This ARC was provided to me digitally from Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley. Thank you for the opportunity to preview and review.

After reading my first book by Darcy Coates last year, she has quickly become my favorite paranormal horror author. You can imagine my excitement when I was provided with an ARC of her upcoming release, Gallows Hill!

The story begins at the main character's (Margot) parents' funeral. She hadn't seen her parents since she was a young child and their deaths were caused by unusual circumstances and left unexplained. After the deaths of her parents, Margot inherits a large home and a very famous winery business, which she feels the responsibility to continue running.
After staying in her new home on Gallows Hill for a couple of nights while organizing the next steps for herself, her family's business, etc. she immediately begins experiencing strange occurrences. She hears odd noises in the night, the lights are unexplainably shut off, and she even begins "hallucinating" and seeing warped visions of what truly exists. Very quickly, these spooky encounters turn to something far more hostile.

From my experience, Coates's books are either hit or miss. I've read some impressively haunting books, but I have also read some highly underwhelming books that failed to give me even slight goosebumps. Gallows Hill is certainly on the well-developed, spooky side, and I had trouble reading it in the dark!

I liked the main character, and the supporting characters were also interesting in their own ways. I especially enjoyed this book because Margot seemed to have more common sense than the typical horror story main character. This made the book even more terrifying because most of her decisions were completely rational. Of course, she made some mistakes and I didn't always understand her actions, but she kept the story entertaining.

Although I liked this book very much, it wasn't a conventional paranormal horror story. There wasn't very much unexplained paranormal activity like I expected, but it was rather more like a haunting zombie book. There was a very detailed backstory to all these "zombie"/ghostly encounters, but it is not entirely based on unseen ghostly activity (if that's what anybody is specifically looking for).

I think the biggest mistake I made was reading a couple chapters at a time in short bursts. I had a hard time clearly imagining the story and the setting when I took such frequent reading breaks, so I would suggest to any readers that it is best to read this story when you have a few hours of uninterrupted reading time. It makes this book so much more creepy and immersive!

After reading Gallows Hill, it has now become one of my favorite Darcy Coates novels! I'd recommend it to any fans of paranormal horror, and I would even say that it is a great starting point for anybody looking to get into the horror genre.

This was a quick read and I enjoyed it! It wasn't entirely unpredictable but there were parts of it that I wasn't wholly expecting which is always a great surprise. I wasn't overly attached to Margot, but often with quick-ish reads like this I don't overly connect with the main character. I thought the house/atmosphere was fully formed and give off some really creepy vibes overall.

I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Once again Darcy Coates delivers a creep unputdownable read. I have yet to find one of her books that I havent loved and Gallows Hill is no exception. Its spooky and gripping to the point that I constantly had it open on my phone in work so I could read a few lines while I waited for things to load on my computer.

Great story. Another great one from Darcy Coates. Thanks to Netgalley for allowing me to review this one.

This author does the best job at making any kind of subject creepy and terrifying. Gallows Hill was one such novel. The book started off slow due to the, in detail, description of the back story. About halfway into the book, I was hooked. I enjoy a good book about a family curse and this book had that premise and more. I felt lost in the house. I felt the fall into the old cellar. I cannot say more without giving too much away. Just take my word for it when I say this book had me taking a break after I finished reading.

What a wonderfully suspenseful read! This novel details the story of Margot and her family’s past. She returns to her atmospheric family home following the death of her parents, who she hasn’t seen or spoken to since she was little. I do wish there was a little more explanation or insight into their relationship. However, the events of present-day in this story kept me reading, even through the moments where you think to yourself “No!! Don’t do THAT!” There were lots of kind of classic, ghost story moments where the dread of what might be coming down the dark hallway keeps you riveted! Overall this was a great spooky story and one that would be a great Autumn read!

Very dark, but extremely readable! Not for the faint of heart, I think, as it definitely creeped me out a solid amount. I loved the smooth writing style and especially the ambiance of this story. The fans of this author will definitely be satisfied.

Another GREAT one by Darcy Coates! 🥰 I went in to this knowing nothing about it except that Darcy wrote it. It was very good 😊 and the ending was great! This will definitely be a Coates’ classic! 🤓 Thank you, NetGalley, for this advanced copy! Fans, enjoy! 😉

Vivid and atmospheric! Darcy Coates is a must read, and an auto-buy author for me. This was creepy and so detailed. I love Coates' writing style.

Darcy Coates is one of my favorite authors for her style, plot development, and just the stories she writes. She has a way of writing that builds your anticipation until you are utterly captivated and unable to put the book down. In fact I have read a great majority of her books and only disliked one of them, this one unfortunately I thought would be joining it but managed to emerge another great read.
Gallows hill is about a abandoned daughter named, Margot Hull finding about her parents through a funeral home call. She travels to the funeral and meets a man from her parents lives that introduces her to the house and Winery business she inherited. Margot is not prepared for any of this but tries to adapt to the new direction her life has suddenly taken. It's not long before she realizes the house, the Hull family, and even the Winery workers have secrets and those secrets could get deadly.
This book almost lost me because I felt the beginning was messy and scattered and started going in a direction I tend to stray from when reading horror or paranormal stories. I was reminded once again why people shouldn't assume, this book was excellent. I'm happy I stuck through. The writing was gripping I found it nearly impossible to put it down. The characters were all likeable and well written. I like horror genre books that include people to help the main character where more often the character is left alone. The characters here became a sort of found family and I wanted to know more about all of them (I started developing a theory that two of them were actually together even if they author didn't explicitly include that they were. BUT no spoilers on who) The story even resolved nicely. It resolved so well actually I wish there were an epilogue so we could get one last closure on the characters.

The Hull family has owned the Gallows Hill Winery for generations. The sprawling old house has long been perched on top of a hill overlooking the nearby town, jealously guarding the estate's secrets. Their wine wins awards. Their business prospers. Their family thrives: until Hugh and Maria Hull enter the dark halls of Gallows Hill one last time and are found dead the next morning.
People whisper that the curse has awakened once more.
It’s been more than a decade since Margot Hull last saw her childhood home. She was young enough when she was sent away that she barely remembers its dark passageways and secret corners. But now she's returned to bury her parents and reconnect with the winery that is her family's legacy and the bloody truth of exactly what lies buried beneath the crumbling estate. Alone in the sprawling, dilapidated building, Margot is forced to come face to face with the horrors of the past and realize that she may be the next victim of a house that never rests.
Totally gripping story which will give you chills I couldn’t put it down totally recommend
Thank You NetGalley and Poisoned Pen Press
I just reviewed Gallows Hill by Darcy Coates. #NetGalley

Darcy Coates has come through with another masterpiece. In this story, Margot is returning to a home of which she has no memory after her parents have died. She is to take over the house and winery, but no one warned her of the cursed land. As she adjusts to a way of life she never fathomed, Margot decides she needs to learn more about a family she cannot remember and possibly understand why the curse exists. What she learns about her ancestry is both horrifying and immensely sad, but how can the information help her survive the night?

Once again, Coates uses her amazing talent with words to create an atmosphere of tension and fear. As Margot is experiencing panic, desperation, or moments of peace, the reader is engulfed in these emotions and living them right beside her. It is easy to get so engrossed in the story that your own environment fades, and you find yourself peering around corners of the immense house on Gallows Hill right alongside Margot, fearing what lies just beyond the reach of the cellphone light.

For Coates fans, this may be her best book yet. If you are new to this author, you will become addicted to her work and seek out every piece of writing you can find, just as I did a few years ago. Happy reading!

Creepy, creepy, creepy. This book scared me. Death and destruction on a winery where family curses are discovered and hopefully stopped. This was my first Darcy Coates novel and it definitely won’t be my last. My new go to for creepy.

Thank you NetGalley for this arc

Oh. My. God. No horror novel has ever given me genuine chills and scares the way Gallows Hill did! I've recently gotten into Darcy Coates's books and have been loving them, but this one is one of her best novels yet. The twist at the end really got me, and I was hooked from the beginning to the end. Margot is also one of Darcy Coates's more fleshed out characters, which I think makes it easier for the reader to connect with her and root for her. Out of the novels by her that I've read, Coates doesn't always give a lot of detail about the protagonist's life prior to the spooky events that happen, but Margot's is dealt with in much more detail than previous books.

When I say I wasn't able to sleep in the middle of the night because I needed to keep reading to find out what happened, I'm telling the honest truth. My poor boyfriend managed to sleep through my Kindle's glow while I zoomed through the book, and I'm definitely glad I didn't read it when I was alone because it's that genuinely chilling! I've seen people refer to Darcy Coates novels as cozy horror, but I think Gallows Hill takes a firm step through the doorway into pure horror. For lovers of horror, I highly recommend this novel. I can't wait to read more of Coates's work!

I'm a huge fan of Ms. Coates and read everything she writes. I was a bit disappointed with her latest title, Gallows Hill. She seemed to put emphasis on description rather than content. Pages and pages to describe scenes left me skimming through the book. The plot moved so slowly that I almost gave up several times. There were some truly terrifying scenes but they couldn't make up for the overall challenge of reading the book.

Darcy Coates never disappoints when it comes to house horror.

I was excited to get my hands on this, as Haunting of Ashburn House is one of my favorite horror novels.

Coates has this absolute super power when it comes to ending a chapter. With the closing of each chapter you’re given a morsel that makes you hungry to keep going. There’s a hook in every last line.

Coates also creates such a truly creepy atmosphere, and it scares you and makes you feel like cant stop reading. You have to keep going.

This story is absolutely incredible. I don’t want to give anything away - but I’ll be buying copies for any of my friends who love house horror.

This book is a bit more "scary" than I would normally read, but I was not mad about it. The story was absolutely great, and it gave me "Haunting of Hill House Vibes".

I spent the last couple of days wishing this book would never end. It played out like a movie and quickly became my favorite. All my favorite “types” of books were wrapped up in this one.. the mystery of the past lives lost on Gallows’s Hill, old history of Margot’s ancestors, ghosts, hauntings, and the adventure of what would happen next! The ending left me totally surprised. I felt so close to the characters that I wanted to follow along on what happened after the books ending. I love the characters and how well they came to life for me. This book painted an exact image in my head that couldn’t of been more clear if I was actually seeing it happen myself. I wasn’t looking for a new favorite author but I’ve definitely found one in Darcy Coates. I can’t wait to read more! Huge thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC!

Gallows Hill Review
4 stars rounded up

Thanks to Netgalley for a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

The Story: After the untimely death of her estranged parents, Margot finds herself the new owner of a popular winery—the titular “Gallows Hill”. The worst she expects from this morbidly named place is the responsibility of running a new business or the prospect of selling a place with such a dark past. But, past history has a much deeper hold Margot than she ever imagined, with deadly consequences.

The Good: This is both a ghost story and a revenge story, a concept Coates has worked with before. But the scares (once they come) are more chilling, the gore more visceral this time around. I definitely felt the author’s ability to scare has improved since her earlier novels. I also appreciate her improvement in setting; this feels more like a real location.

The Iffy: The plot is more formulaic than I would’ve liked. I think I wanted higher stakes and repercussions for those who don’t follow the rules-to-avoid-being-graphically-murdered. It disrupted the world-building to have all this lore around the hauntings established then blatantly ignored with no real impact to the core characters.

Overall: This is a fairly solid horror story to get you in the mood for spooky season. Grab a blanket, turn off the lights, and remember to lock those doors…

This book was very well written and I love the characters. Margot and Kent were my favorites and their character development was good. I like the idea of the house/property being haunted. The overall idea of the story was wonderful, but for some reason I just didn't really like it all that much. It just kind of felt flat for me. I can't even pinpoint why. It was an easy read and I still highly recommend it, but it just wasn't for me.