Craven Manor

I absolutely loved it. I've been reading horror for over 30 years (plus watching movies) and I really enjoyed a couple of different and new ideas here. I have a new favorite writer to add to my list of Stephen King, Joe Hill, Michael Mcdowell, Anne Rice, Wendy Corsi Staub and Peter Straub. Haunted house theme is my favorite and Darcy does an excellent job describing everything so you feel as if you are there. I did find Daniel delightful if a bit naive at times. I had to remind myself of his youth and inexperience. I also appreciate his background which is a very serious and sad issue in real life. I happened upon this author last month here on Amazon and have enjoyed 3 of her novels. They are entertaining and hard to put down. Please keep writing new ones with original twists!

The overall tone of this book inclines me to see it in the YA category although it's certainly not lacking in the gross/gory element. The main character is a delightfully compassionate and ethical young man with a surprisingly open mind in the face of extremely bizarre circumstances. Down-on-his-luck Daniel receives the offer of a dream job as gardener at a derelict estate (he had loved gardening with his grandmother). When he arrives, he finds the house and grounds apparently deserted and obviously untended for many years. He soon realizes that it's not as empty as it looked. He adapts to his new associates with amazing ease, and comes to find allies and enemies on both sides of the veil. Among his other attractive qualities are his strong work ethic, kindness to little old ladies in distress, and real love of cats. As a cat lover myself, I found him very appealing.I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good ghost story with plenty of thrills and suspense but without excessive blood and guts - just enough to keep it interesting.

Craven Manor is about Daniel, who is down on his luck, finding work wherever he can to pay the rent, then one day, he receives a strange job offer to be a groundskeeper, which he can’t turn down. When he first sees where he’ll be working, he’s uncomfortable, but bears through it, doing what he’s paid to do. That’s when the fun starts.This book is filled with great visuals and storytelling. The characters are strong, while some are absolutely terrifying. There’s great build-up, and backstory to fill in the spaces of how things came to be. I whole heartedly recommend this book to anyone looking for a great horror story mixed with paranormal adventure. Great job Darcy, I enjoyed every word.

This is truly the best book I’ve ever read!! I honestly became so invested in these characters, I felt like I was there with them! I got completely lost in this book!! Every book I’ve read by Darcy Coates has been SO good, but this one was THE ABSOLUTE BEST!! You can’t help but absolutely love these characters! (most of them, anyway) I never leave reviews but I felt I had to because any and everyone who loves a REALLY good ghost story HAS to read this book! I promise you WILL NOT be disappointed!!! And to Darcy Coates, PLEASE PLEASE make this into a series!! I would LOVE to continue reading about Bran, Daniel, and Annalise!! I NEVER wanted this book to end!!! Thank u for writing such an amazing book!

CRAVEN MANOR, by Darcy Coates, is a supernatural novel with a rather unique scenario. In the beginning, we are introduced to a young man--Daniel Kane--who is searching for odd jobs every day just to survive. His cousin, Kyle, allows him to stay in his cheap apartment--providing Daniel can get together enough money to pay half the rent. Immediately, Coates is able to show us the intrinsic differences between the two. Daniel is something of a rare anomaly nowadays; a gentle, caring person who would give his meager earnings to others in need, rather than buy food for himself. Kyle is obviously one who feels that world owes him, and thinks nothing of walking all over people like Daniel. Not one to complain about his situation, Daniel would remind himself: ". . . He lived in a home for desperate people, and desperate people couldn't be choosy . . . "I found myself very impressed with Darcy Coates' writing style. In some places, her words flow with such a graceful ease, yet their meaning is so full of conviction and leaves you thinking on them for some time afterwards.". . . No one said hello or even made eye contact . . . that sense of non-existence had left him with a permanent fear of being forgotten by the world . . . "Our adventure begins when Daniel finds a curious note addressed to him, informing him that he has been hired as a groundskeeper for a place called Craven Manor. The barest of directions are left for him, and Daniel probably would have not given it another thought if not for his cousin suddenly complaining about him "not contributing enough".Coates continues to use some great scenes to further characterize the individual people in this novel. Now, she adds the most perfect balance of atmosphere to immerse the reader completely into the story unfolding. Once we see Craven Manor in our minds, there is no going back. I found that I didn't want to leave this novel for even a moment.". . . The manor wasn't a cheerful place . . . But it felt secure . . . "The balance of human, supernatural, and environmental surroundings make for the perfect combination here. Craven Manor-- ". . . A manor to strike fear into people who saw it . . ." --is a major presence--almost a character all of its own. The neglected--yet somehow still striking-ediface stands as a testament to the past that never really . . . left."Things that die here have a tendency to linger."The twists and revelations create a story that keeps you riveted to every page. The emotional pull of not only Daniel, but of the other characters and elements, intensifies as the story goes on and more of the historical events are slowly revealed."Ghosts are real . . ."Darcy Coates has written a story that stuck with me long after I finished my first reading. This is most certainly a book I see myself returning to in the future for re-reads.". . . I've found that death and I don't agree too much . . ."The mystique, characterizations, revelations, rumors, unlikely friendships, and betrayals were especially "real" feeling to me, and I give the author a great deal of credit in coming up with a tale that seems so "new", when the vast majority I read often appear as variations of the same theme.". . . Sometimes, a drastic loss can herald a new start . . . "Highly recommended!

Craven Manor, by Darcy Coates, is my first read by this author, and is also my first review of 2018. I'm a subscriber to this author's newsletter, and finally decided to purchase this title to see, finally, what the fuss was all about.Her writing style is extremely engaging, and in this story, it only focusses on a limited number of characters - Daniel, the young man who literally lives day to day, eeking out a living doing various jobs. His relative, Kyle, is more secure, allowing Daniel to stay at his place, but it's not without cost, as is anything a family member professes to do out of love, duty, or something else.Fed up with this state of affairs, Daniel reluctantly takes up the post offered to him by the mysterious Bran - the man who apparently owes the manor of the title, but is rarely seen. In fact, a bony, malnourished cat makes more of an appearance than Bran does.You'd think he would pay Daniel via Paypal, BACS or Bit Coin, but no, Bran pays using unusual and spectacular gold pieces, and as the atmosphere builds nicely, the mystery unfolds, literally piece by piece.Daniel decides he actually can stay at the creepy manor even though Kyle is not too sure about that. Added the fact that Kyle gets more than a bit jealous of the gold pieces, the narrative builds with a crescendo, and it is here that the book kicks into overdrive.I really like this genre, and I also write in this genre. So why four stars, and not five? Well, this is a very solid tale from Miss Coates. There's nothing really to fault, however, parts of the pace dropped off in the middle of the book, and even during the story's third and final act, but this was the first time I read this author's work, and I would like to read more.Craven Manor grabs you - from the eerie cover, to the well drawn characters, to occasional snappy and fun dialogue. Daniel's fate remains uncertain throughout the story and this, if anything, is what will keep you reading.If I re-read it, I may scale it up to five, but this reading tells me her vast army of readers are not wrong. Craven Manor is a solid, engaging, and engrossing horror tale. It sticks to the creeping horror instead of delivering shock value for shock value's sake.I liked it. A lot.

Loved the suspense in this book. Another page turner. Looking forward to reading more from this author. The descriptions given really give you food for the imagination.

I have read a few of this authors books and consider them '' safe horror'' in other words not always scary , good stories but not sleep with the light on material.It was with interest that I read great reviews on this latest one. However the tension that was cranked up by half way soon fell to the side. The main character after being warned of impending doom if he broke 3 rules on entering Craven manor proceeded to do so with little or no punishment not what I was expecting.The main horror locked in the main tower could have been so much more but did not escalate into anything more than a poor attempt to keep the story on track.On saying this there were moments of fear and trepidation and for that I gave it 4 stars.

I thoroughly enjoyed this one. The relationship between the main characters is constantly changing and developing through the course of the story, and there are some twists that really keep you guessing. The backdrop to the story is quite dark - an old gothic manor lost in almost impenetrable woods- but the characters add a warmth and depth that keeps the tale from becoming depressing. If you enjoy a supernatural tale with twists and turns I would highly recommend this.

I have read two of darcy coates books the carrow haunt and the house next door but this has to be the best book I've read for a long time from the ist few pages I was gripped I couldn't wait to find out what happened next to Daniel and the characters were so believable the story was easy to picture I got totally lost in to the book I found myself eagerly wanting the end to be a good one.and I loved the twist with the cat, highly recommended this book if your a huge darcy coates fan like myself even if you haven't read any start with this one.ive just ordered my next darcy coates kindle book and I am excited to start!