Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates
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Web ID: 15058539Always a treat
Darcy Coates is always a favorite and this didn't disappoint. Total page turner, never put it down.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Terrifying
I’m not a horror fan, but I absolutely love Darcy Coates mainly because she’s a genius at describing scary, horrific situations most of us would be terrified to find ourselves in. She also manages to keep it clean in regards to language and romance. Gallows Hill is no different. (Think of being alone in a creepy old house or stuck in an underground tunnel and you hear dragging footsteps behind you.) The story is positively frightening. Yet, there were some things that were problematic for me which, unfortunately, made this book one of my least favorites of the author. The story is an extra slow burn tale that immediately throws the reader into the unexplainable. When Margot was a young girl, she was given to her grandmother to raise despite her parents’ successful winery business. Now as a young adult, after no previous contact, she’s notified of her parents’ strange death and her inheritance of their home and winery that sits on top of Gallows Hill, a desolate place where in the past, criminals were hanged. As she goes through the motions of the funeral, it’s clear Margot has no great affection for her parents and barely remembers her childhood. When she spends the night in her childhood home, from the get go, it’s creepy as heck. Bells mysteriously start ringing when she’s supposedly alone in the house, and without giving anything away, many other terrifying things start happening. The danger and suspense get progressively worse until she finally figures out the mystery behind her parents’ death and tries to break the curse on the property. Margot was a difficult character for me to like. There are several reasons to sympathize with her: she was basically abandoned by her parents, she’s placed in an untenable situation inheriting this world renowned winery without having any kind of background to run the place, and the townspeople are downright hostile towards her. Despite all this, the decisions she makes and her reluctance towards curiosity deeply annoyed me. Her parents die in an unexplainable way and strange things happen in the house making it obvious there’s something terribly wrong, yet she won’t even open all the doors in the house. She refuses to ask questions until it becomes critical, and when she finally learns about the curse and what happened in the past, it’s seemingly too late. The side characters were enjoyable and I loved Marsh, the golden retriever. The pacing at first was a little slow and it took me awhile to get into the story. However, after the bells start really ringing, the story picks up in intensity and pacing. The gore in the story was a little too much for me. I’m not a squeamish person, but it was more than I’m used to with this author. Also, the gross factor was pretty high. That ending!!! It’s definitely a dark story, yet surprisingly redeeming. If you’re a Darcy Coates fan or love gothic horror, you’ll probably like this book. While Hunted is still my all time favorite Darcy Coates book, this book did have some definite heart-pounding suspense and moments where it’s best to read in the daytime! I received an advanced complimentary copy from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own and I was not required to provide a positive review. 3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Perfect read to start the Spooky season!
Rating: 3.5 stars (rounded up to 4 for Goodreads) Once again, Darcy Coates has delivered just the kind of creepy read I needed to kickstart spooky season. Gallows Hill starts quite strong. The protagonist, Margot, is dealing with one of the most difficult things people have to face in life and that is grief and the loss of one’s family. I really enjoyed the way the author handled the subject and how Margot faced this situation with all its very complicated feelings and emotions. To me, it felt authentic, realistic and by the end of the book, there was a visible growth in the main character’s journey. Plus, Margot is quite pleasant and brave, which made it even easier to empathize with her. Although Coates’ writing style is quite simple, she knows how to transmit emotions, sensations and thus, creates a great atmosphere. I admit the vibes and overall unsettling feel of this book are pretty well done. However, I wasn’t really scared while reading it. Yes, there are lots of creepy scenes thanks to the mix between paranormal and supernatural elements. But I don’t think they’re that scary. Hence the popular label this author’s books receive, cozy horror. As for the story itself, it was gripping enough to keep me entertained but it’s nothing really mind blowing. The reveal was something I had already seen coming so unfortunately I wasn’t surprised. What I did like was the way Margot faced the curse on the land and the way she acted to make things right. I don’t think her sense of justice is something we see often in these types of books, so that was refreshing and gave me a sense of hope I usually never feel when reading horror books. If you’re in the market for a haunted house story that will keep you entertained, won’t creep you out and wraps up in a fair way, then maybe Gallows Hill is the read you need!
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Perfect for a spooky fall read
GALLOWS HILL was my first Darcy Coates to read. I've seen her books at B&N, but never bought one. After reading GALLOWS HILL I'm going to read her backlog. She has such VIVID descriptions in her writing. The character's movements, thoughts and fears are expressed in real time. It's rare when reading horror that I'm actually scared. I often have a hard time of utilizing suspension of disbelief. I don't have this issue while watching a movie. Ha! But Darcy's writing of each sentence is so purposeful and intentional that everything comes together in a way that makes sense. Even when it shouldn't. Margot's parents died leaving her their family legacy winery. Her parents gave her up when she was eight years old, so she has a lot of questions. When she travels to the winery's odd town and spends the night in the creepy family house she has even more questions. Margot has to figure out her place in this new life along with the people her parents employed. She's also sure there is something sinister inside the house that caused her parents death. No spoilers, but let's just say Margot had good reasons to be fearful. The only issue I had with GALLOWS HILL was this was a one-character driven story. She was a lonely child who became a lonely adult. There were several of her parents employees who were there for her like family. However, most were older than her. A big chunk of the book was about the movements Margot made. I wish there had been more of a friendship/relationship characters closer to her age. I felt like there was a puzzle piece missing and I think that may have been it. Nonetheless, I loved this book. I'm gearing up for a Halloween series on my blog and GALLOWS HILL will be the first entry. Thank you to NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press for an e-copy of GALLOWS HILL to review. I rate GALLOWS HILL four out of five stars.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
A spooky read with some jumps and surprises
Gallows Hill is the first book I’ve read by Darcy Coates, and I will be reading more. While it didn’t have an extreme scare factor for me, there were definitely creepy moments and Coates ends the chapters perfectly to make you want to keep reading just one more chapter! Once we got into the story I do wish some of the characters were a bit more developed. Some of them seemed to be there just to give us some clues about the mystery of who the restless spirits were and to what may have actually happened on Gallows Hill to make them so angry. Where Coates really shined was with the maze that was contained in the house and all the craziness that would jump out after dark. I did also enjoy the final reveal since I had my suspicions but Coates was still able to add another layer that I hadn’t thought of.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Ghosts and things that go bump in the night!
I read this book in one sitting, it took about 4 hours. I don't usually do that but this one really resonated with me. I love a good horror story and this one is definitely that. Margot Hull is back after her parents' deaths to Gallow Hills Winery, just in time for the funerals. I didn't learn until about halfway through that the reason there were no open caskets for her parents was the abject look of horror on their faces. What could have caused that? Margo meets the inhabitants of the Winery, but they are evasive about the questions Margo has regarding her parents. She gets a tour of the winery and other buildings on the grounds. This is her inheritance, the winery, and the house. Does she want it? Not really. She does not remember her parents as she was removed from the home at a young age. The first night in the house, besides being creepy is filled with noises and things that go bump in the night. Subsequent nights are even worse with dead bodies coming to life and they come after her. She learns that there is a curse on her bloodline of family. She learns about the curse and must devise a way to break that curse and keep herself and the other people on the land safe. I had not read a good horror story in a while and saw this one and it piqued my interest. I am glad I did. This is a story that sticks with you for a while. Good and scary! Darcy Goates can sure tell a story and I will be sure to be reading more of her titles that I have on my Kindle. I give the book 5 stars! Loved it1
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Creepy
Margot was sent away from Gallows Hill, the family winery, at the age of 8. She has no idea why she was sent to live with her Nana, has no memories of her childhood before she left, and had no contact with her parents, even when Margot grew up. The novel opens with Margot, now an adult, attending her parents funeral. The caskets are closed, and the cause of death for her parents is unclear. She inherits the winery, felt to be haunted and cursed by the locals, as criminals were hung and buried on the site back in the early 1700s. The book is one slow burn of a horror novel, and maintains a increasing sense of dread through the whole novel. I had a really hard time putting it down. Superbly plotted and written, and all the characters are well developed. Very enjoyable read.
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com
Totally recommend
The Hull family has owned the Gallows Hill Winery for generations. The sprawling old house has long been perched on top of a hill overlooking the nearby town, jealously guarding the estate's secrets. Their wine wins awards. Their business prospers. Their family thrives: until Hugh and Maria Hull enter the dark halls of Gallows Hill one last time and are found dead the next morning. People whisper that the curse has awakened once more. It’s been more than a decade since Margot Hull last saw her childhood home. She was young enough when she was sent away that she barely remembers its dark passageways and secret corners. But now she's returned to bury her parents and reconnect with the winery that is her family's legacy and the bloody truth of exactly what lies buried beneath the crumbling estate. Alone in the sprawling, dilapidated building, Margot is forced to come face to face with the horrors of the past and realize that she may be the next victim of a house that never rests. Totally gripping story which will give you chills I couldn’t put it down totally recommend Thank You NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press I just reviewed Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates. #NetGalley
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Customer review from barnesandnoble.com