About the Book

A Heart-in-mouth YA Horror-Thriller, perfect for teen fans of The Haunting of Hill House.

Iris is obsessed with star YouTube ghost hunting duo, Zach and Lucas, who disappeared at an undisclosed location several months ago. Iris- who heads up her own unsuccessful channel with co-hosts Byron and his girlfriend Molly – has been searching for the location ever since.

When they stumble across Long-abandoned Thornhanger House, the trio set aside their toxic love triangle to explore, and find Zach and Lucas’s abandoned equipment inside… complete with their last day of filming.

As they watch the footage? A horrifying truth emerges: whatever came for Zach and Lucas is coming for them too…

Lisa Richardson bursts onto the YA scene with a spine-chilling horror-thriller, bringing a terrifying fresh new angle, haunted with breathtaking twists.

About the Author

Lisa Richardson has a first-class honours degree in Creative and Professional Writing and works as a production editor. When not writing, Lisa can be found reading, binge-watching Netflix with her sons, or running and taking photographs along the Kent coast.

Follow her on Instagram: @lisarichardson_21

What I Thought

This book was a wild and thrilling ride. So much so that I needed a break half way through, even though I desperately wanted to keep reading to find out what happened.

This leans heavily into lots of horror tropes and does it so well. Creepy dolls – check. Rocking chair – check. It’s The Blair Witch Project meets The Ring meets The Haunting of Hill House all wrapped up in one.

As a YA Horror there is nothing too gruesome featured but the suspense barely lets up. My poor racing heart.

We have 3 sets of characters. The original missing ghost hunting duo of Zach and Lucas who we meet through their found footage. Iris, Molly and Byron who we follow on their hunt for the duo, and finally the house, it’s grounds and its inhabitants. It’s up to you to determine whether those inhabitants are former or current!

Despite making some very questionable choices I did like all the characters and didn’t want to see any of them harmed. And as if all the ghost hunting wasn’t angsty enough we also have a love quadrangle but which pairing survives the night? (It’s described as a love triangle in the synopsis but in a haunted house tale who is to say the missing supposed deceased Zach is out of the picture!). Finally whichof our trio lives to reap the fame that having a viral ghost hunting video brings you. And is that worth the horror to get there?

For the reader I say yes it is well worth picking this one up. Not everything is 100% explained at the end but that leads to the unease, a call for a re-read, and maybe even opens up the chance for a sequel?

For the characters – hmmmmmm. I think I’ll leave the seances and EMF machines to them.

I’m off to read a rom com stat.

Mini-Review in page numbers:

Page 339 – Final page. I’d like to say this was when I sighed in relief – but I’d be lying!

Page 219 When our intrepid trio actually decide to leave the house!!!

Page 170 Where I literally noped out of reading because my adrenaline was spiking and it was dark.

Page 57 When any sensible person – who would be willing to visit a haunted building in the first place – would have left.

Page 8 Where I would have noped out of this adventure. That is – I would never have entertained the thought of going.

Thanks to Chicken House who reached out and provided a gifted copy. The level of fear expressed in this review is all mine!