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Book Review: Ash by James Herbert

Ash by James Herbert

  • Method of Obtaining: I obtained my copy via the publisher.
  • Published by: Tor Books
  • Release Date:  8/30/2012
        

David Ash – detective of the paranormal – is sent to the mysterious Comraich Castle, secluded deep in the Scottish countryside, to investigate a strange, high-profile case: a man has been found crucified – in a room that was locked. The reports suggest that the cliff-top castle is being haunted . . .

Who – or what – is the reclusive hooded figure that Ash has seen from the window walking across the courtyard in the dead of night?
What are the strange, animal-like sounds that come from the surrounding woods?
And why are the castle’s inhabitants so reluctant to talk about what they have seen?

. . . what Ash eventually discovers is truly shocking.

Reason for Reading:
  • I received a review copy from the publisher.

I recommend:

My Review:

Ash by James Herbert is the third in the series- yet it has enough stand-alone information woven throughout the story-line that it could be read on its own. This book has been the reason that I’ve slept with my lights on the last few nights. It had all the ingredients necessary for a kick-butt horror story: the creepy castle in Scotland, luxury and wealth, a whole host of bad guys all under the same roof, and a tormented, parapsychologist who has been hired to investigate.

I accepted this book for a review because I’d read good things about James Herbert. While horror is not my go-to genre, I have respect for King’s earlier works and have been working my way through some other titles as well. While the horror elements contained within Ash were not bad (even succeeding, as evidenced by the light comment above), it were other parts of the story that came off as simply not-believable. The entire book takes place within a three-day main period… that alone is not enough though for my criticism. Ultimately, it was the relationship that develops between David Ash and one of the staff at the castle. Within one day these two adults, both of whom have had traumatic, romantic encounters, are declaring their love for one another and are unable to keep their hands off one another. Add that into the fact that David Ash is to investigate a massive castle along with the other horrors that are happening and it all translates into at least 60 hour days.

I read, after finishing the final pages of Ash, that this is not the finest of Herbert’s work. At this point in time, I’ll have to just take those reviewers word for it – because of Ash is any indication of what Herbert is capable of, I’m afraid I’m just not interested.

Don’t just take my word for it! Check out what these bloggers say!

Steve Emmett | This is Horror | Annabel’s House of Books

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Lydia
19 December, 2012
Contemporary, Horror, reviews
2 comments
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The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle

Order from:

 

Reason for Reading:
  • I’m a sucker for car accident stories and I’ve been feeling somewhat melancholy lately.

I also recommend:

Summary from GoodReads:

Sixteen-year-old Laurel’s world changes instantly when her parents and brother are killed in a terrible car accident. Behind the wheel is the father of her bad-boy neighbor, David Kaufman, whose mother is also killed. In the aftermath of the tragedy, Laurel navigates a new reality in which she and her best friend grow apart, boys may or may not be approaching her out of pity, overpowering memories lurk everywhere, and Mr. Kaufman is comatose but still very much alive. Through it all there is David, who swoops in and out of Laurel’s life and to whom she finds herself attracted against her better judgment. She will forever be connected to him by their mutual loss—a connection that will change them both in unexpected ways.

My Review:

I’ve been in such a melancholy funk lately – I go through these stages where I need to read about tragedy and redemption, life moving on, just to feel as if I’m not the only one out there feeling these moments of sorrow and pain and to remind myself that there is worse and that I really am not all that bad off.

So with that in mind, it’s inevitable that I’d gravitate toward The Beginning of After by Jennifer Castle – the story of a girl with two parents and a younger brother all taken from her in the blink of an eye.  Laurel is a Junior in high school at the time of the accident and she has to struggle.

There are things I loved in this book.  I thought the portrayal of her grief stages, of her wants, wishes and eventual acceptance were very realistic and portrayed well.  I felt for her, but it was hard to really feel moved for her because, in spite of it all, she still had so much and was so self-centered through it all.  She was not the only one affected by the accident, but it takes quite some time before she is even able to acknowledge that and… honestly, when a girl has to choose between ivy league schools and maintains a high GPA through a tragedy of this level, it just gets a bit unrealistic.  That was the part that turned me off – that in spite of this crippling event, she still manages to live a life that most of us would have loved to have.

Don’t get me wrong, a love a good “happily ever after”, but sometimes it’s too much and in the case of this story, it came off that way.   It wasn’t as bad as it could have been, and was saved from being terrible with some fantastic writing and character building on the secondary characters, but still – I admit to rolling my eyes more than feeling as if I wanted to shed a tear.

Still, The Beginning of After is a worthwhile read and I read it easily in an afternoon sitting.  I’d highly recommend supplementing it with Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver or even something by Elizabeth Musser.

Check out these reviews!

Coffee Table Reviews

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Lydia
7 August, 2011
Coming of Age, reviews, Young Adult
0 comments
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The Distant Hours by Kate Morton

Order from:
Reason(s) for Reading:
  • I adored Kate Morton’s The Forgotten Garden.
  • Three sisters, a castle and a mystery – how could you NOT want to read this story?
I also recommend:
  • The Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton
  • Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
  • Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier

Summary from GoodReads:

A long lost letter arrives in the post and Edie Burchill finds herself on a journey to Milderhurst Castle, a great but moldering old house, where the Blythe spinsters live and where her mother was billeted 50 years before as a 13 year old child during WW II. The elder Blythe sisters are twins and have spent most of their lives looking after the third and youngest sister, Juniper, who hasn’t been the same since her fiance jilted her in 1941.

Inside the decaying castle, Edie begins to unravel her mother’s past. But there are other secrets hidden in the stones of Milderhurst, and Edie is about to learn more than she expected. The truth of what happened in ‘the distant hours’ of the past has been waiting a long time for someone to find it.

Morton once again enthralls readers with an atmospheric story featuring unforgettable characters beset by love and circumstance and haunted by memory, that reminds us of the rich power of storytelling

My Review (Spoiler free!):

I’ve lived in this book for the last three days.  Every time I’ve put it down, I’ve done so with regret; regret that I couldn’t read more, regret that the world I’m living in is not the world portrayed in the book.  This story appealed to me on so many levels, from taking influences from books such as Jane Eyre, Rebecca and Wuthering Heights to providing drama on such a perfectly, laid out scale.

..and honestly, how can you go wrong with a story centered around a crazy old man and his daughters, with quirky names  such as Persephone, Seraphina and Juniper?

I’ve struggled with how to write this review and not reveal anything – and it is a struggle because all I want to do is talk about the story.  This was not a light, comfort read – but I don’t turn to Kate Morton for that sort of read.  I picked this tome up.. (and at nearly 700 pages, it’s a doozy) expecting an interesting book with well-developed characters.  What I got was the following:

- Well developed characters, I particularly loved the evolving relationship between one of the main characters, Edie, and her parents.

- A perfect setting.  Morton did a beautiful job of describing the castle – decaying it was.. and I could practically smell the mold, hear the leaves crunching and see the bathing pool as she describes it.

- A haunting mystery.  I actually was disappointed about halfway through the book because I knew I had it all figured out.  Did I?  Well… you tell me once you’ve read the book.. did YOU?

- The “Chill Factor”.  I got chills so many times while reading this book I lost count.  Also, I didn’t sleep the first night with my light off after reading the opening of the book.  I get spooked easily.. and this book qualifies as “spooky” – much like Jane Eyre does.

The Distant Hours is, simply put, fantastic.  One of the best books I’ve read this year and my battered ARC can testify to how much handling it has had over the past few days.  I liked Kate Morton after The Forgotten Garden, but The Distant Hours has made me a firm fan and I can’t wait to see what she writes next.

Check out these review(s):

Historical Novel Review

Mandy the Bookworm

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Lydia
2 November, 2010
Favorites, Gothic, reviews
2 comments
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