Ratings17
Average rating3.4
He'll do anything to survive... Daniel is desperate for a fresh start. So when a mysterious figure slides a note under his door offering the position of groundskeeper at an ancient estate, he leaps at the chance, even though it seems too good to be true. Alarm bells start ringing when he arrives at Craven Manor. The abandoned mansion's front door hangs open, and leaves and cobwebs coat the marble foyer. It's clear no one has lived here in a long time...but he has nowhere else to go. Against his better judgment, he moves into the groundskeeper's cottage tucked away behind the old family crypt. But when a candle flickers to life in the abandoned tower window, Daniel realizes he isn't alone after all. Craven Manor is hiding a terrible secret... One that threatens to bury him with it. Also By Darcy Coates: The Haunting of Ashburn House The Haunting of Blackwood House Craven Manor The House Next Door Voices in the Snow
Reviews with the most likes.
Great wonderful read
The author really makes it feel as if you were there. I could easily see this being made into a movie as long as the author keeps a handle on it!
3.5 stars. I've had such a rollercoaster “relationship” with this author. Where I love the story but hate the main characters. It's rough. LoL. But I took a break from her and I'm glad I did because I really enjoyed this one. Daniel was likeable...insanely naive..but likeable. I could tell he was very young. His age was confirmed at the end of the book but I could tell. His life was good until it wasn't, but he was still a hard working kid who couldn't catch a break. And it was that naivete that set things in motion really. He took two conflicting stories at face value. Which, of course, can cause a problem if you run off half cocked without asking questions first.
This story actually ended the way I wanted it to end..but i thought it was ridiculous thought..until it did end that way LOL.
Liked: Daniel's relationship with Bran, sense of comfort (yeah, in a horror book)
Didn't like: Deus ex machina
I picked up a Darcy Coates book on a lot of recommendations from some booktubers I watch because it was pitched as cozy horror. I've wanted to try horror for the longest time but as someone that can't watch horror movies, this sounded like it would be a great starting point.
After finishing the book I looked at some of the reviews of the booktuber mentioned and most of them gave it 3 stars, which tells me that this book is probably great for some newcomers to this genre and her style, but not really original for her avid readers.
I really enjoyed every aspect of this book. After the first few chapters, I thought this was gonna be some atmospheric(gothic) read with a lot of setup for the second half of the book, but noo... once the action started it just went like a snowball down the hill. It definitely went a bit out there in the end but it was so unique and unlike anything I've read, and it worked for me. I really enjoyed this one and can't wait to read more from this author.