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A review by barnsey
Hidden Company by S.E. England, Sarah E. England
3.0
Hidden Company is the first Sarah England novel I've read. Told through dual timelines of 1893 and 2018, it's an unsettling story but certainly not terrifying.
In 1893 nineteen year old Flora George is banished to a remote Welsh asylum. With her privileged life now a distant memory, the regime is brutal and living conditions squalid. Why has she been abandoned in this wretched place? Before long she senses an evil presence. Her only chance of survival is to get as far away as possible and never return.
In 2018 forty-one year old psychic medium Isobel Lee rents the old asylum gatehouse. The local villagers, suspicious of incomers, don't take kindly to Isobel's curiosity. Far from being a peaceful retreat, she finds herself bombarded by the long-dead spirits of the asylum's residents. With the help of local dark arts practitioner Branwen, Isobel tries to uncover the awful truth of what really happened 125 years ago.
I decided to read Hidden Company based on the author's good reputation and the fantastic cover art. I love all things dark and creepy and at first glance it appeared to be my kind of book. But whilst I enjoyed it, I was expecting far more terror and chills. I wanted to be too scared to turn the lights off at night; too frightened to come out from beneath the bedcovers. Sadly I was neither. Don't get me wrong — it's cleverly written and I thought the dual timelines worked extremely well — but it fell a bit short of the mark for me.
Before I end my review I must mention the totally awesome epilogue. It was this final turn of events that elevated the story and left me thinking WOW! In fact I'm still thinking about that ending several days later. What a brilliant way to finish the book.
Book Source: Purchased copy
Read my review on my blog: https://bit.ly/3jCqkgj
In 1893 nineteen year old Flora George is banished to a remote Welsh asylum. With her privileged life now a distant memory, the regime is brutal and living conditions squalid. Why has she been abandoned in this wretched place? Before long she senses an evil presence. Her only chance of survival is to get as far away as possible and never return.
In 2018 forty-one year old psychic medium Isobel Lee rents the old asylum gatehouse. The local villagers, suspicious of incomers, don't take kindly to Isobel's curiosity. Far from being a peaceful retreat, she finds herself bombarded by the long-dead spirits of the asylum's residents. With the help of local dark arts practitioner Branwen, Isobel tries to uncover the awful truth of what really happened 125 years ago.
I decided to read Hidden Company based on the author's good reputation and the fantastic cover art. I love all things dark and creepy and at first glance it appeared to be my kind of book. But whilst I enjoyed it, I was expecting far more terror and chills. I wanted to be too scared to turn the lights off at night; too frightened to come out from beneath the bedcovers. Sadly I was neither. Don't get me wrong — it's cleverly written and I thought the dual timelines worked extremely well — but it fell a bit short of the mark for me.
Before I end my review I must mention the totally awesome epilogue. It was this final turn of events that elevated the story and left me thinking WOW! In fact I'm still thinking about that ending several days later. What a brilliant way to finish the book.
Book Source: Purchased copy
Read my review on my blog: https://bit.ly/3jCqkgj