Darcy Coates

Daniel is desperate for a job. When someone slides a note under his door offering him the groundskeeper's position at an old estate, it seems too good to be true. Against his better judgement, he accepts. But Craven Manor is nothing like what he expected.

Craven Manor

Ashlee

Another Darcy Coates book! And another love. This ended up being such a cute story and I thoroughly enjoyed it. The beginning was definitely a little scary but that didn’t last very long. I could see some people not liking how things went throughout the book and the way it ended and if I had been in a more action oriented mindset or if I’d been wanting a lot more scare factor then I could see myself being unhappy with this. But it was actually perfect for when I read it. I just want to continue reading about Daniel gardening with his ghost buddies for an entire extra book. No plot, just garden. Is that too much to ask for?

Krystal 

3.5
This book made me feel things that I didn’t think it would. I was scared, sad, happy, worried! The characters were so well written and the multiple plot twists were crazy. Such a good Halloween read.

"Daniel is desperate for a fresh start at life, so when someone slides a note under his door offering him the groundskeeper's position at an old estate, it seems too good to be true. Alarm bells start ringing when he arrives at Craven Manor. The mansion's front door hangs open, and leaves and cobwebs coat the marble foyer. It's clear no one has lived there in a long time...but he has nowhere else to go. Against his better judgment, he moves into the groundskeeper's cottage behind the crypt. But when a candle flickers to life in the abandoned tower window, Daniel realizes Craven Manor is hiding a terrible secret... one that threatens to bury him with it"--

This is a solid supernatural haunted house book. It was reasonably fast-paced and kept me guessing until the truth was revealed. The ending is certainly different than a lot of these types of books, but I really liked it!

One thing that threw me off was not knowing where this took place! At the start, I pictured Daniel living somewhere like NYC, but then the landscape nearby didn't make much sense. The old villages surrounding the city could have been somewhere else in New England (especially with the talk of witches, it made me think of Salem) but I didn't see any indication of that. The author is Australian, so it's possible it took place there, I just wish I knew WHERE.

Finally, I found some of the characterizations were a bit too on the nose. Daniel, Bran, and Kyle especially were very one-dimensional. (view spoiler)[Daniel was naive but eager to please, and clearly a very generous person despite not having anything. He was almost too earnest, I wish he had a bit of grit to him. He let Kyle, who was just a total asshole the whole time, walk all over him. And even though Bran's character was called into question during the book, he proved himself to be magnanimous and forgiving. Bran - "Don't open the tower, I will not be forgiving of that." Daniel - *opens the tower* Bran - "oh it's okay, it was my fault anyway for spreading that story and sewing a seed of doubt. My bad, please stay with me!" Yeah, okay. (hide spoiler)]

Overall, very enjoyable and something a bit different than I was expecting! I'll definitely read her other books.

everlinet

Around 3,5*

This is actually a super cute ghost story. I´ve read some really bad reviews on this one, but I don´t get it. I mean... If you´re hardcore horror fan, love blood, gore or like REALLY spooky stuff, you won´t like this. But if you´re like me and enjoy old houses, a bit of mystery and COZY vibes, this is it. It´s super cozy little horror with actually somehow friendly atmosphere. And some sweet characters.
I think this is definitely more fantasy/horror story and I don´t mind it at all. It was a page turner, it kept me reading, which is always a good sign.

The plot was a bit predictable, but I enjoyed the atmopshere nonetheless and thought it was a feel-good October read I suggest if you´re a scaredy-cat who´s just enjoying a bit of not too harsh horror, and want to get in the Autumn vibes

Rachel Schommer

Craven Manor felt alot like every other Coates book I've read, similar plot just different characters. I keep reading them though, so I clearly like it. It's her blueprint and she works it well. I'll probably read another of her works and feel similarly, but I can't help it, I enjoy a good ghost story!

Craven Manor

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