The book follows Raven and Archer, siblings who after the death of their father during a paranormal investigation, grew apart. Now Archer is determined to reboot the family business and their mother insists Raven get involved to talk her brother out of it. They are assisted by Éabha (the newest addition to the team) and childhood friends Davis and Fionn they are asked to investigate Hyacinth house. The very house their father died in, will Archer and Raven finally face the past and get the answers Archer so desperately wants or will the house be their downfall?

This book was a very entertaining, spooky read. I love the disability and queer representation. It's obvious to me that the author has done her research and is vert respectful about the representation in her book, that includes the mentions of a closed indigenous practice, which is something many authors would skip over.

The way Éabha's clearvoyance is described and explained also feels very respectful. The bickering and sassy comments between the characters are very funny and ease the tension that is present during many events in the book. Out of all the character Éabha has the most growth from a well managed insecure girl to a loyal and trustworthy friend who embraces who she is and what she's capable of.

Overall, I gave this book a 4.2/5. This is because it was marketed as a horror and there were very minimal horror aspects. Another reason is that the ending was predictable and while in certain aspects, I do enjoy being able to guess what happens at the end, this was not one of those times. I really wanted to be surprised about what was to come.  I enjoyed reading this book, and can’t wait to see what Amy Clarkin comes out with next.

If you are looking for a book that has ghosts, complicated family dynamics, and friends to lovers, this is the book for you. The ghost scenes were throughly creepy and the character development was engaging. Clarkin will transport you to Ireland and a murderous haunted mansion.

Oh, wow! I adored this ghostly tale, although, it’s so much more than that.

A spooky, ghostly mystery based in Ireland that involves a group of young people investigating paranormal activities. The characters are so incredibly well written and their relationships complex and interesting and this book had me in it’s grip throughout.

Hyacinth House holds terrible memories for one family and then, without warning, they are approached to investigate it as a haunted house. What follows is a mixture of friendship, young relationships, family, secrets and ghosts and I loved it.

A stunning debut and I really hope there are more adventures for this fantastic group.

Thanks so much to NetGalley and BooksGoSocial for the opportunity to preview.

Thanks to Netgalley and BooksGoSocial for this spine-tingling read. What happened to Raven? You will find out as you read and experience her memories of Hyacinth House. Which are true? Secrets exist. Can they be uncovered?

I really liked the premise of this novel, but found the actual story to be a bit lacking. The characters seemed very one-dimensional and at times the characterization seemed off--despite what we were told about the character, they seemed to act in a completely different way than would make sense. There was little build-up to friendships and romances, so these relationships looked like they developed out of nowhere. I also thought that there could have been more creepy factor, especially since it's set in a haunted house. It was kind of a let down overall to be honest.

What Walks These Halls was not a bad ghost story. I found it a bit slow moving because there was a lot of family back story behind the main plot of the haunted house. It was a good read though, I enjoyed the little bit of romance and the camaraderie of the friends trying to start up their own paranormal investigation services.

Thank you Amy Clarkin, NetGalley and OBrien Press for the ARC in exchange for a review.

3.5 rounded up
Spooky young adult book. Perfect for a Halloween read. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

This was my first ghost story, or thriller. I liked the characters very quickly, and felt like they were well fleshed out. For me, this story was believable, and mildly scary. It wasn’t something that haunted me at night, which was good. However, if you’re looking for something that will scare the crap out of you, this book is not for you. The elemental of fear was for sure present, but not overwhelming. All in all, it was decent. I won’t read it again, but I’m happy that I read it once.

The book follows Raven and Archer, siblings who after the death of their father during a paranormal investigation, grew apart. Now Archer is determined to reboot the family business and their mother insists Raven get involved to talk her brother out of it. They are assisted by Éabha (the newest addition to the team) and childhood friends Davis and Fionn they are asked to investigate Hyacinth house. The very house their father died in, will Archer and Raven finally face the past and get the answers Archer so desperately wants or will the house be their downfall?

This book was a very entertaining, spooky read. I love the disability and queer representation. It's obvious to me that the author has done her research and is vert respectful about the representation in her book, that includes the mentions of a closed indigenous practice, which is something many authors would skip over.

The way Éabha's clearvoyance is described and explained also feels very respectful. The bickering and sassy comments between the characters are very funny and ease the tension that is present during many events in the book. Out of all the character Éabha has the most growth from a well managed insecure girl to a loyal and trustworthy friend who embraces who she is and what she's capable of.

What Walks These Halls is a great ghost story that kept me up at night, captivating me with its intricate web of characters. This truly gripping horror story had me hooked from the very first page, and I couldn't help but become invested in each character and hope for a happy ending. I was thoroughly enthralled by this story and its characters, and I am eagerly awaiting another book by Amy.

Reviewed for Netgalley:

I had a hard time getting through this one. The writing style didn’t work for me and has trouble connecting with the story.

In this book we follow a small cast of characters aiming to reboot a family paranormal research business. The story focuses on a case that has haunted them for years (pun intended), but will ultimately force them to confront events that shaped their lives in quite a fundamental way.

All of the characters we follow are in their late teens / early 20s and there is representation of LGBTQIA+ and disability.

However, the characters themselves are not well developed. They come across very surface-level, and their actions do not make sense given what we are told about their histories. How they respond to various events during the story is not believable and is at odds with how the book describes their experiences. There are also some significant psychological and emotional issues that some of the characters face during the story, and whilst they seem to hugely impact the relevant characters for about a page or so, they quickly return to acting as if nothing has happened and that trauma is swept under the rug. The characters seemed to quickly flit between moments of childishness and surprising emotional eloquence in a way that was unrealistic.

Another aspect of the characters that pulled me out of the story is how readily some of these characters trust each other, instantly upon meeting each other, despite the reader being told how said character has never opened up to others, has kept emotions bottled up their whole life, etc. Romantic feelings and tensions seem to develop at the drop of a hat, regardless of whatever events are unfolding at the time. The romantic angst really served no purpose to the narrative and detracted from the actual plot, and felt forced.

The plot itself, which focuses on a haunting of a particular house, does not resolve in a very satisfying way - the ending and resolution felt rushed.

WHAT WALKS THESE HALLS is a truly chilling spooky upper YA about found family, hauntings, and the ghosts we carry within ourselves.

Five years ago, tragedy struck the O’Sullivan family on a routine paranormal investigation job at Hyacinth House. Raven bolted as soon as she was old enough, while her brother Archer stayed behind and tried to pick up the pieces, re-starting the family business where it left off – picking up newly-minted psychic Éabha as a new team member along the way. When estate agent Cordelia is tasked with the sale of Hyacinth House and she experiences something that can only be described as paranormal, she reaches out to Archer for help. At her brother’s insistence, Raven is pulled back into a world she tried to leave behind, returning to Hyacinth House to finish the job her family started and find out, once and for all, what walks those halls…

This is a brilliant debut YA from Irish talent Amy Clarkin with gorgeous friendships, found family, grief, queer relationships, humour, religious trauma and a literally terrifying ghost at the centre of it all. The Bent Neck Lady has *nothing* on this ghost, I think this book has serious crossover audience appeal for general horror fans. Out in April!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book! I'm not the target audience so initially had a little trouble with how capable and independent these 19-21 year olds are but apart from that (and it needs more editing for typos), it was excellent! A really good, gripping plot that keeps moving forward, all strands brought together, and really well-drawn characters who were all distinctive but very real. Yes, there were a few scenes that made me lose sleep but overall don't let the creepiness scare you off! It was a great read. And possibly the makings of a sequel?!

Paranormal investigations, dark hallways, goosebumps galore! What is there more to love in a book? Amy Clarkin's debut novel is a hit!

This book was not what I expected and I thoroughly enjoyed it. It’s about relationships and grief with a dash of spooky. The descriptions made me feel like I was there, in Ireland. I’m definitely interested in reading more books by this author.

I think this is the first time I really like a horror novel. Umm… the fact that it has scary side, but also has romantic and heartwarming side.

What Walks These Halls tells the story of a haunted house investigation called Hyacinth House in Ireland. Told from multiple POVs, it makes this book feel rich in detail because I felt I can connect with each of them easily.

I like how the author makes each character have a strong background story. Raven with her bitter past that eventually made her walled up, Archer (Raven's brother) who feels lonely and keeps looking for answers because he also ‘lost’ his sister after their father's death. I think Raven and her brother’s relationship is quite similar to mine, so I felt relatable. There’s a scene where their mom asks Raven for help to advise Archer because Raven's words are often heard more than her mother, and that was often the same with me and my bro. Then there’s Eabha, with a heartbreaking background because her parents would rather not accept her gift and even worse, they think it’s a mental illness. The last one, Cordelia, she was accepted in the real estate agent as a fresh graduate and being the only woman in her work environment made her frequently belittled by her co-workers.

Generally speaking, the horror part isn’t too scary. In the first half, it's hardly some spine-tingling scenes that successfully made me shiver. The Ghost—which typically referred to as The Lady—with a figure wearing a veil, reminds me of 'Ibu' (Mother), a ghost in the famous Indonesian horror film, Satan's Slave. So, the image of 'Ibu' as The Lady really haunts me throughout the story. However, in the second half, the story shift into highlighting more personal stories, building bond between characters, and the investigation process. One thing to note here: I love how the author describes each horror scene. I can’t describe it precisely, but it kinda feels very cinematic.

I said formerly, this book also has a romantic and heartwarming side. Yes, you read that right. I liked that the romantic side is slow-burn, light, but also swoon-worthy. The heartwarming feels is because of its found-family trope. In my opinion, this book has the potential to be continued as a series. Because it feels like there are still exciting things to follow, such as how Raven is progressing with that new things she got. And I think it will be fun to see them investigate together again as a solid team.

From the very beginning I became invested in the story, thanks to the brilliant writing style and cast of characters. The dialogue in this book felt natural, matching the age of the characters, and the jokes and sarcastic comments were genuinely entertaining for me. The interactions between the siblings, Raven and Archer, felt a bit cringy at the beginning but got better and more realistic as the story went on. The descriptions, especially in scary moments, were well crafted and allowed me to picture the scene in my brain, to the point were sometimes I had to take a look around my room to make sure that nothing is lurking in the corners. The book is definitely in the YA age range so it doesn't include any gruesome descriptions but still managed to have some chilling moments.

In my opinion, the story had a good balance of tension and amusement, with some enjoyable romance as a bonus. I quickly became attached to the characters and interested in the relationships between them. One thing that bothered me a little was the convenient way everyone was connected to the case - but it didn't affect my overall enjoyment too much. Another, more technical issue was that while I appreciated seeing multiple POVs, it would be great to mention whose POV we are currently reading, as it was a bit confusing at times.

Overall, it was an incredibly fun experience for me and I would love to read more about this team and their other haunted adventures.

This went down well with the teen/ young adult members of our family and was seriously creepy. We enjoyed the characters who were well written and rounded.