Have you ever played a pen and paper RPG session with your friends, but there was this one dude that just wanted everything to go smoothly for his character? Like, he would bother the GM about having random acquaintances that somehow held arcane knowledge, or he would roll spot hidden at any random abandoned house trying to find an antique coin someone left behind, or would try to retcon midway through the game that his asthma medication was secretly this all powerful amulet that could protect him from all evil because somehow the pope touched it?
Well imagine this person writing a book about his character.
This is the book.


It's a pretty straightforward, classic haunted house story, as written by a twelve year old that likes happy things. I can't describe it any other way. It felt naive, very young. It's one of these books that are so predictable you expect to see some reversal of the tropes and clichés you already know are coming your way. Unfortunately the only reveal is that there is absolutely no damn reveal, no straying from the expected twists and turns hauntings have. Yeaps, it's just so predictable that the surprise is that there is no surprise. Surprise!
Thrilling.

Ugh, and the characters...
I know, I know. "What characters?" you'll scream, "they were just Mary-Sues" you'll shout, "the were indiscernible form each other" you'll let it all out. And you'll be right. They felt like they belonged in Little House on the Prairie.
The protagonist is the paragon of goodness, and he knows everything. He helps little ladies, he is tender towards all animals, all fauna and flora. He believes in people, he is honest to a fault, hardworking. Really his only bad trait is that he is too trusting. Thankfully though, he is knowledgeable. He understands things man. He gets, just from seeing some old ruins how much time has passed, he knows about fixing gardens and homes, he reads, he knows about animals. For a good chunk of the book you can't really tell who he is. Where did he grow up, what books/music/movies does he like? How old is he? Has he studied anything? Does he have any hobbies? What jobs has he been through in the past? Does he have a temper, is he melancholic, emotional, anything? We only now that he loved his grandma and that he had been homeless for a while. And about both things we have no other details.
Just before the book finishes we learn that he is in his *very* early twenties and I actually gasped. I imagined this character to be at least 37 years old, what with all the knowledge he has gathered.

Also. And spoilers here.
Who couldn't tell that they would all be a happy family in the end? You could see it from miles away. This author really wanted us to feel sorry for, and like, her protagonist, and she desperately wanted him to have the best possible, happiest ending ever. It’s like she tried so hard to oliver twist him to tug at out heartstrings, that she actually managed to feel pity for this poor orphan and just wanted to grant him a happy ever after in this story.

I’m not against happy endings, I rather enjoy them. But this one felt forced. The good characters were always too good, trusting, kind to each other, even when they had no motive or reason to, even when in fact it would make better sense for them to distrust each other. I mean, seriously they actually all live happily ever after –bad guys die by mistake by each other’s hand so the protagonist’s hands stay clean and we can root for out little scout forever- and they even loan the house to the granny to have her society stuff. Like, WHAT? Are you me when I was 6, book? Because I can guarantee you that all my Barbie stories ended this way and I’d like to think that my preferences in stories have matured since, thank you very much.

Really, I expected to disagree with some of the 2018 Goodreads choice award nominees, but I never thought I'd be this bored. ( )

This was another awesome ghost story by author Darcy Coates and I have added it to my favorites shelf.



The mystery begins when Daniel receives a note under his door to become a groundskeeper of an old mansion called "Craven Manor". He is wary of who sent him the note and why they would want him to take care the mansion. But as mysterious as it sounds he sets off to find out if the note is for real or if someone is playing a trick on him.

But it is not a trick as when he arrives at the mansion, he finds there is an envelope inside with strange kind of money. He becomes more intrigued as he also has instructions not to enter certain rooms in the house and to never enter the tower.

The only living creature in the house is a cat which looks kind of poorly, so Daniel decides that he will take up the offer and do what he can around the mansion. He also moves into the groundskeeper's cottage so that he can keep an eye on the estate.

There are loads of twists and turns throughout the book along with plenty of ghostly mystery.

Darcy Coates has done it again with pulling haunting stories out of her imagination and taking the reader into her ghostly world. Giving this one five Spooky Scares stars. ( )

I am in love this author's ability to make any situation intriguing and suspenseful. I didn't enjoy this one as much as others by her but still an enjoyable read.

Without giving anything away I'll just say the characters involved definitely made this a unique read for me. ( )

3.5
Enjoyable light horror story. Unique mystery with a fantastic setting. I wouldn't really even call it horror more paranormal mystery. The main character Daniel, was TSTL which was irritating. Gods you could wear a feathered suit in front of the guy, quack, kick him with your webbed feet and he's still not see the duck. How many times does a guy get educated and not get it ? So yeh I had a problem with him. Luckily the rest of the cast held up their parts. it was a fun read for October I'm glad I read it. ( )

Why does it take these characters so long to realize that there is something really, really wrong here? I guess it would be a very short book if they got it as quickly as we...the readers...do. The overall tone of this book is creepy and off-setting as it’s certainly not lacking in the gross and gory element. The main character, Daniel... is a delightfully compassionate and very ethical young man with a surprisingly open mind in the face of extremely bizarre circumstances...in other words “ghost fodder”. I have read almost everything that Darcy Coates has written and loved them all but this one just my hold the top place of “The Best One Yet”. Craven Manor sinks its claws into you from the eerie cover, to the well-drawn, easy to like characters. Daniel's fate remains uncertain throughout the story and this, if anything, is what will keep you reading and rooting for this young man. ( )