You Are Invited

The premise of this book was promising and I was excited, but despite the creepy moments, this book was weighted down with so much emotional baggage that it became exhausting and annoying.

Another in my long string of whiny female protagonists, I’ve about had it with the undercutting reflections and inner monologue. Despite the “mental illness” presented in this story, I feel it was a real disservice to those who may suffer from many of the maladies mentioned.

The backstory of the monastery and the entire Event was compelling, and the story would have been much better if Denzil had done more to flesh that out, but the psychological versus paranormal ghosts debate made it less thriller and more soap opera.

Characters were well developed in this story and you mourn losses and are horrified by violence described, it is no secret that this author is talented, but the “haunted” character trope needs to be handled with care and Cath just came off as sullen and fretful. She isn’t someone I would want to be around, let alone read an entire story from her point of view.

At times, this book was a page-turner and then there were other times I wanted to shut this book and never go back, especially in the end when the book lagged way past the conclusion.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. The opinions are my own. ( )

I was really intrigued by the premise of a retreat for social media influencers and the setting in a monastery in Transylvania sounded eerily perfect but at 16% in I'm just not scared, and am starting to lose interest. It's just not for me. DNF at 16%

I saw this book on the website of one of my favorite ghost story writers…Darcey Coates. While it wasn’t necessarily recommended by Ms, Coates herself…she did give a blurb about the book that sounded intriguing. I thought the book started out rather slow and it took some time to actually pick up where something was happening besides the other participants meeting and assessing one another. I actually thought the story to be slightly muddled for lack of a better word. It seemed the author couldn’t quiet decide in which direction she wanted the story to go. I know that this author can write a well told tale and her writing style is easy to read…but not so much on this one. The idea of combining a traditional ghost story in a remote Romanian nunnery, long deserted after the nuns were all murdered....along with wolves....maybe even a vampire...blend with the ultra-modern world of Internet influence and technology and you have a good story that could have worked well...but this one just didn’t do it for me they way I had hoped. The best part was when the 6th uninvited participant appeared.. I’ll give it 3 stars just because I feel it may have been more me than the story itself that felt "off". ( )

I don't know what it is but in October and November, I read a few books with a Transylvania/Romania/Vampire/old and possibly haunted building theme. This is another book to add to that collection. A group of 5 Internet Influencers are invited by a famous Internet star to a remote monastery in Transylvania. It is like an episode of Big Brother except for the remote and creepy location. They will be watched online by thousands of viewers paying different tiers for access. The story has many elements to it: horror, suspense, mystery, folklore. It also has the feel of "And Then There Were None" to it. I enjoyed the suspenseful build and the fact that you could not be sure if the happenings were supernatural or human made. I wasn't too keen on the characters and the ending felt like a bit of a let down but I think I was expecting something different. That is my issue and not the book's issue. All in all, I enjoyed reading this one.

Overall, this is a fast and engaging read . Five social media personalities (each representing a specific "personality" type - the jock, the gamer, the popular girl, etc), isolated in an abandoned convent in the Carpathian mountains to participate in The Event.It's an intriguing set-up and Denzil creates a moody/spooky atmosphere as a perfect set up for a ghost story. There were some interesting twits and turns, although it tended towards the predictable. Still, though, a fun read, and would be a good lighgly spooky read during the Halloween season.

One note, the portrayal of mental illness was...okay(ish). The author attempts to present mental illness in a realistic(ish) manner, but I always struggle when there is an implication that if a person "deals with their issues" that they can suddenly just stop taking medication. One, that's usually a terrible idea for a person's body if you just suddenly stop taking certain types of medication (withdrawal), two, taking medication is not a weakness or a crutch, its a tool for many to be able to function. My rating for the book was definitely negatively impacted by this decision, and I dropped a star. ( )