If you saw "The skeleton key" movie this novel will remind you of that. The concept is not new but it was very well executed. .I enjoyed from the beginning to the end.

When Mark Norman is hired as a health aide for two elderly siblings, his financial woes are finally turning to financial wealth. Unfortunately, things aren’t what they seem at Alden Manor and Mark may end up losing his mind—or his life—in exchange for the money he so desires.

This book was certainly creepy, which I enjoyed, but it should have been half as long. The first 50% of the book was extremely slow and the twist was obvious right away, making it difficult to stay invested. Mark Norman is also extremely unlikable and reading his inner dialogue gets irritating quickly.

Great setting for a book that just fell flat for me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.
Great listen if a horror book. The creepy atmosphere of an old mansion was perfect.
Narrator did a great job.

There have not been many horror books that make me feel uneasy as I am reading them. This usually means for me, most horror books seem a little bland and boring. This was not the case with The Dark Hour, I felt uneasy for most of this book in the best way possible.

The story follows Mark Norman who takes a job as a health aide for two elderly siblings, Roy and Alma. Mark had a fantasy that since Roy and Alma have no family he will inherit all of their estate.

There is a woman, Lisa, who also works for Roy and Alma but she senses that something is not right and she wants out. Mark just wants to stick it out and inherit their fortune.

The writing in this book was fantastic. The imagery was so clear that I felt like this was a movie. I saw every character and every scene so vividly. At times I didn’t know where the story was going to take us but I was never bored, I was always engaged, even when I was questioning the plot.

The conclusion is absolutely epic. It’s exactly what I wanted but not what I expected. I really appreciate that K.J. Young went for this ending.

This book is perfect for horror fans.

This story was fun and kept me entertained. I sort of figured out the plot early on and I wish there was more character development, but overall it was decent.

Creepy old mansion, horror and magic, sign me up. There are mostly unlivable characters in my opinion but it doesn’t really bother me much because it’s a fast paced novel. And although it was predictable, it was wildly entertaining.

Spooky house? Check. Creepy elderly magicians? Also check. An insanely fun story where a character who thinks he’s the smartest guy in the room gets way over his head? Yup! This dark mystery with supernatural elements has it all. Mark starts working as a caretaker for a couple of old siblings who are too trusting. Being a smart guy, he figures out that he can take advantage. He is not a likable character, always looking for an angle and with no qualms about exploiting the elderly. I loved the way that the mysterious house is described. The Walgraves, the retired magicians that Mark is supposed to help, are eccentric, and I had an inkling of what they wanted, I just had no idea how they’d be able to get it. Craig A. Hart gets the voices of each character just right. He especially nails the Walgraves, with a mixture of endearment and creepiness. I really enjoyed this.
I chose to listen to this audiobook and all opinions in this review are my own and completely unbiased. Thank you, #NetGalley/#Nightsky Press!

Thank you Net Galley for the audio advanced reader copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

This was a creepy and chilling read. It constantly kept me guessing on what was actually going on with the "creepy" old people. I saw what was ultimately coming but was still disturbing when it happened.

This was a great read!

Such an odd story. The storyline itself was interesting and didn't take me long to figure out what was going on. There just wasn't enough exciting to keep me into it.

These characters were like caricatures of people. They were all just sort of extra… in a mundane way, though.

I don’t know if I liked or disliked the absolute opportunistic-ness of the protagonist. I think more than anything I am indifferent. I felt nothing for the characters even when some really severe things happen to them.

I went into The Dark Hour expecting something much different than what I read. While I expected something dark and twisted it seemed mildly creepy at most. While scary things did happen I just didn't feel anything in the writing. I kept waiting for that ball of anxiety to twist me to shreds as the story progressed, but I never felt that impact. It probably didn't help that I seriously disliked the main character. He was kind of a selfish jerk and I didn't appreciate his views on women. The plot had a quick and engaging pace, but the ending felt anticlimactic because it was very easy to guess what was going to happen. Luckily the fast pacing made it easy to binge this book in one sitting.

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for this audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

ARC audiobook provided in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the narration on this book! Craig A. Hart did a fantastic job embodying all of the characters, especially the older folks that Mark was caring for. I really liked how this story takes place in the past and revolves around an older brother and sister looking for home health care aids to help them. There’s also a lot of creepy aspects with the house and the siblings relationship that are slowly revealed as the book progresses. I kind of saw where the story was headed but enjoyed the writing and characters regardless. I would definitely recommend to anyone who like mysteries with magic involved!

Thank you to NetGalley and Nightsky Press for this arc. I enjoyed the narrator for this audiobook and this was definitely a creepy read! I saw the end coming, but I still thought it was done very well. This story is more of a slow burn, but worth the wait.

The Dark Hour was my first read by this author and I’d read more from her in the future!