I'm going to just quickly drop a reminder that when ARCs are sent out, they are done so in exchange for honest and unbiased reviews. Not everything I have to say about this book is complimentary, but I think it's important to include so that people can go into reading this with their eyes open. I am glad to have read it, and would recommend it to some people - just not all.

Harrow Lake is a Young Adult thriller that focuses around a town by the same name, almost frozen in time after being used as the set of a horror film nineteen years before our story begins. Centering around the film director's daughter, we follow her journey to the town, and through this history that her family has tried to forget - and suppress. The synopsis says;

"Lola Nox is the daughter of a celebrated horror filmmaker - she thinks nothing can scare her. But when her father is brutally attacked in their New York apartment, she's swiftly packed off to live with a grandmother she's never met in Harrow Lake, the eerie town where her father's most iconic horror movie was shot.
The locals are weirdly obsessed with the film that put their town on the map - and there are strange disappearances, which the police seem determined to explain away.
And there's someone - or something - stalking Lola's every move.
The more she discovers about the town, the more terrifying it becomes. Because Lola's got secrets of her own. And if she can't find a way out of Harrow Lake, they might just be the death of her..."

The first thing to say is that the writing is absolutely captivating. Kat Ellis has written a book that very much grabs you by the lapels (as would fit such a place as Harrow Lake) and throws you head first into a novel, without pause or hesitation. A lot can happen over 320 pages, it turns out! And what a lot that does happen.

The book is narrated by Lola, who, despite being largely unlikable, becomes more endearing as time goes on, and you get to know her more. One of the clever tactics Ellis has used to keep this thriller so utterly thrilling is to give us an unreliable narrator. Lola doesn't always tell the truth, and when she does tell the truth - well, it's only so many times you have to tell yourself a lie before it becomes your own truth, isn't it? It works very well, especially as Lola begins to truly doubt herself and what she knows, and we are pulled along with her.

On the note of Lola, one of the things I found a bit uncomfortable with reading this was the way that mental health was not handled with due care. It was almost as if it was used purely as a useful plot device, without thinking about the consequences, both to characters and readers. This feels irresponsible, especially in a time when young adult mental health rates are climbing, and services are at an all time low. There is more than a hint at childhood abuse, and again, this seems to be used as a plot device rather than as a point of meaning.

There are a lot of things we don't quite get answers to as well, which is a disappointment, as this had the potential to be tied up neatly. But then, to contradict myself, maybe that can be seen as part of the beauty of the novel; that it doesn't all finish neatly, that there is no final bow on top.

Designed as perfect reading for any cult-classic fans, this book is a thrilling and chilling introduction to horror reading for teenagers, or maybe us adults who like to be scared. This really isn't one you want to read late at night or alone in the house! With enough deep descriptive work to really get your heart pumping, Harrow Lake has its faults, but ultimately is the ideal read for anyone who needs a book to keep them on edge from the first page. None of this is what you are expecting.

The Kat Ellis book, Harrow Lake,is set in the town of Harrow Lake. Approximately 20 years ago, the town was the setting for Nightjar, a horror movie directed by Nolan Nox.

He met and fell I love with the actress who played the main character, Little Bird. Her real name was Lorelei. Doesn't everyone always fall in love with the Loreleis of the world? Nolan and Lorelei married and had a daughter, Lola.

Several years later, the wife disappears after visiting her mother in Harrow Lake. The rumor is that Mr. Jitters from the movie finally captured her. The townspeople think that he captures whoever plays the part of Little Bird in the parade. Why do people still want to get the lead in the parade?

After Nolan is hospitalized, Lola is sent to stay with her grandmother at Harrow Lake. Lola doesn't think her father's assistant, Larry, is telling her everything. He's a creep so she might be right.

She's not happy about going to her mother's hometown. Lola thinks that her mother abandoned her.

Her grandmother steals her suitcase so Lola has to wear her mother's clothes. It's a weird situation. It's even more weird that the clothes are Lorelei's wardrobe from Nightjar.

When Lola was a little girl, she had a doll, Mary Ann, from another horror movie. She loved the doll but her father and his assistant got rid of the doll.

After arriving at Harrow Lake,Lola starts to see Mary Ann, except in a more human form. I thought that having the creepy doll was distracting from Mr. Keepers. Was Mr. Keepers real? Was Mary Ann real? I still don't know. Sometimes an urban legend is as creepy as real life. I was too scared to read this book when no one else was awake.

After she gets to Harrow Lake, Lola finds out things about her mother that lead her to believe that Lorelei's disappearance was more suspicious than anyone else thought. Maybe Lola had not been abandoned by her mother.

If anyone is interested in creepy urban legends or horror movies involving dolls, then you might enjoy this book.

Scaredycats should not read this book while home alone with dolls.

* All of the reviewers on the blogtour received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for doing a review. All opinions on this post are my own. Obviously.

Welcome to my stop on the #BlogTour for Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis.

When I first signed up for the blog tour I had no idea this was classified as a YA. It’s been years since I’ve read anything from the very large, very diverse and all genre encompassing YA field. So I was excited to get stuck in but also a little nervous that this might just not be a book for me – despite its amazing blurb and quite striking cover design.

And I have to admit Harrow Lake wasn’t quite for me. I liked the writing and it was creepy! Definitely a book to read with the lights on. But for some reason or another, I wasn’t totally gripped by the story. I kept on asking – WHY! I felt a little frustrated by the setup, I felt frustrated that anyone would treat their daughter how Lola was treated and I was frustrated at some of the language used repeatedly throughout the book. It wasn’t optimal for my enjoyment.

BUT!

And it is a big BUT – I am not the target audience for it. So please take some of my reactions with a large pinch of salt because there was a LOT to like about Harrow Lake and I’m not giving it a bad review. In fact, I thought the writing was good, the pacing was spot on and I found parts very creepy! And some of the content was quite disturbing. The setting was VERY interesting and I would have loved to know more about Harrow Lake’s unfortunate history, and the Mister Jitters town story was memorable – for rather unsettling reasons. Atmospheric.

Also – The ending transcript was AMAZING. The beginning and the ending of the book featured an interview with the famous Nolan Nox for Scream Screen magazine and I thought it was all well done and clever. Great writing. But after reading the last page I was still left with questions! Harrow Lake isn’t a neatly wrapped up novel, but then I think in the horror genre this sometimes happens? Maybe. But I do like answers.

This is a young adult novel but I would think it’s aimed at the older end of the YA market- it is a very creepy horror novel with some very dark themes. And I am sure it is going to do well.

Have you read it? Have you read anything else by Kat Ellis?

I received a copy of the Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis for review from the publisher, via NetGalley, which was all arranged by the blog tour organiser – Thank you!

Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis will be published in the UK on the 9th July 2020 by Penguin.

The eerily atmospheric novel, Harrow Lake by Kate Ellis is a book set in the fictional town called Harrow Lake. Lola Nox is sent to live here with a grandmother she has never met after her father is attacked and left to die in their apartment in New York. Lola's father is a famous film director. He specialises in making horror films and had made a film called Nightjar in this small town, some twenty years back.

The book opens with Nolan Nox being interviewed for a magazine article. As soon as the questions begin about his wife's and then his daughter's disappearance in Harrow Lake, he gets miffed. From here on the camera kind of shifts its gaze to his daughter Lola and we are brought in to see her character closely. Lola is a very lonely girl, the price she has to pay for Nolan's fame, who takes pleasure and thrills in creating and burying her secrets written in paper slips everywhere and anywhere. the other thing that Lola is very good at is making stories. Some say, just like her mother Lorlei, who disappeared leaving both Nolan and Lola when she was small.

One day after she returns home to find her father stabbed multiple times, she is almost forcibly sent to live with her maternal grandmother in Harrow Lake. After Lola reaches here, the novel picks up pace and boy of boy what a pace that is. Ellis takes us through the town of Harrow Lake where Lola's father shot his cut classic, the horror movie Nightjar, in which his mother played the lead. Lola's suitcase disappears after she lands at her mother's childhood home and she is forced to wear the costumes from the film that are kept in the cupboard in her room. Looking almost like an exact replica of her mother Lola ventures in the town to pay homage to all the places where the movie was filmed.

She comes face to face with the people living in the town and is introduced to the myths and legends of the old town that is full of stories about a mythical creature Mr Jitters. Lola sets upon on a journey to find who her mother really was and why did she abandon Lola. As Lola intensifies her search, she has a feeling that she is watched constantly. Her efforts to get in touch with her father at the hospital never succeed and her stay in Harrow Lake gets extended, leaving her ensconced in the town of monsters and shady characters.

What happens to Lola then at Harrow Lake? We have been told at the beginning that she disappears and the way in which the books moves on to answer this is like a maestro reaching the crescendo of his performance. Ellis builds an atmosphere that is creepy and compelling. It is like being in a nightmare where everything seems so real and you know it isn't but you can't escape from it. The book is like an addiction.

The atmosphere Ellis creates with her words is tense and to a degree, stifling but you somehow enjoy it. So, the magic of this book is in the writing as much as in the story about inner monsters and a person's search for an escape route. For me, this book worked very well to a great extent thanks to the supporting cast which includes some characters which were sketched were well like Nolan and a girl she befriends in Harrow Lake, Cora. I wish though that the book shed more light on some other aspects that were raised during the story like why did some girls kept going missing from the town or how did Lola manage to do what she does beyond the climax.

Pick up this book if you are looking for a book that keeps you on your toes but make sure if you are as weak hearted as me, you stay away from it around dark.

Oh my goodness what a fabulous YA horror novel! I loved reading this, at the same time as it was scaring the pants off me. I made the mistake of reading some of this on my own in the house at night and I don't think I've jumped quite so much in my life when my house creaked! I loved the characters and how everything worked out through the course of the book. Some elements I did work out prior to the ending but it was still interesting to read how the author tidied things up in the end. I want to know more about how things in Harrow Lake are now. Was Mister Jitters real? There were some elements of true horror in this book, along the lines of scary dreams, fair grounds and creepy teeth. But a lot of the scariest bits were the bits the author left for you imagination to create.

Before we dive in, I want to say thank you to Dave @TheWriteReads and the publisher, Penguin Books, for sending me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!

So I grew up on horror movies, right? I remember watching The Night of the Living Dead at a ridiculously inappropriate age and being terrified of zombies for years afterwards! I’ve watched a gambit of classics when I was young and, as I grew up, I found myself gravitating to the genre. And I found that I wasn’t scared as I had once been. No more hiding under blankets because I saw a mummy scooping some guy’s brains out with a coat hanger for this girl!

I say all this to really get to one point: I don’t scare easy.

Why do I bring this up? Because most people go into horror novels expecting to be scared! I’m sure you want to know if Harrow Lake delivered.

Well… sort of?

I will say that this book delivered on the creep factor. There’s something about an isolated, small town that’s only famous because a surreal horror movie was filmed there that lends itself to being utterly creepy. I think the author did a masterful job of instilling a deep sense of foreboding as we discover the town of Harrow Lake alongside our main character, Lola. The residents are strange, the town itself is on the verge of literal collapse, and the atmosphere is perfectly odd.

But, still, was I scared? Not even once. But I don’t necessarily think that’s a bad thing! Why? Because the entire time I was reading this, I felt like I was watching a campy horror movie. And I love campy horror movies! They aren’t necessarily the scariest, but they definitely are fun as hell. That’s how I felt about Harrow Lake. It was terrifying, but I had a blast reading it!

I think my favorite part of the whole book was Lola. She was such an interesting main character! She clearly had her own issues before being shipped off to the town where her famous father filmed his most iconic movie. I do love a book with an unreliable narrator, as well. I like to be kept on my toes as to whether or not I should take everything I’m being told with a grain of salt. It adds to the suspense for me, so I appreciated not knowing whether Lola’s POV was 100% trustworthy.

Also, like I said, the creep factor of this book is top notch! I’d imagine more so if you’re not a fan of bugs. I liked the weird backstory of the Big Baddie. I thought the strangeness of the town and the people who lived there was wonderfully written. The isolation and the hostility could almost be felt radiating from the pages! It all combined to give this book a certain chilliness that I appreciate in my horror in any format.

I will say, though, that I guessed pretty much every twist before it occurred. I think there was one twist I didn’t see coming and it was a minor one. But, again, I have watched a lot of horror movies and this book felt like a horror movie in paper form. Honestly, if it’s ever made into a movie, I would definitely watch it! So I can excuse a little predictability because it was still an engrossing ride.

Final thoughts: Though this was a bit predictable, it was a thrill to read and definitely delivered when it came to creepiness. If you’re looking for a dark story that reads kind of like a campy horror flick, you’re going to love Harrow Lake!

Harrow Lake features Lola Nox, the daughter of a film director. Her father's film Nightjar has managed to have a cult following in the small town of Harrow Lake. Her mother acted in the film and disappeared when Lola was just five years old. When Lola comes home to their New York apartment and finds the door ajar and her father stabbed many times, she is shipped off to the town of Harrow Lake to stay with her maternal grandmother that she hasn't seen since her mother disappeared.



In spite of a hint of the paranormal is a YA thriller. The inclusion of Mister Jitters, former man, now a cannibalistic creature that lives in Harrow Lake's caves is a clever redirection. Mister Jitters lived in the woods making moonshine during Prohibition and hiding them in the subterranean tunnels around the lake. Caught in a landslide and trapped with the bodies of other townfolk, no one wanted to risk digging him out and being caught themselves. When they finally were able to get to them, they found the bodies with human teeth marks and no Mister Jitters. The town has long since attributed weird disappearances to Mister Jitters getting hungry.



As Lola settles into the creepy town of Harrow Lake, she discovers more and more about her mother and the town itself. Lola isn't a particularly likable character. In fact, she's rather flat. The more you read, the more you understand why. We discover how controlling and protective her father is. She's not allowed to have a cell phone or normal teenage things. However, when starting the book, it was hard to be invested in her character especially since some of her internal dialogue was at odds with the sheltered existence she supposedly led.



I was tempted to DNF this one but stuck it out. There are a lot of transitions that felt choppy to me and I lost a feel for who was speaking at times. Also, a LOT of plot holes, like there were ideas that were meant to go somewhere but got dropped during editing. There's plenty of creepy details and the townspeople are super weird, but it felt cliched. The ending wasn't much of a surprise to me. I surmised it probably about 3/4 of the way through but again, there aren't many movies/books that the plot twists really startle me so consider that my reader fault and not that of the author. I think readers who don't typically read horror will find it to be an unusual read. It also clearly fits in the YA category, although there are some pretty serious implications of abuse and mental illness. I just don't think I was the right audience for it.

Y’all this is NOT a book to read at night with the lights off. This book is creepy AF, but worth every page!

Lola Nox is the teenager daughter of the renowned horror film maker Nolan Nox. The book opens with Nolan’s interview with Scream Screen Magazine. During the interview, questions are asked about the disappearance of Nolan’s daughter, which sends us back to last year when Lola discovered Nolan in a pool of his own blood following a gruesome stabbing.

Since Nolan required hospitalization to recover from his injuries, Lola is forced to stay with her maternal grandmother in Harrow Lake, Indiana. Lola has never even met her grandmother and all she knows of Harrow Lake is that it’s the place where Nolan filmed his famous film Nightjar, the one starring her mother Lorelei who disappeared when Lola was a small child.

As soon as Lola steps foot in Harrow Lake, it is obvious that something isn’t quite right in this strange, desolate mining town. The town thrives off of the horror tourism surrounding Nightjar, but there’s also the urban legend of Mr. Jitters; a horrifying monster that preys on those in Harrow Lake.

From start to finish, this book was a heart-pounding, fast-paced, wild ride that I enjoyed. Lola starts off pretty unlikable since she has the spoiled brat type of mentality. However, as more ominous things keep happening around her, she develops into a complex and intriguing character that I really enjoyed by the end.

The writing of this one is incredibly atmospheric. I found myself with goosebumps and looking over my shoulder on several occasions. I just want to say as well that the songs in this book were just as creepy as everything surrounding Mr. Jitters. It honestly reminded me a lot of the 1980s horror film classics. It still makes me shudder thinking about.

Overall, if you’re looking for a fast-paced engrossing read that will ruffle your feathers a bit then definitely check this one out!

Thank you to Dave at The Write Reads for my blog tour invite. That you to Penguin for providing a review copy through NetGalley. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own.

My thoughts


Harrow Lake is my first ever experience reading a paranormal book. Perhaps those who are experienced in this genre might feel differently but these are the views of a person who is trying an unfamiliar genre.



Narrative and Plot



One of the best things about the book is its narrative. Lola, the main character, is the voice of the story. It is her search into the past and the monster in Harrow Lake. There were a lot of things that could have been overdone here. The book really had a lot of chances to glorify violence and abuse. But it pulled it off without any theatrics. Certain things were added so subtly, particularly in the climax. The chill that you get is because how you easily recognize it.

The plot starts of as strong and easily builds an eerie atmosphere. You can immerse yourself in this abandoned and cursed village. The monsters start to become believable until up to a certain point. The penultimate portion of the book had a bit of a lag. Things keep going round and round in a circle. There is a lot of confusion. I am not sure if it is deliberate. But you move forward anyway because you need to find out all the secrets. And at that point you care deeply about Lola.




Characters and Conflicts


Lola is the central character of the story. It is her relationship with Nolan that makes him another important part of the book even if his presence is not fully materialized throughout. Their relationship borders along emotional abuse. And then you realize it is the central theme of the book. Parental abuse in more than one way is told just with simple scenes instead of dwelling too long on the emotional drama.

These portrayal of grounded characters make the story believable. The book successfully creates a haunted village with memorable characters.

Secrets is the conflict of the book. Lola has secrets but she hides them. The foreshadowing in the book is so obvious that you forget to pay attention to it. It really pays off in the end. The unexpected climax steals the show.





Conclusion



Overall, Harrow Lake is a fresh experience for me. Will I read another paranormal book in the near future? NO!! Did I have a good time with this one? Creepily yes.It is the thrill you get from a haunted house that does not have too many props but is scary as hell. And in the end, the monsters are always real.

I hardly if ever read horror because I'm The Ultimate Chicken™ and I'm notoriously bad at handling creepy stuff. But I also like to branch out of my comfort zone every now and again, so when I was asked if I wanted to join the blog tour for Harrow Lake with the WriteReads gang, I immediately hopped on after reading the synopsis. It sounded absolutely terrifying but I was excited to also try something new. I am also clearly a masochist 😆

Since I tend to stay away from the paranormal horror genre, I don't really have much of a basis for comparison, but I'd imagine this book started out as many horror novels/movies do. It pretty much kicks off right away with Nolan's stabbing and Lola quickly being sent off to Harrow Lake. Ellis did a great job in creating such a sinister setting that steadily built in pressure as the story progressed; it's the feeling that makes your toes tingle and the hairs on the back of your neck stand up! As much as it had my heart racing and made me want to tuck my feet under the covers so that nothing could grab me from below, I really enjoyed how atmospheric the story was. Ellis also did a great job in describing the desolated eerie town. It was easy for me to picture the scenes playing out before me like a movie reel in my head--I think this would make a great show!

The story is told through Lola's perspective and I found her quite an interesting character. She's a little bit jaded, very isolated and considering she's the daughter of a horror movie producer, she has some fairly dark and violent thoughts, although she's good at pretending otherwise. She has a very twisted relationship with her father, Nolan, who was a right controlling bastard! I thought Lola was quite an unreliable narrator and I was constantly questioning what was happening because I wasn't sure if it was a dream or not, and if it was real how was all of it happening?! It was mind-forking in the best way. Pretty much all of the characters in this book skeeved me out and just thinking about most of them now really has my skin crawling. The population of Harrow Lake is exactly what I'd picture in a horror movie. Everyone was super weird and obsessed with the horror flick that made their town famous. The combination of creepy people with the oddity of the town being "stuck" in the 1920s and its tragedies really added to the story's ominous vibes.

That said, while this book started off very much like a paranormal horror, I loved the twists that it took towards the end. Some were predictable but the main plot twist was so different to what I expected, and while I normally don't like when things take such a turn, I was really pleased with how it worked out in this book. I also don't usually like the slightly cliched open endings (that maybe wrap things up a little too perfectly/easily), but I admit it was pretty satisfying to see here.

Overall, I'm surprised to admit that this was a very enjoyable paranormal horror that I didn't find as scary as I thought I would; though it was still creepy enough for me! I'm really glad I stepped out of my comfort zone for this book and I'm kind of hoping it'll become a show or something because I can 100% picture it on screen! Thanks to Dave at TheWriteReads for asking me to be part of this blog tour and for the publisher and author for providing an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!

Welcome to the latest stop on TheWriteReads’ blog tour for Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis (Penguin, 2020). Harrow Lake is a young adult thriller, and you’re going to want to turn on every light in the house before you crack the spine on this one- or start reading long before it gets dark.

The book begins with an interview with Nolan Nox, famed horror movie director, whose daughter had gone missing a year before. Fall back in time and the story is now narrated by Lola Nox. After finding her father having been stabbed, Lola is unceremoniously shipped off to Harrow Lake, Indiana, to the home of a strange, distant grandmother she’s never met before, the mother of Lola’s own mother, who left, then disappeared, when Lola was five. Harrow Lake, the filming site of Nightjar, Nolan’s most famous film, is a spooky town. Collapsed mines that led to hundreds of deaths have provided the town myriad legends, including one resident-turned-mine-dwelling-cannibal, Mr. Jitters. Refusing to believe in stories, Lola begins to comb Harrow Lake for information, hoping to get to know the mother she barely remembers, but her search is impeded at every step.

Creepy townfolk. Eerie abandoned, caved-in mines with a collapsed church inside. A grandmother that seems half-mad on her best days. A mysterious figure who always seems to be watching Lola. Tiny hand-carved wooden insects that skitter and chatter on their own. Ominous shapes that move behind the wallpaper. NO INTERNET OR PHONE SERVICE. It’s every horror movie you’ve ever watched packed into one spine-chilling book, and Lola will need to gather all her wits about her if she wants to really learn the truth about Harrow Lake and what happened to her mother.

EEK. This was SUPER creepy. I haven’t read horror in years, but I loved it as a kid, and I deeply loved horror movies when I was young, so this was a flashback to my younger days. The hand carved wooden ‘jitterbugs’ in Lola’s mother’s room creeped me the HECK out, as did the constant references to Mr. Jitters. Harrow Lake seems about the worst vacation destination ever, and the weirdo townspeople add the perfect touch. Kat Ellis has really created a terrifying place- not quite Children of the Corn weird, but Gatlin and Harrow Lake could be sister cities.

Ms. Ellis really knows how to keep the reader guessing. It’s cliched to say that there are twists and turns on every page, but it’s the absolute truth here. Weirdness abounds in Harrow Lake and Lola, who is trapped there, is constantly thrown off by someone’s odd behavior, a strange noise, the phone lines not working, something else terrifying happening in the woods. It’s a mark of good horror writing for the reader to have their guard up THIS often because the terror never stops, and I don’t know how many times I said some version of, “OMG, just get on the road and WALK back home!”

The ending is as twisty as it gets, with a majorly satisfying conclusion that I found to be absolutely brilliant (and will remember Lola’s friend’s tactic should I ever need to use it!). Harrow Lake is a wild ride through a town I never, EVER want to visit. I’ll stay at home, where there are no collapsed-mine-mass-graves-with-creepy-cannibal-monster-people. But if you enjoy edge-of-your-seat horror that will keep you guessing until- I’m not at all exaggerating here- the very last pages, you’re going to want a copy of Harrow Lake.

Harrow Lake is set for release on July 9th, 2020.

Thanks to Dave at #TheWriteReads, NetGalley, and Kat Ellis for including me on this tour!

Harrow Lake seemed so creepy and dark from Lola’s perspective because of her mental scars but as a reader, I couldn’t really tell if that was the case or if it’s Lola’s slow realization of the darkness that the village embodies. Simply put, Lola is an unreliable view point, because her past knowledge and trauma shrouds the village in a dark mist. As she and her new friend Carter looks into the disappearance of her mother she find out more about the missing young women and the police desperate effort to keep it buried.

Then we have the town’s legend (name me a town without its’ own legend and rituals), Mister Jitters (when I read this, I was like “oh spare me, how scary”, at least on that I was right). I am telling you, I could hear tapping while I was in my bedroom alone (scared the shit out of me). The town has created this sort of ritual to appease this boogeyman, the anonymity added to the cemented fear that had developed in the heart of the people of harrow lake. (I am trying so hard not to spoil this book for you)

Then we had (for me) an unnecessary romance, trust me it wasn’t needed, although it made her more related and human. She was still on the journey of self-love and it wasn’t the time for crushes. I do like the fact that the author didn’t make it a really important subplot because that would have pissed me off

Teenager Lola Nox is the daughter of horror filmmaker Nolan Nox. The book opens with Nolan being interviewed for Scream Screen Magazine. As the questions turn to the disappearance of Lola the interview cuts off and we are then sent back a year in time.

The year before Nolan is found stabbed in his apartment by Lola. Whilst Nolan is in the hospital there is no one else to look after Lola so she is sent to stay with the Grandmother she has never met before in Harrow Lake, the place where her father filmed his movie Nightjar, featuring Lola’s mum who disappeared when she Lola was just five years old.

Harrow Lake is a strange small town haunted by the past in which a landslide killed some of the residents. Rumour has it that one of the buried residents now wanders the town of a night time looking for victims to eat after he got the taste for flesh.

From the moment Lola arrives she has a weird feeling about the place and her Grandmother, who seems to be suffering from dementia and treats Lola like she is her missing daughter, even making her wear her clothes she has kept all these years. She also keeps seeing a girl following her and jitterbugs tapping and moving on their own. It’s all in her head though, isn’t it?

I read a lot of psychological thrillers, suspense books, paranormal stories and as such whilst I thought this book was engaging and interesting I did not find it scary nor creepy in any sense, but I can see why those that are not used to these genres or those that are scared easily would given the nature of the plot. You need to remember this is a YA book so the horror aspect isn’t going to be what you would find in a Stephen King or Dean Koontz novel.

The book is based around Lola and her time in Harrow Lake. I can’t say she is a particularly nice character, in fact, she grated on me quite a lot with the way she viewed the world and her attitude which was down to the way she had been brought up, such as you shouldn’t say sorry or thank you to people nor show weakness.

The storyline itself is full-on and intriguing. As we know from the beginning that Lola disappears I was held captivated wanting to know what happens to her, does the creepy man get her? Is there something more sinister going on? I was eager to find out.

The ending I had mixed feelings about, partly because I was left wanting to know more about the past, but happy there was closure for Lola.

I recommend this book if you like stories which will give you chills and goosebumps. If you want a book with great world-building and mysteries left to be unraveled then this book is for you!


Full review on my blog!
Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis: https://fragilebrokenfeels.wordpress.com/2020/05/03/blog-tour-harrow-lake-by-kat-ellis-book-review/

My first thoughts are, there is no way this is meant for young adults! Oh my goodness. As I was reading through the book, this thriller is one that is going to give anyone nightmares. I definitely recommend reading with the lights on. Try reading in the afternoon, so that you can give yourself some time to get over the crazy that is wrapped up in these pages.

As Lola is investigating the disappearance of her mother and navigating through the days at her grandmother's house, she is struck by many things. She and her mother look a lot alike.  This leads many of the townspeople to think that she is her mother, at least at first. As she tries to untangle the mystery surrounding her mother's disappearance, she is struck by how many people do not want to know what happened, and why young ladies are still disappearing, at an alarming rate. They are all tied back to the movie that her father directed in the small town.

She befriends Carter, and together they begin to look into her mother's past. There are so many unanswered questions, and the questions continue to pile up. Lola is doing her best to unravel the mystery, but she seems to be unraveling as well. The deeper she digs, the more danger she seems to be in, and there seems to be something lurking the shadows...

There were a few things that really struck me about this book. First, I felt that the writing was really choppy. There needs to be a good editor to go through this and smooth out a lot of the scenes. It just feels as though there are things missing, and to many unanswered questions at the end. I felt it dropped off rather suddenly, with no real answers being given.

I had some high hopes for this book, but other than giving me nightmares of the things in the dark, I just didn't feel the book did full justice.

I don’t read many YA novels. Why? I am guilty of having misconceptions about the genre coupled with the belief I just wouldn’t connect to the characters. I think the term Young Adult scares me a little. Am I young enough? Too old to find a way to enjoy the stories? Will the plots involve what matters to me?

This review is the proof that branching out can be an extraordinary thing. When I heard about Harrow Lake, I was seduced by the title. My eyes scanned the blurb and I spotted details I look for in novels – a small town, and a stalker. So I put my doubts about YA in the trash and agreed to take part in the blog tour. I don’t regret it!

I can’t say I warmed to Lola when I began reading. With little knowledge about her and her family, I found her behavior quite similar to so many teens in search of freedom. But when she finds her father attacked in their apartment and is sent to the home of a grandmother she doesn’t know, in a small town where her mother grew up and her filmmaker dad hit the jackpot with a famous movie, I was rattled. All happened very fast and my only choice being to follow Lola’s narrative, I opened to her.

Lola doesn’t know much. Her dad is in hospital. Her mother left her years ago. Quickly, it becomes clear she’s her dad’s whole world and is required to live under strict rules. Her father’s presence is clear, despite them being miles away, and it made me feel quite uncomfortable. I recognized signs of a troubled relationship, some subtle, other less subtle, but always shown and not told, which was something I really appreciated from the author’s writing.

Harrow Lake. The name itself is mesmerizing. Years ago, Lola’s father filmed a movie there and it became huge. So huge that the little town feels stuck in time. Upon Lola’s arrival, I felt the atmosphere of the place. It took me a few pages to understand there was something strange going on and was comforted in my idea by the inhabitants. Old-fashioned clothes, a claustrophobic feeling, the unease of untold threats at every corner. I would not choose Harrow Lake for a vacation! Lola isn’t happy to be there, but her urge to rush back to her old life soon has to fight with her will to discover more about her mother. After all, Harrow Lake is her hometown, the place that made her famous and changed her life… So why not follow the ghostly trail she left?


Harrow Lake is a real psychological horror novel. The fears in Lola’s head resonate all around town and the place seems to draw her in, closing in on her. Few books manage to spook me, but this one did! I couldn’t believe it. Kat Ellis has done a great job playing on my nerves. I knew something was off, but couldn’t figure out where it came from. Was it Lola’s tainted view on the setting, or was it the town itself? I can’t give away much about the plot but there’s a kind of magic that pulls you in and before you know it, you HAVE to keep reading.

The town people were weird, and that might be the side of the novel I liked the least. Some felt completely out of it, but my focus was on Lola, and I glossed over the little bits that would have had me suspend my disbelief.
Overall, Harrow Lake is a creepy and spooky YA novel digging deep into the heart of its protagonists.

Lola Nox, daughter of the famous horrorfilm-maker Nolan Nox, has to move to Harrow Lake - where once his most famous movie was set. Her mother left her when she was little, and now that her father is hospitalised after a mysterious attack, she has to stay with her estranged grandmother. Harrow Lake is a strange town - one where the people are superstitious and old-fashioned. They even believe in monsters and have their very own one. No problem for Lola, as she is never scared. And there's really no need to be...or is there?

This book kept me on the edge of my seat and made me want to keep reading until I turned the last page. I needed to know what happens next!
I don’t usually read horror or psychological thrillers very often, so this was definitely a bis surprise for me!

When a landslide almost a century prior to the current happenings in Harrow Lake buried a church and several of the town’s people, it also created a monster. One that is still roaming the place, and now is coming for Lola.

However, creepy Mr. Jitters isn’t the only thing in the book that made my spine tingle. Behind very dark secrets, there’s also spooky tunes that garnish the town’s weird 1920s vibe. Invisible speakers, caves whose halls reflect the sounds – music and tunes is something that can turn into something very spooky when done nicely – and Kat Ellis delivered.

A thrilling, captivating and spooky book perfect for brave teenagers or adults!
4.5 stars from me.

Thanks to the author and Dave from the writereads on twitter for this book in return for my own honest review.

To be honest I thought this book would have more to it? Ya know? Okay I know it’s aimed for ages 12 and older but there was nothing to suggest it was a “Thriller” basically it’s about a girl called Lola Nox the daughter of Nolen Nox a film producer, Who make thrillers. Nolen gets attacked and Lola is sent to “Harrow Lake” to live with her maternal grandmother who she doesn’t know anything about. When she moves in with her grandmother, weird and strange things start to happen and she soon learns the real reason behind “Harrow Lake” and her grandMother tells her things she doesn’t want to believe are true but she knows deep down they are

I really enjoyed this! I was fully absorbed from the first page. Assumed the dad was going to kill the daughter but boy was I wrong!

So much happened in this book that it took me quite a while afterwards to fully process it. I was so submerged into the story.

My review will be going up for the blog tour on the 10th May over at nuggetstumpblog.com

Harrow Lake is an addictive read that will raise the hairs on your arms and send shivers down your spine. Maybe don't read it in the dark, late at night, well not if you want to get a good night's sleep that is!

Lola is sent off to the mysterious town of Harrow Lake to stay with a grandmother she has never met. Harrow Lake is her mother's hometown and the town which is famous for being the setting of her famous father's hit horror movie, The Nightjar. In fact, the whole town is obsessed with the film and Lola arrives just as they are preparing for a Nightjar Film Festival! Everywhere she turns there are reminders of her mother, the mother who walked out on her when she was little.

Harrow Lake is such a creepy place. It's like the town that never moved on, dominated by its history of a landslide in the 1920's and the filming of The Nightjar, it's the perfect setting for such a haunting story. This is a small town set firmly in the past. The houses are old with no wi-fi, there's no phone signal, the villagers are odd, the town seems full of secrets. It's easy to imagine them believing in old urban legends such as Mister Jitters, a creepy, shadowy, puppet like monster and performing weird rituals to keep him at bay.

Harrow Lake is a really atmospheric novel and it is such an addictive read. The whole way through I found it so hard to predict where the story was going which made it all the more enjoyable. Lola herself comes across as an unreliable narrator at first and I had no idea how much of what was happening was real or her imagination.

The story seems to have many layers to it, on its surface it seems to be a chilling story about a town, scared by the rumour of an underground monster, Mister Jitters. But scratch beneath the surface of this and it becomes a lot more complicated than a shadowy figure creeping around at night. Sometimes real life is scarier than myths and legends.

I enjoyed reading the book but the ending is what made it for me. Although I had figured a few things out I still loved the way it ended and was happy to see most of my questions were answered!