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barkingspiders_books's review against another edition
4.0
I really liked this one, not as much as Wendy's other books... maybe... some of it might have to do with genuinely get a bit spooked by this book. Had a hard time walking by a window at night that did not have the curtain closed.
jilligin's review against another edition
2.0
It was ok compared to so many others by Webb. I wasn’t as impressed with this one, and had to suspend reality a LOT for this one.
kristinproskow's review against another edition
5.0
Uh this book was amazing. I loved the pacing, the well-written charismatic characters, the tension building, the scenery, the big dogs, everything!!
This story kept me on my toes and left me hanging- I'm still so confused!! But it was so enthralling that I wish I could read it again for the first time. And now I want to turn this book into a play. It was so vivid and honestly such a page-turner. It was a perfect October read (although it's set in winter so really just a good one to cozy up with).
All in all, I absolutely loved it. My kind of spooky.
This story kept me on my toes and left me hanging- I'm still so confused!! But it was so enthralling that I wish I could read it again for the first time. And now I want to turn this book into a play. It was so vivid and honestly such a page-turner. It was a perfect October read (although it's set in winter so really just a good one to cozy up with).
All in all, I absolutely loved it. My kind of spooky.
shakirae's review against another edition
2.0
I liked the story, but the main character I could not stand. She cannot see that 1+1=2 even when she is given both ones and proof that 2 is the answer.
eyreguide's review against another edition
3.0
This was a very creepy and atmospheric read perfectly set up by the prologue where an unspecified evil is released into the Havenwood house. When Julia Bishop, in present time, arrives at Havenwood there are many unsettling occurrences to make her question her decision to stay. And there are many red herrings as well to confuse the reader on whether or not what Julia is seeing is just in her head or actually happening.
Overall I found this a really engaging and eerie read with an interesting cast of characters who, although they were not completely fleshed out for me, were all so ambiguous from the start that they were very intriguing. The main focus of this book is on the ghost story and in capturing the ominous feeling of being in a house that holds dark secrets so character development seemed sort of pushed to the background. Even with Julia, I did understand why she couldn't leave Havenwood, but there were times when I felt she acted very irrationally. There was also a little romance between her and Drew which felt tacked on and not really necessary to the plot.
While the ghost story aspect was very gripping, I thought the resolution was a let down. I don't want to reveal any spoilers though because the twist is very good, but everything was tied up very quickly and too easily for me to feel it was believable. Especially when I had more than a few question in the end about why certain things happened. It was very disappointing for a book with such a great set-up and so many bizarrely creepy moments. But if you really like atmospheric ghost stories that will keep you up late - eager to know what happens next - this might be a great read for you.
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
Overall I found this a really engaging and eerie read with an interesting cast of characters who, although they were not completely fleshed out for me, were all so ambiguous from the start that they were very intriguing. The main focus of this book is on the ghost story and in capturing the ominous feeling of being in a house that holds dark secrets so character development seemed sort of pushed to the background. Even with Julia, I did understand why she couldn't leave Havenwood, but there were times when I felt she acted very irrationally. There was also a little romance between her and Drew which felt tacked on and not really necessary to the plot.
While the ghost story aspect was very gripping, I thought the resolution was a let down. I don't want to reveal any spoilers though because the twist is very good, but everything was tied up very quickly and too easily for me to feel it was believable. Especially when I had more than a few question in the end about why certain things happened. It was very disappointing for a book with such a great set-up and so many bizarrely creepy moments. But if you really like atmospheric ghost stories that will keep you up late - eager to know what happens next - this might be a great read for you.
(I received this book from the publisher or author for a fair and honest review. I was not compensated for this review.)
bentersbookshelf's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
ssshamblin's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
3.0