Katherine Clements

Mercy Booth lives on a remote farm on the moors with her father where they farm sheep. Ellis Ferreby comes looking for work and Mercy grants it. From then on both Mercy and Ellis stories collide.

I quite enjoyed this book. It has a lot of things that I like. There is the bleak isolation of the Yorkshire Moors to start with and a lot of times did remind me of Wuthering Heights. There are plenty of family secrets for both Mercy and Ellis which I have to say I didn't see the biggest one of all coming. It's also a ghost story along with superstitions and folklore.

The story did have a lot to do with sheep and I would say the author did research or knows the subject. I felt at times however this was a little much and didn't really add anything extra to the story.

The story did have plenty of atmosphere and I did like the descriptions of the area and all the superstitions. This book is definitely a nod to the Brontes which isn't a bad thing at all. Not overly creepy for me but the story is a gothic family mystery.

I would definitely read more by this author in the future and I have already read her previous books.

Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the book to review albeit very late.… (meer)

Ancient curses, family secrets, a remote moorland setting and a crumbling old house reached only by an ancient track called the coffin path.

The creation of atmosphere is what stands out the most from this book and it creates a sense of growing dread that keeps on building throughout. The book is filled with a dark and gothic imagery highlighting the harshness, poverty and superstitions in the seventeenth century with some wonderful descriptions of the desolate Yorkshire moorland and the hard way of life for the people who live there.

This is a story that builds up slowly, ramping up the spooky atmosphere that leads to a dramatic climax where secrets are finally revealed.

Plus, if you ever want to know about sheep farming in the seventeenth century then this is the book for you!

You can certainly see the homage to Emily Bronte that Katherine Clements has paid but with such gothic atmosphere that brings to mind the likes of Du Maurier as well as Bronte.

If you enjoy a slow building atmospheric read then this is a book that will have you bound as tightly as seventeenth century superstitions captured people’s believes!

Grab a copy of whats described as ‘The perfect ghost story’ as it is a book that needs to be read!… (meer)

I chose this book for the location it was set and for the ghost story the cover promised. The scene was set beautifully -I loved the descriptions of the dark moors and of the house - but I felt it was more of a period drama than a ghost story. The spooky atmosphere was more to do with the location, the weather and the house and its occupants more than it was to do with ghosts, and I don't think the spooky scenes themselves really added much to the story.

Apart from the boy Sam, I didn't find any of the other characters particularly likeable, and none of them seemed to like each other either. I thought Mercy was an interesting character to spend time with, and like others I felt sorry for Ellis at the end. I thought his was the most interesting and well-developed story in the book.

I thought the writing was beautiful, although the balance of the book was a little off - it could have done with more spooky content and less about the sheep farming - although I quite liked reading about it, it did take up a large amount of the book and it didn't really move the story forward.

I wish i could give it more than two stars as I enjoyed the writing, but I was let down in that I thought it was missing the scary ghost story that the cover promised.… (meer)