A dark family secret prompts a ghost to seek revenge in this spooky novel in the spirit of Mary Downing Hahn. The only life 12-year-old Emily has ever known is the cold, unloved existence of being an orphan. But everything changes when the Thorntons, a young couple from London, adopt Emily, whisking her away to a new life at their grand estate. At first, life at Blackthorn Manor is wonderful. But as Emily explores the grounds and rooms, she stumbles upon a mysterious girl named Kat, who appears to be similar in age, and the two become fast friends. That's when things take a turn for the worse. Kat seems to know a curious amount about the estate, and strange things happen whenever she's around. In one case, Emily narrowly avoids getting toppled by a bookcase in the library; in another, the fire erupts in the fireplace, nearly burning Emily's hands. It's almost as if someone -- or something -- wants Emily dead. Emily must find out what happened to the Thorntons and, more important, how Kat is connected to these strange goings-on at Blackthorn Manor before it's too late!
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My inner 10-year-old would give this 5 stars, the adult in me gives it a “meh” but I am not the intended audience, so young Me wins.
I can't tell you how many times I chose a book as a child with a creepy cover and an ominous copy on the back cover only to be disappointed. I'm looking at YOU, Nancy Drew. So often, there was never a ghost, there was always some mystery solved by pulling a rubber mask off the face of some very human villain, a la Scooby Doo, and it was all so very disappointing.
Well, Duga delivers. There is a pretty terrifying ghost skipping around this gothic, isolated mansion. It causes shadows to bleed from the ceiling, bookcases to topple, and fires to start themselves. We have some useless adults and one very brave mutt. This is the kind of story I wanted to read as a kid.
I would call it “starter horror” if this gives a kid nightmares, well then we are not ready for horror.
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