. Books with alternating perspectives/timelines always reel me in super easily because I love trying to piece together the plot using two different vantage points, plus they tend to end each chapter on a cliffhanger so I have to hurry up and read through the next chapter to get to what happens next! It was done very effectively here, for sure.
The story itself seems like a typical haunted house story at first glance, but it becomes much more dark and insidious. It got a bit gruesome, but thankfully it didn't dwell on it. There was just enough detail where you knew what happened, without it being gratuitously described. It ended up being a pretty unique book, and I really enjoyed it.
However, it definitely needed another editing round or two, as there were some typos/inconsistencies (at one point, it said the barn when it absolutely had to be the shed per previously established context), and some of the action was a bit confusing either in how it was written or (what I perceive to be) inconsistencies. It just could've been tightened up a bit.
Overall though, I really enjoyed this. I'll definitely be reading more by the author.
December 18, 2020
This book started strong. It did the every other chapter flip from years ago, to present day. Each chapter of the past hinted at what happened back then. The present day chapters advanced the actual story taking place. Then it left me curious as to how the two stories would intersect. By halfway in,I got kinda bored. The story peaked too earlier. It didn't end bad, just not how I expected. Once again, I'm sure it's just me because I love Amy Cross... But I have a hard time getting into some supernatural aspects, and this is one of those. If possessions are your thing, you would really enjoy this book
July 13, 2017
Wow!
What an imagination Amy Cross must have in order to write a book such as this. Old Norse gods, ghosts, psychotic power crazed locals, a naïve widower and a down to earth girl from London. Mix them up, stir well and read a masterful tale.
What an imagination Amy Cross must have in order to write a book such as this. Old Norse gods, ghosts, psychotic power crazed locals, a naïve widower and a down to earth girl from London. Mix them up, stir well and read a masterful tale.
September 21, 2024
Hard to think that Amy Cross used to be my go to author back in the days....
This book had absolutely no originality. Very plain as a horror. No chills up your spine. No wrecking mysteries behind. Hundreds of unanswered questions. No connected dots. The overused cliche of an abandoned farm and people keep dying there. Like??? How fReSh!
Every other book of hers starts with "From the author of The Farm"...... Like excuse me if that's the same author then I want my time and energy back. What even is this book? There's absolutely no content whatsoever. She hears some creaking sounds, she gets spooked. Snowplow guys grandfather coincidentally stored all the paper cuttings from 70s. A person whose 3/4th brain is gone can do series of attacks on people. Absurd? Do you think it ends here? The most frustrating thing is the thing in the barn. It's such an abstract idea and it really was such a disappointment to see that this blob was behind all the killings. There was so much potential for more. Besides I don't understand why she had to include the leper hospital side story like it's such an important part. It could literally be written in two sentences and would still serve the purpose. She strayed away from the barn and all with these side stories.
And what even is horror right? Cause creaking sounds do really get you going don't they?
All in all, waste of time.
This book had absolutely no originality. Very plain as a horror. No chills up your spine. No wrecking mysteries behind. Hundreds of unanswered questions. No connected dots. The overused cliche of an abandoned farm and people keep dying there. Like??? How fReSh!
Every other book of hers starts with "From the author of The Farm"...... Like excuse me if that's the same author then I want my time and energy back. What even is this book? There's absolutely no content whatsoever. She hears some creaking sounds, she gets spooked. Snowplow guys grandfather coincidentally stored all the paper cuttings from 70s. A person whose 3/4th brain is gone can do series of attacks on people. Absurd? Do you think it ends here? The most frustrating thing is the thing in the barn. It's such an abstract idea and it really was such a disappointment to see that this blob was behind all the killings. There was so much potential for more. Besides I don't understand why she had to include the leper hospital side story like it's such an important part. It could literally be written in two sentences and would still serve the purpose. She strayed away from the barn and all with these side stories.
And what even is horror right? Cause creaking sounds do really get you going don't they?
All in all, waste of time.
November 11, 2018
"One farm, two tragedies, 30 years apart."
This was my first book by author Amy Cross and I was not disappointed! The story takes place in Norway during 1979 and present day. It begins with the murder of 3 sisters on the farm. The property sets vacant until the present when a widower and his teenage daughter move in. And eerie occurances ensues to a possible deadly level.
With a fantastic atmosphere and engaging, empathetic characters, this book delivers with a remake of the classic haunted house tale. Instead of a haunted house, there is haunted farm. Instead of an eerie room with a dark past, a barn with an evil lurking to consume anyone who dare enter. The pacing is well done, hopping back and forth from the past to the present. Cross creates vibrant and descriptive scenes throughout the whole story, forcing the current scene to form vividly in your mind.
A solid ghost story, The Farm is a perfect combination of chaos and creepy. I'm looking forward to read more by Amy Cross!!
This was my first book by author Amy Cross and I was not disappointed! The story takes place in Norway during 1979 and present day. It begins with the murder of 3 sisters on the farm. The property sets vacant until the present when a widower and his teenage daughter move in. And eerie occurances ensues to a possible deadly level.
With a fantastic atmosphere and engaging, empathetic characters, this book delivers with a remake of the classic haunted house tale. Instead of a haunted house, there is haunted farm. Instead of an eerie room with a dark past, a barn with an evil lurking to consume anyone who dare enter. The pacing is well done, hopping back and forth from the past to the present. Cross creates vibrant and descriptive scenes throughout the whole story, forcing the current scene to form vividly in your mind.
A solid ghost story, The Farm is a perfect combination of chaos and creepy. I'm looking forward to read more by Amy Cross!!
December 5, 2017
Oh how badly I wanted to like this more than I did... This book took forever to grab my attention and even when it did it wasn't by much. I hated the characters, they made the novel as a whole feel more like a YA than an adult horroir novel. I had to add an extra star though because it's Amy Cross and she's my favorite and this is the first of many I've read of her works that I didn't absolutely love.
September 11, 2015
This was an O.K. read. There were some really good parts and a lot of really bad parts. Unfortunately, the bad parts eclipsed the good. A good book always stands on the pillar of its characters. In this case, the two main characters are very easy to dislike; mainly because their behavior is such that it's very easy to lose respect for them.
Paula, is a pill to put it mildly. She's a smart ass, intrusive, impulsive and especially disrespectful. Maybe because I'm not a Millennial and was born in another era where authority was at least respected; if I spoke to my father the way she does in the book, I'd be in the hospital with a broken jaw. He reacts to her verbal abuse like he was a emotionally weaker older brother. It's pathetic. Several times throughout the story I wanted to reach into the pages, grab him, and shake some sense into him. At the minimum couldn't he set at least some semblance of boundaries? Is that what relationships between fathers and daughters are nowadays? This alone took the story down several notches into the O.K. zone.
The best parts of the book was when we are taken back to what started it all. I can't go into more detail than that without ruining the story. Suffice to say that what keeps the story propped up, without falling all the way to the ground, is the history behind all the mystery. Without the history, the story would have fizzled into nothing early on.
Not overly impressed with this author or the story. Probably more suited for less sophisticated readers.
Paula, is a pill to put it mildly. She's a smart ass, intrusive, impulsive and especially disrespectful. Maybe because I'm not a Millennial and was born in another era where authority was at least respected; if I spoke to my father the way she does in the book, I'd be in the hospital with a broken jaw. He reacts to her verbal abuse like he was a emotionally weaker older brother. It's pathetic. Several times throughout the story I wanted to reach into the pages, grab him, and shake some sense into him. At the minimum couldn't he set at least some semblance of boundaries? Is that what relationships between fathers and daughters are nowadays? This alone took the story down several notches into the O.K. zone.
The best parts of the book was when we are taken back to what started it all. I can't go into more detail than that without ruining the story. Suffice to say that what keeps the story propped up, without falling all the way to the ground, is the history behind all the mystery. Without the history, the story would have fizzled into nothing early on.
Not overly impressed with this author or the story. Probably more suited for less sophisticated readers.
March 17, 2018
3.5 Stars.
This is the second book I've read by Amy Cross and I have enjoyed both. The first, 'Stephen', had a more disturbing theme whereas this one was a more conventional ghost story with the classic tortured souls caught between the living and the dead due to their unfinished business with the living.
The story isn't quite gripping but it certainly kept my interest and the author at time had me in minus 30 degree, snow ravaged Norway on a farm that held many torturous secrets spanning decades...... even centuries.
There are quite a few typos throughout the story but they're easy enough to correct yourself.
Would I recommend this book to another fan of horror? Yes!
This is the second book I've read by Amy Cross and I have enjoyed both. The first, 'Stephen', had a more disturbing theme whereas this one was a more conventional ghost story with the classic tortured souls caught between the living and the dead due to their unfinished business with the living.
The story isn't quite gripping but it certainly kept my interest and the author at time had me in minus 30 degree, snow ravaged Norway on a farm that held many torturous secrets spanning decades...... even centuries.
There are quite a few typos throughout the story but they're easy enough to correct yourself.
Would I recommend this book to another fan of horror? Yes!
October 26, 2015
Creepy and a bit gruesome; perfect Halloween time reading. As a bonus, it takes place in Norway in winter, and I have always been a bit fascinated/appalled by the extreme northern climate. Just dealing with all that snow and ice is a horror story all by itself (which is why I refuse to visit my parents in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan anytime between November and April, although that has nothing to do with the story. Nor does their house appear to be haunted.) Anyway, another hit for Amy Cross, an author I'm glad to have discovered via kindle unlimited.
May 5, 2018
Interesting concept, but...
I struggled to get into this book. The premise is interesting and I liked the way the past was interwoven with the present but it’s was still a bit of a drag for me. The characters were a little rough too. Paula was whiny and the Sara just needed her butt busted.
I struggled to get into this book. The premise is interesting and I liked the way the past was interwoven with the present but it’s was still a bit of a drag for me. The characters were a little rough too. Paula was whiny and the Sara just needed her butt busted.
May 11, 2017
This was really good. there are many strange things going on in a small town in Norway. This story kept me guessing. Just when I thought I had something figured out a new angle emerged. The auther is hit or miss with me but this one was a good read.
October 14, 2016
In October, I read horror stories. This one was a spooky read, with a fun setting and enough mystery to keep me wondering.
June 22, 2020
Amy Cross’ stories are creepy. To me, that means a lot in itself. But they aren’t just edge of your seat what the heck is going on kind of creepy, that’s just the start. Literally. The start of her books build into a a lot of eerie situations, things that you aren’t quite sure are scary, but also make you want to keep your feet covered. She has this very intriguing flash back situation she likes to use so that she entices you further into the plot build and promotes a parallel that’s just as eerie as the present. This is usually how she’ll combine the paranormal entity in her story with the human conflicts, and it’s done wonderfully. Her book are really just so much fun to read. The Farm is only my second Amy Cross book and I already love her style. She has a knack for telling creepy tales and I fully enjoy it. Cross has a distinct knack of drawing you in. 300+ pages will feel like a movie flying by. She obtains empowerment ideals through her current day characters, builds anticipation very well and offers some very fun campfire-like stories in the process. I really enjoyed reading this and love her flow. I think it deserves a lot of credit, the only reason I went a star rating lower was simply because I didn’t get as strongly invested in this one as I expected but it was more of a personal feeling and in no way should deplete her ability to deliver a well plotted and extremely fun spooky tale.
April 22, 2022
I can’t decide how I feel about this book. I REALLY liked the first half. She did a great job reeling me in and building mystery and a sense of dread. I didn’t want to put it down. I was getting excited to read more by the author (this is my first Amy Cross book).
But then the second half almost felt like it was written by someone else. I felt like it got rushed and sloppy and a little outlandish (even for a book with ghosts). It happened right around when she brought in the third point of view (or 4th technically, since the prologue is a self contained POV). I actually wish that point of view had not been added at all and we had continued alternating between Sarah and Paula. It’s hard to explain what I didn’t like without spoiling things, but the 3rd point of view adds in a bad guy that is mustache twirling levels of bad. Maybe if the book was a little longer, things could have been fleshed out more, but as written this guy and his comrades were just too cartoon villain for me. But the POV was also really repetitive while feeling rushed at the same time.
I got this for free with my trial period of kindle unlimited so I wouldn’t be opposed to trying another book of hers for free since I really liked the set up.
But then the second half almost felt like it was written by someone else. I felt like it got rushed and sloppy and a little outlandish (even for a book with ghosts). It happened right around when she brought in the third point of view (or 4th technically, since the prologue is a self contained POV). I actually wish that point of view had not been added at all and we had continued alternating between Sarah and Paula. It’s hard to explain what I didn’t like without spoiling things, but the 3rd point of view adds in a bad guy that is mustache twirling levels of bad. Maybe if the book was a little longer, things could have been fleshed out more, but as written this guy and his comrades were just too cartoon villain for me. But the POV was also really repetitive while feeling rushed at the same time.
I got this for free with my trial period of kindle unlimited so I wouldn’t be opposed to trying another book of hers for free since I really liked the set up.
June 20, 2018
Teenager Paula Ridley was not happy that her father, John, had uprooted her from their comfortable home in London and taken her to a deserted farm in Norway to start a new life. She knew that it was a result of losing her mother two years earlier, but Norway, and a farm at that. They knew nothing about farming, for heaven's sake. Surely, he would give up and take her home before long! Soon, however, she would encounter a ghost haunting the farm, which she found exciting. At least until it attacked her, and she began to learn the sad history of the young girls that had lived there in the past.
A history that the whole town seemed to ignore, or maybe they were hiding it. When her father is hospitalized after being injured while checking old farm equipment, she is forced to be at the farm alone. Could she survive the night?
I had not read about this book before I started, so I assumed it was a ghost story, and it is, but it is much more! It certainly kept me interested and finished in a short period. I found a few misspellings and a few wrong words in places, but it may have been an early unedited version.
A history that the whole town seemed to ignore, or maybe they were hiding it. When her father is hospitalized after being injured while checking old farm equipment, she is forced to be at the farm alone. Could she survive the night?
I had not read about this book before I started, so I assumed it was a ghost story, and it is, but it is much more! It certainly kept me interested and finished in a short period. I found a few misspellings and a few wrong words in places, but it may have been an early unedited version.
August 3, 2021
A light fast-paced read, suitable for those who like gory ghost horror stories, but who are not very particular about their reading. I liked the historical background of the story, and the gory stuff was cool. I didn't feel convinced the story had to be set in Norway though. The whole idea of a person changing his sedentary big city lifestyle for organic farming on the most inhospitable and isolate soil in the foreign country with a teenage daughter was unfathomable. I get the idea of challenging oneself, but this kind of challenge was just plain stupid hardly anyone would undertake in real life.
I read the book fast, but felt rather like I am watching a B-horror movie in which I question and belittle every character and their actions. The ending was not very satisfactory, but alright considering the whole. Also, the book left some puzzles unanswered, not so important for the conclusion of the story, but some that should have been answered at least in the epilogue of the book to wrap every segment of the story neatly. ()
I read the book fast, but felt rather like I am watching a B-horror movie in which I question and belittle every character and their actions. The ending was not very satisfactory, but alright considering the whole. Also, the book left some puzzles unanswered, not so important for the conclusion of the story, but some that should have been answered at least in the epilogue of the book to wrap every segment of the story neatly. ()
May 5, 2018
This reminded me so much of the Point Horror books I used to read as a kid - just upgraded for an adult audience with a smattering of quite graphic violence. Good little easy read, various twists in the plot and, if you can suspend disbelief, great fun if you just go with it.
It was a free kindle purchase, so my expectations are slightly lower, but an absolute bugbear of mine is errors in the text as they yank me out of the story. I picked out a good eight or so (eg. ‘how to move his any part of body’), most of which felt like last minute twiddles that hadn’t been read back over - a real shame for an otherwise good light read.
That said, I’ll be keeping my eye out for more Amy Cross if this is any indication of her creativity and tension building- if you were also a point horror fan from back in the day then I highly recommend dipping into this for an evening.
It was a free kindle purchase, so my expectations are slightly lower, but an absolute bugbear of mine is errors in the text as they yank me out of the story. I picked out a good eight or so (eg. ‘how to move his any part of body’), most of which felt like last minute twiddles that hadn’t been read back over - a real shame for an otherwise good light read.
That said, I’ll be keeping my eye out for more Amy Cross if this is any indication of her creativity and tension building- if you were also a point horror fan from back in the day then I highly recommend dipping into this for an evening.
June 9, 2021
I rated this 2 stars, one for the creepy feeling I got in the first half of the book and the next because hey, I have never written a book so that's a major success in itself.
I will say, the first few chapters were fascinating - I read in bed and kept looking over my shoulder and had that creepy "someone is watching me" feeling. I even shared what I had read with my adult daughter as we were driving to the Mall. I had high hopes.
I think I have to agree with some other reviewers about the characters not being likeable - except for Dad, you can't help but like a fella who wants to live his dream. Paula, sassy, ungrateful and simply not a character that you can grow fond of. I actually felt more for the Jonah.
I wish I could have rated it higher, I will read other books by this author.
I will say, the first few chapters were fascinating - I read in bed and kept looking over my shoulder and had that creepy "someone is watching me" feeling. I even shared what I had read with my adult daughter as we were driving to the Mall. I had high hopes.
I think I have to agree with some other reviewers about the characters not being likeable - except for Dad, you can't help but like a fella who wants to live his dream. Paula, sassy, ungrateful and simply not a character that you can grow fond of. I actually felt more for the Jonah.
I wish I could have rated it higher, I will read other books by this author.
June 27, 2020
Good book, but there were a few questions I still have. One is, how did Sara die? Did she just die from starvation,dehydration,exposure while hiding? Her body was never found. So was her actual body in that hole? I wish it had been found during the story. Who was the woman who’s body Paula saw in the barn along with the homeless woman? In the first half of the story Paula found a newspaper with a big guy holding a trophy, but then nothing was mentioned of it again. So why was that even in the story? How did the “death god” get there? I really just didn’t like that it was revealed to be a “god” or whatever. I was expecting a demon or something. The god just made it seem corny to me. Despite these questions I have, I thought that this was overall a really good read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 10, 2022
Good story with original takes.
I have only one little complaint: I think it shows that it's self-published, in that there are a few holes that would have been caught by an editor. (Spoilers:)
How was Sara able to physically touch someone, when it's clear at the end that she is nothing different than her sisters? Sebastian did acknowledge that it must have made her very different, the reader takes it as a clue, but it's not mentioned again and the end seems to disregard it. Similarly, how could the mental patient appear as a ghost in the forest... when it is finally revealed that he was alive all along, and imprisoned? Small things I know, but a thorough rereading would have helped fill these gaps.
Anyway, moving on to other books by Cross, I find her atmosphere very enjoyable.
I have only one little complaint: I think it shows that it's self-published, in that there are a few holes that would have been caught by an editor. (Spoilers:)
How was Sara able to physically touch someone, when it's clear at the end that she is nothing different than her sisters? Sebastian did acknowledge that it must have made her very different, the reader takes it as a clue, but it's not mentioned again and the end seems to disregard it. Similarly, how could the mental patient appear as a ghost in the forest... when it is finally revealed that he was alive all along, and imprisoned? Small things I know, but a thorough rereading would have helped fill these gaps.
Anyway, moving on to other books by Cross, I find her atmosphere very enjoyable.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 26, 2023
When I want to read without taking the risk of reading a bad or average book, Amy Cross is my go-to author. In this one, she throws in a good collection of horrifying stuff - ghosts, a serial killer, a creepy child, experimental psychiatric brain surgery, terrible child torture, and a satisfying monster, which I won't describe here. At the beginning, I was a lot more engaged with the 1979 timeline than with the present one, but the latter soon picked up speed and captured my imagination completely. As is the case with every Amy Cross book, the research is not great and there are unrealistic bits that are difficult not to notice. But I always forgive her for it because the stories are just so good. This is about as good as horror gets. 4.5 stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews