Member Reviews

I found this to be an enjoyable read, keeping me on my toes throughout. The storyline was written well and flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more by this author!

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I appreciate the publisher allowing me to read this book. This is a great mystery that keeps you on the edge of your seat highly recommend.

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Perfect reading for this Halloween season, perfect blend of thrills and scares, and hope there will be more to come.

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I love Rachel Hawkins but I could not connect with his story or the writing. Someone will love it, but not me.

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Comes off as a tv series which is apt because it’s “episode” 1 and there is more so there is a bit of an abrupt ending. Chock full of goth, Victorian era goodness, and horror which is lovely for the season.

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Beatrix is a medium and she knows that ghosts aren't real. But when she holds a séance at a haunted location to prove that she is a real medium, she awakens a vengeful spirit who wants nothing more than to do harm. Can she and man who wants to prove she is a fake come together to stay alive?

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I am a huge fan of the podcast! It is very interesting to see this in novel form! I recommend this for horror fans! Bravo!

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This was so much different than I was expecting. The atmosphere was what I loved about this the most. I feel like it is hard to give a full review because I don’t feel like this is a full story. I definitely feel like this is a story I would love to binge once all the parts are released.

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The Haunting f Beatrix Greene by Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parsons, Vicky Alvear Shecter
Genre: Historical Fiction, Horror, Romance
Publisher: Serial Box
Publish Date: 28 October 2021

Star Rating 3.5/5

This story is readable and enjoyable but it didn’t hold my attention like other books I have read. It was just missing something.

I liked the story growth of the main characters and loved the supporting characters a lot but there were some interactions between some characters that I found to be grating. For example when the two women meet they completely understand each other enough to call each other sisters…. This book was written by three people but if it wasn’t pointed out I wouldn’t have known. The three authors worked really well together and the story flowed beautifully.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an E-ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

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This was an interesting read. I actually finished the whole series listening to it on Realm. It was about nine parts.

The plot resolves around the medium, Beatrix, and an invitation to do a séance at Ashbury Manor. The manor has a history of death. The questions are; Does Beatrix truly have psychic abilities and what is behind the history of the manor? All of these questions are answered in the audio series on Realm.

There are sound effects and different narrators for the audio series. There are nine parts and each part runs between 30 - 55 minutes long. Definitely worth a listen!

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Loved this book and its creepy atmosphere! This read was a perfect way to kick off spooky season!!!!!!!

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This was such a fun and spooky read! I loved every second of it! I am so glad I got approved for this collection!

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I can see how this would work well as a serial—the need to know what happens next in this spooky tale would be fun and drive anticipation as you wait for the next chapter. However, reading it all together took away a little of the magic and made it feel a little rushed. I would’ve liked to have more time spent on the ancient Celts, and their connection to the story, and how the Roman soldier’s ring had been taken from James’s father’s hand? Also, what was that thing in the pit?

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I was not able to get into this book, so I will not be reviewing at this time, since I have not finished it. If I end up reading it at a later date, I will review at that time. Thank you!

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The Haunting of Beatrix Greene by Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parkins & Vickey Alvear Shecter: Victorian England is all a buzz with the practice of Spiritualism and mediums. Beatrix Greene is skilled in taking money from those who wish to speak to their loved ones on the other side. Of course, she only does so after giving them messages of love and peace even if it is all a fabrication. When a Mr. James Walker makes it his personal mission to defraud people like her Beatrix seeks out one of his lectures. Keep your friends close but your enemies closer. Their meeting doesn't go exactly as she expected when James requests to hire Beatrix to help determine whether or not Ashbury Manor is or is not haunted. Unable to turn down the sum James offers, Beatrix and her assistant Harry arrive at the Manor along with an American photographer as well as a famous writer to be witnesses in the evening's seance. Hoping to get the evening over with quickly and pocket more money that she can make in a year Beatrix's plan to frost the scene with some emotional declarations quickly unravels as Ashbury Manor appears to have other plans for James Walker's guests. Y'all! Spooky season is nearly upon us and what a quirky little book this was to get me in the mood for all things witchy and pumpkin. "The Haunting of Beatrix Greene" is written in mini-episodes which makes for a quick read. For podcast lovers, this book is also a fully produced nine episode podcast (multiple voice actors, sound effects, the works...) which can be found on Apple Podcasts. If you are into horror, thrillers and the paranormal give this one a try. I'm looking forward to checking out the podcast, too! Thank you to NetGalley and Serial Box for a copy in exchange for an honest review.

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This just didn’t end up being a book that interested me. When I first read the premise, I was very excited and invested, but getting into it made it clear that it just wasn’t for me. Hopefully it works for others out there!

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Living in secret guilt for fooling the world of her spiritual abilities, Beatrix decides to take one big assignment to help her settle down for life, and proving her mettle to the world at the same time. While she is hesitant on taking this task, knowing that her potential employer strives to discredit mediums and spiritual communicators such as herself, she is unaware of what the latter's true motives are. In the manor house, they are both facing the wrath of a vengeful spirit and have to work together to douse the spirit's anger. This was a very pacy supernatural thriller, and I loved the build-up to the manor house encounter. I had a great time reading this book, and my thanks to the authors Hawkins, Parsons, and Shecter, and the publishers Serial Box, for gifting me with a copy of this book.

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I originally received an ARC through NetGalley, & was enjoying the story, when I had an issues with the file. I was missing part of the story & wasn’t able to finish. I recently discovered I could grab a copy on Amazon, & I’m so glad I did! I think this was a unique, interesting story. I almost always enjoy a good mystery mixed in with a bit of romance, & this definitely fit the bill. I’ll definitely be checking out more by the authors.

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Thank you so much to NetGalley and Serial Box for providing me with an ARC of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

All quotes are taken from The Haunting of Beatrix Greene by Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parsons, and Vicky Alvear Schecter.

// Content warning: death, violence, gore, mature content //

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// Quick Statistics //
Overall: 4/5 Stars
Plot: 3/5 Stars
Characters: 2/5 Stars
Setting: 5/5 Stars
Writing: 4/5 Stars
Memorability:4/5 Stars

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// Quick Review //
A mediocre novel, The Haunting of Beatrix Greene features a haunting yet very predictable tale. Not to say that its predictability makes it any less horrifying and creepy.

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"'Twenty years ago... my mother killed my little brother. Then she killed herself.'"

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// Other Information //
Publisher: Serial Box
Page Count: 23 pages – this is what both the Amazon and Goodreads pages say the page count is. However, it is far longer. I don’t have an exact page count because the Kindle app does not allow for you to see the page count of mobi files. But I’d say this novel is at least 150 pages.
Release Date: August 7, 2020
Series: The Haunting of Beatrix Greene #0.1
Genre: Fiction, Adult, Young adult, Horror, Historical fiction, Gothic, Paranormal, Mystery, Supernatural, Fantasy, Historical, Romance

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// Book Description (via Goodreads) //
In Victorian England, a savvy spiritual medium must outsmart the most important client of her career: a scientist determined to expose frauds like her.

But their game of wits has fatal consequences when a vengeful spirit answers their summons. If they cannot put aside their prejudices—and growing passion—and find a way to banish the ghost together, one of them could be its next victim.

Get a sneak peek of The Haunting of Beatrix Greene by bestselling authors Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parsons, and Vicky Alvear Schecter.

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// Characters //
I have to start of my review of the characters by saying that this is where the novel lacked the most. I felt that while the idea of the characters was interesting, it was not executed well. I don’t know whether this stems from the fact that there were three authors collaborating on this novel, but the novel still lack consistent characters.

Besides the inconsistencies with the characters, I also found that they were mostly flat and didn’t have a life to them. However, I did love the interactions between the characters. I thought that these were written perfectly.

The novel follows the journey of Beatrix Greene, a medium who’s… not really a medium. Her assistant, Harry, was by far my favorite character; he’s just adorable, aloof, and hilarious.

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"It undid her. Thoroughly. This man, this odd, distant man, who had grown up in a house of blood and terror and was even now looking at her, with all her own demons, and seeing her. Truly seeing her. Admiring her. Understanding her. Oh, it was foolish and mad, and she might regret it, but right now, she could not see how."

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// Writing and Setting //
When I first heard that The Haunting of Beatrix Greene was written by 3 different authors collaborating together, I was very excited because I thought that all of them would bring something different to the table. However, I found that this was not the case. Despite being descriptive and perfectly spooky, there was no difference between the chapters written by the three authors.

Personally, my favorite part of this novel was its haunting atmosphere. The Haunting of Beatrix Greene captures the spookiness and peril of the situation perfectly. The Ashbury Manor, a haunted manor FYI, is a place that Beatrix and Harry must explore to prove it is haunted.

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"It is not the first night screams have rung through the halls of Ashbury Manor. It will not be the last."

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// Plot //
I have mixed feelings about the plot. On the one hand, investigating a haunted murder mystery seems very interesting to me. On the other, I felt that the mystery itself was not very present.

However, the spookiness that was promised was definitely there! I kept glancing at the corners of my room during the night wondering what was lurking there... perhaps the ghosts from the novel.

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"...she had been the dead. Been possessed by the dead. It was real, and suddenly Beatrix was part of this... place. This haunting."

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// Overall Review //
While I do feel that there were some issues that could be improved upon, The Haunting of Beatrix Greene is a spooky and promising start to the series that Rachel Hawkins, Ash Parsons, and Vicky Alvear Schecter have created.

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Rachel Hawkins is another author who keeps me coming back for more and with the partnership along with Ash Parsons and Vicky Alvear Shecter, I knew this was a book I had to read.
Thank you Netgalley for the advanced readers copy.

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