What's with the accent going in and out?

Would you say that listening to this book was time well-spent? Why or why not?

Overall the story has a good theme and generally creepy feel. I agree with a lot of reviewers that Mara is annoying in her steadfastness not to believe what's going on around her. But for me, the main puzzle was the narrator slipping in and out of a British accent. The dialogue was always in an American accent, but then all of a sudden the inner musings had me going, "Wait. Who is talking?" Some of the way it was written felt like it should have been a British story anyway. The narrator was good at both so it had me wondering if it was supposed to be read that way. But if it was, why?! I even looked up Piper Goodeve's webpage to see if she was British but no, she's from New Hampshire. Weird.

15 people found this helpful

More like a romance novel

What would have made The Haunting of Blackwood House better?

This book was annoyingly reminiscent of a corny romance novel. The story isn't a complete wash out, the premise is spooky but the author spends a lot of content devoted to Mara and Neil's relationship, how much of a perfect boyfriend he is, or how she feels every time Neil touches or kisses her. Unnecessary in a horror/suspense book if you ask me. Wished that the author would have focused more on the house history or nature of crimes involved. Every time you would get sucked into the story, you would be sideswiped by Mara and Neil's love fest...

This could be a good read for a teenage audience in my opinion.

Would you ever listen to anything by Darcy Coates again?

Not likely. I may check out specific reviews to see if anything catches my eye, but I don't think the author and captured my interest to invest in another one of her books again.

One positive is that her book was an easy read/listen, easy to comprehend.

What did you like about the performance? What did you dislike?

The performance was the highlight I would say. The performer did a good job of expressing the content and feeling of the dialogue. Some accentuation of words was very high schoolish...the main character didn't sound like she was an adult.

If you could play editor, what scene or scenes would you have cut from The Haunting of Blackwood House?

Definitely would minimize ALL interactions between Mara and Neil.

Any additional comments?

Great premise for a suspense/thriller book, but altogether disappointing and predictable.

16 people found this helpful

wrong accent

this story is obviously british. why not use a British narrator? it would definitely enhance the story telling.

15 people found this helpful

RIDICULOUS

This is one of the most annoying books I have every listened to. I'm at chapter 28, and trying very hard to get thru it. EVERYTHING annoys me about this book, the narrator, the story...this is the most annoying female lead that I can think of of all the books I've read. And annoying doesn't even come close to covering it. For pete's sake, just let the guy buy you a decent surveillance camera!! And with all the evidence of a ghost that you are being presented with...what, still going to insist on no ghost? I won't give anything major away, but good grief, girl...get a grip!! I really can't recommend this book, and don't know if I'll finish it. I understand a woman being independent, but, please, this was ridiculous. Others have a different viewpoint on this story, but, to me, it wasn't worth the cost.

48 people found this helpful

Not impressed

Started out good and thought it had potential but the main character and her bf had a no contact realationship which made it feel strange and like it was set in the 50's. The ending was very anticlimactic with little to no suspense and the last few chapters I found hard to finish and almost gave up on it. I do not recommend this book at all.

5 people found this helpful

Poorly written and extremely distorted.

I found the book to be extremely unrealistic and disjointed. I did not like how it was not tied together very well. Who in their right mind would move 5 miles out of town with no car very little money etc. etc. etc. I would not recommend this book to anyone else it was a waste of time and a waste of a credit. This is why I gave it one * across the board.

10 people found this helpful

Very "girly"

First of all, great story.. really keeps you into it but the author writes with very female driven word play, it's not bad it's just a little too much sometimes.

Explaining every detail of every kiss and emotion that went on with every hug and kiss kind of annoys you as you're in the middle of the horror but u highly recommend.

14 people found this helpful

Terrible. Predictable.

Those two words pretty much sums it up. I even removed and downloaded it to "give it another chance" two different times. I just want to smack Maura. The end.

6 people found this helpful

Soppy love story in a haunted house

The heroine is irritating but I found myself rooting for her because the ghost was equally if not more irritating.

The story line was good but character development was nil and characters often make or break a story. The couple, Mara and Neill, sound like right out of a cheap 20c romance from the 1950s. Romantic encounter descriptions are painstakingly described in cliched, limited vocabulary which makes one wonder if the writer is single and a virgin... or just terrible at writing abt intimacy.

Either way, a pretty decent ghost story was ruined by the writer's fumbling attempts at a romantic subplot. You could cut all of it out and have a much better, tighter ghost story. So maybe it's the editor who needs the chop.

The narrator was good though and tried her best to make Mara sound human and likable but there's just so much tone can do with a thin, ridiculous script.

2 people found this helpful

A Tale of Contradictory Settings

How does a house, abandoned for 20 years and not equipped with/for electricity have things like a washer and dryer, television, or VCR ? How about remnants of a supposedly 20 year old dinner still on plates, still usable cleaning supplies, and a discernable (unkempt) yard with only waist high weeds?! Busted windows and a hole-riddled roof but only minor water damage on a wall or two?

How does a character so vehement in disbelief of the supernatural IMMEDIATELY start writing down suspicious "drafts". For that matter, when do you buy a house and NOT attend a closing and the realtor just drops the keys off to you at your apartment? I mean, I forgave our unempmoyed 20 year old protagonist saying she'd buy the place without knowing a price because she had a savings (though she was laid off from her warehouse packer job). Oh and she didn't even know she had a basement until AFTER she bought it? A basement that, though she paid for a plumbing and gas pipe inspection , no one had entered AND it had a burst pipe?

When do you ask your Christian boyfriend to move him and his Christian, recently widowed mom to move in but ban any religious iconology be displayed? (yet love him for who he is and think they can all live together happuly?!).

....and that's just the first hour or so of the book.

2 people found this helpful