The Curse of Whitehall Manor - L.V. Pires - ★★★.¾

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AUTHOR: L.V. Pires
SERIES: The Towry Family, #2
GENRE: Gothic Horror 
RATING: 3.75 stars.

In a Nutshell: Almost as horrifying as the first book of the series, though I couldn’t connect as much with the characters this time around. Works as a sequel and not a standalone novel.

Story Synopsis:
Anne is now a resident of Whitehall Manor, and trying to restore the historical house and open it for events in a bid to clear the Towry name. Her now-fiancé Terran is there to lend a hand. However, it's soon clear that Whitehall Manor isn't rid of all its ghosts, literal and metaphorical.
The story comes to us mostly in the first person perspective of Anne, with some historical letters filling in the rest of the gaps.


Bookish Yays:
👻 Though the horror elements take some time to begin, they are quite macabre and left me jittery.

👻 The above also means that I kept flipping the pages as fast as I could. Quite a short book at 236 pages (eighty-six pages shorter than Book One of the series), it feels even faster because of the writing style.

👻 Once again, the premise incorporates an intriguing combination of mental health and horror, and dilutes the partition between the two distinct elements. It also combines paranormal horror and mortifying human behaviour, and I am not sure which shocked/scared me more.

👻 The ending. I hate cliffhanger endings with all my chicken-hearted heart, especially in the paranormal thriller genre, so I was relieved to see a satisfying (though not necessarily complete) resolution for all the main arcs. The ending also hints at where the next book in the series will take place, and I am sure the very nature of that place will lead to more terrifying thrills and chills.


Bookish Mixed Bags:
😖 Some of the story comes to us through historical letters dated more than a century ago. But the language in these felt quite contemporary. That said, the letters were super-creepy and added a lot to the tension of the contemporary timeline.


Bookish Nays:
☠ The initial section felt a bit repetitive. This is primarily due to Anne, whom I found tough to connect with this time around. A part of her behaviour could be attributed to her current tribulations at Whitehall, but a part was also because she refused to communicate her worries with Terran, and relying instead on assumptions. I'm still not sure how many of Anne's thoughts in the book were accurate and how many were just a figment of her imagination. Basically, though I was rooting for Anne, I wasn’t waving my flag of support with as much gusto as the first time around.

☠ The depiction of Anne’s pregnancy felt too simplified, and sometimes, unrealistic.


One track in the book seems inspired by a famous classic tale, the name of which I won’t reveal to you as it is a major spoiler. But this track has the best potential, and though I could see where things were going at the finale, I was invested enough to seek (and find) closure. Now looking forward to read the next book of the series. (I am keeping my fingers crossed that it will be the last book of this series because there are just SO many scary paranormal horror novels I want to read in my lifetime.)

Recommended to those who have read Book One: The Haunting of Whitehall Manor as this works excellently as a sequel but might lead to plot gaps if you dive directly into this volume.

My thanks to author L.V. Pires for providing me with a complimentary copy of “The Curse of Whitehall Manor” at my request. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

The book is available for free to Kindle Unlimited subscribers.

To read my review of the third book in this series - 'The Fall of Whitehall Manor', click HERE.

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