This was a great gothic read.
It was dark, exciting and gripping.
I found the plot very well executed.

Rhiannon Ward's "The Quickening" is a gripping gothic thriller that draws you in right from the beginning. With its eerie mansion setting, it weaves a suspenseful narrative filled with family secrets and supernatural elements. Ward's writing has a captivating darkness to it, and her characters are richly developed. If you enjoy supernatural mysteries that keep you guessing, this book is a must-read. It held my attention and kept me on edge throughout, making it a perfect choice for fans of gothic tales.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience.

I liked what this did for the most part. I thought it was more atmospheric and had an eerie vibe but this wasn't spooky or scary. I thought for the most part the character were done well and there were only a couple that needed fleshing out a little more. This was an interesting read and the conclusion was done well and wasn't too silly.

Photographer Louisa Drew receives a request to go to Clewer Hall and record its contents for an auction catalogue. Thirty years earlier the Hall was the setting for a notorious seance attended by Arthur Conan Doyle the consequences of which have haunted the family ever since.

This is a beautifully written gothic novel evoking an uneasy atmosphere from the first sentence. I would definitely recommend this book.

I love a gothic country house ghost story and The Quickening did not disappoint.

The QUickening is the story of Louisa, a heavily pregnant photographer, sent to Clewer Hall to take pictures for their upcoming house sale and emigration to India.

It is a story full of secrets and surprises. Written in a way that made me feel the chill not only from the snow but also from the goings-on in the house.

Highly recommended.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review.

An atmospheric story that is well written. The dual timeline works well, intriguing characters and a fabulous setting, what's not too like.
Will certainly read more by this author.

The Quickening is the story of Louisa, a pregnant photographer who list her first husband in World War I and her twin boys shortly after. Louisa is offered the opportunity to photograph the contents of a crumbling mansion and despite knowing her new husband will disapprove, she travels to Clewer House, in the South Coast. As soon as she arrives, Louisa feels unsettled and as she learns more about the house and the Clewer family, she begins to fear for her life as well as that of her unborn child.

The Quickening is an engaging and atmospheric story and Louisa is an interesting and empathetic character. I would have have liked more about Louisa's current marriage and I was not a fan of the romance but overall, I really enjoyed this book.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing me with a free e-copy of this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

My thanks to Orion Publishing Group/Trapeze for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘The Quickening’ by Rhiannon Ward in exchange for an honest review. It was published in August and my apologies for the late feedback.

Louisa Drew has had a difficult life. Her husband died during the Great War and her six-year-old twin sons followed in the Spanish Flu epidemic of 1918. It is now 1925 and Louisa has re-married and is seven months pregnant. She had worked as a photographer and her former employer asks her to travel to Clewer Hall in Sussex and photograph the contents of the house for an auction catalog. Louisa and her husband are desperate for money and so she feels she has no choice but to accept the commission.

Clewer Hall is a crumbling pile and on arrival Louisa learns that in 1896 an infamous séance was held there, the consequences of which still haunt the family. The Clewer's are about to leave England and the lady of the house has asked those who attended the original séance to return to the Hall to recreate the evening. These attendees include Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the medium, Ada Watkins, who had become famous after the London papers had reported on the séance.

It isn’t long until Louisa becomes embroiled in the strange happenings taking place at the house and decides to unravel the long held secrets of that night.

I found this a highly engaging historical mystery. It was very atmospheric, a something going bump in the night, shadows caught in the corner of one’s eye type of Gothic mystery.

Aside from the creepy atmosphere of Clewer Hall, I felt that Ward developed her characters well and also captured the changes in society following the Great War between the classes and in terms of women’s roles. Louisa herself has married a man who expects her to confine herself to the home and this commission represents a rare opportunity to express her creativity.

Overall, I enjoyed this very much.

4.5 stars rounded up to 5.

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book. Unfortunately, I was not able to download it before the book was archived.

The gothic/horror genre isn’t my usually go to, but I do like books that are a little on the creepy side.

The story is set in the early 1920’s and is one that will have you throwing lots of accusations around to the big who has done it question that engulfs the story. Combined with this you’ll experience themes of creepy happenings, mystery and misfortune, as the Clewers try to get funds together by organising a seance in their once party loving house.

The plot twists will keep you up all night desperate to know how it will end.

If you like an historical mystery with a creepy element thrown in, this is the book for you.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to obtain an ARC, in exchange for an honest review.

The perfect read over the Halloween period, "The Quickening" is one of the most atmospheric books I've read this year. Full of intrigue and outright creepy vibes, it was so easy to get lost in the pages of this book. It's one I'll be recommending for a long time to come.

The Quickening seems very similar to a book I read last year and that, unfortunately, gave me a feeling like there was nothing really new to this story. It is a tale that has been told often before though, a haunted house, a ghostly child, it's been done many times.

That's not to say that a haunted manor house book can't still be enjoyable, and I did find this to be a spooky and interesting read. I just felt like I have already read it many times over.

Louisa, the main character in this story, has a very dry and almost cold personality. She lost her husband in the first world war and then her two children to the flu epidemic not long after so I can understand why she is written this way. It suits her story but I found her very hard to connect with. She just didn't have much of a personality and it makes her very hard to connect with or care about. She has issues with her second husband, the man she is about to have a baby with, as she describes him as being cold and distant but I feel like that can't be entirely his fault as she is so closed off herself.

As for the actual story, there's plenty of ghostly happenings and larger than life characters and a nice, satisfying ending - something that I find is rare in a ghost story.

It has a nice, creepy feel to it, I enjoyed it and I think it is just right for curling up with under a blanket in the darker winter months. There's just nothing special enough about it to make it stand out from the genre.

This book opens with Louisa accepting a photography assignment from her boss which will take place in a stately home Clewer Hall in Sussex, which will be sold along with it's collections of curiosities. Louisa is heavily pregnant, but needs the money. She lost her first husband in the war, and her children to flu. Her relationship with her new husband is strained due to the trauma he experienced in the war. Clewer Hall was the location of a famous séance which took place in 1896, attended by Arthur Conan Doyle.

Upon arrival at Clewer Hall, Louisa is aware of an atmosphere, and notices strange occurrences. She finds out that the owners plan to recreate the séance of 1896, with the same attendees, as far as possible. Aiming to keep out of the way, and do her job photographing the house and collections, Louisa cannot help but get caught up in unusual goings-on, and realises there are both mysteries and cover-ups by those wanting to hide truths.

this is a slow burner, but a very creepy novel. With it's timing so close to the war, and the location in an old stately home, the atmosphere from the outset is dark and brooding. Louisa is a perfect protagonist, although I felt that her awareness of unusual happenings could have been developed further. I liked the cameo by Conan Doyal and wish he'd had a bigger part. This book may not have the scare factor of other ghost stories, but it flows nicely with a satisfying end. A great read for dark October evenings.

With many thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for allowing me to read and review the arc.

Not what I was expecting from the title. A gothic mystery set just after WW1. Louisa is a feminist and a photographer. She has the tragedy of losing her first husband in the war and then her children to the flu epidemic. She remarries, not happily. The story is set in a large rambling house where she has a assignment.. Strange happenings occur. A great read I recommend it.

Set in 1925 The Quickening is the story of Louisa Drew, a photographer, whose husband died in the First World War and her twin boys shortly afterwards in the Spanish flu epidemic of 1918. Now remarried and pregnant Louisa travels to Clewer Hall in Sussex to photograph the house contents for auction. Clewer House hosted a seance in 1896 and there is to be a recreation of that evening.

The Quickening is an atmospheric, creepy, beautifully written read with a sympathetic protagonist and an intriguing cast of characters. If like me you love Sarah Waters and Laura Purcell this is highly recommended.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for a digital ARC.

Perfect for the autumn season, The Quickening follows a pregnant woman on her second marriage as she becomes fascinated with an old house that was the site of an infamous seance in 1896. Expect spooky goings on and creepy children.

Unfortunately I found the plot to be a bit weak here. It's centered around a seance, and the previous owners of Clewer Hall, and the obsessions that lead to madness and desire. All the set up is there, the atmospheric setting and unreliable characters, but something just feels missing. There's no depth too the plot, and it becomes a bit predictable as the story progresses. I also didn't find it particularly scary or creepy. If anything. I just found myself disliking the characters more and more as the thinly veiled plot unraveled.

With so many classic gothic stories out there, I feel like this just misses the mark in comparison. Give me more spook, less pregnant melodramatic characters.

An atmospheric and creepy gothic novel that kept me hooked till the end.
Great character development and storytelling, a fascinating and vivid historical background and a story that kept me hooked.
I loved it and it's highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

This one really wasn't for me I'm afraid. There was nothing technically wrong with it, but I just found it to be very dull and quite underwhelming. There was no tension, no darkness, no real emotion of any kind, and as such, there was nothing to keep you invested in the story, and it instead became a very dull and almost factual read, which is weird given the subject matter.

It's a shame, as I really enjoy both supernatural reads and historical fiction, and so to me when they combine it is normally a real treat. Unfortunately, this one didn't deliver. However, it is worth noting that I seem to be in the minority in thinking so, so if you're intrigued by the synopsis then maybe give it a go!

Disclaimer - I was fortunate enough to receive an advance reading copy of this book from the publisher in conjunction with NetGalley. This has not affected my review in any way, and all opinions are my own.

This was a quick supernatural read, and I enjoyed it but wasn't all I expected, that's not always a bad thing though and certainly kept me reading until the end, would recommend if you like supernatural novels and history combined!