Darkmere by Helen Maslin
Author: Helen Maslin
Series: Standalone
Genre: Young Adult, ghost, thriller, mystery
Publisher: Chicken House
Published: 6th of August 2015
Synopsis
A castle. A curse. A dangerous summer.
Review
In a sudden bout of desire for a ghost YA story I searched high and low for something of this calibre until it was recommended to me by a good friend.
I like to think that I'm a (fairly) mature adult who isn't too easily scared, and given that my job does expose me to some "interesting" situations that some might find gross and would stomach with difficulty I like to think that I can handle most things. What I wasn't quite prepared for was the dark scene that Helen Maslin painted in Darkmere. Obscure and ever so slightly peculiar characters, that are almost more than weird to the point that they occasionally border on concerning but then somehow retreat to the realm of just about acceptable. And yet as the story progresses you start to doubt how much of this is just a personality quirk and teenage behaviour. Is there something else? Is there more?
And between the pages of this ghost story lies the dark tale of Darkmere Castle, whose past is such, that the walls and beach on which it is built are saturated with it's macabre history. The power such that this darkness transcends time and generations to come to us in the present and into the lives of Beano, Hat Man Dan, Lucie, Jackson, Kate and Leo.
To add to the mystery of it all, Helen cleverly writes to us from the past of Elinor St Cloud where the story all began and to the present of Kate who has gone on holiday with some new friends for a summer holiday never to be forgotten. With a different font, writing style and turn of phrase for both Kate and Elinor that really makes you feel like you're flitting between what was and what is, until it starts to feel like one big blur, one giant recollection that, despite hundreds of years, seems very real and very tangible.
I wanted to submerge myself into this world fully so I read deep into the night...... aaaaaaaand I scared myself to death when I got up in the night to get a glass of water! Every bloody shadow scared the bejesus out of me! I ended up finishing it in daylight because I'd reached my limit, how pathetic am I! And I write this review to you now from my warm and sunny back garden. Not ashamed one bit either I'll have you know :p
Helen's overall style of writing lends itself very well to this genre of mystery with an air of a thriller. The best stories aren't about the gore and graphic descriptions, they're the ones that play with your mind, make you wander and keep guessing right up until the end and maybe even beyond that. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and despite my earlier protests, I sense that I may be returning to this genre sooner than I expect.
Brick by brick Kate tears away at Darkmere Castle, at the secret that lies beneath it all and the life that Elinor St Cloud led there until the truth of it all is unveiled, and she will have to deal with the consequences of seeking it out.
Although for the moment I have most definitely had my fill of ghosts I do look forward to reading more Helen Maslin and indeed maybe even another ghost story when I have lost a few grey hairs!
And between the pages of this ghost story lies the dark tale of Darkmere Castle, whose past is such, that the walls and beach on which it is built are saturated with it's macabre history. The power such that this darkness transcends time and generations to come to us in the present and into the lives of Beano, Hat Man Dan, Lucie, Jackson, Kate and Leo.
To add to the mystery of it all, Helen cleverly writes to us from the past of Elinor St Cloud where the story all began and to the present of Kate who has gone on holiday with some new friends for a summer holiday never to be forgotten. With a different font, writing style and turn of phrase for both Kate and Elinor that really makes you feel like you're flitting between what was and what is, until it starts to feel like one big blur, one giant recollection that, despite hundreds of years, seems very real and very tangible.
I wanted to submerge myself into this world fully so I read deep into the night...... aaaaaaaand I scared myself to death when I got up in the night to get a glass of water! Every bloody shadow scared the bejesus out of me! I ended up finishing it in daylight because I'd reached my limit, how pathetic am I! And I write this review to you now from my warm and sunny back garden. Not ashamed one bit either I'll have you know :p
Helen's overall style of writing lends itself very well to this genre of mystery with an air of a thriller. The best stories aren't about the gore and graphic descriptions, they're the ones that play with your mind, make you wander and keep guessing right up until the end and maybe even beyond that. I thoroughly enjoyed it, and despite my earlier protests, I sense that I may be returning to this genre sooner than I expect.
Brick by brick Kate tears away at Darkmere Castle, at the secret that lies beneath it all and the life that Elinor St Cloud led there until the truth of it all is unveiled, and she will have to deal with the consequences of seeking it out.
Although for the moment I have most definitely had my fill of ghosts I do look forward to reading more Helen Maslin and indeed maybe even another ghost story when I have lost a few grey hairs!
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