THE WRAITH – by Mark Wheaton

“The wraith comes for everyone in our family without exception. And once you see her, you are next.”

At times I wanted to yell out like Annie Wilkes, ‘“He didn’t get out of the C*CKADOODIE CAR!”’, in a couple of scenes that did not transition as seamlessly from one to the next as others—specifically regarding Cecily’s mindset, the setting, and the state of her attire that’s not noted by a character or two.

Now, for the fun parts! The way Wheaton portrays the Wraith is creepy as f*ck and I love every disturbing minute of it. There is an aspect surrounding her, San spoilers, that when done well, amps up the creepy factor times ten. Also, I LOVE the ending!

I had a blast reading THE WRAITH, and cannot wait to see what Wheaton comes up with next. Thank you, NetGalley and South Bound Films, for providing me with an eBook at the request of an honest review.

Cecily is left and orphan at a very young after witnessing her mothers tragic death which coincided with the appearance of a horrific wraith. Cecily is plagued by these events for years and then receives news that a relative in France desires to meet with her. Enroute to France the dreadful wraith appears to Cecily again and she barely escapes the incident alive. The story continues with the history of the wraith coming to light. I enjoyed the audiobook immensely, my only complaint is being left wondering why the wraith was unsatisfied after everything.

Not for me. Unfortunately I found this one too slow paced and it just got more strange as it went on. Not horrible though. Others seemed to have enjoyed it. I really think it’s a “try it for yourself” book.

This book was excellent at times but less promising than it appeared. Some pacing issues prevented the thrill of the plot from doing its job. Overall, a good book but not for readers who are picky about pace.

Cecily Underwood and her mother never stayed in one place for too long and avoided large crowds since they left France.
After her mother died under tragic circumstances, she
inherited a fortune from her great-grandmother who is dying to see her for the last time. Unfortunately, Marguerite LeClercq had been found dead an apparent suicide.

Though they were long estranged, Cecily believes the wraith has something to do with it. She knew the tragedies that had befallen her family had lived on in the form of a curse and carried it down through the centuries.

About half the story, I felt a little disoriented, but it fits in Cecily's current state of mind. She hadn't known her family history and the curse capable of making everyone suffer. This is a story of unsettling revenge in a slow-burn horror that sends chills down your spine. I give 4 ⭐️

Thanks to @netgalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

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Looks like I enjoyed this book more than some others did. I didn't find that it dragged at all, and the main character thankfully didn't suffer from "man writing a woman" syndrome- I found her believable and likeable, and her quirks and troubles made sense. The imagery throughout was eerie, and something I could easily picture as a movie- the descriptions throughout were rich.

What I enjoyed most, however, was the explanation behind the wraith- the idea of a supernatural haunting being the manifestation of years of familial guilt was reminiscent of the Babadook's exploration of grief become manifest. It's not something I can recall encountering in a book before.

My only criticism is the lack of explanation for what the original ancestor did- I do understand and respect the decision to not explore his atrocity fully, but one odd detail to me was that one of the unearthed bodies was described as looking just like the wraith. I know the intent is to muddy the waters of whether the wraith is of outside origin or a manifestation of guilt, but since it was brought up, I would have liked a little more of a clue one way or another.

Either way, a very enjoyable read. I'll be looking for more from this author.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for providing a free copy in exchange for an honest review!

This one started strong but ended like a soap opera that's been going on for too long, the story just got weirder and weirder. This one is more like a funhouse experience.

Definitely a book with creepy aspects to it! Wraith was well written with interesting characters. I do wish it was a bit scarier, because I like my books scary. However, for a reader who wants some creepiness and some depth of characters, this is a great book!

Thank you Netgalley for a copy of this ARC to review.

When Cecily was a child, she witnessed her mother's death. Now, she gets the news that she has a dying relative who wants to see her. But she's haunted by a wraith and she can't seem to get away. Wraith starts out with a bang, and I liked the idea of a protagonist whose first love is trees and plants! There are some gothic elements here with family secrets, secluded forests, old castles, and a terrible curse. I thought Paris comes alive in the book, it makes you feel like you're traveling with Cecily. The scenes where wraiths suddenly appear to Cecily are pretty creepy.

However, the storyline leaves a lot to be desired for me because it feels unfocused. There's a family curse, but also a murder investigation, a historical finding, and an inheritance division. I found it unbelievable that Cecily is always stumbling into shocking discoveries but the police barely bat an eye. The LeClerq family tree is pretty confusing because there are characters with the same name, so when they refer to someone it could mean someone else. The ending is not satisfying, I wish the book is willing to show Cecily do the hard thing in resolving the curse after everything we've been shown. I think this is suitable for readers who like cozy horror vibes.

What sounded like a strong premise that would deliver all the scares I was hoping for, unfortunately, ended up being a bit of a disappointment.

Wraith follows the story of a young girl who witnessed the murder of her mother. Having a start like that I was expecting this book to be much more dark and gritty when instead it is more of what I would call a thriller than horror.

There are some strong elements to this story, but overall it just didn't come together for me to deliver what I was expecting.

If you’re looking for some fun time with a supernatural horror, then look no further because WRAITH gives you that almost cinematic enjoyment.

I realize, now that I think about it, I haven’t read a ton of supernatural horror stories. I’m usually the kind of reader who gravitates towards psychological and those tend to end up more earthbound rather than otherworldly. Reading this book, I admit I had a few instances where I wondered if things would go a bit more psychological or not, but no, this is definitely a fun supernatural story. And I know I keep saying it for a lot of my recent reads, but it would also make a good movie. Just saying.

I liked the imagery of the book, the haunted old estates, a family curse and the whole gothic vibe of the story. The characters who appeared alongside the protagonist, Cecily, were likable yet perhaps a little unobtrusive, and Cecily herself was okay if a little clueless at times. The story was definitely intriguing and exciting-we all love a good ol’ family curse after all- but I felt it had holes in it from time to time that I let flow for the sake of the narration.

This was an entertaining read, I can’t wait to read more from this author. I loved imagining everything related to the curse, and read about its history. I also very much enjoyed that the story was so involved with trees. If you’ve watched enough nature documentaries your mind is able to conjure up the most beautiful images for this story.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* wouldn't mind rereading this for sure, pretty creepy but wish it would have been scarier

Wraith is a creepy, effective horror novel that deals with intergenerational trauma. I had a ton of fun going along on Cecily's journey as she sought to figure out what was going on and more importantly, why. Gothic horror vibes echo throughout the whole novel, but it doesn't also fall completely into the gothic horror genre, if that makes sense. Rene and Cecily are well-developed, fleshed out characters who are interesting and make the reader care about them. Rene in particular was one of my favorites!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more from Mark Wheaton. Definitely give Wraith a read, especially if you're looking for a relatively quick read on a dark and stormy night!

For some reason, this book just didn't do it for me. I didn't find it particularly frightening, and I thought Cecily, the protagonist, was rather irritating. While I admire Wheaton's decision to write an agoraphobic and extremely introverted character, being inside her mind was taxing for me as a reader. Cecily was perpetually anxious and spends a large portion of the book running around panicking, whether in the woods or the streets of Paris.

I thought the 'scavenger hunt' Marguerite left for Cecily was over-wrought; why wouldn't she just write Cecily a letter instead of leaving around mysterious clues like necklaces and words scribbled in sketches? Obviously it was a way for Wheaton to stretch out the mystery, but it felt improbable and impractical. I also found the twist/reveal to be out of left field. This one just wasn't for me.

Cecily LeClerq appreciated the company of plants over people, and would describe her social anxiety as being somewhere between an allergy and a phobia, depending on the situation. She avoided large crowds of any kind, and chose to live alone in a camper on the banks of the river outside Charleston, spending most evening sleeping under the stars. Those who knew her though felt that Cecily was living her best life though, especially considering the traumatic way she had lost both of her parents at such a young age.

Cecily’s father died soon after her birth, and her mother Sandrine never fully recovered. For much of her young life, the two were constantly on the move, traveling up and down the eastern seaboard every few months. Cecily didn’t know exactly what her mother was always running from, but she did know that her mother had never spent long anywhere since she had left France to come to America and that Sandrine was absolutely terrified of being around others.

Cecily was in her early teens when she witnessed her mother’s death, having been chased into the ocean by a horrifying ghastly woman that Cecily always thought was a figment of her imagination.

Ten years later, when a stranger arrives to inform her that one of her distant elderly relatives is desperate to see her before she dies, Cecily travels deep into the woods of France. There she will learn of an ancient curse that has been placed on her family, causing the death of many throughout the generations. The curse itself always personified by a terrifying wraithlike woman.. Will she finally learn the truth behind her mother’s death, and if so, is there anything she can do to finally break the curse once and for all?

To be completely honest, this book was not what I was expecting in a lot of ways, but that really ended up not being a bad thing at all. With plenty of horror, the mystery aspect of this shone through equally and I thoroughly enjoyed the fast-paced thrill of Cecily’s search for the truth behind it all.

☠️ Wraith ☠️
by: Mark Wheaton
⭐️⭐️⭐️/3 stars
Genre: Horror/Fiction/Gothic/Mystery/Thriller/Paranormal
Thank you @netgalley
for the copy 😊

The book starts out as Cecily LeClercq is a young girl. During a hurricane like storm on the shores of Myrtle Beach, Cecily witnesses the death/suicide of her mother. But that wasn't the only thing she saw. Described as having long, matted hair, sharp pointed fingernails, slate colored skin and black eyes with slivers of deep red running through them. She carries this image with her into adulthood.

One day a visitor from Paris shows up to inform Cecily that her great grandmother has requested her presence before she passes. Unfortunately, she dies before Cecily arrives but the "wraith" is back. It's following her everywhere and she needs to find the origin of this family curse to be rid of it for good.

The ending wasn't what I was expecting because there were still a few unanswered questions. Maybe that was intentional?

A story is always interesting to me when deep, dark and hidden secrets come into play. Oh, and a curse. I like when an ancient curse is thrown in. Let the mystery and adventure begin. A gothic ghost story that engrosses the reader to follow Cecily and her quest to find out why a curse was placed on her family. An enjoyable ghost story.

Disclaimer: Thank you to NetGalley Southbound Films for this ARC, I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This one pulled me in and kept me engaged throughout! The characters are well written and enjoyable. I would say that this is more of a mystery and not a horror, so please be aware of that going in. While I didn't get any chills that horror books often give, the mystery of this story is very well done. In the end some parts are a bit ambiguous, but I think that adds to the over feeling of the story. Definitely worth the read!

A family legacy that comes with a curse. What could go wrong?

Cecily suffered a tragedy as a child when she lost her mother to suicide. Though she remembers a supernatural figure stalking her and her mother the night she died she has come to terms with that being something her mind conjured up when she was a child. Now, she learns her great-grandmother is dying in France and requests her last living relative, Cecily, to come to meet her in person as she needs to speak with her. Cecily agrees and takes a trip to France that turns into a nightmare and fight for her life.

This was a pleasant surprise for me. I chose to read this on the cover/title alone and went in totally blind so I had zero expectations. The mystery surrounding the curse and Cecily's family history kept me intrigued through every chapter. Cecily and the side characters are well thought out and most of them are easy to like (except the ones you aren't supposed to like). Wheaton's writing is also easy to follow along and keeps you paying attention.

The only two slight issues I had with this was. First, there wasn't a clear cut answer that I was hoping for. However, I wouldn't say the ending leaves you hanging, but it wasn't the tidy ending I like. Which, of course, is just a personal preference. Second, time would jump mid paragraph with no indication of it. For example, the MC will be walking through the forest and the next sentence she is back at her apartment. Wasn't too big a deal but definitely kept me on my toes throughout the book.

Overall, I recommend!

After witnessing the death of her mother at a young age under mysterious circumstances, Cecily grows up alone without her birth family. Then out of blue she is summoned to urgently meet her dying great grandmother. Cecily soon learns about the family curse and the wraith that hunts her and everyone with the LeClercq name.

Not quite a horror book, more mystery. Some elements led it to be a bit confusing in terms of exactly why the wraith existed, why it continues to haunt even though the LeClercq history was uncovered, and the painstaking actions to get rid of it were realised.