Member Reviews
Haunted Castles of England is a fascinating insight into the lush and vibrant history of England. Filled with vivid photos and eyewitness accounts of hauntings, this book is a must read for anyone interested in ghosts and the history of England. The book is organized by region so it makes for a handy reference, and the addition of websites for the different castles so you can continue researching after the close the book is great. Anyone interested in history, and especially haunted history, should add this book to their shelves.
Haunted Castles of England does exactly what it says on the tin. It is not a groundbreaking book by any means, but it was fun to flick through on a Sunday afternoon.
I LOVE paranormal/haunted places. This is a great book. JG Montgomery really made me want to go and experience these haunted places for myself! This book had great pictures and the haunting details were fascinating!
Thank you to Llewellyn Publications and Netgalley for this ARC!
I absolutely loved this book! It so made me want to visit those haunted places, I just love everything spooky and scary, want to dive into those castles and maybe stay at a few just to get that spooky vip. Nothing I love more.then a scary place to put you in the. Mood at the right time of.the year and maybe a little beyond.
Each of the haunted castles highlighted in this book contains a photo, a brief history, and an anecdote or two about any ghost sightings. It's an interesting format, because it reads almost as a reference book, making it hard to stay interested for more than few sections at a time. I did enjoy reading the short histories of each of the castles.
Full review to come.
I deeply apologize, but life is a handful lately and I'm using all my free time to read, not review. I hope everybody understands.
This book is amazing. Photos, history and ghost stories. What more can one ask for. Oustanding and very good read. Thanks to NetGalley, the author and the publisher for the ARC of this book. Although I received the book in this manner, it did not affect my opinion of this book nor my review.
I received an ARC of this from the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.
This book was filled with interesting history and facts of things that go bump in the night, or in some cases, during the day. Some pictures are included of various castles, or what remains of them. The book is divided into geographical areas in England where each of the castles can be conveniently categorized. The castles have their own neat chapter, and each ghost has its own little feature complete with brief history in the section.
It is very easy to read but there is a ton of information in here. It's one of those books where it might be better to pick it up here and there and just read a chapter on a dark, dreary, rainy day/night. I found reading it all at once was a bit overwhelming.
This book is not about ghost hunting so much as the locations, their history, and the ghosts that inhabit the grounds. It does contain stories/accounts from various people that have experienced the paranormal phenomena in those locations; it's interesting to see how the ghosts interact with different people.
I also have a fascination with Anne Boleyn, so perhaps just one of my many favourite tidbits that I retained was that she doesn't just haunt one location but at least 3! That, to me, is so cool!
I must digress though. Any ghost enthusiast should pick this up or even anyone travelling to the UK with a penchant for the paranormal.
My rating: 3 of 5 stars, I liked it.
I love reading about ghosts and haunted places, and I love history, so this was a good read. As an American, I did have to ask my English husband what the different property designations meant, though. Each castle had a bit of its history and where possible a link to the castle's website. I actually did find myself tapping on a link, just to learn more. It was the perfect read right before Halloween.
I have always loved reading books about haunted places especially castles, so this was a treat. J.G. Montgomery's book 'Haunted Castles of England" to me was a perfect read. Not only is it packed with ghostly places but you'll also get a history lesson too. Montgomery definitely did his research for "Haunted Castles of England."
I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a ghost story, but also to learn more about England's dark and grand history!
Ok for awhile I though that this must be the most bland collection of ghost stories found in the castles in England. But then I checked, and since it's non-fiction, the blandness accounts for it. It is a very matter-of-fact description of different castles in England (a summary actually), from who owned it and what happened there, and the stories of ghosts or paranormal activity within. I guess with the occasional slip of the author into his perspective, it does lack in the building up of the story. I guess after numerous grey, white, green or blue ladies, it does get repetitive. And also, at some point in some summaries, you feel as though the author just wanted to mention out there that oh, there's a dog that growls or some soldiers marching....all this done rather hurriedly so we can get to the next castle. All in all, a decent book, one that needs to be taken in pieces and certainly makes me want to visit these grand castles.
Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this copy!
JG Montgomery’s Haunted Castles of England is a good introduction to almost 100 haunted English castles. Montgomery provides rich historical information that is brief and easy to read. However, the writing is a little dry. If you’re new to the paranormal, this book is a great place to start. However, if you’re more advanced in your paranormal reading or you’re looking for something with more substance, you can probably skip this one.
I had absolutely no idea that there were so many haunted castles in England! This book provides some fascinating insight into English history, the country’s beautiful architecture and the spirits that still inhabit them. I love the memorable introduction which creates a wonderfully spooky atmosphere. The book features a brief and informative write-up on each castle, giving historical background, information about the ghosts and some eyewitness accounts of paranormal experiences. I really appreciate that the entries are succinct but still educational and easy to read. The book also includes several pictures of the castles. I like that the author provides website links so that we can learn more about each castle.
However, while I like the book and I appreciate the brevity of the writing, I think that the writing is a little repetitive and flat. I wish that Montgomery had made the descriptions of the ghosts and castles more interesting and detailed. I do realize that many of the hauntings in different locations share similarities. However, after a while, they began to blend together and I forgot which castle I was reading about. More detailed descriptions of the ghosts would have made each entry more unique. Additionally, I would have liked more pictures of the castles as well as a few pictures of the ghosts when they were alive.
Although a few of Montgomery’s personal anecdotes are included, they are vague and uninteresting. I would have liked better-written anecdotes as well as some more detailed eyewitness accounts.
This book is a good and basic introduction to haunted English castles. I like the blend of historical facts with information about the hauntings and eyewitness reports. The book is well-researched but it’s not very in-depth. It’s great for beginners to the supernatural world as well as those who are interested in English history and castles. However, if you’re a more advanced paranormal buff, this book may not be very ground-breaking.
I received this copy from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Haunted Castles of England takes readers on a tour of English castles with a reputation of being home to ghostly residents. Readers hoping to find some detailed ghost stories should look elsewhere. The book acts more like a tourist guide of English castles, devoting a paragraph or two to ghosts before moving on to the next castle. I would have preferred more information about the ghost and where they came from and how they connect to the facts of history. The writing was a bit repetitive and often times, photographs were described instead of shown to readers. However, it was an interesting read, and I liked the inclusion of castle websites so readers can learn more about each castle.
One thing I most appreciated about this book is that each castle was accompanied by a link to its official website. The reader is often treated to the history of the castle itself before even moving into the ghost bits, which I also think is hugely important. That background information is so crucial, not only for readers and would-be investigators to come to their own conclusions, but to set the stage for the stories themselves. A good many of these places I would not like to be alone in after dark, but the history nerd in me would loved to traipse the grounds of every single location in the daylight.
The author starts in the only truly logical place on this journey, the Tower of London. In fact, he states from the beginning, "No ghost book would be complete without at least a reference to the Tower of London, given that it is reputedly the most haunted building in England, if not the entire world" (8%). This should come as no surprise, given the history of the place. Some history buffs might find it interesting to learn that very few executions actually took place within the Tower itself, while the majority were carried out on the nearby Tower Hill. Yet for some, notably Anne Boleyn, Margaret Pole, Katherine Howard, and Jane Boleyn (also Jane Grey, though her death warrant came from Mary I, not Henry VIII), they were offered the somewhat private execution at Tower Green. How nice of Henry.
For the most part I feel like the author did an adequate job in giving some kind of back story. I sometimes find myself bored by all the stories of the Gray Lady or the White Lady. I am of the opinion that, if you have literally no source material or any idea as to who the person might be, they're best left out of the story. There were a few such ladies in this one, but nearly as many as I have seen in other similar texts.
Aside from the paranormal experiences, I appreciated the historical material as well. The author knows his stuff and was able to provide enough information about each place in order to show its importance. He used his own experiences as evidence often, which I feel is a must for these kinds of books. I recommend this one for those like me who enjoy or good ghostly tale.
This was an interesting book about haunted castles in England. It was broken into different areas of England. It would be a wonderful guide to use to go to different castles that are haunted. You could go to a castle and see if you have the same experiences as are listed in the book.
Just before the haunted experiences are listed there is a history of the castle. It helped me with the history of England and the people involved.
Haunted Castles of England Tour of 99 Ghostly Fortress by JG Montgomery is a new, passionate, intriguing book released this October by Llewellyn.
This book doesn't have any preface and goes straight to the point: divided per areas, starting from Greater London the book continues with: South East England, South West England, East England, East Midlands, West Midlands, North West Midlands, Yorkshire and the Humber 181, North East England: for every area taken in consideration the description of each castle, what kind of ghost, sometimes more than one, lives in the fortress; why, causes of death of the people/ghosts involved in the story of the castle and what happen when they appear.
If you are a passionate, lover of the topic, and there are many people intrigued by the idea of phantoms in big castles, this one is the perfect guide to bring with you if interested in a tour in England dedicated, also at the discovery of some...phantoms.
You will also find at the beginning of every castle's description the website so that you can contact the owner of the estate with simplicity for trying to discover when possibly you could afford there for a visit.
Many pictures of the castles taken in consideration.
I thank NetGalley and Llewellyn for this eBook.
Anna Maria Polidori
This is a great start into an adventure into Haunted England. The photos were amazing and added to the eerie feel of the stories while still leaving some room for the imagination. For my first haunted dive into a place other than America, I was surprised to learn about the eerie tales of England and the history behind them. Some of the stories did seem a bit repetitive in the different locations but all in all, I will definitely read this again.
I love how this book started! It really put me into the creepy mindset and had me looking over my shoulder (I read this whole book before bed). I could not put it down! I loved reading about all the creepy places and long to go visit one. If you love ghosts, then you'll love this, the pictures just add to the creepy factor. You can tell this book is very well researched and written in a way that just pulls you in and doesn't let you go. I was trying to save this for closer to Halloween but I just couldn't stop once I started.
Thanks to NetGalley for this book in exchange for an honest review.
Will go live on my blog 9/6/2018 (midday)
"Haunted Castles of England," is a well-organised book with a lot of different castles and manors included with its pages. The author did a good job giving descriptions of the various locations and including a brief history for most of them. I liked that the writing was not overly consumed by interviews and anecdotes from the staff of the castles, as some of these books tend to quickly become inundated with such things.
A lot of the haunting activities at the listed locations seem to mirror one another, and I think it would be interesting to see if there is a reason why this is so. Could one haunting have something to do with another, or is this simply a product of our brains following a common stereotype we associate with hauntings? Books like this one make you wonder if there is more to the story than we see at first glance.
This book has some excellent photos. If you were planning a trip to England to visit haunted locations, this would be an excellent book to have with you as a travel guide. I liked the conversational tone the author used whilst writing this book and would recommend it to anyone interested in the lore and legend associated with English castles. Overall, it was a fun romp through some of England's most mysterious locations. I enjoyed it.
This review is based on a complimentary copy from the publisher, provided through Netgalley. All opinions are my own.
I enjoyed reading this book and learning about all the places I hadn’t heard about before. I wish it had gone into more detail and length with the locations, but I understand it would have made for a very long book. I definitely look forward to reading about more haunted locations.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader copy of this book provided by NetGalley.