Book Review - Craven Manor by Darcy Coates

 

Daniel is down on his luck and he is desperate for a job. He is willing to take any job to be able to afford food and rent. Someone slides a note under his door offering him a job as a groundskeeper at an old crumbling estate. The job offers him free housing and food along with a generous salary. He feels like the job is too good to be true.

When he arrives at Craven Manor, he feels like he might have been a victim of a prank. The mansion is dilapidated and its front door is wide open. The house is covered in leaves and cobwebs and it's apparent that no one has lived there in a long time. When he turns to leave, he finds an envelope with his name on it. There is a note offering him the job and it contains money with the promise of more if he accepts the job.

Daniel accepts the job because his only other option is to be homeless. He moves into the groundskeeper's cottage and tries to do his job. He tries to ignore all the strange occurrences and focuses on getting his job done. However, he feels that something is wrong deep in bones especially when there is a candle flickering in the abandoned tower window. He feels that Craven Manor is hiding a terrible secret but, can he survive it?

I enjoyed this novel. I like for the first time, a character isn't oblivious that something is wrong. Unfortunately, I feel for Daniel because he is stuck in a tough spot.  However, I didn't like that Daniel kept caring for a person who didn't even have his best interest at heart. I understand that Daniel was at a low point and that person was there for him but, it seems that everything that person did was motivated by greed. Daniel realized that this person was motivated by greed but, still tries to be positive and caring towards that person. Overall, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading other books by the author

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Book Review - The Lost History of Dreams by Kris Waldherr

Photo Credit - Amazon

When famed poet Hugh de Bonne is discovered dead in his bath one day, his cousin Robert Highstead is tasked with helping Hugh with his last wishes. Robert is a post-mortem photographer and has to transport Hugh's remains for burial in a chapel where his wife's remains preside. The chapel, Ada's folly was built by Hugh sixteen years earlier as a dedication for his late wife and muse. However, since her death, the chapel has been locked and abandoned but, fans of de Bonne visit the site.

Ada's niece refuses to open the glass chapel for Robert unless he does something for her in return. She promises that she will allow Hugh's remains if Robert records Isabelle's story of Ada's and Hugh's love story over the course of five nights.  As Robert listens to Isabelle's story, he discovers secrets that closely align with ones he has been keeping secret. 

I love a good horror story but, this one didn't deliver. The beginning of the novel was very slow and it took a while before I became interested in the plot. I felt like there were no spooky elements but, only a few predictable surprises and a case of one too many mistaken identities. The novel fell short as a ghost story but, it had a few twists and turns.

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