I have no idea that no matter how much I dislike a Darcy Coates book, it still ends up being amazing.

Darcy Coates has such a touch for hauntings and twists- I really cannot recommend her works enough. And I say that knowing that this book- The Haunting on Blackwood House- wasn't my favorite by her! Nonetheless, it was still a Darcy Coates so it was still fabulous!

This was her second novel and not to be rude, but it feels very second novel. I don't think she'd found her exact grove yet, but it's still a good read. I had a lot of comments about what I didn't like about the book, but the ending just completes things in such a way that I really can't complain.

I think that Mara is one of the less likeable characters in any Coates novels, but she still works in the novel. I think I liked the ending a lot more than the beginning and that is partly due to some good character development from our main character.

Perhaps a word of warning? If your boyfriend, real-estate agent, and gut all tell you that staying in the house is a bad idea, then maybe don't live there.

Solid 3 stars. ( )

When Mara falls in love with Blackwood House – a huge house but under her budget to buy – the creepy murderous history of the place doesn’t deter her in the least. She is adamant that ghosts don’t exist. You see, she grew up in a house with parents who were spiritualists. They wanted little girl Mara to train with a medium to hone her skills they were sure she had. For the past four years, though, Mara has avoided her parents and does not believe even a little bit in ghosts; there are always rational explanations. Her super-supportive boyfriend, Neil, has reservations, but will help out with the house however he is able.

It was a slow-moving book, and maybe not super-original, but it was scary. I had a hard time heading to the basement to clean my cats’ litter box the one evening I’d been reading the book! Because of that, it gets a high rating from me. The book did its job to scare me, as any good horror should. ( )

I am a sucker for a good haunted house story and this one was pretty good. It’s only the second Darcy Coates book I’ve read and I would definitely read more of her work. It’s a very G-Rated style of writing. Mara loses her job and purchases an old abandoned house 30 minutes outside of town. She was raised by spiritualists and is basically running from her childhood experiences. She doesn’t believe in ghosts and is in complete denial her house is haunted despite the repeated ghostly occurrences and her boyfriend’s warnings. All in all, it’s a pretty typical ghost story and I’m okay with that.

However, there were some pretty fundamental story line dynamics I had a hard time accepting. First, Mara moves into this abandoned, haunted house, that doesn’t have electricity. It’s located 30 minutes outside of town and she doesn’t own a car. What?! She has a cell phone that’s dead because there is no electricity to charge it. While this story takes place within a five day time frame, there is no mention of her looking for another job. How is she going to afford to put electricity in the house if she can’t pay for it? Maybe I’m being a bit harsh with that criticism, but she has no prospects!! Mara has no friends…just a boyfriend. She only leaves the house once. I kept reminding myself this is fiction and doesn’t have to be so closely related to real life; it’s a ghost story and those things don’t have to be important to the story. Unfortunately, these things just felt like loose ends and were distracting for me. ( )

Chills and Thrills!



A small backstory:

Mara grew up with a home that believed in hauntings, but now that she is an adult she wants to leave all that behind her and start her own life with her boyfriend Neil.

When Mara and Neil find an abandoned home to buy outside of town they decide it would be nice to have something to fix up and something to call their own. What they both don't realize is that sometimes houses are abandoned for a reason and when they both start to settle into the house things start happening that are beyond their control as the house has awoken and it is ready to let its presence be known!

Thoughts:

I love haunted house settings and this book did not disappoint! Very gripping and thrilling! Chilling fingers of fear as they creep along your spine as you will feel the reverberations of the doors that open and close in this story. Whispers on the wind will enter your mind as you walk the halls of the Blackwood House with these characters.

I loved the characters and I became attached to their plight as things start to escalate in the house as when the house wakes up you will feel what the characters feel as they endure what the house has in store for them! Five "spooky" stars! ( )

I love Darcy Coates, and that hasn't changed despite the 3-star rating I'm giving this. The haunted house bits were FANTASTIC but oh my goodness, Mara and Neil were just so flipping annoying! ( )