3.5 ⭐️

This was such a fun read! It was like getting to experience Turn of the Screw for the first time again.

This wasn't the best gothic novel I've encountered but it was creepy enough to really kick off a gothic novel phase that I haven't been able to shake. This was just the right book for me at the right time.

A superb Victorian ghost story. It would make a terrific movie or miniseries.

Very satisfying - exactly the type of cozy ghost story I was looking for on an October evening! The style may turn a lot of people off - it's definitely written in more of a gothic style, which means it's not going to be fast-paced or super duper horror or anything like that. The writing is quite evocative and the story's got a very Turn of the Screw feel to it, which is fine with me! However, unlike TotS, there's a bit more plot and things actually making sense in this book.

Nice little ghost story.

Not as creepy as I had hoped. I don't think it's really worth buying as I don't expect I'll want to read it again.
Would make a nice movie, though.

A fine haunted-house story with all the classic ingredients, set in 1868 Norfolk. Very well written although the plot is quite thin and the mortal fear of the protagonist is never quite convincing.

It kept my interest, but it seemed like a study in how to cram every reference possible in there. Fun read.

Boyne nailed it; a spot on classic build-up tension, all-or-nothing ghost story...

I had high hopes after this made NPR's book recommendations list. But it was completely disappointing. I thought it was unoriginal, filled with historical anachronisms, and generally not well written.