This was one of the more enjoyable "quick-read" ghost stories I've encountered in the last few months - so much, in fact, that I nearly got through the entire book before I put it down, which is a rarity for me! The plot and characters are pretty much standard fare for these types of novels, but the prose is engaging sufficient to keep the reader interested.
Classic "haunted house" tale, with a twist! Penniless orphan Adrienne inherits a run-down, century-old house on a hill from her great-aunt Edith, whom she didn't even know existed. Adrienne does retain a somewhat mysterious memory from childhood, however, specifically, running out of the house in the arms of her mother, during a rainstorm, and seeing a figure in a long black dress watching them depart. Adrienne and her giant fluffball cat move into the dilapidated house, and hear some interesting stories from curious townspeople, some of whom drop by for the opportunity to tour the enigmatic house in person, which has long been reported to be haunted.
The girls from town also tell Adrienne of the house's troubled past, specifically that her reclusive and seemingly severe great-aunt Edith, who kept the house exactly the same for decades (no electricity on the upper floors!) was the sole survivor of a massacre whereby her entire family was slaughtered... in the house. When Edith came of age, she moved back into the house, but had it extensively remodeled. Still... she remained in the house where her family died in front of her, until her own death in the house, decades later.
Adrienne finds some creepy things throughout the house, the most puzzling of which are cryptic messages carved into the walls and even the kitchen table which state "no mirrors," and "is it Friday... light the candle." Adrienne comes across an old photo and what appears to be layers of melted wax from decades of candle-lighting in the attic, along with innumerable boxes of the candles themselves. In fact, some of the girls from town tell her that, indeed, every Friday, a light would appear on the upper floor, and the way that everyone knew that the austere Edith had died was that one Friday night, the light didn't appear in the window. And then, there's the mysterious single headstone marking a grave, on the property...
And things start getting weird from there.
No spoilers, but the story definitely does have a twist! It's marketed for young adults, which is what I seem to be reading lately, but it's a good read, and definitely kept me interested. I would like to pick up a few more from the author, to see if they're as engaging as this very capable ghost story.
Classic "haunted house" tale, with a twist! Penniless orphan Adrienne inherits a run-down, century-old house on a hill from her great-aunt Edith, whom she didn't even know existed. Adrienne does retain a somewhat mysterious memory from childhood, however, specifically, running out of the house in the arms of her mother, during a rainstorm, and seeing a figure in a long black dress watching them depart. Adrienne and her giant fluffball cat move into the dilapidated house, and hear some interesting stories from curious townspeople, some of whom drop by for the opportunity to tour the enigmatic house in person, which has long been reported to be haunted.
The girls from town also tell Adrienne of the house's troubled past, specifically that her reclusive and seemingly severe great-aunt Edith, who kept the house exactly the same for decades (no electricity on the upper floors!) was the sole survivor of a massacre whereby her entire family was slaughtered... in the house. When Edith came of age, she moved back into the house, but had it extensively remodeled. Still... she remained in the house where her family died in front of her, until her own death in the house, decades later.
Adrienne finds some creepy things throughout the house, the most puzzling of which are cryptic messages carved into the walls and even the kitchen table which state "no mirrors," and "is it Friday... light the candle." Adrienne comes across an old photo and what appears to be layers of melted wax from decades of candle-lighting in the attic, along with innumerable boxes of the candles themselves. In fact, some of the girls from town tell her that, indeed, every Friday, a light would appear on the upper floor, and the way that everyone knew that the austere Edith had died was that one Friday night, the light didn't appear in the window. And then, there's the mysterious single headstone marking a grave, on the property...
And things start getting weird from there.
No spoilers, but the story definitely does have a twist! It's marketed for young adults, which is what I seem to be reading lately, but it's a good read, and definitely kept me interested. I would like to pick up a few more from the author, to see if they're as engaging as this very capable ghost story.
