Review: The Lingering by SJI Holliday @SJIHolliday @OrendaBooks #TheLingering

Release date: September 15, 2018

Publisher: Orenda

Genre: Mystery/Thriller

Blurb:

Married couple Jack and Ali Gardiner move to a self-sufficient spiritual commune in the English Fens, desperate for fresh start. The local village is known for the witches who once resided there and Rosalind House, where the commune has been established, is a former psychiatric home, with a disturbing history.

When Jack and Ali arrive, a chain of unexpected and unexplained events is set off, and it becomes clear that they are not all that they seem. As the residents become twitchy, and the villagers suspicious, events from the past come back to haunt them, and someone is seeking retribution…

At once an unnerving mystery, a chilling thriller and a dark and superbly wrought ghost story, The Lingering is an exceptionally plotted, terrifying and tantalisingly twisted novel by one of the most exciting authors in the genre.

Welcome to my stop on the blog tour for The Lingering!

Review:

If you’re like many readers and like to try and match your reads to the season then have I got the perfect book for you to add to your fall/winter TBR! The Lingering is ideal to dive into this time of year, it has a rich and vivid setting that will get under your skin, and the story itself is intriguing and also toes the line with hints at the supernatural without it totally taking over the plot. An added bonus for me is that it’s set in a commune and that sort of lifestyle absolutely fascinates me and this one was very interesting.

This flips back and forth between Ali’s POV and Angela’s, a valued member of the commune. The entire idea behind this group is that they seek the light in all things. They live in Rosalind House, which was once an old asylum which is such a creepy setting. There are many old stories and legends about what happened on the grounds and Angela is determined to prove there is the presence of ghosts one way or another.

Right away you feel like there is something a bit off about Ali and her husband Jack, but I couldn’t quite pinpoint what made me feel uneasy about them. Was it their vague references to their elusive past? Or maybe it was just the claustrophobic setting and hint of the unknown, but whatever it was, it worked SO well for me. There was a constant sense of dread and a little bit of fear throughout that kept me on the edge of my seat.

I fear discussing the plot further would only spoil things, but I’ll close by saying that this would appeal to a wide variety of readers as it’s mysterious, highly atmospheric and also has a historical vibe due to Rosalind Houses background, and it also went in a few directions I wasn’t expecting and that my friends, is what it’s all about!

The Lingering in three words: Atmospheric, Gripping and Creepy.

Overall rating: 4/5

Thanks to the publisher for my review copy.