I really wanted to like this story more than I did. I was hoping for a super spooky supernatural thriller.. A psychic moving into a super haunted building trying to make contact with the resident spirits sounded right up my alley... However everything felt very... I don't really know how to explain it but it felt off I guess. Emma the spirit that lives in the building is very aware of whats going on in the world around her. She is curious about books and computers, and in fact taught herself how to use a laptop and an Ipad. She reads books and likes to learn, which just seemed sort of weird for me...
At first Emma wants nothing to do with Lili our psychic.. But when Emma realizes that a very bad man is living in one of the apartments she waffles a bit about doing something, but ultimatly decides that she needs to find away to stop him...

Lili is supposedly a professional psychic, but seems to really have no idea what shes doing. She tries and fails multiple times to make meaningful contact with the spirits.. and doesn't realize when Emma is literally right next to her.. While she tries to be helpful when she can it seems like she messes up more than helps.

When everything is resovled at the end of the book Emma has some epiphanies about herself and they really didn't make any sense to me at all... I really didn't like or care about any of the characters, ..

However other people seemed to have really enjoyed this book, so this might have been more that book just wasn't for me..

I'm not sure what exactly I think of this supernatural thriller.

The concept I liked, but it felt a bit upbeat for the content. Some of the facts were a bit off, when it came to the law enforcement aspect. I have a criminology degree, so it was slightly vexing.

One of the main characters is supposedly a professional when it comes to her psychic abilities, has her own shop, yet everything she does is the opposite of what a professional would do.

The murderer was a typical misogynist. Some of the characters seemed immature for what their ages were, could have been the writing though.

I definitely think this could have been executed better, but it was still enjoyable.

I was very excited to see Cailyn Lloyd had a new novel out as I enjoyed her previous trilogy of books, The Mill had a very different vibe to it than her other books but they still had the supernatural element to it. Based in a converted mill complete with ghosts and a serial killer, what more could you want in a book.

A fun and thrilling read about the human and the paranormal occupants of The Mill, an old paper mill converted to apartments.

A psychic has moved into the building, to the annoyance of the ghosts livings there. She is interested in contacting them, and befriends a neighbour whose spouse doesn't look too kindly on the whole affair. Then, another woman from the building goes missing, and the ghosts give clues to the medium who then approaches the police. The police are unsure of whether they should trust the medium. One ghost is unsure if the medium is trustworthy, and after certain events, the medium isn't sure she can trust the ghosts! This thrilling ride will leave you satisfied and wanting more. Hopefully there will be more books of the cop-psychic duo to come.

A nice ghost, an evil ghost, a psychic and a serial killer. The mill has a lot going on!

A fascinating book, told from the perspective of different characters. No slow spots, thoroughly engaging and great characters. Glad I had the opportunity to read the arc.

Lili, a psychic, buys an apartment in a renovated mill that is rumored to be haunted. She spends time trying to contact the spirits that inhabit the halls. She finds ghosts and a new friend, Olivia. A woman in the building is kidnapped by a resident who is a serial killer. Emma, one of the resident ghosts, contacts Lili to try and save her before it’s too late.

I really liked this book. It has everything a good ghost story should have. I liked the characters and the descriptions of the mill now and before it was renovated . If you enjoy a well written ghost story, you will enjoy this book. I couldn’t put it down.

It is important to note that the majority of the themes explored in this book deal with sensitive subject matters. My review, therefore, touches on these topics as well. Many people might find the subject matters of the book as well as those detailed in my review overwhelming. I would suggest you steer clear of both if this is the case. Please note that from this point forward I will be writing about matters which contain reflections on excessive violence, sexual assault, rape, violent crimes, & others. 

I am first going to highlight an aspect of this story which left me feeling disappointed: the inclusion of Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID). I am not someone who is personally or professionally in a position to make remarks on the authentic representation of Dissociative Disorders & therefore, my comments should be recognized as coming from someone who read through this book without personal or educational weight to back my impressions & opinions. With all the politically correct vocabulary that I can muster I must ask: what in the world was the purpose of having Emma, a ghost, self-diagnose herself with Dissociative Identity Disorder? What was the tangible, essential, profoundly necessitating reason for this to have been included, whatsoever, within a story which dealt with a group of individuals who were all so far out of their depths in every way imaginable? Was there not a single individual along the line of the process to which this book resulted in the hands of a reader who asked: why would the inclusion of DID as being something that Emma ‘chose’ to have happen to her be a positive aspect to include in this story?

My reason for being so bewilderingly astounded at the inclusion of Dissociative Identity Disorder in this plot comes down to the way it was presented. Emma is a ghost who wallows in the halls of the apartment complex, previously a paper mill. She is one of many paranormal phenomenons which plague the building. The reader becomes aware of several other ghosts, two (2) of which are bound to the confines of particular apartment units due to reasons beyond their understanding. What is revealed to us is that these ghosts never actually haunted the building. Frank & Tommy were in fact personality states adopted by Emma in what she self-proclaims as being dissociative episodes. Again, I am not a seasoned doctor or medical professional who can readily speak on the complexities of DID. However, what I can say is that writing a character as being someone who ‘chose’ to dissociate; who ‘chose’ to adopt alternative personality states; who ‘chose’ to be able to call on these personality states at the drop of a hat, is beyond insensitive & irresponsible.

One does not ‘choose’ to adopt a Dissociative Disorder. A quick search through various reputable peer reviewed works would lead one to understand the basics of this very debilitating & complex disorder. I want to highlight this part within the story because there are people in this world who will read this book & be left feeling a great deal more misunderstood than they did before. It is in no way correct nor appropriate to include DID in the ways that it was within this story.

There are ample aspects of this story to critique. I went into this book hoping that I would come across a horror which riddled the paranormal within states of lived reality. Unfortunately, what I came across was the repeated lunacy of every character within the story. Starting with Lili, a psychic medium who has been in the industry for many years yet, tosses herself at every wall behind which she hopes houses a ghost. It was incredible to read about a person we are supposed to view as a seasoned professional only for her to step right into the tracks of someone who has no idea what they are doing. Every instance saw Lili astral project into situations which she knew nothing about. Simply hoping that you might encounter the spirit of a person whom you read about does not mean that you will. Being a ‘professional’ you would know that preparation & forethought are essential. This character did not read as being a person capable of making their own independent decisions but rather, an individual who might succeed by chance alone.

Chase, our obvious antagonist whom no one wanted to acknowledge as being the villain, until it posed a problem to their ludicrous logic; a cop turned serial killer. We revisit medical diagnostics in this character which provided nothing to the individual save for an ‘edge’ which was never revisited after expression. A quick search in the American Psychiatric Association’s definition explains that Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is a disorder which: “[…]people have recurring unwanted thoughts, ideas or sensations (obsessions) that make them feel driven to do something repetitively (compulsions).” That being said, what part of Chase fit that description or any of the following body of the text provided by the Association? Indicating that a character was inclined to double-bolt their doors does not indicate that they are experiencing OCD.

This book tosses around mental diagnostics as though these are adequate ways of completing a character chart. Chase was someone who experienced the desire to torture, to murder, to degrade, etc. Can that be accurately linked to him having OCD or would this be an indicator of the pathological condition known as psychopathy?

This book asks the reader to forgive & look past decisions that the author made in an attempt to cushion the jaded edges of the plot. Are we really meant to believe that people living in exuberantly expensive apartments would not want to have surveillance cameras in the hallways? In what world do the wealthy not care to keep their homes safe? I see no logical thought behind that decision making process. You have literal art dealers living in one of the larger units & I refuse to believe that they would so willfully disregard the safety of their person & that of their possessions.

At the end of the day, it didn’t matter if the hallways had surveillance cameras or not, Martin was as useless as wings on a rock. Every single decision that this character made, or failed to make, was stunning. I kept wondering when someone (anyone) was going to make a logical decision which would actually base some of this story within the confines of reality. I chose to proceed in my reading after being bewildered into oblivion on multiple occasions because I really wanted to see where this story went; when would advanced mental stamina prevail. For the love of all that is good in the world; we had to read about a character saying, & I quote: “A cop was the polar opposite of shady.” Was this meant to be read ironically? I’m not here to harp on the profession of any law enforcer but, if the years of prevailing social media has highlighted anything it is in fact that policing bodies can in fact be ‘shady’.

Why did Martin not request access to the tenant list when Danielle first went missing? Why was his decision not to investigate the limited residents of the building whose premises she never left? I have further questions but, all of them are theoretical. This links back to the requests made upon the reader; we are required to shut our eyes to obvious flaws within the story in the hopes of simply enjoying the ride. I, unfortunately, could not. Had I been someone who could willfully suspend my disbelief then I might have longed to read the next chapter wherein Emma tells us, yet again, how she is reading about apps. Or, I might have been totally fine with the fact that Martin was standing near the base of the paper mill with the knowledge that human remains were found not far along in the river - choosing instead to believe that human teeth could be found within a river bed without the involvement of criminal activity. Please, explain to me what that means.

When all is said & done, I am left disheartened. I was looking forward to reading this book. I was very appreciative of the opportunity to review an early copy of the work but, I am truthfully disappointed in how it approached many a subject matter. There was so much potential for a riveting story to be told. Chase installing plumbing throughout the entirety of the cellar was banal. Danielle not killing Chase, instead choosing to run up the ladder she had never laid eyes on, was frustrating. A cop being able to afford luxury apartments in the city is unbelievable. An Irish ghost with magic powers was the least outer-worldly thing to present itself in this book.

Thank you to NetGalley, Land of Oz LLC & Cailyn Lloyd for the free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!

#TheMill #Netgalley

I'm not sure an old mill full of ghosts would be the place for a psychic medium to choose to live, but Lili has purchased an apartment in a renovated paper mill. She expects to run into a ghost or two, but she’s never encountered such a malevolent presence before. And it turns out the dead are the least of her worries, a serial killer is hunting the complex and Lili tries to enlist the otherworldly presence of the killer’s previous victims to stop him before another woman is killed. I liked this story, it was unique, with a female protagonist both brave and intelligent