Owl Manor

"5.0 out of 5 stars An exciting read! 

Reviewed in the United States on August 19, 2020 Verified Purchase

I eagerly awaited Book Two of the Owl Manor Trilogy and it was totally worth the wait. Book Two continues the story of Owl Manor with Abigail, the next generation to inherit Owl Manor and its dark legacy of unexplained murders, madness, “evil in the walls that seem to breathe” and owls who attack certain people and protect others.

Zita Harrison writes with such rich and descriptive language that I felt as if I was watching a movie instead of reading her book on my Kindle. She paints pictures with her words. I could visualize and actually feel I was “in the room where it happened.” The story line just flows. Although her genre is Gothic Horror, her style has a hopefulness that keeps it from being depressingly dark. Yes, there are those ghastly murders, ominous owls and spirits that drift from their world to ours (you’ll want to make sure your windows and doors are locked) but there is also the personal journey of the heroine, Abigail, who says at one point: “ The frost on the pane, which had seemed so ominous before, now reminded me of beautiful lace. Why had I not seen that before? Is the world, in the end, just a reflection of one’s state of mind?” Read the book to discover if Abigail is transformed or destroyed by the betrayals and horrors she experiences.

I highly recommend “Owl Manor: Abigail” if you are looking for an exciting read. Then together we can anticipate the final book in the Owl Manor Trilogy-“Owl Manor: Nightfall.”

5.0 out of 5 stars ABSOLUTELY A KICK A$$ READ!!!

Reviewed in the United States on August 31, 2020 Verified Purchase

OMFG!! I highly recommend this book if you're looking for a phenomenal edge of your seat read & need the lights on to read it!! You'll have to read the first book, but you'll fly thru it in no time because I couldn't put that book down & the only reason I'd stop was because I needed to get my heart rate down!!! And this book is off the charts!! Incredible detail, that's what makes this author so unique, no holding back & that's the whole point of what makes it scary as hell!! You've read what the book is about, so I don't waste time with details because you just need to read them!! So what are you waiting for??? But the books & be prepared for one helluva great scare!!!

5.0 out of 5 stars Owls and the Spirits of the Dead

Reviewed in the United States on September 1, 2020

Zita Harrison has penned a sombre and chilling sequel to her masterpiece of gothic horror, Owl Manor: The Dawning. Channelling Emily Brontë, she's chosen just the right words to transport the reader back to those days of manor houses and ladies' maids, a time that seems to be perfect for scenes of horror to unfold.

It's a good idea to read the first book in order to have a full appreciation of how poor Abigail came to be such a cold, self-repressed person. I was concerned for the emotionally neglected child she was in The Dawning. It made me happy that Patty, the housekeeper to Rafe Bradford, the late owner of Owl Manor, was there to be supportive and nurturing to Abigail then, and again when she returns.

The first guests who appear as Abigail begins renting rooms in the Manor as a mountain resort fill out the cast of well-developed characters colorfully. Without spending a lot of time with each one, they're still adequately endowed with unique personalities, moving the story forward at a good pace.

The effects of rising tension among guests, staff, and Abigail herself, as the owls reappear and all kinds of frightening supernatural activity occur, made me race through the pages until the climax of this excellent novel. I look forward to the third book in the Owl Manor trilogy!

5.0 out of 5 stars Good as the first

Reviewed in the United States on October 5, 2020

The author writes wonderful tales of gothic horror weaved with truths of historical past. Book #2 of Owl Manor Trilogy follows the life of Abigail as the proprietor of the home she lived in as a teen. After a failed engagement she returns to it and turns it into a long term Inn. Most of the people who come to stay seem to have their own hidden secrets. Like Abigail herself who struggles with emotions due to not getting the love & attention from her mother she fights her own internal ghosts. Add that to the actual ghosts of the Manor, shady guests, creepy storms & owls always watching.

You get a fabulously written story with feelings & emotional struggles many people go through themselves woven into a dark gothic feel with some historical accuracy of the times the story is set into. I breezed through book #1 and #2 it's so well written and descriptive. Eagerly awaiting to find what Zita Harrison will give us in book #3, the conclusion of this trilogy.

5.0 out of 5 stars … “Owl Manor had been home to too much atrocity — it had been defined by it.” …

Reviewed in the United States on August 27, 2020Verified Purchase

This is the second part of a trilogy and you really have to read Owl Manor - The Dawning first. In fact, I reread it in preparation of reading this book (time well-spent)...

Fourteen years after that horrific night, the owls descend once again upon the old manor... A few days later, Abigail returns to the only home she has ever known, Owl Manor. She catches the remaining staff by surprise, not having sent news of her impending arrival. Abigail has plans for the house, but will the circumstances allow her to make the changes? The staff speculate about what might have driven her back to the manor...

One year later, Owl Manor is opened for long term stays. Hopeful guests must be interviewed and pre-approved by Abigail. She is surrounded by a faithful staff led by Patty Green, upon whom she came to rely upon heavily. Soon, the manor is filled to capacity with guests, who have been approved for varying lengths of stay. The guests are Elwood King, Victor Highmore, Alan Shaw, Clarence Beechworth, Lavinia Thompson and Harriet Cooper. The story told from points of view Abigail, Elwood, Victor and Patty. Who has deep, dark secrets buried deep inside? Everything is not what it appears to be...

From chills running down your spine, to thrills that will keep you on the edge of your seat, and more... This story takes you deep into Owl Manor and its current occupants... You can feel the atmosphere surrounding you, enclosing you, terrifying you... Once you start reading, you will not be able to stop... The gifted storytelling by Ms. Harrison will leave you gasping for breath and wondering what could possibly happen next... When you get to the end, you will be left begging for the final book in this trilogy... I am (im)patiently waiting and Book 3 cannot come so enough... Owl Manor might be ""a grotesque place with a grotesque history,"" but I cannot get enough of it!"