Dec 3rd 2019, 00:14

Maud Stearne has lived the life of a recluse ever since her father committed a gruesome murder when she was a teenager. She was the sole witness and kept her story secret. Until now. Wakenhyrst is a place of secrets nestled at the edge of the mysterious fen. The fen shapes the lives of all who live there in various ways. The main question is if the fen is cursed. Maud watches her father's descent into madness and murder as he is drawn into demonic forces. The only question is if these forces come from without or within. This book draws us into his mind and Maud's as the story unfolds. Who will be safe, and who will be destroyed? This book covers so many topics, including history, religion, psychology, horror, and gender and class expectations. It's a book that pulls you along and makes you wonder what will happen next, even though much appears to be given away at the start. It was a quick read that I'd recommend to fans of psychological and gothic horror.

Jun 17th 2019, 19:40

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The book spans many centuries with it starting 50 years or so after the main events. We then get the story told by three characters, Maud the main character, her father and Pyett. The main action occurs in the 1900's at the manor house in Suffolk with the wild fens near by. The locals are superstitions and link their ideas to God and the church. Maud's mother dies during her last 'groaning,' leaving Maud to find her way in the world with her guide being her repressive father who is falling into madness. Maud asks for help but because she is just a girl and her father is a 'gentleman' she is ignored with tragic consequences. The only thing I didn't enjoy with the story was Maud's secret at the end, it was rushed over and the way it was rushed over didn't add anything to the story as I had guessed there was more to her story anyway.

[Michelle Paver's] storytelling is irresistible * The Times, Historical Fiction Book of the Month * It's a ghost story to put beside the classics of an earlier era... Compelling' * Evening Standard * Original and engrossing... Paver masterfully blends together two narratives... Spanning fen devils, mystics and the lot of women in Edwardian England' * Observer * This book has been haunting me... Very gripping' * BBC Radio 2 Book Club * [A] superb, supernatural novel... Paver deliciously ratchets up the tension as Maud struggles for autonomy in the face of her father's deranged obsessions' * Daily Mail * A brilliantly atmospheric read (be warned: it's also terrifying!) with a brave, forward-thinking heroine I loved * Good Housekeeping * Paver is back on top form' * The Bookseller, Editor's Choice * A spine-chilling masterpiece * Woman and Home * This dark, gothic tale will hook you in with its atmospheric setting of a house on the edge of the Suffolk fens, and its themes of superstition, witchcraft and religion * Sun. * Wakenhyrst is many things all at once - a chilling Gothic horror, a coming of age tale, a story of madness and loneliness, and most of all an account of how one girl manages to look out for herself when no-one else will. Paver successfully balances these themes as only a confident writer can. With fully realised characters and motivations, she draws you deeper and deeper into the story, even as the sense of dread grows stronger with every turn of the page * Scotland on Sunday. * Dark, atmospheric and beautifully written * Candis * This perfectly constructed "modern Gothic" is laced with a real sense of menace - and a healthy dose of feminism * Heat * A demonic presence lurks in the fens in this tale about murder, loneliness and an abusive relationship * The Times, The Best Books of 2019 * This is true goose-bump material' 8/10 * Sunday Post * This dark, gothic tale will hook you in with its atmospheric setting * Fabulous Magazine * Gothic thriller spanning five centuries. A woman living with her repressive father faces a battle against witchcraft and sorcery when a strange icon is discovered in a churchyard * Love It Magazine * There is a thick air of mystery to the story. The household is shrouded in secrets. I really liked the sinister, gothic feel I got from Wakenhyrst and I'll be looking out for more!' * A Knight's Reads * Paver herself said it was the best book she's written, and you can see why: it's compulsively readable and savagely intelligent * The Roaring Bookworm * This book is steeped in atmosphere as well as the stench and slime of the fen itself, a place barely touched by the outside world, and it is beautifully written and deliciously, gorgeously creepy * For Winter Nights * A clever, creepy Gothic tale * Saga *