This book had moments where it reminded me of Bly Manor. I loved Bly Manor so that’s a good thing. I enjoyed this book; it had a lot of suspense and I did not guess the twist or ending at all. I felt like some of the parts of the story were tied up very quickly and neatly with little explanation. Alice’s death and the mention of the strokes being one of them. Also, did the dog live?? The whole thing with Cordelia was an interesting twist to the story, but I almost wish it was a bigger plot point because that was so interesting. I like how Theia also has the powers and they’re teaching her how to control them at the end. I also would’ve loved more of a fight scene with mom and dad. Overall, I enjoyed the story. It kept me interested and wanting to keep reading. Just some minor adjustments from a very picky reader.

Marin Blythe is invited to be the nanny to famous author Alice Lovelace's two younger children, Wren and Thea. Marin accepts having just gone through the tragic loss of her mother and having nothing to her name. When she arrives at the Lovelace estate Thea is excited to see her, but Wren begins acting out. Weird things start occuring, like birds trapped in closets and mysterious noises at night. Eventually, Evie Hallowell returns home from school, Alice's eldest daughter who is Marin's age. The two girls click and Marin agrees to help Evie with school, since she dropped out, as well as watch the two young girls. But, Alice is becoming erratic and strange creatures keep showing up. What is going on and why does it seem like Alice's horror novels are coming to life?

A sapphic reimagining of The Turn of the Screw, yes please! And boy did this book deliver on the ominous, growing fear that the classic novel was so good at. From the moment Marin arrives in her threadbare clothes and Wren is standoffish you know something is wrong and Marin has nowhere to escape to if something bad happens. And, as Marin navigates the grief of her mother's death, she must also help the children as they grieve the death of their father that happened not too long ago. This book deals heavily in grief and the need to confront your emotions and the pain of loss. Bottling grief, in this case, quite literally causes chaos and terror.

Marin and Evie were so cautious with each other, knowing their pain, knowing the power imbalance, knowing that something is wrong with Alice, and then finding out the truth of Marin's mother. They navigate from distrust, to friendship, to understanding and the love builds so naturally between them. Both care deeply for the other and have already faced such terrors for their age. It was also nice to see the character growth of Marin as she needed to work through some of her own fears and anxieties in order to protect those she cares about.

The premise of the story was interesting and I actually liked the vagueness of Evie's gift and family inheritance. It was dark, creepy, and at times too terrifying to trust that these young women could survive. This book also talks about culpability and choices. What would you do with the power to revive those you love from death? Even if they come back wrong, if they do not want to return, if it means having only part of them? It is such a hard question, because you never know until that choice is laid before you. Initially you would want them back, but you would need to truly grasp what that would mean for the person not returning whole. And is it really them? Or just a facsimile?

This book is about confronting death, both emotionally and physically, It is about accepting death, all the hard parts of it, of saying goodbye, of grieving fully. Marin continuously remembers the last moments of her mother's life and her mother simply asking her to "let go." It is the exact thing that both these young women must do in order to truly live.

Also, I will always read a book where the house itself feels like a character. Where the corridors and hallways, the rooms and the basement, feel like they are breathing as the characters move through them. Traverse the caverns hidden underneath, smell the salt of the sea in the wood. This estate was like all great gothic estates, it bled atmosphere and apprehension. It fed Marin's fear, it built up Evie's sadness, it encouraged Wren's behaviour, and it weighed heavily on Alice (all the memories and moments within the house punishing and pulverizing her as she desperately missed her husband). And the greenhouse with Evie's obsession with flowers, the bizarre flowers she cares for, reflecting the nature of the house and grounds around them.

Is this the best title ever, or is it just me?

The Haunting of Bly Manor meets House of Salt and Sorrows are the comps used in the book's synopsis and they could not be more apt.

I do love a creepy gothic horror and this book had me from the very beginning. This novel was atmospheric with twists and turns throughout and had me wanting more with each end of a chapter. The character development was well executed and you can feel intense unsettling in the writing. Chilling and suspenseful I would recommend this book!

I want to thank NetGalley, Kyrie McCauley and HarperCollins Children's Books, Katherine Tegen Books for the e-ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are honest, my own and left voluntarily.

I was drawn to this book because sapphic horror is my kind of horror, but this was difficult to get into and stay invested in. Didn't end up being a book for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for this review copy in exchange for an honest opinion. Review has been posted on Amazon.

I absolutely loved this novel. It had me sucked in from the mention of Bly Manor and my first look at the haunting cover. This was exactly my blend of gothic horror and high stakes thriller. And in my opinion, a thoughtful exploration of grief and how it can twist our daily lives into a caricature of what we once knew.

I'd recommend this book to anyone who likes a bit of horror to go with their mystery.

I truly need to read more of the book summary when I am requesting. I thought that I was going to read ya fantasy read. Nope, this was a horror book that I wasn't a fan of. If you love reading horror, then this book is for you.

The atmosphere of this book started out really great. I liked the setting, premise, and the creepiness of the characters. The story ended up not making any sense though, and I didn't feel attached to any of the characters. I found the story dull and confusing.

After the death of her mother in a horrific train wreck, Marin receives an employment opportunity at Lovelace House to nanny two girls. Alice Lovelace is a renowned horror writer and her mother’s childhood best friend, and Marin is eager to learn more about her past. However, it’s immediately clear that her two charges, Wren and Thea, don’t want her there and are willing to resort to dangerous pranks to get her to leave. When their oldest sister, Evie, returns early from school, Marin finds herself attracted in spite of all of Evie’s secrets. But the longer she stays at Lovelace, the more secrets she uncovers and the clearer it becomes that something sinister is happening. I received a free e-ARC through NetGalley from the publishers at HarperCollins/Katherine Tegen Books. Trigger warnings: parent death, animal death (a lot of minor animal deaths on-page, particularly birds, and a subplot involving an already-dead dog), emotional abuse, poison, body horror, severe injury, blood/gore, mental illness, grief, guilt.

All the Dead Lie Down is a haunting, atmospheric treat with a central wlw romance. I’m not the biggest fan of The Turn of the Screw, but there are definite Bly Manor vibes in Lovelace and its two slightly sinister children. It also reminded me a lot of The Bone Houses in its waking dead and quiet sense of horror paired with moments of contrasting loveliness. You wouldn’t think books about dead things could be lovely, but here we are. There’s more character and atmosphere than plot, which is rather slow-moving, but it all comes together well for a quiet, spooky little novel that’s as much about grief as it is about dead things, although there’s plenty of both.

Marin is a strong main character, and as an anxious, careful person myself, I found it easy to relate to her. She’s not a risk-taker, but she’s got a loyal, motherly protective streak for Wren and Thea (despite their tricks) that I really enjoyed. The relationships between all four of the girls are given plenty of attention, and I like the dynamics among all of them and the way they develop. There’s a bit of a found family element in it as well, as Marin comes to find her place at Lovelace despite its horrors. I always love a wlw relationship, and Marin and Evie are a fun complement. (The kissing is a bit much at times, but I tend to let queer romances have that one. We deserve the happy rep.) I loved the central plot twists and the secrets once they started coming out, and there are plenty of creeps especially in the second half. I’ll be looking for a copy for my shelf when it comes out.

I review regularly at brightbeautifulthings.tumblr.com.

Thank you Frenzy Books for the eARC! I loved this book! Couldn’t put it down. I was binging this at work because the plot and characters were just so captivating. This book has such an eerie and gothic vibe, which I absolutely live for. I don’t usually enjoy reading books with the undead trope, but this trope was so well written in this story! The children gave me the creeps, but I loved how their relationship with Marin evolved throughout the story. I loved Evie and Marin’s relationship, and immediately thought they gave off pride vibes when they first met 😂 OMG the plot reveals, though! I can’t even. There were so many plot reveals in the second half of the book, and I thought every single one worked really well with the story. The pace was really well done in this story, and the ending was satisfying too. I really recommend this if you like gothic reads about the undead.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book, as this book has already been published, I will not share my review on Netgalley at this time.

I was freaked out by this book. I am not easily skiddish, but this book had me creeped out. The first few chapters were a little confusing, but as we started to get more information, I just got more and more creeped out. If you are looking for a haunting book, this one is for you!

Though at the beginning the similarities to Haunting of Bly Manor upset me a little, All the Dead Lie Down shine through as a great story. The necromancy reveal was when everything began to feel right to me. Everything else unfolded and I was on edge. I cared about the characters and the ending was just what I needed for this amazing story. The writing was also super enjoyable, and you bet I'm going to pick up Kyrie McCauley's next book!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to read this title.

Lesbians and haunted houses.

<i>All The Dead Lie Down</i> follows a anxiety-ridden, main character, who, after the worst thing imagine what happens she goes to live with her mothers, old friend. There she becomes a caretaker for young girls in grade school. However, the house seems to be hiding stuff or maybe the people inside the house are the ones hiding stuff.

Although this may be categorized, as young adult horror novel, the horror was a little lacking in the beginning. The novel takes some time to develop both the scenery and the perplexing characters. Although the book never got boring, I wish there had been more Gothic horror in the beginning. The main character has moments where the house seems to be playing tricks on her and she’s not sure if maybe it is one of the girls. This adds a somewhat spooky element, but for me, I wanted more. The setting felt atmospheric, but I wish there have been a few more spooky elements and more descriptions of some of the more grotesque moments. The romance wasn’t the main focus in the beginning, and did not develop really at all until the back half of the book. It seemed like to me that it was a bit Insta – love to me, but considering at that point, the two characters had known each other, and had been living in close proximity with each other for a period of time it’s still felt somewhat natural. If you’re not a big fan of romance, I don’t think this would bother you too much. The the romance is not overly done in anyway, and neither is the description of the physical Romance.

The ending was easily, the strongest part of the book as the action and the strength of the main characters’ relationship at that point was the most developed. Although part of it felt a little rushed, I was satisfied with the ending result in the build up to the ending.

Overall, I felt this book was fun to read, and had an interesting play on the somewhat magical and whore elements. At this time I can’t think of any comparisons in the young adult genre, but for adult whore, I think it is most similar to either T Kingfishers <i>What Moves the Dead</i>, and maybe a little bit of <i>Mexican Gothic</i>. If you are a fan of Gothic Horror and aren’t too squeamish then this book could be for you.

🔮🔮🔮🔮🔮/5

Take The Haunting of Bly Manor and make it modern. I really enjoyed All the Dead Lie Down. It's a haunting, mysterious tale of a new live-in nanny who questions the bizarre behavior of her two wards. Things aren't quite what they seem at her new job. The children's mother is a famous author who locks herself away while she writes her next novel. The nanny is left to the children's devices while she tries to keep everyone happy and safe. It's not such an easy job though as the dead start coming back to life. What's really going on at this seemingly haunted estate?

I had to force myself to finish this book and by the end I was barely paying attention and skimming just so I could finish it. In the middle I was interested in what was going on but after the “big reveal” happened 50% into the book, it just went downhill for me. I didn’t care about the characters, the relationship, the ending, anything. This book just did not do it for me in anyway and I don’t know if I will pick up anything from this author in the future.

I am drawn to stories about haunted houses, and their haunted occupants, with dark forests holding dark secrets in the background, family mysteries, deaths, and more than a hint of the supernatural at play – so this novel, McCauley’s début title with Magpie Books, ticked all those boxes and more than delivered.

Up front: I absolutely devoured this book with relish and loved the characters. It’s not often I can say I was swept up into the silky-smooth narrative and was walking alongside the mainly female cast of characters.

Marin Blythe has been orphaned after a horrific accident. Aged seventeen she is alone in the world – or so she thinks – until an old friend of her late mother, the famous and wealthy horror writer, Alice Lovelace, offers her a job and a lifeline as nanny to Alice’s young daughters, Wren and Thea.

So far, so wonderful and Marin is delighted to accept the offer.

However, the girls are not welcoming nor easy to like. The youngest, Thea, (an affectionate little girl) has the odd habit of burying her dolls in the nearby woods; the oldest, Wren, plots horrible pranks aimed to get rid of their new nanny; Alice is an absent and distracted parent; only the cook/housekeeper Neera has a kind word for Marin.

Hovering over the entire family is the spectre of the recent death of Charles Hallowell, father and husband and anchor to normality. The women are wrecked on the rocks of grief, and rudderless.

Meanwhile in the (dark, dark) woods, something is waking and stalks the shadows scaring the girls and Marin.

Marin however is desperate to fit in, to belong and find a second home with the Lovelaces, her only tie to her mother. Yet how can she, when the girls seem to want her gone? She can feel the web of lies and deceit around her.

Into this heady, bizarre atmosphere Evie, the eldest of the trio of Lovelace daughters, arrives home from college, unexpectedly. Who summoned her back? And why?

Evie is unlike anyone Marin has ever met. She has secrets which will turn Marin’s life, emotions, and world upside down. Evie also holds the answers to: The horror in the woods, the forest cemetery, the secrets the House hides, her father’s tragic drowning, Alice’s increasingly destructive behaviour, why death seems to stalk the family.

I don’t want to give anything away in this review, for there are several delicious twists and reveals to enjoy in the latter half of the novel – one of which was a real shocker, at least to this reader.

The finale in the flooded basement and underground crypt (I do love a spooky crypt – happy sigh), is excitingly written, powerfully dramatic, and very creepy.

However, there is also a tender and rather wonderful love story threaded through the supernatural goings on – the one between Evie and Marin. McCauley paints the young women’s burgeoning romantic feelings with a delicate brush. Both girls have lost so much, both are at sea in grief, both have secrets (some bigger than others), and both want to belong to someone. You can’t help but root for them.

McCauley has created a magical, dark, fascinating world filled with strong, bewitching women, who must carve their destinies from the diabolic hand they’ve been dealt.

Don’t hesitate; step into that world and be enchanted.

I have mixed feelings. The gothic aspect of this book is well done and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I however, didn't love the romance/fantasy elements. I do wish there would have been more of a horror focus. Still a great read, especially for the autumn time!

A great way to start off spooky season early! (If I'm being honest, I've been in a spooky mood all year, but let's say that this is my official entryway into Halloween-time).

The two best things about this book are its setting and its characters. I hate cold, muddy, windy, rainy environments, and yet, more than anything, I want to spend some time at Lovelace House. Something about McCauley's writing made this objectively horrible home seem enticing and cozy. I also want to fall in love with the eldest daughter of some odd, eerie family whose children I'm babysitting, as the two of us run around the dark hallways of this terrifying mansion, while we steal kisses in the shadows of the night: is that really too much to ask?

All the characters are great: the two children are definitely a fun addition to the story (and this is coming from someone who cannot stand kids). Evie was wonderful, and I really did believe the romance that developed between her and Marin. But Marin, the main character, is really the one who stole the show for me. I mean, come on: a young girl riddled with constant dread and anxiety, always anticipating the worst-case scenarios, finding an odd comfort in horror stories, and slowly discovering that she's sapphic as hell? Did I meet McCauley at age 17 and then promptly forget about that encounter while she went off and wrote an entire novel about me? I related to Marin so much, and it made it really easy for me to become deeply invested in the story from the very beginning. I loved following her on her journey and watching her grow as a person.

The biggest downside to this novel is sort of a byproduct of my own relationship with horror: I read a lot of horror books and watch a lot of horror movies, and I mentioned this in a previous review, but grief is a very common theme to explore within the genre. It's usually done well, but because I've seen so many different iterations of it, an author has to do something really unique for a book about grief to truly win me over. Sometimes grief is only a small part of a book, and there are other elements that build the story, which allows it to be an exceptional reading experience regardless. But All the Dead Lie Down really is all about grief and death, so I needed it to do something I've never seen before. And sadly, I don't think it hit the mark. This in no way makes it a bad book; it just makes a little less memorable in the long haul.

If you liked The Haunting of Bly Manor, you will love this story. There are a lot of similarities and parallels between the two, from the setting to the characters to the family dynamics to the super sweet and loving sapphic relationship at the core of the story. Overall, I had a good time with it, and it was a very quick read, a testament to its quality and my general enjoyment of the book.