the scares are kinda good at points, although at points it's kindaa bit one dimensional. Eric is a good guy who never does anything wrong, ever. the antagonist, Michelle (formerly Eric's friend Michael but left to discover herself, got all her gender-affirming surgeries, and decided to be evil for no apparent reason) is, despite being the most fleshed-out of the characters, still really not with any strong sense of self and her transness is used as a bit of a plot device to try to dodge the plotholes. 2.5 stars. tysm for the arc.

So, what can I say about this book?

It was a really good read! The plot was really good. Eric's growth throughout the book was clearly visible and it was awesome!

I felt sad when Poppy died, I was really hoping she would make it out alive... ):
I hope there's going to be another book from the way this one ended, so don't keep me waiting!!!



Otherwise, I think thriller and horror lovers should read this book because is a different book, has a different plot and really good characters! (Except Michelle of course)

Thank you, Netgalley, for letting me be a part of this project!

I want to start off by saying thank you to George Morris De'Ath, Netgalley, and Rising Action Publishing for the opportunity to review this book! To anyone looking to read The Haunting and Morsley Manor, please keep in mind that these are all my opinions of the book, and they do not need to reflect your own!

What struck me about The Haunting at Morsley Manor was the concept of a mysterious house, sort of giving me flashbacks to the Haunting of Hill House. Our protagonist, Eric, gets a call to investigate the supposedly haunted house Morsley Manor, where he uncovers various bone-chilling discoveries and unravels a plot deeper than anything he expected. I loved the premise of this, specifically when I saw how Eric interacted with the hauntings and the home-owner, but I felt that the plot was too overstimulated. It felt like the author was trying to incorporate too much at once, clinging to everything that a reader could want by only inserting it at a surface-level connection. Additionally, the book relies heavily on telling rather than showing, which dampens the horror prospect.

The Haunting at Morsley Manor feels like the author opened a haunted attic trunk and dumped every scare they could find into the story. It’s spooky, sure, but the sheer volume of horror elements starts to trip over itself. That’s not to disparage the talent of the author, however this could have been more focused.

There are fun moments and creepy atmosphere, but it never fully settles into one mood long enough to stick. 3/5—entertaining, chaotic, and just shy of chilling.

What could have been a chilling gothic tale instead unravels into a chaotic patchwork of mismatched tones, clunky exposition, and deeply troubling undertones.
The prose relies heavily on exposition and dialogue that tells rather than shows. The horror elements, while occasionally effective, are undercut by erratic pacing and tonal whiplash, leaving little room for suspense to build. Supernatural elements shift on a whim, seemingly guided by convenience rather than any internal logic. The witches, in particular, feel transplanted from an entirely different genre.
Most troubling are the transphobic threads running through the narrative. Horror has long been a space for challenging norms, but this book seems to reinforce the worst of them.
Ultimately, this is a novel that aims for eerie and atmospheric but lands as muddled and misjudged.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the Arc.

I really enjoyed this paranormal horror complete with paranormal investigator fallen from grace, and a haunted house. The characters were great, the plot was fabulous, and the read was well paced. There was definitely an air of unease especially around the protagonist, Eric who was the investigator. I loved that it was gory and eerie! Definitely looking forward to more by George Morris De'Ath.

Thank you NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing Co for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

2.5 ⭐️ I really wanted to enjoy this a lot more than I did, unfortunately. From the premise it seemed that this would have been right up my alley given the genre and a few other tropes. However, I think the author was trying to do way too much with the story that they were trying to tell. It was almost as if they grabbed every horror movie trope and threw it into a blender. Another gripe that I had with this, was the way the author wrote their trans character…..I don’t think it was handled the best and I will never be a fan when something like this is used as a plot device.

I will say though, that they do a very good job with how descriptive their writing is. I could picture the setting perfectly!

The haunting of Morsley Manor combined several of my favorite things into one spooky story, haunted mansions, ghosts, and a possibility for redemption. Ghost hunter, Eric Thompson, shows us the dangers of dealing with supernatural beings and how it can affect your life. Some places have an energy that just does not need to be disturbed. He learned this after the accident in the Japanese suicide forest that changed his life. When he is offered the chance at redemption, by way of exploring Morsely Manor, he can't resist. But are the tragic events of the Manor's past truly haunting it and those who visit, or is something more sinister at work?

I really enjoyed this book for a quick read. The action that took place when Eric and Poppy arrived at Morsley Manor reminded me of the 1999 movie "House on Haunted Hill" (one of my favorites) and I could see the characters. Sure there was a lot going on with the story line while they were at the house, but I felt like it helped you feel the frenzy that the characters were feeling. A solid ghost story!

Thank you to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing for chance to read this ARC in exchange for my honest review.

The Haunting at Morsley Manor was a pretty solid book; it kept my attention, and I did like the twist! I'm a sucker for haunted house stories, so this was right up my alley. Definitely recommend for anyone who loves haunted houses and crazy characters.

Couldn't really get into it, but will give it another try in future (will update the review accordingly)

Took a while to get into this one. I'm not a fan of the writing to be honest, it seemed like the author tried to put a lot of things into the story all at once & it didn't flow for me unfortunately.

Do not read this book. This book is offensive and poorly written. The plot hinges on an “evil trans woman” trope. The character in question was beloved and wonderful pre-transition, and post-transition she endangered a lot of people by messing around with the occult (something she should have known better than to do bc she was a paranormal investigator) and uses a young woman (who‘a sole purpose was to teach/absolve the main dude) as a human shield. This character is constantly misgendered and dead named. Her whole transition is used as a device to make her “evil.” Beyond that this book is just poorly written. The horror plot has both too much going on and no substance. The main dude is only given character development through the brutal murder of others (particularly young women). He faces no consequences and is explicitly written to be fate’s special little boy. I have never read a book that I have so hated. I would have given it 0 stars if I could.

Eric Thompson has always been drawn to the paranormal. His beginnings were on YouTube with his best friend, Michael Goode, investigating the mysterious. After that, they were offered a TV show, recording their different creepy adventures. However, after one particular encounter gone horribly wrong, his best friend disappeared, leaving Eric beside himself in multiple ways. Best friend gone. Career in tatters. Barely hanging on.
After a live interview on a daily talk show, an unknown, Michelle Snow, proposed an intriguing opportunity for a comeback: a documentary special at the infamous Morsley Manor in the UK. A new assistant, a new location, a new investigation. What he finds there will change his life forever.

It took awhile to really get into this one. There were a lot of parts that did not always seem very cohesive. Overall, it was ok.

#ThxNetGalley #GeorgeMorrisDe'Ath #TheHauntingatMorsleyManor

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

Unfortunately, I struggled immensely with the writing, and while the story itself was intriguing, this book was overall disjointed and chaotic in an unenjoyable way.

First off, this cover is gorgeous. It drew me in right away.

I enjoyed the spooky vibes in the book. It started off pretty strong, but it quickly lost me. The writing just didn't feel like it flowed well for me. There were also just a lot of things going on. I think the story would've been so much stronger if the elements had been narrowed in a little more. Great idea for a story, but execution just needs some work.

Thank you Netgalley for the ARC.

First of all, I really enjoyed the spooky vibes and creepy moments. The first 30% of the book was undoubtedly the best though. The story went kind of all over the place after that and I felt it dragging at times. The ending left me very underwhelmed.

Bummed out about this one because I was excited to read this book.

This started off strong but it ultimately had way too much going on which made it feel fragmented and disjointed. The middle part of this book felt slow and the ending left me feeling a bit unsatisfied. This felt like there was so much going on that it was hard to really grasp the overall story and suspense. For such a quick book, it would’ve been more beneficial to me if the author just narrowed things down a bit. I also had some trouble with how these characters were written.

There are certain books where you read them and can tell that a man wrote it, and honestly, this was one of them. I didn’t care for some of the comments made against women and the way that the transgender character was written also bothered me.

This book just didn’t hit the mark for me. I didn’t hate it but I also didn’t particularly enjoy it, landing me at a 2/5 star rating.

Thank you to NetGalley and Rising Action Publishing for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

I really liked parts of this! The horror elements were cool, the premise was fun and intriguing. The prose was a problem for me - kind of plodding. I think it’s worth giving a shot though if you’re into haunted house stories!

I thought this was a solid haunted house horror. I loved the complex protagonist, Eric Thompson, a paranormal investigator with a troubled past. Eric's relationships and backstory add depth to the story, making it more than just a typical haunted house tale. Its like a late-night creature feature and will feel familiar to fans of horror, fantasy, and mystery alike.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley.

This book was all sorts of disappointing. I wanted to love it but everything fell flat- the plot, the characters, the writing. It did not live up to the synopsis.