The Haunting of Blackwood House

By: Darcy Coates

Narrated by: Piper Goodeve

Length: 8 hrs and 24 mins

Publisher's summary

As the daughter of spiritualists, Mara's childhood was filled with séances and scam mediums. Now she's ready to start over with her fiancé, Neil, far away from the superstitions she's learned to loathe, but her past isn't willing to let her go so easily. And neither is Blackwood House.

When Mara and Neil purchased the derelict property, they were warned that ever since the murder of its original owner, things had changed. Strange shadows stalk the halls. Doors creak open by themselves. Voices whisper in the night. And watchful eyes follow her every move. But Mara's convinced she can't possibly be in danger. She doesn't believe in ghost stories, and she didn't buy a haunted house; it's just not possible.

Because ghosts aren't real, are they?

©2015 Black Owl Books (P)2016 Black Owl Books

Very entertaining!

Storyteller did an amazing job! I was bummed when the story ended. Now to go find another Darcey Coates book to listen to. Highly recommend this story and if you like creepy haunted houses.

Not like other haunting stories

I really appreciated the character work Coates puts into her writing.
I can imagine this whole book because she is so descriptive.... I'd love to see this story adapted into a film (with the right director, of course)

I hate Mara

I am half way through. The storyline good the narration is good. Not sure if it's the writer's intention but Mara the main character is Literally the dumbest bitch that ever lived. I can't stand her and want to punch her in the face lol. Her boyfriend Neil is so amazing. I haven't finished yet but I'm praying Mara dies and Neil can move on and find a women he deserves. If you can stand how much you will hate her lol the book is interesting and has kept me listening even through Maras dumb attitude and bad choices.

Another amazing story

Darcy never disappoints. This is my 4th Darcy book and I loved it! Definitely worth the read!

I don’t like the characters

I didn’t finish this. I know it’s fiction, and a ghost story, but I can only suspend disbelief so much. And I didn’t like the characters. It’s hard to enjoy a book when you not only don’t care about the characters but actively dislike them.

Try as I might, I just can’t finish!

I love books where a skeptic becomes a believer, but in this book, despite seeing apparitions and poltergeist right before her eyes, the main character insists that she has an intruder in her house. That would have been cute for two or three chapters, but it goes on and on and on. I was 2/3 of the way through, but had to get away from the nonsensical path this book was taking.

Also, this should have been marketed to middle schoolers. There is not a swearword in the entire book. Not that I mind, but it’s just not the reality for adults. The performance was the best thing about the book, but it would have been better with a Brit at the wheel. That way boots and torches and buildings instead of trunks and flashlights and houses would have made more sense.

Great Book!

I picked this book randomly. I really, really enjoyed it! Easy read and it kept me completely interested until the end. I thought the narrator did a great job as well. Definitely recommend. Enjoy!

give it a chance

you know I seen a lot of mix reviews about this book but give it a chance and make your own decision. it actually was pretty good and exciting. it's a different type of haunted house but I think different isn't always bad

Not for me, YMMV

Based on the description, I had such high hopes for this book. I love haunted house horror and this promised to be a fresh take on the trope. Sadly, it fell considerably short of my hopes.

The premise of the story had potential, but the execution left much to be desired. The writing felt as if it had been edited by an uptight group of religious parents of middle schoolers, with the complete avoidance of swearing and the awkwardly chaste relationship between the protagonist and her boyfriend (he got so embarrassed when she started to change out of wet clothes in front of him that he blushed and left the room? Seriously? These were supposed to be adults ffs). I don't mind that the author wanted to avoid swearing, but there were clunky phrases like "[character] mouthed a swear word" and "[character] broke his general rule and swore". Why not just put the words in the text? It felt so juvenile.

The main character was entirely insufferable. She was consistently rude, cold, and mean to her sweet and patient boyfriend. She was supposed to be a skeptic, but her skepticism wasn't portrayed as a healthy dose of rationality and critical thinking, but rather as an obstinate child who disregards clear evidence and holds dogmatically to her preconceived notions. It seemed very much like the author is a True Believer trying to write a skeptic, and doing so with a complete lack of understanding of what skepticism is. It was insulting.

While the voice actor did a commendable job, it was incredibly jarring to hear an American accent when the text clearly referenced British English phrases like "torch" instead of flashlight, "chips" instead of fries, and "fortnight" instead of two weeks. The voice actor absolutely should have been someone from the UK so the diction matched the accent.

If the things I listed seem like things that wouldn't bother you, you might like this book, but I was so disappointed.