Rosie’s #Bookreview Team #RBRT WHAT HAUNTS ME by @MMillmore #Paranormal #Thriller

Today’s team review is from Judith, she blogs here https://readandreview2016.wordpress.com/

Judith has been reading What Haunts Me by Margaret Millmore

* Title: What Haunts Me
* Published: 2015 (originally published 2014)
* Author: Margaret Millmore
* Started: Friday 27th May 2016
* Finished: Wednesday 1st June 2016

 

What Haunts Me is as a supernatural thriller following the life of George Sinclair, a pretty ordinary guy, when he discovers that he has a pretty extraordinary gift. He can see and kill ghosts – ghosts that plague the living (literally). The sequel to What Haunts Me is due to be published in this summer.

 

As you can see, I finished What Haunts Me rather quickly. The chapters were short, which was particularly noticeable because I read the book on my Kindle iPhone App. This is a mere observation though, as I read a lot of classic novels, so I’m used to much longer novels.

 

When I read the synopsis for What Haunts Me on the RBRT Booklist, I felt pulled towards this book. I’ve been longing to read more paranormal and horror fiction, so this seemed perfect.

I really liked Millmore’s ideas surrounding the paranormal. The notion that ghosts can either be benevolent or malevolent, and are each linked to a living human intrigued me. Also, I think the ghosts’ ability to have a physical, negative impact on their victims – from a common cold, to pushing them towards suicide – was well-explored. I liked Vokkel, the antagonist, who seems to be obsessed with power and control over demonic forces. Coupled with his eerie house and creepy back-story, Vokkel ticked all the boxes of a conventional Gothic character.  On the whole, Millmore expressed a lot of creative ideas about the paranormal, which were enjoyable, and I didn’t mind the direction the plot went in.

 

However, I thought that the paranormal elements of the story were quite tame. The ghosts seemed passive – even the more malevolent ones – and so I didn’t find the book frightening like I originally thought I would. Similarly, I thought that simply poking the ghosts out of existence was a rather anti-climactic way of vanquishing the undead.

 

For me, the issue with What Haunts Me was that it contained numerous typos and lengthy and unnecessary descriptions of every character, however minor. I prefer minimal description; my imagination will do the rest. I also thought that the heavy use of obscure fashion references, after the narrator’s self-professed lack of expertise in this area, took away opportunities to develop the horror side of the tale. 

 

Nonetheless, I enjoyed reading What Haunts Me, as the “raw” story underneath some of the technical let-downs was still interesting and engaging. If you like elements of mystery and the paranormal, I would recommend that you read this book.

 

*Star Rating: 3/5 Stars

 

What Haunts Me is available to buy as an e-book or paperback from Amazon.co.uk and Amazon.com