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A review by vicki_cosy_books
Tyme's End by B.R. Collins
3.0
Tyme’s End offered something I adore…a gothic setting, an old mansion and a spine chilling mystery. I love settling down to a book such as this. If it’s cold and dark outside and the fire’s blazing indoors then all the better. And so I was expecting a bit of a treat with this one.
In actual fact though, the book proved to be a little on the disappointing side. I wasn’t gripped with the beginning at all, yet throughout the book there were definite high points. When I turned the last page it was with a feeling of having enjoyed the book enough, but not being completely overwhelmed and slightly dissatisfied.
Tyme’s End tells a story spanning over eighty years and in three parts. Beginning in the present from Bibi’s point of view then switching to 1996 where Oliver Jnr takes over and finally ending with 1936 and Oliver Snr’s story. Bibi certainly isn’t the most favourite character I’ve come across, and for most of her section I found myself irritated by her. Adopted and feeling like she doesn’t fit in with her small village life, she’s prickly, childish and rude. She escapes to the abandoned mansion, Tyme’s End where she eventually runs into its reluctant owner, Oliver Jnr. Over the period of 24 hours an intense and sinister relationship developes between the pair which at times I found a little uncomfortable, forced and not completely believable. I was pretty sure after fifty pages I wasn’t going to enjoy this book at all, then all of a sudden things changed and I found myself intrigued by the mysteries of Tyme’s End, if not particularly enamoured by the characters themselves.
Moving onto the second part of the book, I finally got what I was hoping for. Oliver and his Grandfather’s relationship had me hooked with its dark secrets. In this section BR Collins really shines as a storyteller, dripping in just the right amount of tension and atmosphere to have the hairs on the back of your neck prickling. I was completely involved in this section, reading with held breath and speeding through the pages desperate to know what was happening. I really liked young Oliver too in this section, feeling desperately sorry for this lonely and sad young man and thought that Tyme’s End itself became as much a character here as any of the humans.
The intriguing and atmospheric feeling continues into the final section, set in 1936 and Collins evokes the period wonderfully. At one point I looked up from the book and was almost surprised to find myself in a modern coffee shop and not in the grounds of an eerie mansion in the English countryside back in the thirties. With Oliver’s grandfather, we slowly discover the truth about the house and it’s evil owner, and just how it ended up belonging to the naïve and orphaned student. I was all set for a fantastic finale having enjoyed this part of the book the best. Sadly things became a little confused for me. Collins introduced some spooky and disturbing ideas, but in my opinion didn’t expand enough on them, leaving them very vague, and a lot of the terror was lost for me. I was also disappointed that the house, Tyme’s End didn’t seem as alive and evil as it had previously and that many questions seemed left unanswered.
Overall I did enjoy reading this book, and after a slow start I did find myself gripped and speeding through this book very quickly. At times the atmosphere and tension are absolutely electric and deliciously creepy. The descriptions transported me back in time with such vividness I felt I’d become part of the story. I liked how by the end of the book the connection between Bibi, Oliver Jnr and Oliver Snr became clear and I could understand why all three had been drawn to the house and how similar they were despite being very different people from different times. However I felt that I’d like to have seen more of a connection between the three while reading the novel, perhaps by alternating past and present rather than moving backwards which resulted in the three stories being individual rather than entwined. I was also left feeling disappointed at the drop in tension at the end and frustrated with the questions which were left unanswered. There was a fantastic story there, somewhere in this book…I just couldn’t help feel it could have been much more. I’d recommend as a quick read if this type of story is your thing, but be prepared for not being completely blown away by it.
In actual fact though, the book proved to be a little on the disappointing side. I wasn’t gripped with the beginning at all, yet throughout the book there were definite high points. When I turned the last page it was with a feeling of having enjoyed the book enough, but not being completely overwhelmed and slightly dissatisfied.
Tyme’s End tells a story spanning over eighty years and in three parts. Beginning in the present from Bibi’s point of view then switching to 1996 where Oliver Jnr takes over and finally ending with 1936 and Oliver Snr’s story. Bibi certainly isn’t the most favourite character I’ve come across, and for most of her section I found myself irritated by her. Adopted and feeling like she doesn’t fit in with her small village life, she’s prickly, childish and rude. She escapes to the abandoned mansion, Tyme’s End where she eventually runs into its reluctant owner, Oliver Jnr. Over the period of 24 hours an intense and sinister relationship developes between the pair which at times I found a little uncomfortable, forced and not completely believable. I was pretty sure after fifty pages I wasn’t going to enjoy this book at all, then all of a sudden things changed and I found myself intrigued by the mysteries of Tyme’s End, if not particularly enamoured by the characters themselves.
Moving onto the second part of the book, I finally got what I was hoping for. Oliver and his Grandfather’s relationship had me hooked with its dark secrets. In this section BR Collins really shines as a storyteller, dripping in just the right amount of tension and atmosphere to have the hairs on the back of your neck prickling. I was completely involved in this section, reading with held breath and speeding through the pages desperate to know what was happening. I really liked young Oliver too in this section, feeling desperately sorry for this lonely and sad young man and thought that Tyme’s End itself became as much a character here as any of the humans.
The intriguing and atmospheric feeling continues into the final section, set in 1936 and Collins evokes the period wonderfully. At one point I looked up from the book and was almost surprised to find myself in a modern coffee shop and not in the grounds of an eerie mansion in the English countryside back in the thirties. With Oliver’s grandfather, we slowly discover the truth about the house and it’s evil owner, and just how it ended up belonging to the naïve and orphaned student. I was all set for a fantastic finale having enjoyed this part of the book the best. Sadly things became a little confused for me. Collins introduced some spooky and disturbing ideas, but in my opinion didn’t expand enough on them, leaving them very vague, and a lot of the terror was lost for me. I was also disappointed that the house, Tyme’s End didn’t seem as alive and evil as it had previously and that many questions seemed left unanswered.
Overall I did enjoy reading this book, and after a slow start I did find myself gripped and speeding through this book very quickly. At times the atmosphere and tension are absolutely electric and deliciously creepy. The descriptions transported me back in time with such vividness I felt I’d become part of the story. I liked how by the end of the book the connection between Bibi, Oliver Jnr and Oliver Snr became clear and I could understand why all three had been drawn to the house and how similar they were despite being very different people from different times. However I felt that I’d like to have seen more of a connection between the three while reading the novel, perhaps by alternating past and present rather than moving backwards which resulted in the three stories being individual rather than entwined. I was also left feeling disappointed at the drop in tension at the end and frustrated with the questions which were left unanswered. There was a fantastic story there, somewhere in this book…I just couldn’t help feel it could have been much more. I’d recommend as a quick read if this type of story is your thing, but be prepared for not being completely blown away by it.