3.5/5 stars

When Kris Barlow was ten years old she experienced the tragedy of saying goodbye to her dying mother. Unknown to Kris for many years, her mother was fighting against cancer. Away at their family lakehouse the moment finally came after many days of suffering to say goodbye to her mother. The pain was unbearable and Kris had many issues coping with this loss.

Three decades have passed and Kris is yet again facing loss. This time around Kris has lost her husband who was killed in a car accident. Kris, now a mother to eight-year-old Sadie, is faced with finding a way for her family to grieve. She chooses to head back to the lakehouse where she first met this type of excruciating pain. Instead of finding a place to help her cope, she finds a house that has started to rot and a town that has lost its charm. The quiet lake town of Pacington, Kansas has changed over the years and an evil presence has grown in Kris’ absence. Inside her former home an old friend awaits her return.

VIOLET is a slow-burning, intricately plotted trip into one woman’s darkest times. This is a horror book focused on the impact that grief and loss can have in someone’s life. This is not a book filled with jump scares or random twists to keep the reader terrified. What one will find within these pages is subtle horror that will keep you thinking long after you’ve set the book down.

Scott Thomas is a masterful writer of details. There was never a second when reading VIOLET that I could not vividly imagine the scenery or characters as they moved throughout the plot. While at times I do think Thomas got a bit too wordy, I think that the main intention was to always fully immerse the reader into Kris Barlow’s story. The closeness that the reader grows with this type of writing style really helps to bond them to the character’s experiences and what is happening in the plot. It’s almost like when you’re watching a show and you know something is going to happen, you can feel the tension brewing. I do see some readers finding this to make the story too slow instead of simply making the story methodical, which is the approach I believe Thomas was aiming for. Would I have liked more action? Sure, but I don’t think it would have fit this story.

I don’t want to give away too many details to the plot with my review of VIOLET, but I do want to expand a bit on my overall feelings for the story. Thomas creates this mood or feeling surrounding the story where you aren’t certain if what Kris is telling the reader is fact or fiction. Kris has an undeniable unreliability and at times it can make the reader second guess if they choose to believe her claims or not. I appreciated that every once in a while we would hear from Sadie or meet a Pacington resident who would add their perspective to events. These tidbits helped me to formulate my theories about what was truly happening at the lakehouse.

Perhaps my favorite part of this story is how Kris’ past ultimately ended up impacting the future of Pacington. The evil presence that has overtaken the lakehouse and impacted the town is mesmerizing and the origin story is completely unique. I think one could likely guess what this presence is from the synopsis, but I won’t be spoiling it here!

This book is perfect for those looking for a book that will give you chills. The story is emotional, as well as unsettling. Do yourself a favor and take some time this spooky season to add this one to your TBR!

Disclosure: A huge thank you to Inkshares for sending me a free copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

3.5 stars. Please note that my copy wasn’t the finished novel.

To be rather blunt, the first third of this book tested my patience. The level of detail was oftentimes excruciating. Luckily I didn’t give up. The book then picks up to a horror and suspenseful book reminiscent to a Stephen King novel.

I liked the multi-layered main character. She is flawed but interesting. The main plot is slowly unraveled but creepy nonetheless. I’d like to see this become a movie.

Give this book a try. It deserves it.

Thanks to Net Galley and InkShares for a copy of the book.

I won’t be reviewing this on social media as I didn’t finish it. I read through the first 28% and felt bored. I was invested in the characters but the story wasn’t progressing fast enough. The fact that 24 hours (ish) was covered in almost 30% of the book was tough. It felt too dawn out.

I was so excited to read this after hearing the author speak at ALA. However, his descriptive style was extremely distracting and could have used better editing. I often found myself skimming passages to get back to the plot. I was also hoping for more creepy moments, but they were few and far between.

Thank you to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for allowing me to read this book for an honest review.

I really enjoyed this book. The creep factor was high in this story. Kris and her daughter head out to the cabin from Kris’s childhood. After the loss of her husband she wanted to give her daughter the experience of the place she loved as a child.

The cabin is more run down than expected but they both work hard to clean and fix it up. Weird things start happening almost as soon as they arrive, including the actions of the townspeople.

This is more of a ghost story and I thought of looking back into Kris’s childhood was interesting. I would recommend!

Violet by Scott Thomas is a dark, creepy, and haunting tale of horror about despair and loss. The story is a slow burn with an exciting climax, and a meaningful epilogue that puts a nice bow on the story. This story is not exactly gothic but it feels very influenced by that horror genre. The story moves a bit slow but once it gets going and all is revealed this story finds it's flow. This novel has about twenty songs mentioned in it I was pretty familiar with most of them, I approve of Thomas's character's musical taste. I would recommend the reader to listen to The Beatles "Blackbird" since it is featured and lyrics heavily used in the story. Thanks to Inkshares Publishing and Netgalley for providing an advanced copy of Violet by Scott Thomas in exchange for a honest review. Violet By Scott Thomas Published on September 24 2019.

Plot: Kris after dealing with death of her husband decides to take her daughter Sadie to an old Lake house that her family has owned. The lake house has significance that this is the place where Kris's mother passed away and she remember's being happy her and getting over her death. When Kris and her daughter get to the house she is shocked to find it rundown since her father gave it to a realtor to take care or and rent. Sadie is shocked when the realtor explains her father's last words were let the place rot, the realtor tries to persuade her to take another rental, but Kris is determined and wants to fix the place up with her daughter. Sadie deals with the death of her father by barely speaking. Kris see's Sadie start to actually have fun again. Kris starts remembering her time here and it was not as happy as she remembers. When Sadie develops a imaginary friend it's fun and it reminds her of the one she had when she was here. Sadie's imaginary friend is very secretive, Sadie's not supposed to tell her name but when he accidentally reveals the name it was the same of when Kris was a little girl, Violet.

What I Liked: The atmosphere created at the lake house and the town, having just read IT by Stephen King, and it reminded me of the under the surface creepiness that is just under the surface. The songs worked well showing the joy the lake house could bring. The mystery of the the town and what is really going on with the Violet situation was really compelling, and I liked the outcome. The climax was really exciting and had me doubt how it was going to end, I saw one part of the ending coming but didn't think the novel was going there, and it did and I was pretty satisfied. The epilogue actually has meaning and is used really well, we've all read those books where the epilogue doesn't serve a purpose, and it is nice when it does it nicely and really puts a bow on the story. I loved the character of Hitch the book store owner. I loved the hardware scene when Kris puts the hardware shop worker in place that keeps asking about her husband.

What I Disliked: At times the book was way too descriptive it has a paragraph dedicated to brushing teeth and the technique used as well as how condiments are put on a hot dog. (note: I did read an advanced reading copy, hopefully it was changed in the final version) The descriptions work when going into specific details about the house and certain items, but not on everyday task, which there was a couple of pages worth. The passing of the beginning was to slow, the novel is a slow build but it takes over a hundred pages for something to really happen.

Recommendations: I really enjoyed this book, despite the slow start, this is a really good horror novel that sets the creepy tone early. If you like Gothic horror I would give this a try, because it's close and the pacing is mainly that slow build. This novel also has a mystery that I really enjoyed, so if you like mysteries this could be a god way to get into horror. I rated this book 4 out of 5 stars. This is my first Scott Thomas I have Kill Creek on my TBR and I've heard good things, and it is a faster paced book in compared to Violet.

Violet
by Scott Thomas
September 24, 2019
3⭐⭐⭐

For many children, the summer of 1988 was filled with sunshine and laughter. But for ten-year-old Kris Barlow, it was her chance to say goodbye to her dying mother.

Three decades later, loss returns―her husband killed in a car accident. And so, Kris goes home to the place where she first knew pain―to that summer house overlooking the crystal waters of Lost Lake. It’s there that Kris and her eight-year-old daughter will make a stand against grief.

But a shadow has fallen over the quiet lake town of Pacington, Kansas. Beneath its surface, an evil has grown―and inside that home where Kris Barlow last saw her mother, an old friend awaits her return.
⭐ My Review ⭐

Violet starts off really slow and has a slow pace to it. It does pick up about half way through it. Parts of it tend to drag way too much . There was plenty of times i had to set it down and read something else . However something kelpt pulling me back to the story. The characters are all well developed and believable.It's scary, emotional, and very powerful. The writing style is very detailed ( and at times very boreing) so this book may not be for everyone, especially if you are looking for nonstop fast moving action. Once the story picks up I found myself unable to put it down. Scott Thomas definitely has a knack for being detailed but I felt at times things were WAY to detailed therefore making it boring. That being said, I will give it 3 stars. This is my first read by this author but I will def give his books another try. As always if you like the book you read please take the time to leave a review for the author in places like goodreads & Amazon. It does not have to be long. Just a few sentences saying you liked the book will do. Authors really appreciate every review they get !Thanks to the author / Inkshares/ and Netgalley for the digital copy . Opinions are unbiased and entirely my own.

Kris has lost her husband due to an accident. She and her daughter, Sadie move to Pacington for the summer. They will live in her late father’s summer house for the summer. Sadie doesn’t want to live there as it is so rundown. Kris didn’t expect the house to be as bad as it was. As they fixed up the house, Sadie settles in. One discovers that Chris is having problems with her nerves and drugs. She is a vet who has been self medicating herself. Why? Kris begins research the deaths of the little girls disappearance over the years. She discovers the some of the bodies were found near the house. Why did Kris become obsess with the little girls disappearances?

This is a horror novel that is a ghost story. It is more than that though. The novel is about mother-daughter relationship, grief and loss. It is also about memories. It’s a gruesome novel. Yet I found that it held me through the mystery of what will happen next and why. It is good horror.

5🌟

I absolutely loved this author’s first book Kill Creek so I was really looking forward to this one and Scott Thomas did not disappoint. The story of recently widowed Kris Barlow and her eight year old daughter Sadie who take a much needed break at the summer house on Lost Lake. Kris used to visit the lake house with her parents each year until her mother passed away from cancer when she was 10. Sadie has been withdrawn and troubled since the death of her father and Kris is hoping a carefree summer like she used to enjoy will bring some happiness back to Sadie.

Similar to Kill Creek, this book is also a slow burning, creepy atmospheric read. The beginning stretch is a bit wordy with some of the descriptions of the cleaning process that the lake house required after years of un-use, but the payoff is worth it. The chilling and creepy vibe is evident throughout, from the people in the town who seem a bit off, the several girls who have gone missing in years prior and the way Sadie behaves in the house. From sudden mood swings, to having strange conversations and seeming to interact with another child in the house, everything seems to point to maybe the trip was a mistake.

I thoroughly enjoyed the many different threads in Violet and the way Scott Thomas pulled everything together, everything I’m looking for in a great horror or thriller. Another hit for the author, while I’m already eager for his next one!

*My thanks to NetGalley and InkShares for an ARC of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own*

More of a slow build horror novel but eerie all the way thew. The last 20% was super creepy and had me looking around the room at every sound. A perfect October read even though it takes place in the summer.

I've decided to DNF this book. I'm about 150 pages in and nothing has happened. I mean, other than several pages of excruciatingly detailed descriptions of the main characters cleaning. I'm not a huge fan of horror novels that are a slow burn, so you might enjoy this novel if that's your thing, but unfortunately it's just not for me.

I received a copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. Thank you NetGalley!

I wasn't sure what to expect based on the summary honestly. It sounded like it was going to hit me right in the feels. I wasn't sure how the horror would come into play.

But man was i surprised. This book was.... insane in a great way.

Kris loses her husband and decides to take her daughter to heal in her hometown. She tries to disregard the stories about the young children suddenly disappearing... but then her daughter starts playing with an invisible friend... Kris starts to question her AND her child's sanity..

is she going crazy?

Creepy, deeply intense, I'd put this on par with early King books. It's a solid coming of age/horror novel, with plenty of suspense and terror built-in.

I really loved this book. Although the pacing was slow it worked in the context of the storyline. The characters are so real and fleshed out.
I loved the use of music and the mix tapes that her mother had made for her.
It was beautifully written, scary and sad.

This is my first read by Scott Thomas and I have to say that he is very detailed about certain scenes and in some ways drags them out. I would just have to tell you to stick it out with his books though. it will pay off for sure.

Kris and her daughter Sadie are in the midst of a tragedy. Kris's husband has been killed in a car wreck. She is mad at him because he should have been next to her in bed instead of being out and about. After things settle just a little, Kris decides that she is going to take Sadie to the old lake house that she remembers from her youth. Sadie has been withdrawn and to herself since her father passed away so Kris thinks it will do her some good to get away.

What they find when they get to the house is that the house has been neglected horribly. Kris and Sadie set out to clean things up so that they can at least live in the house while they are there. Kris having time with Sadie, just the two of them, helps Sadie drastically. When she gets comfortable with the house and the lake, she begins to explore things for herself. Kris thinks that it is ok because no one is really around on the lake so she lets Sadie roam around on her own some.

You will have to read this one for yourself to find out what Kris and Sadie find at the lake house. I can tell you that Scott Thomas sure knows how to make you shake in your boots. I am so glad that I did not give up on this one!

I voluntarily read and reviewed this book. Thanks to Netgalley, the publisher and the author for an advanced copy of this book!

Oh, wow, where to begin????

There is so much going on in this fine sophomore novel. There is this sinister, subtle, slow undercurrent of unease that pervades from page 1 til the end. One word that seems so innocent: handprints. If you’ve read it, you know what I mean, if you haven’t read it yet, not a spoiler.

Do yourself a favor and read his novel Kill Creek, I know I’m about to.

Violet is highly, highly recommended reading. Scott Thomas is an author that needs to be on your must buy-must read list.

“You know, you ought to keep an eye on a little girl like that in this town.”

‘Kill Creek’ was one of my favourite reads of 2017 and I have been eagerly anticipating another Scott Thomas book ever since. When I saw the listing for ‘Violet’ on NetGalley I jabbed that ‘Request’ button so hard it wouldn’t have surprised me to find an index finger shaped crack in my iPad screen. I was so excited about this book but I didn’t fall in love with it like I was supposed to and as a result I’ve spent the past fortnight dreading writing this review.

I still really want you to read ‘Kill Creek’ and I hope that you love this book too. I want to be wrong about ‘Violet’. I want the problem to be me, not the book. However, I have some problems with this book that would have prevented me from reading beyond the first 10% if I hadn’t committed to reviewing it.

“There is something wrong with this place.”

While Scott’s debut was deliciously creepy and plot driven, with a group of horror writers attempting to survive Finch House (this house was my favourite character!), ‘Violet’ is more atmospheric, an exploration of grief across time and its impacts upon multiple characters. I don’t usually mind novels where a slow burn gradually builds into a cataclysm of sorts but I found the set up too drawn out here. There were some nibbles along the ways but most of the payoff came after my interest had faded.

Her abuse of prescription medication chased down with a lot of alcohol, combined with the grief of her recent loss and snatches of memories of a more distant one, made Kris an unreliable narrator. This, along with her additional voices, those of Shadow Kris and Timid Kris, made me question whether anything I was reading was actually happening or not. Which parts of the story were real and which were distortions brewed up by a cocktail of trauma, chemicals and the possibility of an undiagnosed mental illness?!

Now, I’m rarely a fan of unreliable narrators in my life, either inside or outside of books, and as a result I never warmed to Kris. I was wary of trusting anything she relayed to me and so I kept her at an emotional distance. I probably would have connected with her daughter, Sadie, but because I saw her mostly through Kris’ eyes I didn’t know what to believe where she was concerned either.

“It is all connected, don’t you see that?”

Some words were used so frequently that I found myself being taken out of the story each time I came across them. By the time I reached 10% I’d considered counting how many times I encountered “like”, “as if” or “as though”. This trio weaved their way throughout the book, sometimes appearing two or three times on a (Kindle) page.

Then there were the descriptions of the house overlooking Lost Lake in general and of the cleaning process. Kris and Sadie need to make the neglected house habitable and the cleaning process was described in such detail that I was tempted to go clean my own home just so I could stop reading about it.

“The lake house had helped Kris get through one of the most awful summers of her life. It could do the same for Sadie.”

I hate that I felt like I was slogging my way through this book. The tidbits that teased of what was to come would usually have me hooked, poring over every word to make sure I didn’t miss any clues, but it didn’t work that way for me here. I didn’t feel like the story truly started until almost 70% and by then I was drained.

There were some glimpses of the magic that I enjoyed in ‘Kill Creek’ and I could see myself enjoying a movie adaptation of this story, where the details that felt drawn out in the book could be captured quickly by the camera panning over each room, but overall it didn’t live up to its potential for me.

“Don’t be afraid to remember, Mrs Barlow.”

Despite all of this, I am still looking forward to the next book by this author. Their first book made such an impression on me that I am keen to see what other horrors they’re going to unleash upon my imagination. Maybe if I reread this book when I’m in a different head space I’ll find a new appreciation for it. If that’s the case I’ll definitely be letting you know. Until then I think I’m going to go with the hope that it’s not you, highly anticipated book; it’s me.

Content warnings include painful death of a horse at 57-8%, death of parents from accident and illness, death of children, and abuse of alcohol and prescription medication.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Inkshares for the opportunity to read this book.

I was really looking forward to reading Violet because of how much I enjoyed Kill Creek last year and I have to say, I wasn't disappointed! This is a GREAT book and one that had me hanging by the edge of my seat. I can't wait for Thomas to write more as he's quickly going to the top of my one click authors list.

VIOLET is the second full length novel I have read by author Scott Thomas. This is most definitely a character driven novel, with emotional attachment that you can feel from the start. The atmosphere is already building from the very first page, as well as the intense characterization.

Kris Barlow and her young daughter, Sadie, have just suffered the traumatic loss of their husband/father in an accident. While Kris' feelings are understandably and realistically torn between her own emotions, finances, and adjustment, she also has to shoulder the grief of her daughter. This is the most challenging, as Sadie lapses into a near-silent, joyless existence--no longer the carefree, fun-loving child she used to be.

". . . once you went into the darkness, you never came out . . . Like the hole in the ground . . . that daddy lived in now."

Kris makes the decision to move them to a summer home, that was left to her by her father, called "River's End", near Lost Lake, in Kansas. Thinking a complete change of scenery will help her daughter to heal, she recalls fond memories of her own youthful summers spent there.

"She had first glimpsed the sparkling ripples playing across the lake's surface when she was four . . . in 1982 . . . the town had been a quaint lakeside resort for over two decades. That was the Pacington she remembered."

However, the decades between her last summer there, and their current visit, have not been so kind to the dying town.

"The house looked like a crumbling headstone on a forgotten grave . . ."

I'm not even sure where to begin with how well written, and all consuming this novel was. Thomas shows us the personalities and feelings of our main characters not all at once, but with a gradual progression through each and every page. There is nothing "forced" upon the reader. Rather, I found myself magnetized by the simple, everyday things that Kris and Sadie did--whether it was cleaning up the neglected lakeside house, or merely shopping for supplies. Each detail meant something to me, and revealed a bit more of our characters' mindsets at a leisurely pace.

". . . Sometimes it is easier not to know. Life is happier lived in ignorance . . . "

That is not to say that the story felt "slow", as each minute spent reading had me more invested in the Barlow's "new life" and healing process.

A process that was multi-layered and more complex than I had first expected.

Even as Kris tried to keep the unpleasant memories of her past mentally buried, it's felt through all of her thoughts, words, and actions. The town she recalls from her youth has changed, and yet it's like a psychological puzzle that she no longer has all the pieces to.

". . . That town, it's real. But what you've got in your head, the way you remember it when you were ten, the town you haven't let change . . . "

The town itself is almost a character in its own right. Outwardly separate from Kris' healing intentions, it is nonetheless tethered to her by invisible strings that are never overtly shown. Even the knowledge of some unfortunate happenings in the years since she had last been there, don't seem to reel her in. Although the fact that others have had their share of suffering, does bring her closer to accepting that she is not alone when it comes to grief.

". . . There was something comforting in knowing that you were not the only one being unfairly punished by fate . . . "

As the novel progresses, and simple things begin feeling somehow more . . . wrong . . . the pacing continues to feel natural, despite the mounting unease. In a case like this, I would normally find myself frantic for the action--and answers--to pick up, yet in this tale, I was so completely "one" with the narrative, that I couldn't have thought of changing anything if I tried. Thomas had me fully immersed in the world he had created.

". . . a puzzle from her past was falling into place whether she liked it or not."

Even as things with young Sadie began to rapidly change, I was in no hurry to get to the end of the book. I merely wanted to continue gliding along with the flow.

"There are some things that are meant to be left buried . . . "

Overall, I felt that while this was indisputably a horror novel, there were so many elements of sub-genres included that I felt I was getting a taste of everything. I connected strongly with the psychological aspects, the mystery, deepening suspense, emotional upheavals, memory repression, danger, and acceptance.

". . . The pieces had fallen into place, even the ones she had tried so hard to hide from herself . . . "

This was a novel of discovery in a myriad of forms; of the response to grief, guilt, and so many more complex combinations of emotions.

"People heal in different ways."

From the dramatic, yet leisurely beginning, to the jaw-dropping revelations and questions brought to the foreground near the end, I was completely entranced by this novel each and every page of the journey. This is a book that you simply have to read for yourself to full appreciate.

". . . the hardest truth life has to offer: happiness is not guaranteed . . . "

Highly recommended!

Thank you NetGalley and Inkshares for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review. I was first introduced to Scott Thomas with his novel Kill Creek, which I deemed a not so typical haunted house story. Violet takes on the town with a painful past trope, but again this book is not your typical version of that trope.

Kris is returning to Pacington with her daughter, Sadie, in an effort to fight off the grief in the passing of her husband. she has not visited Pacington since her childhood, but she still owns the house her father passed down to her. They find house in ruins despite it being on the rental market for the past 30 years, and Kris and Sadie set about cleaning the place up.

The first half of the book is a slow revealing of Kris and Sadie's lives and grief they both feel, as well as, a reveal of Pacington and the people that live there. It is this slow process of building the scene, the Kris and Sadie's grief, and the grief of those in Pacington that make the rest of the book creepy. One minute this book will have you weeping, and the next moment your will beat faster. As the plot progresses, the pace of the story picks up until it concludes. It is the slow first half that made me really enjoy the book.