I love Gemma Amor’s descriptive writing and I especially liked the way Morgan was written. She’s a complicated character who has been through something extremely traumatic and has all sorts of conflicting feelings about it. The way she treated her father was realistic and everything she felt was laid bare, even when she had horrible thoughts. I appreciated that, as I feel that a lot of times, the main character of a story doesn’t have enough realistic flaws or negative thoughts in order to keep them as likable as possible, but I prefer a character that feels more true to life.

I enjoyed the setup of the mystery and the arrival of the stranger was truly unnerving. But I found that I could best understand what was going on during the least important parts of the story, while I was incredibly confused when the most crucial event took place. I was quite lost during the climax, and even though I read the end twice, I’m still not sure what happened exactly. Some books have ambiguous endings, but usually I know they’re ambiguous on purpose. I just couldn’t tell if I was meant to be as confused as I was at the end of this book.

As much as I like the premise and the writing itself, I unfortunately finished The Folly feeling like something big was missing. I think I just needed a little more explanation at the end. What was happening, and how? I was so invested in the mystery that I was a little disappointed I didn’t get an answer I could understand.

The inciting incident is reminiscent of the Michael Peterson case popularized on the Netflix series The Staircase. A woman falls to her death in the family home when the only other person present was her husband. Was she pushed or was it an accident? A jury convicted Owen of murder. His lone supporter is his daughter, Morgan, who has campaigned relentlessly for his release. Finally, the day comes when she picks him up from prison after he served six years of a fifteen year sentence, exonerated of the crime after an appeal and a second trial.

Morgan, now forty-three, knows that popular opinion remains against her father, and she's broke, so she sells the family home and finds a position for Owen as caretaker of a multistory tower standing at the edge of a cliff overlooking the Atlantic in Cornwall. The house where her mother died has too much history for them to stay there any longer but their new home has its own baggage: The Folly (a characteristically British term for a building that has little or no practical purpose) has a reputation for people—including a famous writer—either falling or jumping to their deaths.

In the Folly, they will be mostly away from prying, suspicious eyes. Morgan doesn't mind the isolated location—the entire country has been in lockdown for the past couple of years due to the pandemic, following distancing regulations that are even more drastic than those in America. Many businesses have shuttered and the familiar pub culture has vanished. The man who hires her father to tend to the Folly—the job consists mostly of general upkeep and chasing off death tourists (as the trespassers are called)—arranges for regular food deliveries, so the duo doesn't need to leave the premises.

It doesn't help, though, that the Folly's central feature is a spiral staircase, a constant reminder of the way Morgan's mother died. Morgan has steadfastly believed in her father's innocence; however, now that they are forced to live together in close confines, cracks form in their relationship. Complicating matters is the appearance of a mysterious stranger who seems to be channeling her mother's spirit, provoking her to ask her father difficult questions. Owen is so uncomfortable in this post-pandemic world that he floats the idea of committing another crime so he will be incarcerated again.

This is a brooding, atmospheric and claustrophobic novella, essentially a two-hander with an interloper who threatens to throw their precarious relationship off balance. Morgan's struggle with the past and the new present is the book's focus, which Amor handles deftly. As so many other Gothic stories have demonstrated, isolation is not without peril. Long-held secrets have a way of bubbling to the surface when people are trapped in moody, dark places.

I have complicated feelings about this novella. The first three-quarters were honestly some of the creepiest stuff I've ever read. I read a lot of horror but I don't get genuinely freaked out by books very often. This whole situation with the maybe mom zombie gave me a hectic case of the heebie jeebies. I thought it was brilliantly done. I was IMMERSED in that isolated, windswept gothic setting and I could feel all of Morgan's spiraling, escalating fears creeping down my spine. Gemma Amor gave Daphne Du Maurier a run for her money in the early parts of this story.

And then the the final three chapters happened. I didn't need them. I don't think the story needed them. The Folly had a natural, satisfying but ambiguous end point. Why keep going? It was like ten stars for the majority of this book and minus ten for the ending. I don't think my dissatisfaction with the conclusion outweighed how deeply the earlier sections affected me, but it did stop this from being the five star read I was anticipating.

As a fan of Gothic literature, I was delighted to receive an ARC copy of The Folly. The high quality of the writing style and the engaging mystery truly captivated me. The atmosphere and twists kept me invested. However, I found the protagonist: a depressed, middle-aged screwup, to be a bit of a cliché and one that's overused in literary fiction. The story's setting during Covid also felt a bit dated. I hoped for a love interest to enter at some point to create a more layered story, but alas, it wasn't to be. Despite these minor disappointments, I found the book to be an entertaining read overall and would recommend it to others.

Morgan's father is finally released from prison, but they can no longer live in their old house. They move to a mysterious tower on the Cornish coastline called 'The Folly' where strange things start happening, including the appearance of a stranger who resembles Morgan's deceased mother. The story explores themes of love, loyalty, guilt, and possession as Morgan uncovers the truth about her mother's death.

This dark and mysterious tale captivated me from the start. As a fan of Dracula, I found the author's writing style to be fitting for the eerie atmosphere of the story. I now understand how this author was nominated for a British Fantasy Award. Each character was flawed and harbored a secret, adding depth to the plot. The flow of the book was seamless, and I found myself thoroughly enjoying the read.

While I understand that this book may not appeal to everyone, I believe it would be well-suited as an audiobook. The struggles of innocent individuals in jail are difficult to read about, prompting readers to consider what they would do in similar circumstances. The challenges of rebuilding one's life after release, especially in the face of judgment based on little evidence, are portrayed in a relatable manner through the characters.

The described environment in the book is haunting and unsettling, setting the perfect backdrop for the strange events that unfold. The eerie atmosphere draws readers in, compelling them to continue reading to uncover the bizarre occurrences within the story.

If you appreciate dark, gothic mysteries with a touch of paranormal elements, this book is must-read. The blend of mystery and the supernatural will keep you engaged until the very end.

Thank you, Datura Books for digital ARC copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

For a shorter story this book hits perfectly. The kindle version I read was about 240 pages which is technically a novella. I always find these a little harder to rate overall because I am used to reading books about a hundred pages longer. I think because of this books length the main character and her father weren’t as fully developed as I would normally hope for, however, it wasn’t a huge hinderance on the story and I still enjoyed. This book is more a gothic horror with a very vivid scene at one point, and I liked how it was done. The supernatural elements were also fantastic and really added to the story. The setting was my favorite part because it just felt so bleak and it was perfect for this horror story to play out. Having this book set during mid-pandemic also added to the creepy, gothic setting. Because of how vividly the writing was, I felt like I was right there in the small secluded town, and I felt myself pulling my blanket up a little more because I had chills. I read this one rather quickly because despite being a gothic horror it did have quicker pacing.

After years of campaigning for his release, Morgan's father Owen is finally released from prison. Accused of murder....of his wife/Morgan's mother, Owen has endured years away from Morgan. He and Morgan must leave their home, which was once covered in the blood of the victim. They move to the Cornish Coast into The Folly.

The Folly has a dark history. It's a tall, dark, notorious home that was the site of a romance novelist's suicide. Because of the success of her books, many tourists (death tourists) make the journey and try to see where it all happened.

Once there, Morgan and her father have to adjust to living together again. Then a stranger appears, and the stranger has the voice of her mother, smells like her mother, wearing the same apron as her mother. The stranger continues to appear, pushing Morgan's sanity to the limit.
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This was an interesting one. Set during the late pandemic period, when things were starting to open back up, this essentially a story only involving two people. It's a fractured relationship. It's a daughter trying to fix the 7 years her father was away. It's a father looking at the truth.

There were some genuinely terrifying parts of this book, however I do feel like there were many small details that were left out. I needed more about Morgan's life while her father was away. More about why she was leaving the family home. I just....needed more.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publishers for the opportunity to read and review this book.

A creepy and unsettling short read with an interesting plot, good writing and a dark atmosphere. I really enjoyed this and read it in one day

Thanks to NetGalley for the arc

I really enjoyed the Gothic Horror element to this book, it had that overall feel that works in the genre. The plot was everything that I was looking for and enjoyed the tense atmosphere overall. I thought the characters were realistic and worked in this setting. I enjoyed how Gemma Amor wrote this and can’t wait for more from the author.

Was really hyped to read this book, but tbh I was already let down by the first couple pages.

First off, the very beginning had no grip whatsoever. Especially for a story marked as a thriller/horror, there was nothing enticing to set the correct tone/mood and I pushed through with the rest thinking it was just a minor blip.

Unfortunately the book didn't improve much as I read on. The main character was a bit irritating and lacked depth, and the story itself held so much promise but fell flat in terms of delivery.

Thank you Netgalley and Datura for the digital ARC!

Morgan and her ex-con father are stalked by a mysterious stranger after taking up residence in an old tower. Morgan always knew her father, Owen, never murdered her mother. She has spent the last six years campaigning for his release from prison. Finally, mid pandemic, Owen is set free, but the debt riddled pair can no longer afford to live in the family home, a house last decorated by a dead woman’s blood! Good book! This book had suspense, intrigue, action, murder, mystery, family secrets, a great who done it and a few crazy twists and turns. The story was interesting! I definitely recommend reading this book! Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for sharing this book with me!

I found the Folly to be a engrossing and exciting thriller with a touch of the paranormal. After a dangerous fall that killed her mother is deemed a murder, a young woman spends the next 6 years to get her father's conviction overturned. She engineers a move to a deserted folly, but soon begins to suspect her father may not be telling her the whole truth about her mother's death. Isolated and alone with her father, a sinister stranger appears who mimics her dead mother's mannerisms and right down to her voice. Who is this man and what part did he play in the mystery that destroyed her family.

Thanks to Datura Books and NetGalley for this ARC of Gemma Amor's 'The Folly.'

The blurb likens this to 'My Cousin Rachel' and that comparison to Daphne du Maurier's work is valid. A tragic daughter and father relocate from suburban Bristol to a granite tower in wild coastal Cornwall after his release from prison after she campaigned to have his conviction for the murder of his wife, her mother, overturned.

All of the elements of the Cornwall gothic are there - lonely tower, mists, raging seas, cliffs, death, mysterious strangers, unwelcoming locals in claustrophobic villages and centuries old pubs. The strangeness of the locale and the atmosphere are amplified, in this instance, by the lockdowns occasioned by the worldwide Covid pandemic and it really works to underline their isolation.

As the story progresses we learn more about Morgan, her father, her mother, the mysterious stranger and how everything and everyone arrived at where they find themselves in life and in the world. There's a nice ambiguity about whether we're in the real or the supernatural world which is never resolved, a good thing.

Gemma has a really good way with words and in dealing with the psychological damage that trauma and guilt brings. Her 'Full Immersion' is one of the finest books I've read in recent years and you feel like she's exposing her deepest knowledge of trauma when she writes.

This is an enjoyable quick read, more of a novella than a novel and recommended.