Paranormal sightings and boys disappearing on a camping trip?! I was totally in!!

I am a huge huge horror fan... would consider this more on the horror side then mystery/thriller. I haven't read a great horror novel in awhile... so I had my hopes held high for this one including the 4-5 star reviews from other friends. BUT, unfortunately... I just thought this was pretty lame and fell extremely flat for me.

I have seen many excellent horror films.. including fantastic ghost stories and this one I would have to say was comical/goofy. Once the plot was revealed.... I literally was thinking... "this is joke right?" This just reminded me a little of a child's horror story.. if that makes any sense? I was rolling my eyes frequently... and that's never good in my eyes haha.

I was holding on to the ending finishing the story off with a bang... but I felt it was just even more disappointing.

This was definitely an easy book to read and I read this fairly quickly over a day and a half. I think the author does a great job engaging his readers!

Overall, 2.75 stars rounded down on this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Unbound Digital for the advanced arc in exchange for my honest review.

Published to GR: 6/10/18
Publication date: 5/8/18

I am not sure why I didn’t enjoy this novel more; a story about an evil creature/entity killing people who are out hiking on the moors is just the kind of book I enjoy.

However, this one didn’t work very well for me. As soon as the identity of the killer is revealed, fairly early on in the story, I felt as if the rest of the novel was just a bunch of familiar horror tropes, with an abusive husband and father, a group of young boys who pick on the weak one and the adult version of some of the children returning to the family home to try and better understand the strange events they experienced.

I wish I had enjoyed it more, but unfortunately I can only give this two stars.

A group of boys goes out camping with a friends dad. He starts by telling them scary stories that are legend in the area. But as the book continues you know something is wrong with someone in this group. People start dying. This is a good book for people who are easily jumpy. Thank you to NetGalley for letting me review this book. #TheMoor #NetGalley

Camping and survival go hand in hand...don't they? You are sleeping in a tent, preparing your own meals, hiking miles and miles each day over tough and unforgiving terrain. Pushing yourself, seeing what you can accomplish, the feeling of joy when you reach the top! There's the campfire, the comradely of being with your peers, telling ghost stories around the fire. This should have been a rite of passage for these boys - it should have been! Shouldn't excursions such as this one be one of the things that an individual looks back on later in life with a sense of nostalgia and happiness?

Unfortunately, this was not a trip that will ever be looked back upon with a sense of nostalgia. Things started out well. They had their supplies, they were feeling brave, cocky and energetic. But not everything goes as planned. There are squabbles and bad feelings which are enhanced by not sleeping well after hearing ghost stories before bedtime. But they will tough it out and complete the walk. Won’t they?

But then there is that scream in the night and strange things being to happen. A rabbit's foot is found outside of a tent. Could the rabbit have been attacked by another animal? Could those stories told around the campfire be true? Is their imagination working overtime? Is the Moor a safe place to be?

From the description, it is clear that something is going to happen on this camping trip. Boys begin to disappear, but why? How? Throughout the book there is a feeling of dread. Going in, I knew something would happen and the Author did a great job of having me wonder just what that "something" could be. From his vivid descriptions, I could see the young teens looking around their campsite for their missing peer. Whispering about what they should do, voicing their concerns, trying to be brave. Their concern and fear jumping off the page as they continued their walk/hike.

I would consider this a light horror-ish book. Nothing is too graphic nor scary. There is more of a sense of foreboding and anticipation. The waiting - the dread- you know something is going to happen - but WHAT!?! You heart may beat a little faster as you read, because like the teens, you have no idea what is going to happen next!

This is a well written fast paced little book! I enjoyed the teens on this trip. Even the one who wasn't so like-able, I felt for once I knew his backstory. This is a book which quietly sneaks up on the reader. I hope people who normally don't like horror give this book a chance. I don't believe this book will keep anyone up at night or give them nightmares, but it may make you think twice about camping! This book was enjoyable and delivered a solid story.

Thank you to Unbound digital and NetGalley who provided me with a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

5 Teenage boys and a father go off camping and horrible things happen. Is it the ghost of folk-lore or something more sinister causing these incidents? This started out really good, then somewhere in the middle, for me, went off-kilter. SH managed to tie the ending up ok, but I didn't really care for the "problem".

**Thank you to the publisher and Net Galley in exchange of an honest review.**

Enjoyed the book, although I think it's more suited to YA. It does have an interesting plot, and the characters are well-drawn, so I finished it easily. Teens and 20-somethings should find it sufficiently scary, and I recommend it to them for a good weekend read.

I found this to be a good, quick read. The Moor starts with a ghost story around a campsite and turns into something so much more after boys begin to disappear. I thought it was uniquely written going back from the days of the event to the present, sprinkling in newspaper articles from past to present day.

The Moor by Sam Haysom was received direct from the publisher.  Character development is a overly strong suit of this author.  Take that statement as you will as to me, it was kind of slow and I skimmed a LOT at the beginning.  Once it got going, it was a good "old style" creepy story and others seemed to enjoy it.  Dont get me wrong, I will read more by this author and I hope you at least give him a try, my tastes are fast moving and gory.

3 Stars

Set in the southern moorlands of the Devonshire area of England, “The Moor” opens with a 1951 newspaper clipping recounting the mysterious disappearance of two children from Rutmoor. Throughout the novel further clippings are interspersed between chapters which flip between 2015 and 2002 where most of the action is set. The clippings give shrouded clues of the direction in which the story is heading, with pets and small animals being ritualistically killed and mutilated. Initially, all this chopping and changing is a tad distracting, but once you get the hang of the style and multiple points of view, over the two time periods, the novel gets easier to follow as it progresses. The larger sections are set in 2002 when the friends are young teenagers, with the 2015 part picking up the same characters thirteen years later. If you do struggle with the opening, make sure you stick with it, as it is well worth it.

In the summer of 2002, a group of 13-year-old boys go on a camping trip in Rutmoor National Park, accompanied by the newest member of their friendship group, Tim, and his dad who is a skilled hill walker. They set out to walk and climb their way across the park, taking in all the different peaks which is seen as a local challenge. However, Rutmoor has a reputation for unpredictable weather and strange disappearances, which Mr Stevens tells the boys about during the first evening around the campfire. Local folklore stories claim these disappearances are caused by the ghost of a beautiful red-haired witch found hanged nearby in the early 19th century. Next morning, Gary, the joker of the group is missing from his tent, along with all his things. There is no mobile phone service, they are miles away from help, the group begin to argue, and their problems are just beginning. But for the reader the fun is just beginning.

Not everyone survives, and the author keeps this cleverly keeps the reader guessing as the plot in the main 2002 unfolds and quickly picks up pace, culminating with a dramatic conclusion thirteen years later which ties both strands together. The author builds tension with lots of nice touches, such as a severed rabbit foot outside one of the tents. Is this someone playing a prank or one of the group playing a prank? You’re never quite sure, but as the rain begins to lash down, every broken tree looks threatening to the frightened boys. An animal skull is much more terrifying as the author nods towards “The Blair Witch Project” and familiar horror landmarks.

The multiple points of view between Gary, James, Tom, Matt, and Tim works particularly well and the boys are convincing and likable characters. Their banter is natural and entertaining. Ranging from the clown Gary, who always takes the joke too far, or the sporty and confident Tom to the overweight James. Tim is the socially awkward and introverted new member of the friendship group, who has issues that are revealed as the book develops.

Sam Haysom does a fine job of making the most of a terrific natural setting. In many ways Rutmoor National Park is the star of the book. It’s incredibly well drawn, and through the eyes of these teenagers you’ll feel the rain, mist and wind whistling through their tents. Welcome to England! The initial nods to the 19th century witch were a little too obvious and I was delighted to see the author take the story in a different direction. Also, because it was set in 2002, mobile phones had not yet become advanced enough to play a significant part of the story which I really liked.

“The Moor” will undoubtedly remind you of lots of other novels and films, but it has enough going for it to stand nicely on its two feet and it was an impressive debut novel. In the UK these types of school camping trips are very popular, often with a system called the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme, and there is potentially great material here for good horror writers to go to town with, as Sam Hayson confidently does here.

Actual rating 3.5 out of 5 stars

A group of teenage boys are on a hiking trip at Rutmoor with one of the boy's father. A ghost story is told at the campfire about a witch that was murdered long ago and some people still hear and see her. Soon, one by one, the boys in the group disappear.

Alternating between past and present, the story is told between several different POV's. Newspaper clippings also adds some mystery to the story. The story was fast paced and held my interest throughout. Missing children, screams in the night and mutilated animals makes this a good suspenseful horror story.

Thank you to NetGalley and Unbound for an ARC of Sam Haysom's "The Moor" in exchange on an honest review.

A short, but good, chilling story. This book is one that will definitely chill you. I wished it had been a bit longer, because I thought it was quick paced and full of thrills and chills.
Will be recommending in Chapter Chatter Pub!

Disappearing children, the moors of England, a ghost story told around the fire. The Moor is a spooky story that is familiar but full of enough twists in its 200 or so pages that it's still exciting and worth reading.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book.

The Moor by Sam Haysom was an honest to goodness page turner for me. The pace of the storytelling was perfect. The atmosphere and location was wonderful and terrifying. I would love to read more from this author.
Thanks to NetGalley and Unbound digital for the advance copy.

Wow! I don't even know if I can describe what the heck it is I just read!

It's reminiscent of a really good ghost story, with enough creepiness and horror mixed in that it will keep you up at night.

The length puts this more in lines of a novella, (my ebook came in at 171 pages) but there isn't a word wasted. Told from multiple POV's with jumps from past to present, The Moor sucked me from the start and never let go. Based on the subject matter, there was a lot of potential for this story to go sideways, but its so well written that I didn't have one single eye roll!

The first half of the book creeps along nice and slow, building up the tension at just the right pace until BAM! now you are right in the thick of it, and there is no looking back. While I am not a fan of books that portray animals getting hurt, for some reason I was able to overlook it here. Maybe because more of it was talked about versus having to read how it happened. Another reason I think is because it had a purpose, as sick as that sounds.

If you aren't a fan of creepy campfire stories, this probably isn't for you. There is a solid mystery here, but it's intricately woven in with the stuff good old horror stories are made of.

I do hope there is more on the way from this new author--I'm a big fan and want more!!!

This book was everything I expected and more. When a group of friends go on a camping trip and share ghost stories around the fire, everything seems ordinary. That is, until friends start disappearing and help is miles away. This book was absolutely horrifying, so suspenseful and heart-pounding in parts, I had to put it down just to catch my breath. The writing was phenomenal in the sense you really experienced the story. I love to go camping and this book reminded me of camping trips going up, but after reading this book, I may just think twice before my next excursion.

The book begins with newspaper clippings spanning several years that show why Rutmoor National Park may well be a place to avoid. Over the decades there have been quite a few deaths and disappearances. Sometimes bodies are found.. sometimes people just vanish without a trace.
The story moves back and forth between the present day, when someone (I was not sure who at first) recollects a camping trip in Rutmoor over a decade ago and the events of that trip when he, along with a small group of 13 year old boys and one of their dads were spending a weekend walking through Rutmoor and camping there. The story is occasionally interrupted by further news clippings concerning mutilated pets. This all added to my confusion a bit and I wasn't sure I wanted to keep bouncing back and forth between the present day and that long ago weekend. It wasn't until I was over 20% through the book that it began to pique my interest, and what had begun as a slower build up than I normally enjoy held me captivated. I'm glad I stuck with it. I think you will be too.

3.5*

In 2002, four teenage friends - Gary, James, Tom and Matt - join their schoolmate Tim Stevens and his father on a hiking trip at Rutmoor. The moor has a history of strange deaths and disappearances, which are possibly linked to a legend of a witch who had been killed in the area. On the first night out on the moor, both Gary and Mr Stevens recount these tales with relish - only for the nightmares to turn into reality when mutilated animals appear at the campsite and the boys start to go missing. Their story alternates with a present-day narration which sheds light on what happened during that fateful trip.

Haysom's debut novel starts off with a decidedly "Blair Witch Project" folk-horror feel to it. Their are twists along the way but - without giving anything away - I can assure you that it remains squarely within the realm of horror. At first I felt that the writing and dialogue - though well-crafted - was not particularly distinctive. Yet, the plot drew me in and the characterisation is varied and interesting. The different points of view and shifts in timelines are deftly handled - initially rather confusing perhaps, but things soon fall into place, making for a gripping horror read.

This isn't a book that I would normally rave about, so.....yeah, I'm not about to start here. Truth is that I've read this story many times in all its different incarnations. Yet, I was glued to the pages! Mr. Haysom did an excellent job of keeping me curious. The big bad in this story is something that I wish he'd spent a bit more time on, but again...The strangulation scenes were just freaking scary as hell. I would like to come back to this author and see how he develops. Like I said the story had me "by the throat." But, I'd like to let a few books build up, and then see how it goes. The man has potential. I wasn't quite sure if he was going for Y.A., or scare the bejeezum outta me, adult. I do like clear delineation. All in all, it was a great story. My thanks to Unbound publishing and Netgalley.

A weekend camping trip for five boys all goes terribly wrong in The Moor.

Strange disappearances, animal mutilations, tales of witches haunting the woods. What is truly happening? Is it really the ghost of Emily Brown or something far more sinister?

We have Before chapters, After chapters, and sprinkled throughout are news paper clippings which is something I always love.

The ending, for me, delivered!

A lovely combination of mystery and horror. Not too graphic but spooky and suspenseful in all the right ways. Sam Haysom is definitely an author I'll keep my eye on. 4.5 stars!

Thank you to NetGalley, Unbound Digital, and Sam Haysom for providing me with a digital ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to read when I received my copy of The Moor from NetGalley. It was shelved as both a mystery and a horror novel, and being a fan of both, I requested it. Thankfully, it’s a richly atmospheric, fun little book that kept me reading into the wee hours of the night, eager to see what was going to happen next.

The story centers around the mysterious disappearance of two young boys and their teacher on a camping trip. Alternating between past and present, the three survivors struggle to reconcile their identities with flashbacks of the true story, littered with newspaper clippings of other mysterious disappearances throughout. The hybrid time lines manages to not be confusing- admirable, considering how often it weaves back and forth, and rather compelling. I constantly found myself wondering what was just around the corner.

Genre wise, the novel definitely swings more to the horror end of the spectrum, which I personally found enjoyable. The full ‘scope’ of the monster, so to speak, isn’t truly revealed in that we never learn what exactly it is, but perhaps that’s the true fear in all of it. He’s a monster, he has fangs, and his behavior is downright awful.

If it seems like I don’t have much to say, it’s because truthfully I don’t. I enjoyed the book, and I think it’ll be a great beach read. There wasn’t anything I really disliked about it, but there also wasn’t anything I really loved besides the setting, the endless rain peppering an English moor that is so evocative of classic Gothic horror. The fear could have been turned up a little bit more, but I recognize that as someone who frequently indulges in horror content, my threshold may be a bit higher than it is for the average reader.
!