this was a really enjoyable horror novel, I liked the setting and atmosphere. I also really enjoyed the characters and the way the author writes.

Was Works premise was exciting and I could not wait to read it. There were to many characters and not enough information about them or time with them.

When I heard the premise of the story I was really intrigued and wanted to read it right away.

An old school for girls in Switzerland goes out of business after a teacher is murdered. Years later the building serves as a very weird and eerie wax museum with wax figures spread throughout the hallways. But it also serves as a hotel.

One day some of the older students from the school come back and bring with them a filming crew. In style of Supernatural Encounters they want to film the creepiness of the place, tell the story and with some luck catch a couple of ghosts on camera.

Even though I really enjoyed the story, I felt like there were many characters that were all mixed together very fast and it did not give the reader time to get to know them and separate them from each other later. There are too many scenes changing all the time between charcters and it gets a bit confusing. This would have worked really well as a movie.

A weird horror Inspector Clouseau? This feels like a strange fever dream where the author has mixed together police mysteries, boarding school hauntings, and madame Tussauds. It kinda works, though.
It's altogether good fun to read, though it can be a little flat in parts. I'd keep an eye on this author.

Minor Spoilers

4.5/5

Possibly one of the strangest, inconceivably written horror novel of the year. I came into this anticipating a HOUSE OF WAX feel based on the synopsis and title itself. What I read was completely unexpected. Let me explain:

Two Americans (Lauren and Rachel) reconvene at Château Mont Rose, a former school for girls in Switzerland, and both are former alumni themselves. The castle, after years of neglect, has been converted into an unusual wax museum, and the wax figures immediately begin to transmit eerie vibes. It’s not just a vacation or reunion; the two join a paranormal film team, lead by director and producer Dominick, a Tommy Wiseau wannabee, and his over dramatic companion Helena Stamoulos, a former student herself, now a clairvoyant occultist.

The crew begins streaming some live paranormal episodes filled with absurd reenactments and revolting storylines. At one castle, the team accidentally channels the entity of Mary Shelly, and chaos and mayhem follows. Eventually, Mont Rose comes back into the picture, and that is a separate story in itself filled with a murderous history and somewhat gothic subplot. Unbeknownst to the crew, a serious investigation is being conducted behind the scenes by the Sûreté, and one detective is taking matters personally.

Simpson-Urrutia, linguistics being one of her many specialties, doesn’t shy away from Swiss beauty and culture. This atmospheric approach spread throughout the novel, is unveiled through humor and romance. Overall, a great read to for autumn.