Darkmere
by Helen Maslin
Rating: 5/5
Pages: 368
Publisher: Chicken House
Publication Date: August 2015
ISBN: 9781910002346
Summary (via Goodreads)
A castle. A curse. A dangerous summer. Leo has invited Kate and a few friends to spend the summer at his inheritance, Darkmere Castle: as wild and remote as it is beautiful. Kate thinks it will be the perfect place for her and Leo to get together - but instead, she's drawn into the dark story of a young nineteenth-century bride who haunts the tunnels and towers of the house. And whose curse now hangs over them all.
Review (Possible Spoilers!)
My thanks to Chicken House for supplying me with a review copy of Darkmere.
Darkmere follows the story of two young women; Kate and Elinor, as they experience adventure, love, heartbreak and fear...the only thing is that they experience it two hundred years apart!
Elinor is the youngest daughter of a privileged and well respected family who finds herself forced into a marriage with the alluring Mr St Cloud. Mr St Cloud is handsome, rich and full of charisma but when Elinor travels to his newly built castle, Darkmere, she suspects that her husband is hiding a terrible secret.
Kate on the other hand is the new girl at school trying to fit in. When she is invited to Darkmere by the coolest guy at school she is thrilled and excited only to find disappointment and apprehension when greeted by the castle's stone walls. Darkmere is now a derelict ruin covered in dust and secrets and Kate is convinced something...or someone...lurks in the shadows.
I found Darkmere to be a very interesting and captivating story which I couldn't put down. I usually find ghost stories to be a bit cliché but was happy to find this one kept me guessing. I think this is due to the characters who had more depth to them than the typical school-kids-get-scared-to-death characters you get in movies.
Kate, for me, was a relatable character who tries to use logic to explain away the scary scenarios she found herself in as she uncovers the secrets of Darkmere and its master.
Elinor was my favourite character however because of her strength and determination and I feel that, as a character, Elinor makes the biggest journey within the book.
I found Darkmere to be a very interesting and captivating story which I couldn't put down. I usually find ghost stories to be a bit cliché but was happy to find this one kept me guessing. I think this is due to the characters who had more depth to them than the typical school-kids-get-scared-to-death characters you get in movies.
Kate, for me, was a relatable character who tries to use logic to explain away the scary scenarios she found herself in as she uncovers the secrets of Darkmere and its master.
Elinor was my favourite character however because of her strength and determination and I feel that, as a character, Elinor makes the biggest journey within the book.
Maslin has created in Darkmere a refreshing and alluring ghost story where past and present collide into one form. There is so much that I would love to include in this review but I feel it would be revealing too much and, after all, the best thing about a mystery is figuring it out!
With this in mind I want to end this review by expressing my thanks once again to Chicken House and stating that I would recommend this book to any YA (above 14 years), NA and Woman's Fiction enthusiast!
I love this so much - thank you x
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