What a great premise for a book! Hetty has to move with the animals she's in charge of, in a London museum, to Lockwood Manor during the war. Part gothic, creepy and mysterious but also romantic. It reminded me a bit of a Sarah Waters novel, which the world needs more of!
Loved it.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

The Animals at Lockwood Manor is a beautifully written historical novel. It's comfortable and unsettling at the same time, exploring some familiar gothic tropes with style.

But while I was swept away by the beauty of the writing, I also wish it had been allowed to run a little more wild. Aside from the romance, the narrative lacks development. Mysteries are uncovered, horrors are unearthed, but the tone and pacing remain the same throughout. There is such a consistent gothic timbre that by the time you reach the denouement and everything is unravelling, the tone has nowhere to go. At times, the writing feels too careful, too measured, and as a reader I was so anchored that I could never fully lose myself in the horror.

That said, The Animals At Lockwood Manor is an impressive debut, with a wide appeal. From the outset I knew what to expect, with its echoes of Jane Eyre, but I still found it to be an engaging read.

This book feels like a classic already, whilst I was reading it I knew it was something special I was enjoying. Set during WW2 this pulls on many emotions, it’s atmospheric and I can’t believe it’s a debut. The writing is so beautiful, it’s an unusual kind of gothic tale, it hooks you in from the start and you won’t want to stop reading, it’s the kind of book you can’t wait to get back to. Another book I’m adding to one of my favourite books of 2019. Thoroughly recommended

Thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a free copy for an honest opinion

What an interesting story. Starts out with a evacuation, but not the usual kind, this involves museum exhibits and not children, and then builds. Into a much darker tale. The mysterious goings on, the relationships and the hope of Hetty, all draw the reader in and tame us through a roller coaster of emotions. Not a book to read late at night, if you wish for peaceful dreams but a well crafted story dealing with high emotions and strong characters.

I really enjoyed ‘The Animals Of Lockwood Manor by Jane Healey. I found that the information and description around the preservation of animals for scientific reasons interesting despite the fact that I think the author did repeat herself a lot and was over fond of lists. I also enjoyed the gothic aspect of the novel and really did think that it was going to turn into some sort of a ghost story. The fact that it didn’t however, didn’t diminish my enjoyment of it

A great, atmospheric read and fantastic debut novel. I really look forward to seeing what Jane Healey writes next.

The story is set during the second world war in a claustrophobic manor house away from the bombings in London. Hetty Cartwright has been evacuated to the manor along with a large part of the mammal collection from the natural History Museum. Shortly after her arrival, sinister happenings start to trouble her peace of mind.
This is a gothic tale of madness and obsession with quite a lot of elements from Jane Eyre thrown in.
I found it a slow story. The tension and suspense did grow but it took its time and the ending felt a bit forced.
Overall I did enjoy it and it was a quick read.

"Living amongst and above the specimens made it hard to escape from them; I felt them underneath me at night when I felt too nervous to sleep, a great crowd, a silent hum, so many eyes in the dark waiting. How many more Autumns would I spend here, I thought in the loneliest hours before dawn, how many more years of broken sleep and worry?"

It's 1939 and Hetty Cartwright has, by virtue of conscription of her male colleagues, been promoted to director of the mammal section of a natural history museum. Hetty follows the collection out of London, to rural home counties, for safekeeping away from Nazi bombs. They arrive at Lockwood Manor, home of irascible widowower, Major Lord Lockwood and his grown up daughter, Lady Lucy Lockwood. A vast Jacobethan manor house with over 90 rooms, which the small number of resentful servents are struggling to run.

Bright and forthright, Hetty loves her job and is determined show her superiors her capabilities. She finds the Major brusque and arrogant but connects with vulnerable and beautiful Lucy. Lockwood Manor is impressive but creepy and full of secrets. Hetty is warned about ghosts (a 'woman in white) and curses (the Major's 'mad' widow). It's not long before there are strange occurrences, including hummingbirds stolen from their case. There is a malevolent presence at Lockwood Manor, felt by all. As the disasters mount, will Hetty protect her charges, or is she at risk?

Infused with Hetty's love for her animals (she identifies people as an animal they remind her of), this is a beautifully crafted, spooky mystery. Hetty and Lucy are particularly well drawn, characters to invest in, as their relationship blossoms. Themes include feminism, mysogny and mental health, which are woven into the plot. It has shades of The Little Stranger and The Silent Companions and benefits from a beautiful cover. Part love story, part mystery, this is a gripping and atmospheric tale, an excellent debut.

I really wanted to like this – I thought that the blurb sounded fantastic, but unfortunately it just wasn’t for me. There were definitely positives – Hetty’s budding relationship with Lucy was beautifully done, and Healey’s writing is gorgeous, but unfortunately the story just didn’t grab me.

I never really found the novel unsettling. There’s a lot of potential with some of the museum exhibits and Hetty’s personal possessions going missing, as well as mentions of la diablesse and the woman in white, but for me this never became as creepy as I’d hoped. That said, that may not have been the intention with this tale.

A nice, gentle historical fiction that gives a different view on the Second World War, that I think will appeal to many, but sadly just wasn't for me.

During WW2, many museum collections were moved out of London to keep them safe, and curator Hetty Cartwright is going with her beloved animals from the Natural History Museum to Lockwood Manor. Lockwood is owned by the Major, who is not a particularly pleasant man, and his daughter Lucy - who is beautiful, yet haunted.

All is not well following the move, some of the animals disappear, others are damaged and no-one can explain why or how. Is it ghosts? Or is the malign influence human? Why does one local woman seem to hate Hetty so much? And can Hetty keep the animals safe?

I really wanted to love this, much more than I actually did. It's well-written, as other reviewers have said, but I found it didn't really keep my interest as much as I thought it should. It felt a little predictable, so whilst I enjoyed it, I thought it was a pretty light read and nowhere near as mysterious as it was trying to be,

Not what I was expecting but an interesting, unusual story. Some good characters to follow through the book, even if some were not very nice!

Though less overtly creepy than A Shadow on the Lens, this book is plenty unsettling in its own right. And it also happens to be historical: set in World War Two, to be exact, though I’ve never read anything quite like it before.

The heroine of the story is Hetty, a young woman sent to Lockwood Manor to be the caretaker of a collection of rare taxidermy animals for the museum that she’s employed by. But things aren’t as simple as they first appear: the animals are vanishing, or moving, the manor appears to be haunted by a vengeful woman in white, and the lady of the manor, Lucy, who is herself haunted by terrifying dreams- and maybe something more.

Let’s be frank: I loved this book. It’s gorgeously written, and completely atmospheric. Healey has such a great eye for character and for setting, and you really feel like you’re there with Hetty, creeping through the corridors of the manor in search of the person or thing that’s taking her animals. It’s all deliciously creepy, but what leavens the oppressiveness is the beauty of her budding relationship with Lucy. It’s delicate and shy, and develops completely organically; even better, it’s a lovely complement to the story rather than its focus.

And the creep factor is creepy indeed. Mysterious handprints on the glass, dolls found under beds, dark secrets hidden in Lucy’s psyche and especially the menacing presence of her father all combine to give this book a really uneasy feel. You’re never entirely sure what’s real and what’s imagined, so the happy ending comes as a real (and welcome!) surprise.

A book for anybody who loves (or hates) taxidermy and haunted houses, this should definitely make it onto your Hallowe’en reading list…

I found myself absolutely lost in this book. The atmosphere of Lockwood Manor just pulled me right into the story, following Hetty as she tries to keep the animal collection safe in its temporary home.

As the threat of bombing looms, the extensive animal collection of London's Natural History Museum is evacuated to a safer location at Lockwood Manor. Hetty Cartwright is appointed as the guardian of the collection, and moves alongside it to take up residence at Lockwood Manor. However, almost as soon as the collection arrives, pieces start to disappear. Hetty is treated with disdain by the housekeeping staff and by Lord Lockwood, but manages to find support from Lucy, the daughter of Lord Lockwood. As the story progresses, we follow Hetty's experiences navigating life in the manor, whilst simultaneously trying to uncover the truth behind the strange disappearances of pieces from the collection....

This isn't just an atmospheric mystery. The characters have a depth that had me wanting to know more about each one, even the pretentious Lord Lockwood. I couldn't wait to discover the reasons behind the behaviour of the staff, and I was gripped to learn about Lucy's life growing up in Lockwood Manor. We view Lucy from Hetty's viewpoint, feeling what she feels towards her, and learning the sad secrecy that people were forced into to hide their relationships. I didn't want to put this book down - as the dark secrets of Lockwood Manor were slowly exposed, I was absorbed into the world.

As the tension built throughout the story, I was torn between expecting a happy ending or a sad one, I just didn't know how it would turn out! Thanks to the beautiful descriptions and the way Hetty cares for her exhibits, I felt almost as protective towards the animals as Hetty towards the end, which made the events in the book even more climactic. I just loved this book - it was right up my street, a little spooky, very evocative, and with a sense of tension and foreboding building throughout, which I loved. A really, really good book.

This was a beautifully written, magical read.
I was swept away with Hettie and her animals, feeling as protective of them as she was. Well written characters, settings to get lost in, and a story that really drew me in.
Highly recommended.
Thanks to Netgalley and Jane Healey for the ARC copy of this amazing book.

spoiler alert ** I went into this book with high expectations,hearing favourable things on social media and it being likened to Sarah Waters.
Unfortunately,as so often happens,it didn't live up to high expectations.
There was never enough tension in the story of the woman in white,or enough menace in the theft/damage of the museum collection.
Also from the second candles were mentioned,I knew where the story was going.
It was a decent enough read,but for me,it didn't stand out.

I have enjoyed reading this book although I think it dragged a little at times, maybe because I was keen to see what happened and find out if my guesses at the beginning were correct! And they mostly were, not that it detracted from my enjoyment of this modern Gothic mystery which has some topical contemporary touches including examples of coercive and controlling behaviour. It leaves the reader with a lot to think about, and would be a very good book club choice.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me a copy of the book in exchange for this honest review.

I started reading this book and had a feeling it was going to be rather similar to some other books I’ve recently read. However, I was very pleasantly surprised by it. It took some themes that seem to currently be popular, but then took them in a different direction. There were a couple of genuine surprises at the end and I enjoyed the changing voice of one of the narrators. I’d definitely recommend this book and will look for more by this author.

This truly is a book about animals, some wrapped in feathers, some wrapped in fur and some wrapped in skin and Oh what fun they have interacting with each other. Some interaction is passive and some is not but it is all of interest and it all combines to make this into a very readable story. Whilst I cannot say that this book gripped me from page one through to page end, it most certainly was a tale that reeled me in and kept me curious to that page end!

My summary is that this book really did make me wonder what/who should be in the museum's collection and I am far from certain that it should not be the live ones. Please do read the book and see if you agree.

I started to read this on the plane and it sucked me in so quickly I hardly noticed the turbulence! I felt a instant connection to Hetty, she is very relatable (but not in a way that she feels like she as no personality of her own), not good at small talk (except talking about something she is passionate about) or social interaction. The growing tension in the house is palpable and you can see the effect it has on Hetty, her nightmares and increasing paranoia driving her to take more extreme measures to protect her creatures. I loved the instant camaraderie between Hetty and Lucy and their relationship growth. I found Lucy's diary type entries interesting as well, it helped to fill in some of the mystery and information about her childhood and the sinister entity her mother told her about. I thought Lucy's anxiety was done really well, you can really see how her childhood and the very secluded life style due to her mother's poor mental health and overprotective father effected her and dictates a lot of her actions as an adult. I also appreciated that the romance didn't miraculously cure her of all her problems. I didn't give this 5 stars in the end mostly because I felt that the ending was a bit rushed especially after the slow build up to everything, I also found myself less interested around the third quarter of the book and my mind started to wander. Overall it was a good, creepy read with some good mental health rep and I recommend it if you want something with increasing tense atmosphere and creep factor during the winter months.

I loved this book; it is beautifully written, full of intrigue, spookiness and slow-burning passion. Hetty, Lucy and Lord Lockwood are all well drawn, but perhaps Lord Lockwood was a little less vibrant than the two women. I adored the animals as well, they provided a unique backdrop to the story and their fate is entwined with that of Hetty and Lucy.

I highly recommend this book, especially for anyone who has enjoyed Jane Eyre or Rebecca or Brideshead Revisited as I think The Animals at Lockwood Manor has a flavour of all these books but without being derivative.

The book is published next year and it is bound to do very well. It’s definitely one of the best books I have read in 2019.