Cover Image: The Mill

The Mill

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

I really enjoyed this book, it was right up my alley! I enjoy the paranormal genre where ghosts are involved.

The story centers around an old mill converted to condos/apartments. Living in one is Lili Paltrinieri, a psychic who senses ghosts roaming around the mill and what drew her to live there. Lili owns a shop, working during the day, but at night she tries to commune with the spirits.

One of the ghosts is Emma Kiekhafter, who died after a freak accident in 1894. Emma is tied to the main part of the mill. There's also, Frank Zivkovic, who occupies one of the family's homes and meets a fateful end after trying to do a good deed in 1936. Another apartment was occupied by Tommy, who died following an accident at the mill in 1993. In the basement rules Eamon O'Keene, an Irishman killed in a cave-in, filled with vengeance.

Emma is fascinating! She snoops on one individual and is angry enough to learn how to try to activate his computer. When she witnesses something terrible, despite her distrust of Lili, Emma learns how to use the iPad to send Lili information.

Lili begins to have nightmares and soon realizes that there is a psychic connection with one woman. Lili tries her best to relay the information to Detective Mark Kettridge, who is not a believer in the paranormal. He's got better things to do, like finding missing persons.

When evidence is brought to Mark, he knows he needs to act quickly and with a leap of blind faith, he's going to have to trust Lili is the real deal.

Lili starts to have terrifying dreams and fears they might be premonitions.

I wouldn't say this was a horror story, but it was a nice paranormal, spooky story with a ghost lending a helping hand. I especially liked how Emma used the iPad to connect with Lili. This was a 5 star read for me!

I received an ARC from NetGalley via Land of Oz LLC and I voluntarily reviewed this book.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book!

The book The Mill is based is a newly renovated apartment complex that was formerly a paper mill and houses both living and nonliving residents. It’s a fun, quirky and upbeat psychic thriller about a psychic, serial killer and the many ghosts that haunt an old mill.

While there were a lot of characters in this book the most interesting was the ghost, Emma a girl ghost who was killed in an accident in 1894 whom Lilia psychic moved in the building in hoping to meet her and ends up working with Emma to bring the serial killer in the mill to justice. The plotline overall was good and easy to follow.

A psychic moving into a super haunted building trying to contact the Emma the spirit that lives in the building is very aware of what’s going on in the world around her. She reads books and has taught herself how to use a laptop and an Ipad but can’t speak to Lilia. When Emma realizes that a very bad man is living in one of the apartments she feels she must do something, decides to find away to stop him.

While imagery is very good and the plot in itself is good. I had a problem with the ending involving Emma being very confusing. However, I liked the ending with Lilia and Martin,a police detective.

Was this review helpful?

For anyone wondering if there is life after death, then reading The Mill by Cailyn Lloyd might have you questioning your preconceptions. We have ghosts who can use tablets, some who can summon poltergeist activity, shape shifters and the thoroughly melancholy ones who just want to be left alone. In writing The Mill, the norm was left far behind, so it becomes quite a unique novel. Underlying the supernatural overlay is a crime thriller. Certainly it had good pace and the sceptical police were helped along by Lili (the medium) and her chums in the next life. Obviously a novel which can't be taken too seriously in the detective crime thriller genre but it was a fun read nevertheless. My review rating is based upon the previous sentence as I am completely baffled as to whether there is a fitting category for this type of novel.

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book!
Before I start trigger warnings for: Sexual Assault, Murder, some gore,

Character: The characters were fine, but there's a mental health reason thrown in at the very end for one character (not the villain), and it made no sense. Honestly that being put in is going to turn people away. It was not necessary. It was like having the main villain having DID the entire time. There was no need for that twist, and all it's going to do is harm the book. The main villain was very easy to hate. I'm glad there was no attempt at trying to have him have a redemption arc at the end; there was no redeeming that. Emma as a main character was great I thought. I liked the Eamon as this chaotic neutral maybe leaning towards chaotic evil character. I wish I got more of him.

Atmosphere: I thought apartments that were once an old mill was a great setting for the book. I think Cailyn did a good job of setting that up.

Writing: The writing was fine. Honestly the book should've ended a few chapters back and didn't include the mental health twist that's just going to harm the book. This author should've edited this a bit better.

Plot: The plot was easy to follow. I could see more books about the psychic Emma in the future.

Intrigue: I was intrigued the entire way through about how the main villain was going to be caught. What was going to happen to his victims?

Logic: It's interesting to see a book that shows how a serial killer can get away with murder for so long. We've seen it time and time again in real life.

Enjoyment: I enjoyed it up until the last few chapters. The twist really brought this story down a star. I was confused as to why that was thrown in, and it really added nothing to the story. 3 stars. It was a fun thriller.

Was this review helpful?

While I enjoyed the book it did not push me to a creepy edge. I enjoy killers, ghosts and psychics but feel there were to many variables to this story.

There was a ghost I don’t remember being introduced to but was In the latter part of the book. The ending seemed rushed in some parts and dragged in others. I feel like the use of DID was a tad bit off.

Over all I enjoyed it but not sure if it was just to much by the end.

Was this review helpful?

Lili is a psychic, so she is used to sees spirits. What she is unprepared for is the evil lurking under the floor and serial killer lurking in the area. Can she work with a spirit to purge the evil and stop the serial killer? Or will the killer get away and kill again?

Was this review helpful?

Thank you to Netgalley and Land of Oz, LLC for an E-ARC copy of The Mill by Cailyn Lloyd.

I think that I went into reading The Mill with too much excitement or expectations of what the story was, because, in the end, it was a letdown. Realistically by 'end', I mean by the time I got to Chapter 5 as I could not bring myself to push past, even after taking a break and coming back to it. The excitement came from the fact that a rather well-known mill in a town near me in my home state had converted over to apartments and I thought maybe it would be fun to read a ghost story based on a similar historical building. The expectation was that it had so much potential, but it really fell flat of that potential.

Like most reviews, I agree that despite Lili supposedly being a seasoned professional, her actions show that she really has zero clue what she is doing. She isn't able to connect with the spirits around her and the writing of astral projection is so far off that it's uncomfortable. Lili hinders more than she helps and just like her neighbors she is generally just a creep walking around at night in an attempt to reach out to something that is there and wants nothing to do with her. Then you have Emma, the young ghost who died in a terrible accident and tries too hard to be involved with the goings-on, and it feels weird to me that she can use electronics or read books to learn, and in a way, it was laughable to me.

The writing style felt off as well. There wasn't a good rhythm and it felt like a badly written fanfiction. But some people may like how it is written, some may like the plot. It just wasn't my thing I guess.

Was this review helpful?

Paranormal fiction is not my jam, but I'm trying to do better about reading my ARC's and The Mill was the next book on my list.

When I read "an invitation to the spirits," I should probably just turn back around.

The Mill is a newly renovated apartment complex that was formerly a paper mill and houses both living and nonliving residents..

There were a lot of characters in this book. You had the ghost of a girl who was killed in an accident in 1894, the ghost of a man who was murdered 30 years later, a ghost whom I don't even remember being introduced and then a ghost who wanted to have The Mill all to himself. There was also a medium, a lawyer, a good cop, a bad cop, an ex-military resident, his wife and are you confused yet? Me, too.

This didn't work for me. There were too many people, too many storylines, too many inconsistencies, it was about 100 pages too long and unfortunately, I just found it boring.

The ending seemed to take forever and then when Emma, one of the ghosts, diagnosed herself with a mental illness, I was just done.

A promising story that didn't quite deliver.

Thank you Netgalley and Land of Oz, LLC for the eARC.

Was this review helpful?

The imagery is very good. The plot in itself is good. My major issue that DID was presented very badly in this story and that's why the low rating.

Was this review helpful?

Lili has moved into a spacious apartment in a converted paper mill & as well as the usual neighbours, Lili knows that there are spirits still present of those who died at the mill. As a psychic, Lili is soon trying to help her neighbours who are being haunted, but she doesn't expect to become involved in the hunt for a serial killer who also prowls the halls.

The plot is quite good with some interesting angles on hauntings: the ghosts at the mill seemed to be trapped in their own areas & very rarely interact with each other or the living. Emma is the main ghost who tries to contact Lili, but there's also Frank, Tommy, & Eamon. Lili is an okay main character, a bit bland & thinly drawn like most of the characters here, & I had to keep reminding myself that the detective, Martin, is supposed to be an attractive man in his late forties as his character at times felt like someone who was just doing desk duty for a few years until he can retire. There's also a few other mill tenants, uptight Raleigh (ex soldier) & his wife Olivia, & feisty lawyer Danielle who falls prey to serial killer incel, Chase.

There are one or two scenes which are quite graphic with violence & sexual assault. I thought the ending was a bit confusing to be honest & I'm not quite sure what the author was getting at, but overall it was a read which is just that bit different to the usual crime thrillers.

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers, Land of Oz LLC, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

Was this review helpful?

The Mill is a fantastic thriller with a killer twist!

Featuring a diverse cast of characters as they interact some as ghosts and others with normal human lives, the Mill has something for every reader. Readers are introduced to Emma a ghost of the Mill who was tragically killed during a freak accident. Emma's spirit watches over those that live in the Mill and even assists with other tragedies that occur. Bring in a local psychic medium, a serial killer that kidnaps women, a skeptic cop, and several other ghosts and the story moves quickly toward a tumultuous and twisty ending. Who should you trust? Who are the true heroes of the story? You'll have to read to find out. Check this book out, you won't be disappointed.

Was this review helpful?

The Mill is a really fun paranormal thriller. I thoroughly enjoyed reading it, and I’m hoping maybe it’ll be a series with Lili and Martin? Who knows, but it’s great if you want a hauntingly fun beach read.

Was this review helpful?

Firstly, I would like to thank NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this little treat!

Do you like crime thrillers? Do you like ghost stories? if the answer is yes then this is a book for you. The Mill follows the lives of some of the residents, both alive and dead as they work to solve hauntings, kidnappings and murders.

On the whole I enjoyed this book a lot, it had the good basis of both a crime thriller and a ghost story. The plotline one the whole was good and easy to follow. I liked the way the characters intertwined and told the story from each of their own point of views.

For me, the only thing that let it down is sometimes things were not explained properly and it was a little hard to keep track of at times because of the amount of characters the chapters were based around. I felt like I really had to concentrate on the story and characters name all throughout the books.

I also felt like a little more action/suspense was needed in places, I didn't find myself being gripped or hanging on the edge of my seat wondering what was going to happen. I also felt that the number of characters both Ghosts and people of this realm was a little too much at times and you could have cut the number of characters and still had a really good story.

All in all I really enjoyed reading this book!

Was this review helpful?

would like to thank netgalley and the publisher for letting me read this book

love a good ghostly thriller and this had all the elements for my enjoyment...ghosts, a psychic and haunted mill that has been transformed to liveable apartments with the added bonus of a serial killer

the psychic lili has bought one of the apartments in the transformed mill hoping that she can meet a ghost or two and spends most nights astro roaming in one of the corridors or two...so far she has sensed more than seen a ghostly apparition

unbeknown to all lives a killer at the mill and hes hunting another victim and he might just have another victim in mind

there are some gruesome aspects to this book but overall i thoroughly enjoyed this haunting thriller, will be adding this author to my list of growing authors to keep an eye out for

Was this review helpful?

The Mill follows psychic Lili, who lives in River Rock Mills, an apartment complex that used to be a paper mill. Throughout the book, Lili works with ghost Emma, who was killed in a terrible accident in the late 1800s to bring a serial killer in the mill to justice.

I had a fun time with this book! It was a little repetitive but the idea was super fun, I really didn’t find any characters too attachable, but there was so much action and a lot of blood, but not a lot of twists and turns - no big plot twists here, pretty straight forward!

Was this review helpful?

The Mill is a unique take on a haunted house story combined with a suspense/thriller story.

The setting is an old paper mill converted into an apartment complex with some hidden surprises. I liked how there are glimpses of the setting as the mill from the past and also to present times as an apartment complex. The places important to the story are detailed enough to give the reader a good idea on the surrounding area but not overly detailed enough to drag the story down.

There are many points of view in the story but each character is easily defined from one another. The author did a good job giving each character their own voice which helped progress the story. It was easy to jump between characters and almost read like a suspense movie. Between ghosts and the killer's perspective, the story is entertaining and fast paced during some points. With so many characters being introduced initially, the first ten percent of the book can be a bit confusing but all the characters sort themselves out pretty fast.

The Mill is a good story if you are looking for a dark suspense/thriller story but also don't want something too dark. It is a good middle ground for filling the need for a serial killer story without being overwhelmingly terrifying. I think the ghosts really helped lighten the mood of the story a bit. Emma's ghostly struggles were pretty entertaining and her backstory was tragic. This would make a good starting point for someone interested in reading horror books or would be an interesting spin for suspense/thriller readers looking for a change of pace.

Trigger warnings: sexual assault, rape, molestation, violent injuries

Was this review helpful?

I don't believe in the paranormal, but that has never deterred me from enjoying a good old ghost story or haunted house book. Therefor, when I read the synopsis of The Mill, I thought I would give it a go, as it had some intriguing elements: an old building turned into luxurious apartments are haunted by past mill workers who died on the spot. Add a psychopath who obviously needs to be stopped, a sexy psychic and a handsome detective, and you could have an interesting magic potion brewing !

However, even if the premise is original, the focus of the book is too dispersed for my taste. The majority reads like some almost funny YA, but then there are very graphic scenes of rape, murder and mutilation. It's like Ghostbusters meets Charmed (I'll know your age if you remember that show!) meets Silence of the Lambs - and I got confused. I was impressed by the roles played by ghosts though, that was original for sure !

I am sure that there is a large crowd for this kind of books, but unfortunately, it wasn't for me.

A sincere thanks to NetGalley, Land of Oz and the author for an advanced copy in return for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

Lili is a psychic who can see and speak to ghosts. She moves into the old mill to specifically meet Emma, a ghost who died many years previously. What Lili is not prepared for is the amount of activity she encounters. There are several ghost as well as an evil presence that she cannot contact. As she digs deeper into the history of the mill, she discovers more tragedies occurred than were reported. There is also a serial killer in the building. This book was packed with all the elements I love in a book, therefore it was an excellent read.

Was this review helpful?

This was well written, intriguing, had a pretty interesting cast of characters, however, the tone was off. It's so upbeat like a flowery romance novel rather than a haunted apartment building that's also housing a sick pervert with images of gruesome murders on his computer. It wasn't what I was expecting that's for sure.

Was this review helpful?

I know “fun” seems a strange word to associate with a book pulling on elements of the paranormal, thrills and horror, but Cailyn Lloyd’s work “The Mill” was just that. It’s a fun, quirky and oddly upbeat thriller about a psychic, serial killer and the ghosts that haunt an old paper mill.

“The Mill” is a heavily plot driven story that gives us only a quick glance into our main characters. They were written a bit one-dimensional but that’s expected with such a fast-paced and plot-centric book. I really liked Lili and thought she was written as an anti-type to a typical psychic character. She was unique and fiery. The story is told from multiple perspectives of ghosts, Lili, a serial killer named Chase and a police detective named Martin. This book could’ve definitely been darker and much more into the horror realm but it really only skimmed the surface of where it could’ve gone. I’m not sure if that was the author’s intent or not. I’d say it was more of a thriller and even in the grislier parts Lloyd doesn’t go into heavy detail or get terribly gory. I didn’t find myself scared during reading—although anytime a serial killer is presented it’s definitely startling.

I don’t want to give off the impression that this was rainbows and sunshine—there were very triggering elements in this one of murder, rape, mental health and trauma—but it was definitely on a gentler level than a lot of other books within this same genre or with similar themes. Overall the feel of it stayed optimistic, redemptive and hopeful. Also, unlike like so many horror books with tragic ends, this one had and ending much easier to digest.

A fast-paced and enjoyable read, I’d recommend this one for anyone who likes the idea of dabbling in a paranormal thriller without the overly triggering descriptions, gore or death of some of the others on the market.

Was this review helpful?