Reviews

The Haunting by Alex Bell

Only show reviews with written explanations

harper11's review

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

2.0

was disappointed by this book. Having read Frozen Charlotte, I was really excited to read another Alex Bell book! Unfortunately, this one just didn’t hit the same for me.

I liked the general idea and plot, but I just think it was predictable and boring in some places.

faeriesparks's review

Go to review page

3.0

2.5 stars
I've never read an actual horror book before - though I'm not quite sure if this one counts as 'actual horror'. It's definitely YA and while there were certain scenes that were quite creepy and left me squeamish, I'm pretty sure it was harmless.

I wasn't a big fan of the writing but I can't really explain what it was about the writing that I didn't like.
I did enjoy the multiple POVs but towards the end I felt like there was too much focus on Shell's POVs. There was a reason behind that and I understand that but I would have preferred more POVs of Emma and Jem.

clairedrinkstea's review

Go to review page

4.0

Very much enjoyed and I would love to see this turned into 6-part dark paranormal mini series. Good amount of spooky and strange happenings, I liked the multiple perspectives as it helped question the reality of the situation. Couple of lose threads at the end but nothing that spoiled the story just reader curiosity.

rachael_ellis's review

Go to review page

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.75

thebooklender's review

Go to review page

3.0

Thanks to The Reading Zone and the publisher for the review copy.

17 year old Emma (accompanied by her disability assistant dog Bailey) sneaks off from her overprotective parents to visit her sick and elderly grandmother in the Cornish village where, 7 years earlier, she had lost the use of her legs in an accident in her grandmother’s inn - The Waterwitch. Emma bumps into her childhood best friend Jem and his younger sister Shell who have just moved into The Waterwitch to look after it for Emma’s grandmother while she is in hospital (and to escape from their violent and abusive father).

However, rumours abound that The Waterwitch is cursed and haunted - even more so than most Cornish inns! Even Emma’s sensible, sceptical grandmother warns her away from the place. Strange things certainly seem to be going on there, but what is the cause? Is it anything to do with Emma’s accident? Will anyone else gets hurt?

The story is told from three points of view - Emma, Jem and Shell, who share the first person narration duties. Each has a unique voice and viewpoint, enabling the reader to see the events unfolding from several angles. There are some genuinely creepy, tense and scary moments throughout the book, and it is an enjoyable story about family, friendship, facing your past and angry witches.

Some of the horror did feel clichéd, but I was engaged enough in the story to not mind this too much. My main issue with the book, however, is it’s title - I find “The Haunting” to be an unimaginative, non-descript, generic title. What’s wrong with “The Waterwitch”?!

Overall, The Haunting is a solid, enjoyable story, with some creepy - if clichéd - horror moments. It is a decent addition to the Red Eye series of YA horror books.

janaybrazier's review

Go to review page

3.0

I'm not really in to horror books or anything remotely scary but after really enjoying Frozen Charlotte and Charlotte Says I wanted to read this. Unfortunately I didn't like this anywhere near as much as the other Alex Bell books. It was gripping in places but overall it didn't measure up. I toyed between at 2-3 stars for this but went with three because I liked the pace of the story and the idea of it.