I received a copy of this book via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

This story is about Elspeth she leaves he hometown of Glasgow after suffering the loss of her father and then her sister. She takes up a position of Nanny on a remote island called Skelthsea in Scotland. This is supposed to be a fresh start for Elspeth but her charge Mary is a strange child who chooses not to speak. The house is full of strange noises and secrets.

I enjoyed this story on the whole but the story is quite slow at the start and takes a little while to get going. I became more absorbed in the second half of the book when the pace speeds up a little. The characters were well written and it was easy to imagine the island. I was worried that there would be a lot of flowery language and description but there isn’t. This is an enjoyable easy read. If you like gothic spooky tales with some mystery thrown in then you will certainly enjoy this one.

Very gothic and atmospheric. As the book evolves it becomes more than a horror story, with tragedy and deception in the mix. It is multi layered and on the whole well written, though I feel Part One is over long and a little repetitive.

Elspeth has suffered a lot of tragedy in a short space of time, so feels that a complete change of scenery would help her recover from her loss. She is employed as a nanny by an old established family on a remote Scottish island. Needless to say all is not as it seems. All the ingredients for a spooky tale!

After a slow start the pace of this book really picked up and became more enjoyable.

Thank you NetGalley.

‘The Whistling’ by Rebecca Netley would normally be my type of novel but unfortunately I just didn’t really enjoy it. I felt that the writing was a bit stilted and just didn’t flow well. The storyline was ok but nothing new.

I think it's incorrect to label this within the horror genre, as there is more depth & panache here. For me, it read like a love story but on many layers. I hope readers are willing to try this as they would be rewarded by a rich, deep story full of loss and suspense, contained within a plot that steps carefully through a world of secrets & loss.

The central characters are full & thoughtfully brought to life as the plot swirls around them, leading to a conclusion which is very satisfying. I was really surprised by this book and thoroughly enjoyed it.

You always know when you have read a good book, because you are devastated it had to end, this is one of those books. It's atmospheric, creepy, haunting and it gave me serious heebie jeebies. Rebecca Netley certainly knows how to take a reader out of their comfort zone and place them in a old mansion with crumbling walls, dark corners, creepy floorboards and all the usual horrors of ghosts, mystery, suspense and plenty of hair raising bump in the nights. The characters are believable and the relationship between Elspeth and Mary is one of love and sorrow but slightly creepy until the end when all is revealed. The ending was unexpected with a wicked twist and I was rooting for little Mary to speak all the way through and when she finally did I was so happy and scared at the same time. This is a brilliant, clever, scary book and I can't wait to see what Rebecca writes next because this one is horror writing at it's best. LOVED IT, LOVED IT, LOVED IT!.

Beautiful, atmospheric prose and a wonderful setting. The storyline intrigued me right from the start. However as the plot progressed I found my mind wandering and overall it didn't leave the lasting impression that I had hoped for.

If you love a good gothic spooky tale then this book is definitely for you. Well-written, a likeable and relatable protagonist and a satisfying conclusion - this book does what it says on the tin.

If I was to be slightly picky it would only be to say that it would have been more of a standout read for me if it had brought another layer to the simple tropes that have been used many times before. But an atmospheric and fun read.

With thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for this honest review in exchange for digital ARC.