Mary Hades (Mary Hades #1) by Sarah Dalton
Title: Mary Hades
Series: Mary Hades, #1
Author: Sarah Dalton
Published: Createspace; 2014
286 pages, kindle edition
Source: Xpresso Book Tours
Rating: 3 stars
Description (from Goodreads):
Not many seventeen year old girls have a best friend who’s a ghost, but then Mary Hades isn’t your average teenager.
Scarred physically and mentally from a fire, her parents decide a holiday to an idyllic village in North Yorkshire will help her recover. Nestled in the middle of five moors, Mary expects to have a boring week stuck in a caravan with her parents. Little does she know, evil lurks in the campsite…
Seth Lockwood—a local fairground worker with a dark secret—might be the key to uncovering the murky history that has blighted Nettleby. But Mary is drawn to him in a way that has her questioning her judgement.
Helped by her dead best friend and a quirky gay Goth couple, Mary must stop the unusual deaths occurring in Nettleby. But can she prevent her heart from being broken?
Scarred physically and mentally from a fire, her parents decide a holiday to an idyllic village in North Yorkshire will help her recover. Nestled in the middle of five moors, Mary expects to have a boring week stuck in a caravan with her parents. Little does she know, evil lurks in the campsite…
Seth Lockwood—a local fairground worker with a dark secret—might be the key to uncovering the murky history that has blighted Nettleby. But Mary is drawn to him in a way that has her questioning her judgement.
Helped by her dead best friend and a quirky gay Goth couple, Mary must stop the unusual deaths occurring in Nettleby. But can she prevent her heart from being broken?
My Thoughts:
Mary Hades sucked me in with its absolutely freakin' gorgeous cover! It has the right mix of creepy, pretty and quirky to make it pop and I was powerless to resist requesting it.
I have read a fair amount of ghost stories before, though my tastes have always strayed more towards the mystery-solving type. You know where the ghosts help solve their own murders and such? Those have always been my go to ghost story type but lately I have been trying to explore the genres of horror and thrillers. Mary Hades was the perfect introduction.
The paranormal aspects of this story were extraordinary well written. It was exciting, fast-paced and just well, thrilling! I couldn't put the book down. There were plenty of shocking and terrifying moments where I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen what next... It kept me enthralled and entertained.
The characters were also what helped to make this. They were all witty, relatable and loveable. They all had their own little quirks that made them each unique and wonderful. The only problem that I had with the characters was that they were very accepting of Mary's revelations - that she could she ghosts, that her best friend was dead... and a ghost that was still "with them" etc.. They all took it in their stride as soon as Lacey revealed herself. I don't if its just me or what, but I would take a lot more convincing then just that.
What ruined this for me was that ending. It wasn't that it had a cliff-hanger, was cut off too short or anything like that. The problem I had was that it was very, very anticlimactic. The main plotline centres around Mary hunting down a murderous ghost named Little Amy. I was expecting this epic end battle, exorcism scene but it was just bland. Little Amy just rolls over when Mary says to and it was boring. Not the ending I was expecting, or hoping, for when the rest of the book had been so thrilling.
I have to say that the imagery and language, however, was simply gorgeous and I ended up highlighting pages and pages of the gorgeous prose. It really made up for all the minor faults.
I ended up thoroughly enjoying this. I will eagerly be
picking up the rest of the Mary Hades series and checking out more of the author's work.
Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Sarah Dalton and Giselle of Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.
I have read a fair amount of ghost stories before, though my tastes have always strayed more towards the mystery-solving type. You know where the ghosts help solve their own murders and such? Those have always been my go to ghost story type but lately I have been trying to explore the genres of horror and thrillers. Mary Hades was the perfect introduction.
The paranormal aspects of this story were extraordinary well written. It was exciting, fast-paced and just well, thrilling! I couldn't put the book down. There were plenty of shocking and terrifying moments where I was on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen what next... It kept me enthralled and entertained.
The characters were also what helped to make this. They were all witty, relatable and loveable. They all had their own little quirks that made them each unique and wonderful. The only problem that I had with the characters was that they were very accepting of Mary's revelations - that she could she ghosts, that her best friend was dead... and a ghost that was still "with them" etc.. They all took it in their stride as soon as Lacey revealed herself. I don't if its just me or what, but I would take a lot more convincing then just that.
What ruined this for me was that ending. It wasn't that it had a cliff-hanger, was cut off too short or anything like that. The problem I had was that it was very, very anticlimactic. The main plotline centres around Mary hunting down a murderous ghost named Little Amy. I was expecting this epic end battle, exorcism scene but it was just bland. Little Amy just rolls over when Mary says to and it was boring. Not the ending I was expecting, or hoping, for when the rest of the book had been so thrilling.
I have to say that the imagery and language, however, was simply gorgeous and I ended up highlighting pages and pages of the gorgeous prose. It really made up for all the minor faults.
I ended up thoroughly enjoying this. I will eagerly be
picking up the rest of the Mary Hades series and checking out more of the author's work.
Note: a copy was provided courtesy of Sarah Dalton and Giselle of Xpresso Book Tours in exchange for an honest review. No compensation was given or taken during this process.
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