The Hiding Place by Amanda Mason Blog Tour

 I like a bit of a spooky tale, mix in a touch of the  to a story and I'm intrigued to say the least.

The Hiding Place by Amanda Mason certainly has a ghostly vibe about it and I felt an eerie atmosphere from the first chapter, to put it bluntly I was hooked (but not quite wanting to read the book when the sun went down).

Nell Galilee, her husband and twelve year old step-daughter Maude rent a holiday cottage by the sea, needing time and space away from home after Maude became involved in some troubling events. Nell grew up in this small, wind-blown town and has mixed feelings about returning, and it isn't long before she is recognised by a neighbour, seemingly desperate to befriend her. The cottage too has been empty for some time, and from the start Nell feels uncomfortable there. Something isn't quite right about this place . . .

Maude, furious about being brought here against her will and her father's attention falling so often elsewhere, soon finds herself beguiled by the house's strange atmosphere. There are peculiar marks in the roof beams above her bedroom, and in another room, a hiding place, concealing a strange, unnerving object.

As the house gradually reveals its secrets, Nell becomes increasingly uneasy - and Maude spellbound. But these women - and the women that surround them - are harbouring their own secrets too, and soon events will come to a terrible head . . .

I'll start by saying, expect the unexpected.

This novel follows Nell, her husband and stepdaughter as they make a return to Nell's roots, where she grew up. They're wrapping it up as an extended family break, but I got the sense very early on that there was more to this trip than just simply wanting time to relax. 

Staying at Elder House, which is quietly hidden away in Bishop's Yard at the base of a cliff face, this isn't your typical holiday home. Elder House is an older building, one that has existed for centuries and it keeps a dark, hidden past masked within its walls.

For me, the house was like an added character to the story. Adding a rather sinister element to an already mysterious tale. 

Tensions build slowly, the hairs gradually rising on my arms with each turn of the page.

As objects start to move and even disappear, things take a more sinister twist. 

After a child’s shoe is weirdly discovered in the walls of Nell's bedroom and disturbing witch marks in the attic are also seen, Nell and Mauve become worryingly aware of something in the house. Another presence, someone or something that isn't friendly. 

And whilst Mauve becomes increasingly consumed with the house and the secrets that it holds on to, the rift between her and her stepmother continues to get bigger.

What I really enjoyed about the hiding place is that the focus wasn't purely on scaring the reader. There was great care and attention to the family themselves. The trauma they had faced/were facing and the dynamics between a family that is already fractured by divorce, new partners and extra siblings.

Each character experiences their own hardships, plagued with sad thoughts and memories, this only adds to the torment both individually and together.

Forever unsettled.

The Hiding Place is a story that takes its time, the details given in no hurry which for me added to that 'need to read' feeling. 

Hauntingly good.