This was narrated by the author herself and I'm so glad it was. I could feel the tension so much from her portayal of her characters. The story is focused on a house that holds a collection of spirits and the family that can never leave them for fear of their wrath being unleashed upon the world. Everything about the house, down to the clothes worn by it's living occupents, are original to it's creation. It made this story feel like a period peace while taking place in the present day. I really enjoyed the direction this story took and was pleasantly surprised by the reveal at the end. If you're looking for an interesting and spooky romance this is it!

Facing the ghosts of her family, both literally and figuratively, our sad but plucky heroine navigates old wounds and new sensations in this stunted coming of age tale. The setting is brilliantly macabre and the characters beautifully drawn. I really loved the unexpected moments and humor sprinkled throughout. It did employ a slower pace, but I think that was necessary for the development. Truly delightful.

Thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my audio copy.

This was so heartwarming and a comparatively lighter read compared to the rest of my reading repertoire. I enjoyed this audiobook a lot. The narrator really brought the story to life and the story itself was warm and full of life. 4.5 out of 5 stars. Full review to come soon.

4 Stars

The premise of this book was really intriguing. A woman, Elegy Thorne, literally frozen in time looking over this Hall/Manor. I loved the overall atmosphere and vibes that this brought, as it is told in modern day while Elegy is stuck in gothic times. This gives a really unique feeling of dark and light. Not only that she is living with all these spirits and not all of them are kind, but are vengeful.

The characters of this book are really well done. I found myself really rooting for Elegy to find her way out, while enjoying the romance that blossomed throughout the book. The MMC was really well cast and I found both her/his characters enjoyable. I also really liked that we get to know each of the ghosts that Elegy is living with.

The plot this book however is pretty slow and this could be off-putting for some. I didn't mind it but I did wish at times it was just a big quicker and engaging. Overall though I really did enjoy this one and I think I will be re-reading it again but in an audiobook format.

For a debut novel this was really great. I can't wait to see what else J. Ann Thomas comes up with as her story telling is unique and beautiful.

The narration of this book was fantastic. Brought the characters to life and sucked me into this world completely.

Thank you to NetGalley and DreamScape Media for this advance listener copy. This review is voluntarily my own.

I have never read anything like this before, so when I started I was maybe confused? And it was slow so it took me awhile to get into it. but once I did wow I was hooked! The 19th century vibes were awesome, the ghosts were fantastic and the little bit of romance made this book a blast to read.

I listened to the audiobook and found the narration really good. The writing is detailed and atmospheric, which greatly helped to build the image of Thorne Hall. I was immersed in the haunting ambience of the estate from the very first page. It’s very interesting how the author was able to bring forth historical fiction and weave it into a supernatural plot, creating a whimsical narrative. Readers follow Elegy's journey as she transforms from a quiet and lonely young woman to someone who is strong and capable of making her own decisions. To be frank, all of the characters, even the ghostly ones, bring a unique dimension to the unfolding of the mysterious novel. For those who appreciate a slow-burn supernatural mystery-romance with a richly atmospheric setting, this novel is definitely for you. I enjoyed this book and think students will enjoy it as well. I would recommend this book.
Thank you to NetGalley for the audioARC to preview.

I adored this book. It was a perfect gothic tale with just the right amount of gruesome, dark elements and blend of humor and hope. I would recommend to check for trigger warnings, but most of the disturbing elements were not too detailed. At first, the storyline reminded me a little of the movie The Frighteners (a favorite of mine growing up) in that our FMC lives with and interacts regularly with the dead (or in this case, the 15 spirits that have been collected). The story has a hint of the same gothic spirit of Starling House as well, which I loved. I loved the story, the relationships the FMC had with the dead and the living and even though it was dark at times, the hope shined through. I also appreciated the LGBTQIA+ inclusivity. All in all, this was one story I found difficult to put down.

Audiobook - the narrator was the author and I found that she read it much like a story, less than a dramatic re-enactment which I felt really worked for this piece. I appreciated hearing her tell the story and give it life. I felt like pacing was good. I am unfamiliar with the old songs mentioned (or if they are real or not) and sometimes I wish I could hear them sung rather than read, but I don’t think I’ve experienced that in any audiobook before. Would have loved to hear them come to life as well.

This book was emotional and beautiful heartbreaking and hopeful it had ghosts with their own personalities and powers found family and such utter acceptance it brought a tear to my eye and the audio Is read by the author I highly recommend

This is a book that's going to stick with me. The premise and execution were very well done and engaging. The backstory was heartfelt and Elegy's responsibilities vs her own desires tugged deeply at my heartstrings. I loved the side character of Fletcher and wish she had been more involved, I would have liked to hear more of her story and how she got stuck at Thorne hall. The book does move slowly, but it is worth the trip.

Thank you to NetGalley, the author J. Ann Thomas, and Dreamscape Media for my advance copy of this audiobook.

I was excited to listen to this and was a bit disappointed. The first half of the book was really slow. I enjoyed the second half much more. I wasn’t drawn to any of the characters and I’m not sure what time period this actually took place in. I was surprised by the twist at the end and liked the Epilogue. I thought the narration was fine and didn’t realize the author was the one reading it until I went to write my review.

Thank you to the author, Dreamscape Media, and NetGalley for the Advanced Reader Copy (ARC) copy of this book and I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.

Holy crap I loved this book. I did think it was a bit long but that didn't take away any enjoyment for me. I really loved the characters and their evolution. I loved our main character so much, she was trapped in a family curse but did everything in her power to live. I loved the family dynamics, the twist at the end and learning about this story. I was very invested in this audiobook and couldn't wait to listen to it. It felt very gothic and almost cozy, the only thing i needed was a fireplace in a haunted castle to read in.

Thank you NetGalley and J. Ann Thomas for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

First of all I think the author did a really good job narrating it themselves, the audio quality was great and her voice bringing her characters to life made that really special, though I wish the dialogue had been a little less awkward. The characters were flawed, but interesting. I liked that their relationships to each other were as complex as they were I just wished there was a bit more to them.

As for the story it's self, I do wish we got a little more ghost action, but it was still nice. The atmosphere was amazing especially with how many haunted houses there are up in the Berkshires, (like Ventfort Hall or Edith Wharton's house "The Mount.") I'm not sure how many people here have been to the Berkshires, but unless you're in one of the bigger towns it can be pretty creepy out in the sticks! I mean this in a good way, my grandparents lived up there. So yeah, she totally nailed it.

The only thing was, it was a bit slow and I found myself zoning out a bit so I had to replay some chapters. It's a solid read and it would be perfect for a re-read around Halloween.

Sadly I am going to have to DNF this at 18%.

The first chapter was by far the best chapter out of the 6 I listened to. It had suspense and intrigue and I was invested and wanted to see more of what happened at the end of that chapter. Then it all changed when chapter 2 jumped to the present, only we aren't told what present time frame that is. This was made more annoying with the fact that Elegy (terrible name by the way) still dresses and acts like she is from the victorian era, so the setting is extremely confusing in this tale.

The story pacing also massively drops from the first chapter and it feels like such a chore to get through. It doesn't help that there was so much info dumping on the spirits living in the house in chapters 2-3. It was just endless walls of text explaining who they were and how they got there and frankly this should have been handled in a different way. Afterwhile though it did become confusing and frustrating keeping all the characters straight. There is not only a ton of spirits but there are also a myriad of living characters, to be honest I thought Elegy was a ghost at one point that's how confused I got...

The language choice was a major turnoff for me, I have zero issue with cursing in stories, as long as it fits the narrative. The amount of F-bombs dropped in these early chapters was so over the top that it felt like the author was like "omg look how edgy my characters are". It was constantly pulling me straight out the story and just ruining it even more. Then the author used the word C*ck at one point and that immediately made me start to realize this might not be the gothic tale I was hoping it would be. All of this with the language ruined any kind of gothic atmosphere this book could have had, I personally really feel like you can't do gothic in a modern setting. Ultimately what made me put this down was the line "her head barely came to his chest" I am so tired of this "height difference" bullshit that is so popular in books right now. Call it petty I don't care but I'm tired of imagining these women looking like children next to their love interests. This right here signaled to me this was going to be a romance story with a backdrop of "gothic". (After doing some research and looking at other reviews it turns out there is spice in this and frankly I wasn't going to listen to an audiobook with spice because that gives me second hand embarrassment).

As for the narrator, since yes I had an arc of the audiobook. While I think it's great that the author wanted to read her own story, unfortunately I think that was the wrong choice. Her voice was flat and monotone the whole time, she gave no distinction to her characters, and any attempts at building a gothic atmosphere in her reading was completely null and void. It took me a matter of 15 minutes to go from 1x speed to 2x speed because her reading was just void of any life and this was on top of the extremely slow storytelling.

What a beautifully, unique love story.


The mistress of Thorne Hall is set to inherit quite the task of caring for ghosts that have been in her family for generations. Summoned and bound to the Thorne blood line not all of these spirits mean her well. Some are in fact quite sinister. With each ghost having its own story about their life and death, this book truly feels like you’re stepping back in time.

Elegy desperately seeks a normal life free of her duties and the confines of Thorne Hall. She must decide between a normal life and a potential love or fulfilling her duties as heir to the Thorne collection.

4.5/5 ⭐️

This was such a wonderful book to read! The premise sounded really interesting, to be bound to this house that part of the inheritance is a collection of spirits? And part of that is keeping things as much as they were when the spirits first were being acquired, including clothing? Yeah, it was such an interesting premise!

I wasn't sure what time period that this took place, since the house and clothing was basically frozen in time, so it took a minute to learn that it took place in our time, with all that entails. I loved the juxtaposition of the older times when she's at Thorne Hall, and the modern times outside of her home.

Elegy has had it rough, her mom died, and she's not able to control the collection like her father demands, which puts a lot of pressure on her, since he doesn't have much longer to live. So that's not a good situation to be in, especially since the collection is aware, and is taunting her with that fact.

Then she meets Atticus, and oh, I loved the two of them together! That she was supposed to marry her friend because of old money family arrangements, she knew she wouldn't be happy with him, given that he's gay. Watching as the story progressed, as she fell in love, and started searching for other options, well, I loved learning more about the collection and why it was collected in the first place-and how to let it go. It was so good, and I loved how it resolved, there were some pretty shocking twists!

Loved reading this book and I'd love to read more by J. Ann Thomas!

The Spirit Collection of Thorne Hall written and narrated by J. Ann Thomas was a cozy yet suspenseful ghost story. I had low hopes on the narration when I saw the author was the narrator, but J. Ann Thomas was impeccable.

The Spirit Collection of Thorne Hall is well-written. The opening scene took me to a Downton Abbey style flashback scene.

The general tone of the book felt a little YA - but maybe that is me getting old and most main characters being very young.

LIKES:
- consistent pacing
- audiobook narration

DISLIKES:
- 2-dimensional characters
- little chemistry with love interests

I’ve been going back and forth on my rating for this one. I don’t think it’s a bad book, necessarily. It’s more that I am thinking gothic literature is just not the genre for me. The premise sounded really interesting and I was excited to dive in. Maybe if a few aspects of this had been executed differently, I’d feel more positively about it, but as of right now my personal enjoyment level was closer to a 2/2.5. I decided on a 3 for the general rating, because I think that there is an audience for this style of writing and genre, but I am not in that demographic.

The pacing was very slow and felt a bit like watching paint dry—this is a personal preference and does not have an effect on the rating. That said, while the pacing was slow, it was consistent and matched the style of storytelling, so that was objectively a positive for me.

I couldn’t get invested in the main character, the love interest, any of the side characters, or the overarching mystery at the heart of it all. The characters all felt underdeveloped and 2-dimensional. I think this made me less invested in the story and the mystery itself; good characters can carry a bad story and a good story can carry bad characters, and unfortunately The Spirit Collection of Thorne Hall missed the target on both of these for me.

TL;DR — 1/4 coming-of-age story, 1/4 tender romance, and 1/2 gothic literature. Read if you’re really into gothic literature as a genre and are looking for a relatively “light” read. A good palate cleanser between heavier stories!

This book was so thrilling. In the first few chapters i was unsure about the vibe, i thought there were too many characters, but oh my god was i wrong. This book was awesome. I was so invested in the plot, and really rooting for these characters. It was exciting right to the end. Honestly? Just jump into this, and get invested, theres no need for me to spoil more.

the author narrated the book herself, which i highly recommend!

Thank you to netgalley and the author for sending me the book in exchange for an honest review

This book was definitely not what I had anticipated.

It started pretty slow, with a lot of history, names, and a lot of not-so-important details.
Then it picked up speed and I became thoroughly invested in the plot, albeit a bit predictable.

I was more than annoyed at the characters - I was fully angry at the abuse FMC suffered and how she went along with it. I wanted to scream at almost everyone. By the end of the book, she did grow some backbone, which was satisfying, to say the least, but it triggered me in all the wrong ways.

I understand that they wanted to describe that in her gentleness lay her strength, but that is one thing, and swallowing down so much abuse and normalizing it every day is definitely not it.

I am not sorry I read this, but I also do not feel fulfilled in any way after reading it - "meh" is my best description for it.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publishers for granting me this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This captivating novel will enthrall readers who are drawn to atmospheric, slow-burning Gothic fantasies, where romance, horror, and mystery intertwine. It will particularly appeal to those who delight in stories of forbidden love, haunted mansions, and the relentless pursuit of freedom. Fans of ghostly tales with a touch of the supernatural will find themselves immersed in the eerie and suspenseful world that the author has created.

With its richly-drawn characters, evocative setting, and intricate plot, this book promises to be a mesmerizing and unforgettable read. The author skillfully weaves together elements of Gothic literature, such as dark secrets, hidden desires, and supernatural occurrences, to create a story that is both chilling and alluring. The atmospheric setting of the haunted mansion adds an extra layer of intrigue and suspense, while the slow-burning romance and the characters' struggle for freedom will keep readers eagerly turning the pages.