The Haunting by Alex BellAuthor Website Amazon (UK) I got this ARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Stripes Publishing (ebook), expected publication 11 February 2016
352 Pages
Some curses grow stronger with time...
People say that all Cornish inns are haunted, but the Waterwitch's history is particularly chilling. Built from the salvaged timber of a cursed ship, the guest house's dark secrets go further back than anyone can remember.
Emma is permanently confined to a wheelchair after an accident at the Waterwitch which took place when she was ten. Seven years later, she decides to return to the place where the awful event occurred. But the ancient inn still has its ghosts, and one particular spirit is more vengeful than ever...
Here are the first three things I learned about being in a wheelchair:
1. You have to ask for help all the time
2. You actually have to ask for hep ALL the time
3. After a little while, asking for help starts to feel like getting punched in the face
The Haunting just didn't work for me. The book has great premise and sounded like a really creepy, unsettling read. Unfortunately, the book never lives up to its potential. The book is dull most of the time and failed to hold my attention. I was bored a lot when reading it and hugely disappointed because the blurb make the book sound like a cracking read. I also had an issue with Emma's character. She's supposed to be 17 in the book but comes across as someone aged 10 or 11. She was much more juvenile than her years and her voice didn't really work. I really liked the fact that she was in a wheelchair because characters with a disability are few and far between in fiction - and usually only used when an author wants the sympathy vote. The Haunting tries hard but ultimately fails.
