Addictive UKYA urban thriller set in a spooky castle.
Darkmere Summary
A castle. A curse. A dangerous summer.
Leo has invited Kate and a few friends to spend the summer at his inheritance, Darkmere Castle: as wild and remote as it is beautiful. Kate thinks it will be the perfect place for her and Leo to get together – but instead, she’s drawn into the dark story of a young nineteenth-century bride who haunts the tunnels and towers of the house. And whose curse now hangs over them all.
Add Darkmere to your Amazon Wishlist here.
Darkmere Review
I’ve really started to enjoy reading YA thrillers again – they remind me of my teenage years when I was obsessed with Point Horror, particularly the amazing Richie Tankersley Cusick.
Darkmere is a good’un. You’ll join Kate as she explores an abandoned castle with no parents, leading to plenty of scares. It’s full of mystery and suspense and a large helping of twists but it adds an unusual blend of urban romance and gothic details to create a frightfully good cocktail.
Darkmere’s characters are frustrating, but equally extremely convincing. I wondered from the outset why Kate was attracted to Leo but it’s true that many teenagers fall for the bad boys so I didn’t doubt it for a second.
I also adored the snippets of Elinor’s story, a treat spread throughout the novel in little bitesize chunks that help unravel the mysteries of Darkmere’s past.
And that ending! I did not see that one coming but blimey it was good. No spoilers here but I will say that Helen isn’t afraid to be brutal, that’s for sure.
I’d highly recommend this UKYA to anyone looking for a fast-paced and addictive read that’ll make you want to jump right in and shake some sense into its characters. Loved it.
My rating:
**** 4/5 stars
You might also like:
The Memory Hit by Carla Spradbury
Fab review. I loved DARKMERE too! Great book.
Author
I remember your review, it’s what made me want to read it 🙂 Thanks for the recommendation! <3
Love the sound of this, and the cover is beautiful!