Member Reviews
The Last House on the Cliff is a gothic mystery/thriller set in a remote Welsh location. I didn’t guess some of the plots and the suspense was fantastic. I highly enjoyed reading and will be recommending to friends,
What a brilliantly written book with great characters. The old house is creepy with lots of rooms and passages. I couldn’t put the book down wanting to know what happened next and as the mystery developed I became more and more involved in the story. I would certainly recommend the book and will happily give it five stars.
The story is tense and thrilling and keeps you turning the pages until the end. Recommended! Gift yourself a copy, because you'll probably read the whole thing in one sitting. I was very impressed, perfectly structured.
Mystery and Intrigue...Family secrets. Love and romance...Children...more secrets...inheriting...dangerous individuals...kidnapping...death...dying...themes running throughout this novel written by a talented and gifted author. Although the story moves slowly at times, it does come to a satisfying ending. Intriguing actually...guessing what will happen next...a little girl...a mother...a stepfather who is not in the picture anymore...twins...adoption...real parents versus birth parents...frightening...scary...This book was sent to me by Netgalley for review.
I am not even sure where to begin. What a fantastic story! The characters are very likeable, I especially loved the name of the main character, Lowri. The storyline will keep you on the end of your seat. The end felt a little rushed but otherwise, I really enjoyed this book.
Lowri has fond memories of her aunt Gwyn and the time she spent with her on Anglesey. For reasons that she isn't aware of, there was a falling out around the time a local girl disappeared and Lowri hadn't seen her aunt or been back to the house near the cliff edge since she was a little girl. When she is contacted by a solicitor to say her aunt has died, it comes at an opportune moment for Lowri.
The action is mainly focused on the mysterious Welsh house and its inhabitants. Lowri has many questions, some of which are answered...and some of which we start to realise are connected to the events of the past.
This is a story that unfolds in time, with seemingly innocuous details being revealed to be key to events. While I appreciated this when I got to the end, it did lead to a sensation of feeling as if we were going round in circles. With the shifting perspectives I was starting to piece the story together, and it felt frustrating that things weren't resolved until considerably later.
By the time we got to the end it was clear we were dealing with a dark and layered story, which was far more unpleasant than it first seemed. Some of the points focused on the story were something of a diversion, and there were some elements that felt just one step too far.
I'm thankful to NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read and review this early.
As a child Lowri fondly remembers holidays in Anglesey Wales spent with her Aunt Gwyn until they abruptly came to a stop and all contact lost. Years later with a daughter of her own, Lowri returns for Aunt Gwyn's funeral. But straight away she senses a presence and sees someone hiding in the woods, but she's told she's imagining things. When her daughter goes missing she fears the worst.
This is a dark, brooding atmospheric novel with relatable characters, family secrets and dramas and a few twists along the way to keep the reader fully entertained
I thought that this was a really great book. My only complaint would have to be about the ending. It was entirely too abrupt for my liking. I would have either preferred if they just left out the last chapter or if they fleshed out that storyline a bit more. The ending was not bad, it just felt like an unnecessary surprise that would have been fine if the characters involved in the surprise had been more present throughout the book.
Drew me in from the first pages.Read late into the night there ware so many twists and turns they kept me guessing till the last page.So well written so chilling.#netgalley #avonbooksuk
I really enjoyed this strange book. Totally addictive, didn't want to put it down. Some great twists at the end. Interesting variety of characters, touching on mental health issues.
Lowri and her daughter Ruby travel to a secluded island upon the death or her aunt Gwyn. Lowri spent happy summers there as a child but the present day reality is quite different. The island is spooky and her daughter Ruby reports on strange goings-on before ultimately disappearing. Atmospheric and spooky.
Thanks Netgalley for allowing me to read this book. Lowri visits Wales with her daughter to stay at a house her aunt owned. While staying there, strange things start occurring. This book held my attention for the entire book.
Atmospheric, Claustrophobic…
The death of Gwyn brings Lowri, together with young daughter Ruby, back to her home on Anglesey in the north of Wales. They are hoping, perhaps, for a new start in this beautiful place but almost as soon as they arrive a bizarre catalogue of events begins. An atmospheric suspense with a credible cast of characters, a solid sense of time and place and a well crafted plot full of unexpected twists. The atmosphere is heightened by the author’s often beautiful prose and the often claustrophobic, tense narrative.
The novel is constructed brilliantly and tells the story of Lowri returning to a remote island off the Welsh coast with her daughter Ruby to attend her aunt Gwyn's funeral. As the story unfolds Ruby goes missing and Lowri is thrown into turmoil. Murder and the remains of a missing child from the past being discovered create tension, stress and sickness for Lowri. Further turmoil is created when she discovers shocking secrets that the family has kept hidden throughout her life. There are twists and turns, excitement, tension and love captured in the story as you journey with Lowri and her daughter. Excellent novel, well written and worthy of five (5) stars.
Lowri has returned home to the island of Anglesey after discovering that her dear Aunt Gwyn has passed away. Although she hasn't seen her aunt in decades, they always had a close bond, as Lowri spent all of her school holidays there until the age of 12. Now she's returning to the family home with her young daughter, Ruby, as they await the funeral. Aunt Gwyn's home also happens to include a funeral business where Lowri was introduced to death at a very young age. She has no interest in taking it over, and may even sell it depending on what makes the most sense financially. It's currently managed by live-in employees that have been there since Lowri used to visit and she has to keep their best interests in mind, as well.
Upon arrival, she receives the welcome she expected for someone who has been out of contact for years. Although as Lowri sees it, they could have reached out to her, too. So when she discovers what her aunt has bequeathed her, she can't believe her good fortune. Now she and Ruby could remain here and have a fresh start to a much-needed new life. Except she's a little hesitant, due to the strange occurrences that began almost as soon as they arrived. But it is a creepy older home with an attached mortuary, so Lowri's dismisses her initial concerns, Until Ruby disappears.
Lowri wishes she had listened to her gut, as that worn-out old doll that kept appearing seems much more sinister now. And perhaps Ruby wasn't imagining a strange visitor that no one else saw, who she swears was waving to her from the house on the day they arrived. Lowri thinks back about the young girl who disappeared years ago when she used to visit. That girl was never found and she's terrified that Ruby's disappearance could somehow be connected. She doesn't know who to trust or what anyone would have to gain by taking her daughter. And the more she digs into her family's past, the more twisted secrets she discovers.
This was quite an enjoyable story that keeps you guessing until the very end. It's not the first book of this author's that I have read and it certainly won't be the last!
I loved the spooky angle that was present all throughout the book. I kept envisioning all these different plots and directions, and was completely wrong! The last half of the book just throws all these twists at you, and it's a lot of fun.
Yes, I did think the book started off a bit slow and there was a lot of explainer copy that I didn't feel contributed much to the overall story so I did find myself dozing off when it would veer that way. And in terms of the copy, sometimes it felt so beautifully written that I was really swept up in the story and there were other times that it came across as a bit juvenile. And there were definitely a lot of names and characters in the book that I found myself just a bit lost, even when I go to the end, I found myself guessing who was who.
Overall, this is a great thriller with a great plot. I would definitely read it again.
I found this book to be a psychologically gripping tale of love and loss with a bit of a supernatural feel thrown in.
We are first introduced to single mum Lowri and her daughter Ruby, who out of the blue gets a letter from a solicitor informing her of her Auntie Gwyn's death and asking her to be at her Aunts will reading. Lowri then heads back to Anglesey where she spent magical summers as a child but all is not as she remembers it and things take a dramatic dark turn.
This book looks at love, loss, betrayal and greed and delves into what people would do for all of those things and how far would you go to keep a family secret? The characters are well written and work well together, we get to know their back stories which adds a bit more depth to them. What I like most about them is how the author throws a lot of suspicions on each and every one so you never really know who to trust. It reminded me of the old murder mystery classics where there were a lot of red herrings thrown in to keep you guessing.
As gripping as this book was I did struggle with the first couple of chapters to get a feel for the storyline and sometimes the chapters moving between perspectives made it a little tricky to follow.. The police procedures and the way Lowri helped wrap up the investigation into Ruby's disappearance I found to be a little far fetched..
However saying that I highly recommend this book, it has twists and turns running all the way thorough and just when you think you have it worked out a new little twist in thrown in to keep you guessing. Fantastic read.
Lowri returns to a remote island in Wales with her daughter Ruby after the death of her aunt. Lowri grew up visiting her aunt until the day a little girl goes missing. Now, her daughter Ruby is missing and now Lowri has uncovered secrets from her past.
I hate giving bad reviews, but this book just didn’t do it. There was something off with the pacing of this book and the story just didn’t flow like it could have. I also didn't find the book as creepy as I expected it to be. I feel like this book could have been executed a little differently.
Thank you NetGalley, Anne Wyn Clark and Avon Books Uk for letting me read “The Last House on the Cliff”.
“A secluded island. A missing child. A home built on lies”.
I love the cover. It’s kept in dark blues, like a stormy night on a cliff. Full points for the cover.
I have to say that I have a thing for novels taken place in Wales. This one takes place in Anglesey in North Wales. The book is mainly told from the point of Lowry. We also get a glimpse on Lewis’ perspective and halfway through the book we have “the girls story”. Clark’s writing style sucks you in from the first sentence you read. I love how she described the house, you can see it in front of your inner eye. While the beginning is a bit slow, it does pick up.
Lowry spent every summer of her childhood with Auntie Gwyn. Years later, with a child -Ruby- if her own, Lowry returns to the Island after being notified of the death of her Auntie. She didn’t have it easy and now she returns to the place that felt safe to her as a child. Soon strange things begin to happen and worst of all, Ruby disappears as well. There is a strange woman only Ruby can see and we’ll, then there are the dolls…
The characters were well rounded. Additionally we get glimpses of the past. Dark secrets are looming and the story has some twists and turns.
I definitely would recommend the book. The writing is very solid, with good characters and a gloomy atmosphere. Some of the twists were really easy to figure out, others not.
I l enjoyed The Last House on The Cliff, it is suspenseful edgy in a creepy way. The storyline is good a solid plot with twists. But it does go back and forth which can be confusing and takes the edge of it.