The Haunting of Rookward House
Ratings10
Average rating3.4
She's always watching...
When Guy finds the deed to a house in his mother’s attic, it seems like an incredible stroke of luck. Sure, it hasn’t been inhabited in years and vines strangle the age-stained walls, but Guy’s convinced he can clean the building up and sell it. He’d be crazy to turn down free money. Right?
Rookward House may be hours away from its nearest neighbor, but he can’t escape the feeling that he’s being watched. Still, he doesn’t believe in ghost stories and decides to camp in the crumbling old mansion while he does repairs. Surely nothing too bad can happen in the space of a week.
But there’s a reason no one lives in the haunting house, with its twisting shadows and whispering walls. The dilapidated rooms aren’t as empty as they seem. Forty years ago, a deranged woman tormented the family that made Rookward its home. Now her ghost clings to the building like rot. She’s bitter, obsessive, and fiercely jealous… and once Guy has moved into her house, she has no intention of letting him go.
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2.5 Stars
I finished this book last night and I'm still mad at it. Even though couldn't stand the main character ( I seem to have a problem with a lot of Coates MC's), halfway through I was super into it...and even better I was a bit spooked. I want to say I've read most of Coates “The Haunting of ...” books and I DO like how she sets up a great scary atmosphere. Which is probably why I keep going back to her books ( One time I said I wouldn't anymore and clearly I had to eat my own words LOL).
So why the 2.5? With roughly 1/3 left to the book...shit went sideways. Even for a ghost story it was weird and unexplained. Not to mention that the ending was a bunch of bullshitty ass bullshit. My other half was quite taken aback when I yelled EFF THIS WHOLE BOOK once I was done after repeatedly telling him some parts were kind of spooking me a bit lol. If I had liked the end more I'd have at least given it 3 stars because even with a slow start I WAS enjoying it. But no. NO.
Well, what a read. For the most part I coasted through the book with the typical liking of an interesting story. It wasn't until the last quarter? that my emotions were drawn in and the ending was a mixture of “what? No!” and “ah, okay”. I'm not used to reading haunted stories so don't know the right word to express the reading experience as ‘enjoyed' doesn't seem right lol.
I absolutely love this author and this book is hands down, my favorite of hers. The pace is a little slow in the beginning, but it picks up rather quickly once Guy gets to the house. This book legitimately freaked me out. This is clean horror, it can be slightly gory but nothing that should turn your stomach.
