🧙🏻 Halloween Book Review ~ The House on the Cliff by Victoria Scott

Boldwood Books
4 October 2025

Thanks to the publisher for the opportunity to review this book

1966: Standing on the rugged Cornish coast, Hallows Abbey can be a lonely place for the boys boarding there. For Theresa, however, it offers an escape from her father’s long shadow, and as the school nurse, she tries to be a comfort to those students struggling to adjust to their remote life. But, before the year is over, Theresa will make a terrible decision – and the consequences for the children in her care will change everything…

2025: With her own children having just left home, Amanda’s emotions are in turmoil when she arrives at the isolated school where her husband is to be Deputy Head. When she learns of the school’s tragic history, in which a group of boys went out on a boat trip and disappeared, she becomes obsessed with finding out what happened, even when her research risks upsetting the fragile equilibrium of the school. But when she starts to hear voices in the gardens and crying in the halls at night, she begins to wonder if she’s losing her mind.

Only one thing seems certain: this corner of Cornwall could well be Amanda’s undoing.

🧙🏻My Review..

This dual time story is a spooky read for Halloween. A remote boarding school perched on the end of a Cornish cliff, a secret which has been hidden for years, a distinctly creepy atmosphere and you have all the right ingredients for a haunting story which captures the imagination from the start.

In the present day Amanda and her husband are settling into living at Hallows Abbey, an isolated Catholic boarding school, which is situated in a remote part of Cornwall. Whilst Mike gets used to being deputy headmaster, Amanda is pretty much left to her own devices and so she becomes intrigued by the mysterious disappearance, many years ago, of a group of school boys, who went out in a boat and never returned. Moving quietly back to 1966 we begin to put together the threads of the mystery and develop a rapport with Theresa, a school nurse, who has her own secrets. 

The dual time aspect is well done and I found myself looking forward to both parts of the narrative. The author writes well and keeps up the momentum of the story creating a decidedly chilly atmosphere whilst at the same time looking more closely into the lives of Amanda and Theresa and the problems they were facing in their personal lives. The wild beauty of the Cornish coast is well described and adds another dynamic to the story.

I thought The House in the Cliff was an interesting story, with enough creepiness for an entertaining Halloween read.

About the Author 

Victoria Scott has been a journalist for many media outlets including the BBC and The Telegraph. She is the author of three novels published by Head of Zeus. 

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👻 Halloween Read ~ The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond by Louise Davidson

Moonflower Books
Paperback 12 October 2024

Thanks to the publisher for my copy of this book

1891 Norfolk.

After a terrible tragedy, governess Julia Pearlie finds herself with no job, home, or references. When she's offered a position as companion to Miss Olivia Richmond, her luck appears to be turning. But Mistcoate House is full of secrets.

Olivia has a sinister reputation. The locals call her the Mistcoate Witch, thanks to her tarot readings, and her insistence that she can speak to the dead. Her father, Dr Richmond, believes this to be girlish fantasy and is looking to Julia to put a stop to it.

Determined to prove herself and shake off her own murky history, Julia sets to work trying to help Olivia become a proper young lady. However, as she becomes a fixture at Mistcoate, it is soon clear that there may be more to Olivia's stories than Dr Richmond would have Julia believe – not least because somehow, Olivia seems to know something of the darkness that Julia desperately hoped she had left behind.

As the danger grows, and the winter chill wraps around the dark woods surrounding Mistcoate, Julia will have to fight to uncover the truth, escape her past – and save herself.

👻 My Spooky Review..

When Julia Pearlie takes the position as companion to Miss Olivia Richmond she is unprepared for what awaits her at Mistcoate House as not only is Olivia a pale, wraith-like young woman but the house itself, so shrouded in darkness and shadows, is equally as haunting. With no prospects Julia must make a success of her employment at Mistcoate but with a mercurial employer and a dangerous housekeeper who is hellbent on making Julia’s life a misery and you have all the ingredients needed for a creepy gothic mystery.

With lots of things that go bump in the night, this atmospheric novel takes the Victorian fascination for mediums and seances and turns it into a dark and shadowy Gothic tale of dangerous obsession and manipulative control. Taking advantage of the darkness which surrounds Mistcoate and with a thrilling pace this beautifully layered story really grips the imagination. I especially enjoyed the tarot card references and the way in which each chapter wraps itself around what the cards are foretelling. Julia Pearlie is an interesting lead character but it is Olivia Richmond whose heartbreaking story dominates and which really captures the imagination. There’s a definite twist in the tale and an ending which, I think, could easily lend itself to a continuation as I don’t feel we have heard enough, going forward, about either Julia Pearlie or Olivia Richmond.

The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is a creepy and atmospheric story which makes it a perfect read for Halloween night👻

About the Author

Louise Davidson was born in Belfast and has always worked in the creative arts in some capacity – from assistant to theatre directors to teaching scriptwriting classes in prisons to teaching English and drama to A-Level students. Growing up in Northern Ireland backgrounded by the Troubles led to a fascination with history, and this combined with her love of all things gothic inspired her to write her first book, a dark Victorian thriller set in a neglected and isolated mansion. Louise lives in London with her husband and step-son, and in her spare time is working on fulfilling her ambition to visit every museum in the city. The Fortunes of Olivia Richmond is her debut novel.

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👻 Halloween Read ~ A Haunting in the Arctic by C J Cooke

 

Harper Collins
12 October 2023

Thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

Something has walked the floors of the Ormen for almost a century. Something that craves revenge…

1901. On board the Ormen, a whaling ship battling through the unforgiving North Sea, Nicky Duthie awakes. Attacked and dragged there against her will, it’s just her and the crew – and they’re all owed something only she can give them.

1973. Decades later, when the ship is found still drifting across the ocean, it’s deserted. Just one body is left on board, his face and feet mutilated, his cabin locked from the inside. Everyone else has vanished.

Now, as urban explorer Dominique travels into the near-permanent darkness of the northernmost tip of Iceland, to the final resting place of the Ormen’s wreck, she’s determined to uncover the ship’s secrets.

But she’s not alone. Something is here with her. And it’s seeking revenge…

👻My Review..

I enjoy curling up with an eerily spooky tale on Halloween and my chosen book this year certainly brings an ice cold chill.  The ghostly appearance of the book’s ice blue cover appealed to me and whilst A Haunting in the Arctic isn’t your typical Halloween story it certainly has enough creepy elements to have you jumping at shadows especially as it focuses on the ethereal nature of a ghost ship beached in the frozen waters of the Arctic.

In combining a dark mystery with elements of folk lore, this multi timeline story soon had an ice cold grip upon my imagination. The stark and unforgiving landscape of Iceland is very much part of the narrative as is life aboard the whaling ship in 1901 when we experience the brutality of life on the Ormen. The modern day sections of the story, set in 2023, are equally chilling especially as we meet Dominique, an urban explorer, who has travelled to Skúmaskot, in Iceland, to record the final days of the Ormen before it is destroyed forever. 

There’s an undeniable tension to the story which is hard to explain without giving details of the plot away, so I won’t even try except to say I was completely hooked from the start. It’s certainly a harsh read, filled with horror and a sense of despair with the haunting nature of the folklore elements adding a very different sort of dynamic to the story.

A Haunting in the Arctic blends history, folklore and the supernatural into a vengeful and atmosphere story.

About the Author

C.J. Cooke is an acclaimed, award-winning poet, novelist and academic with numerous other publications under the name of Carolyn Jess-Cooke. Born in Belfast, she has a PhD in Literature from Queen’s University, Belfast, and is currently Lecturer in Creative Writing at the University of Glasgow, where she researches creative writing interventions for mental health. She also founded the Stay-At-Home Festival.

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👻 Halloween Read ~ Spooky Ambiguous

 

Crumps Barn Studio

15 September

My thanks to the publisher and Daphne Denley for my copy of this book

Spooky Ambiguous: ghost stories and poetry, fangs and fairy tales

Ghosts and vampires, zombies and werewolves. A mirror with danger at its heart. A child is delighted to discover she is a witch, and a village disappears under a fairy curse. Then a selkie finds her way back to the waves, before a blood moon rises, bringing its own secrets ...

Full of the spooky and the gothic, fairy tales and poetry, this is a brilliant and intriguing collection where nothing and no one is as they seem.

👻 My Review...

I do like to have a book set aside for Halloween. There's something about settling down in a cosy corner, with a cup of hot chocolate and a few creepy stories to set the mood for the time when ghosties, ghouls and witches make their annual appearance.

This lovely collection helps to set the mood and with a nice blend of short stories and expressive poetry the book can be comfortably read in one sitting or read in snatched moments when you just need to escape the world. The fifteen short stories and poems caught my attention and the whole collection is brought to life with eleven eerie illustrations which help to create a sombre mood. The writers who have contributed to this set of stories vary in style but collectively they all work really well. I won't single any out for particular praise as that would be unfair but suffice to say I found much to enjoy in this creepy set of Gothic stories and poems.

  

☕ Best Read with... a cup of frothy hot chocolate

FeaturedAuthors

Penny Ayers, Michael Bartlett, Patrick Booth, Amaris Chase, Holly Anne Crawford, Ivor Daniel, Amanda Jane Davies, Daphne Denley, J. J. Drover, Harriet Hitchen, Rebecca McDowall, Jane Phillips, Angela Reddaway, Joe Robson and Margaret Royall, with illustrations by Lorna Gray.

Each of the authors who have contributed to this collaboration brings a unique voice to the genre. Whether dealing with life and loss, love and laughter, or stepping beyond into the danger of the supernatural, each of these short stories and poems evokes the true essence of the Gothic – its power to draw upon emotion.

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Halloween Read ~ The Daylight Gate by Jeanette Winterson

Windmill Books
Reissued : October 2020

My thanks to the publishers for my copy of this book

The Forest of Pendle used to be a hunting ground, but some say that the hill is the hunter - alive in its black-and-green coat cropped like an animal pelt.

Good Friday, 1612. Two notorious witches await trial and certain death in Lancaster Castle, whilst a small group gathers in secret protest. Into this group the self-made Alice Nutter stakes her claim and swears to fight against the rule of fear. But what is Alice's connection to these witches? What is magic if not power, and what will happen to the women who possess it?

This is Lancashire. This is Pendle. This is witch country.

What did I think about it..

The Daylight Gate brings to life the troubling story of the Lancashire Witches. Dark and dirty, the seamier side of life in the shadow of Pendle Hill, and the lives of the unfortunate women, and men, who were ostracised for witchcraft is explored in graphic and torturous detail.

Whilst the story pulls no punches, and isn't for the faint hearted, I found that I was gripped from the beginning. Starting from the momentous meeting between Alison Devices, and the pedlar, John Law, as he takes his fateful short cut through that part of Pendle Forest, known locally as Bogart's Hole, the story takes us into that dark spring, and summer, of 1612, when the raggle-taggle women of Pendle were rounded up and persecuted for witchcraft.

The Daylight Gate puts an altogether different slant on the story with more of a hint towards the supernatural, but is none the worse for that, in fact, I found the imagining of the story around Alice Nutter, always something of a shadowy and rather enigmatic figure, quite fascinating.  Succinctly written, with never a word wasted, there is a chilling menace which makes the hairs on the back of your neck stand up. And perhaps, if there were, once upon a time, any witches who claimed Pendle Hill as their own, then this story more than does them justice.

The story of the Pendle witches is particularly relevant to those who live in the Pendle region of Lancashire. The story still lingers in the remote countryside around Pendle Hill, and locals haven't forgotten the injustice of the witch trials in the August assizes of 1612, when the twelve suspects were taken from the forests and hills of the North Lancashire moors, places that were as cold, dark and inhospitable, as the bleak, northern landscape.

We dress as witches for fancy dress on Halloween, ostensibly as a bit of lighthearted fun but for this unfortunate group who were made to walk the 46 miles from their ragged homes in Pendle, to the castle gaol, in Lancaster, and their subsequent horrific deaths, being accused of witchcraft was no frivolous matter. 

I visited the Assizes courtroom at Lancaster Castle just a couple of years ago. Sitting on one of the hard wooden seats and trying to imagine the stark reality of facing a trial by a biased jury, who had already decided the accused were guilty, was a sobering experience. The  atmosphere in the dark and gloomy courtroom has a definite menacing chill as the ghosts of these unfortunate women, I think, still linger in the shadowy corners of the room.

Lancaster Castle
©Jaffareadstoo

About the Author

Jeanette Winterson CBE was born in Manchester,She has written eleven novels for adults, as well as children's books, and non-fiction and screenplays. She is a Professor of New Writing a the University of Manchester. She lives in the Cotswolds in a wood and in Spitalfields, London.

Twitter @Wintersonworld

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@Windmill Books

Halloween Read ~ Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver

👻👻 Happy Halloween Publication Day 👻👻

Head of Zeus
Paperback 31 October 2019

My thanks to the publishers and ed Public Relations for my copy of this book

‘Wakenhyrst is the story I’ve wanted to write for years’ Michelle Paver

Inspired by a series of real events and fuelled by secrets from her maternal past: from Michelle’s sighting of a murmuration of starlings on a Suffolk marsh; to the discovery of a battered copy of The Book of Margery Kempe by a 15th Century mystic; to the story of the Wenhaston Doom, a medieval painting of the Last Judgement; to the real-life story of Richard Dadd, the Victorian murderer and artist; this is Michelle Paver’s most evocative and personal masterpiece to date. 

In Edwardian Suffolk, a manor house stands alone in a lost corner of the Fens; a glinting wilderness of water whose whispering reeds guard primeval secrets. Here, Maud grows up as a lonely child without a mother, ruled by her repressive and emotionally-absent historian father. When Maud’s father finds a painted medieval ‘Doom’ in a graveyard, an ancient evil is disturbed, and her battle begins. In a world steeped in witchcraft, legend and the even more nightmarish demons of her father’s past, Maud must find a way, not only to survive, but to fly free.

What did I think about it..

In the shadow of the ancient land, Maud Stearne lives with her family at Wake’s End the house which nudges the nearby water of the Suffolk fen, but which for many reasons stands apart from the landscape, for the house has too many secrets and many dark corners, where glimpses of an evil past sometimes surface.

In 1966, when the story opens, three unusual paintings have been discovered which direct public interest back to Edward Stearne, Mauds’s father, who was incarcerated in a mental asylum for many years. The reason for this curiosity in Stearne’s work becomes apparent as we move back in time to the early part of the twentieth century when Maud was growing up in the shadow of her dictatorial father and beautiful, but totally compliant, mother.

Filled with a wealth of supernatural imaginings and with more than a hint towards the gothic gloom of the Edwardian era, Wakenhyrst is an incredibly detailed story, with a wonderful dark imagery, which immediately places the reader right in the centre of the action. To say I devoured this story is absolutely correct, the place, the people, the inherent danger, all drew me in from the very beginning, and I couldn’t wait to see how the story played out.

There is an undeniable darkness to the story for all is not quiet at Wake’s End and Maud’s childhood is a deeply lonely affair, and whilst she is brutally aware of the undercurrents of the dark and dangerous emotion which plague her parents’ marriage, she finds what comfort she can in the myths and legends of the place she calls home. The stark beauty of the Suffolk fens, and the ancient superstitions which are at the very heart of local folklore are described in such beautiful detail that I could picture myself with Maud in the damp and cold, watching the creeping shadows of the fen come to life as a murmuration of starlings glide and dance in the early evening twilight.

To say much of what happens in the three hundred or so pages of Wakenhyrst would do both the author and the story a complete disservice as this is one of those beautifully plotted stories which takes time to emerge and is all the stronger for taking things slowly.

I’ve now read most of this author’s work, with the exception of her books for children, and I am always aware of how beautifully intuitive her writing is, and how she does her utmost to include the reader every step of the way so that the engagement with the story is utterly consuming from start to finish. There is no doubt that Wakenhyrst is a glorious example of this author writing at her absolute best.

About the Author

©Anthony Upton

Michelle Paver is an international bestselling author with over 3 million copies of her books sold in 37 countries across the globe. She writes for both adults and children and her work includes two of the most critically and commercially acclaimed ghost stories of modern times, Dark Matter and Thin Air and the prize-winning, million copy selling, children’s series, Chronicles of Ancient Darkness. A new book in the series, Viper’s Daughter, will be published by Head of Zeus in April 2020. Born in Malawi, Michelle Paver came to England as a child. She studied Biochemistry at Oxford University before becoming a partner in a City of London law firm. She began to write after her father’s death prompted her to take a one-year sabbatical. She has never looked back. Known for her extensive research, Wakenhyrst was inspired by the rich and haunting folklore of the Suffolk fens, chance encounters, and both the personal and universal stories of women’s quest for independence. 

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It's Hallowe'en......

Hallowe'en is one of our oldest traditions which is believed to have its roots in the Pagan festivals, and more particularly in the Gaelic ritual of Samhain. 

Traditionally observed around the world on the 31st of October, Hallowe'en heralds that special time between the worlds on the eve of the Christian feast day of All Souls.

At this time of year I always try to have a Hallowe'en themed story on the go and this year I am highlighting some really special spooky stories from the publishers, Alma.

After-Supper Ghost Stories by Jerome K Jerome

As they relax after dinner on Christmas Eve, the members of a family and their guests turn to telling ghost stories. These ghoulish accounts range from the melancholy to the macabre, and get increasingly bizarre as the ghosts leap out of the tales and make an appearance in the family’s home. Fact and fiction, the real and unreal collide, until the reader is not sure who is haunting whom.

A masterful work of comic horror, Jerome K. Jerome’s After-Supper Ghost Stories is a witty look at why Christmas Eve is so perfect for ghost stories and why ghosts love the Yuletide season.

Tales of Horror by Edgar Allan Poe

A murderer is forced to reveal his crime by the sound of a beating heart, a mysterious figure wreaks havoc among a party of noblemen during the time of the plague, a grieving lover awakens to find himself clutching a box of his beloved blood-stained teeth, a man is obsessed with the fear of being buried alive – these are only some of the memorable characters and stories included in this volume, which exemplify Poe’s inventiveness and natural talent as a storyteller.

Immensely popular both during and after his lifetime, and a powerful influence on generations of writers and film-makers to this day, Edgar Allan Poe is still counted among the greatest short-story writers of all time and seen as one of the initiators of the detective, horror and science-fiction genres.



The Horror Handbook by Paul Van Loon and Illustrated by Axel Scheffler

What happens to a vampire when he dies? How does somebody become a werewolf? How can you protect yourself from witches? All of these questions and more are answered in this book, which will finally give you all the information you ever wanted to know about ghosts, zombies, monsters and all kinds of creepy-crawly creatures that give us the heebie-jeebies.

Full of tips, anecdotes and trivia – and delightfully illustrated by Axel Scheffler – Paul van Loon’s Horror Handbook is a fun and fascinating reference book for all fans of scary stories and things that go bump in the night.

***Giveaway question *** 

Who or what is your favourite spooky story or spooky character?

Leave your answer in the comments below with a contact email or Twitter address and which book you would like to win.

** UK ONLY **

Jaffa will pick 3 spooky names out of his witches hat on Wednesday 2nd November!!



**Just to add if you have problems commenting than do get in touch with me jaffareadstoo(at) hotmail(dot) co (dot) uk  and I will add your details to the comment list**

Huge thanks to William at Alma Books for generously providing these amazing giveaways.

*** Good Luck ***

~***~

My Halloween Read ~ This House is Haunted by John Boyne

Random House
Transworld
2014

Take a pinch of Jane Eyre, a snippet of Dickens, stir together with a spoonful of Wilkie Collins and mix in a whole load of classic gothic gloom and you’ll have an idea of just how good John Boyne is at expressing the darker side of Victorian life.

When Eliza Caine arrives in Norfolk in the winter of 1867 she is a twenty one year old orphan; her father having recently died. Impecunious circumstances force Eliza into making the decision to relocate from London to the rather bleak environment of Gaudlin Hall where she is to be governess to Isabel and Eustace. Her arrival at the hall is fraught with danger and on meeting the children she is frighteningly aware that there are no other adults present and yet the children clearly expect her arrival. And there is no sign of her mysterious employer, the enigmatic H Bennet. From the beginning of the story , it is clear that this is a place of momentous secrets. The malevolent presence which lingers in the shadows, and which enfolds itself around Gaudlin Hall creates a realistic atmosphere of fear and as the tension racks up, you feel the hairs stand up on the back of your neck.

There is no doubt, that John Boyne is a classic storyteller. His unique ability to get right into the heart and soul of his characters is evident in the way he portrays Eliza who could so easily have become a caricature of Victorian maidenly distress, but instead he makes her into a classic unstable narrator, in whose company you wonder just what’s going on, not just inside her head, but also in the way she comports herself.  The gothic gloom of the rest of the story is classic horror with a supernatural plot, an isolated and shadowy manor house and whole bucket load of secrets, all these components  help to turn This House is Haunted into a rather special spooky story.

My thanks to NetGalley and Random House UK, Transworld Publishers for my copy 

of 

This House is Haunted.


About the Author

*~*~*