The novel is about a camping trip In the moorelands of the Devonshire area of England. It starts in Rutmoor where there is a history of misssing children and mutilated pets. A group of boys go vamping with the newest member of their group and his experienced father. It’s a long hike. The boys have each their own experience of what happens on the trail. It is creepy. One gets hints and more hints, when I started to wonder if the group of boys were going to survive or not. There is a story told by the father about a supposedly witch was killed and she kills those out on the moor for revenge.

It is creepy and the ending is unexpected. The suspense and the mystery of the novel held my attention. There are unexpected twists and turns. It’s a novel that held my attention as I read it.

This story is divided in an odd way. It starts with a news clip about two missing boys. There are occasional time jumps forward, written in present tense alternating with memories, which is all rather jumpy.

When it gets to a proper chapter one, the story becomes mostly linear. There are other news clips and time jumps interspersed, but basically the story is told from the pov of five different boys involved in the camping trip that led to the boys going missing, each of them having their own section, though each one progresses the story further forward.

First is James, the overweight boy who doesn't really want to go but gives into peer pressure to be part of the group. Then Gary who has an unfortunate habit of playing sick practical jokes. He's followed by Tom, a bigger boy who defends James against his friend Gary's jokes when they get out of hand, then Tim who is a small boy, son of the responsible adult leading the group and doesn't have many friends. The sequence of events is finished up by Matt, who is the sharpest of the boys and takes us through the climax of the story, which was very well done. The details and built up suspense were definitely worthy.

Through these various points of view, we slowly learn what happened, why each of the boys took part in the camping trip, what sort of person they appear as to the others and how the two boys went missing. Some of the story gets rather horrific. I sort of guessed what had to happen in the end, though not how it would play out.

This is apparently a debut book by a young author. I think he's going to be one for the Horror enthusiasts to watch.

I enjoyed this book. However, I only gave it 3 stars because (for me) the storyline seemed a bit slow.
I would still recommend this book to others.

Reading the synopsis of Sam Haysom's The Moor I was immediately intrigued.  With Fall/Halloween right around the corner I was looking for a good ol' creepy book, and thought this fit the bill.

The Moor jumps back and forth between 2002 and 2015, and multiple POVs: Gary, Tom. Matt, James, & Tim.  As the group sets out on their hiking trip, lead by Tim's dad, there is talk of the several moor disappearances being linked to a witch's ghost.  The ghost story aspect was great - the story is told in a captivating way, and is probably the best part of this book TBH.  After this telling, weird shit starts happening, one of the boys disappears and the others swear they heard a scream the night before.  This really caught my interest - I mean, what exactly happened to the boy?!?!  Then it happens - a creature shows up and another boy goes missing AND I totally lose interest.  The "monster" that the book surrounds should be terrifying, but here it is one dimensional and the execution falls flat.  This feeling could also be linked to the lack of emotional connection to the characters - I wanted to feel the fear, but it just wasn't there.

Over all, The Moor just didn't live up to the expectations I had in place.

Like any hike through beautiful, but creepy atmosphere The Moor is full of twists and turns. Young friends go on multi-night hike through the mysterious Moors. Are the Moors haunted? Are the legends true? Where are the disappeared? What secrets and horrors will these young hikers and their leader encounter? I was hooked from beginning to end. There were points in the story where I wanted to read faster than I was able because I had the sense of foreboding that a shock was lurking just around the bend, yet I didn't want to miss a word so there was no way I was going to skip ahead. The author's ability to put you there....on the moors....is a beautiful gift. The wonderful way Haysom gets inside the character's heads and hearts is outstanding. I could truely get a sense of their 13 year old angst, awkwardness, fear and courage. The character of Mr. Stevens, the dad along on the hike was also portrayed in living color. I felt I see and hear him. The Moor imply a fantastic story that keeps you guessing until the very end.
#TheMoor #NetGalley

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
Overall, I'd give this 2.5-3 stars. I'm sure plenty of people will enjoy it, but it overall fell flat for me.

Ever since "The Hounds of Baskerville" I've found the moors fascinating. How something can be so beautiful, yet so eerie at the same time. Having this be the location of a horror story was a fantastic idea. Also the publisher actually got a decent designer for the cover, making it look sophisticated. I was excited going in, but it was a controlled excitement as horror is very often done poorly.
Sam Haysom can write, no question about that, of all the books I've done reviews for I took the fewest notes regarding writing mishaps. Overall this just lacked a little in the plot. It broke a cardinal sin of horror for me (which most people won't care about) and had some issues with pacing, and general editing issues.
The story revolves around a guy named Matt, in 2015 who is remembering a walking trip with his classmates when he was around 13-14 in the moors. It switches between modern perspective (all to build up to the finale, but without the finale would be completely unnecessary) and the perspective from 2002 during the trip. The book also includes newsclippings regarding disappearances in the Moors, and pet mutilation.
The boys are chaperoned by their teacher, and the first night camping he tells them an eerie ghost story regarding a woman thought to be a witch, this spooks the boys, and leads to a number of incidents in the book. As the trip goes on, very soon into it actually, one of them goes missing. This is the beginning of what's going to be a terrible time for these boys.
I can't go into it more without spoilers, so I'll try and avoid them. This book suffers from the opposite of many others, it get's right into the drama of it all, very quickly. Not only right into the drama, but you know EXACTLY what is causing it by about 30% in, leaving there very little else to build up to. There is no slow burn, just a quick set up and BAM here's the mystery in your face. This has always been a cardinal sin of horror for me, you need more burn, there should have been more children going missing, or somehow made their disappearance more unsettling, for this book it was "well, their missing, gotta keep going before we can get them help". The other aspect of the cardinal sin is never ever do a full reveal of your creature/ghost/supernatural thing, until after you've done a nice build, and especially not so early on. Nothing is scarier than what people can come up with in their own mind, leave something to the imagination, otherwise, your have to hope you thing is scares enough people. The remainder of the book happens in rapid succession, one boy missing, seeing what happens to the other boy, Knowing that the other 3 make it because of the flashforwards, sooo what possibly is there left the be told other than the culmination of the "horror" happening to the children? Nothing, because they describe the horror in great detail, we are left with that being what should scare us because nothing else is presented to scare us, nothing creepy happening in the night or in the moors, we already know. This author needs to read and watch more good horror, and learn the slow burn, learn how the monster isn't usually shown, the horror event not outwardly explained so early on, that way we can scare ourselves just thinking about the possibilities. Then after we've spooked ourselves, and have had a healthy build-up of smaller spooky things, then you reveal and we can gasp and shutter and get goosebumps. Instead, he opts to hope this monster he's come up with is spooky enough because the only spooky thing is him describing IT. The culmination and escape of the other boys is very anti-climatic, all leading up to what I think he hoped was a dramatic twist in the present, but wasn't because the hints throughout to it were giant neon sign-style hints.
There wasn't enough substance in this story to warrant a full book, this could have easily been a short story. it felt like one. I've read stories by Lovecraft told in a few pages that had more build up and dread and actual fear in them than this. I wasn't given anything to be scared of, and the characters didn't feel very scared either, If your story isn't even frightening your characters, how will it frighten your readers?
I wish this author had taken some more time and kept this concept in his notes for after he researched the genre more, because while his writing style was fine, he did not know how to write a horror story.

I continue to hunt for a satisfying horror book. Until then, I'll stick with my Poe and Lovecraft, or but The Witch on, or maybe read Ship of Fools again.

I received a free copy from Netgalley to review, here is the blurb:

It begins with a ghost story around a campfire. Teenagers out on a walking trip, trying to act brave in front of each other. But as the walk gets underway and the boys begin to fall out, odd things start to happen. Noises in the night. A severed rabbit’s foot outside someone’s tent. Soon, the boys begin to disappear. As panic sets in and a storm approaches, the remaining boys must band together to face a darkness not even the local ghost stories could help them predict.

I quite enjoyed this book, can't help but feel this is targeted at the teen/young adult section but I do read this genre too so all good. I liked how the book was set out into the chapters showing each characters experience, and maybe it was just me, I wasn't sure who the character was remembering the pasty events was until near the end of the book. The book was easy reading with not too much gore or scary stuff. Overall an easy read, not too much gore, maybe not for the full on horror fan but a good read for a teenager.

OMG what did I just read, and why did I request this from Netgalley , it's a really bad re mix of It and the movie MIMIC, Sorry Netgalley thanks for letting me give it a shot but unfortunately I Hated it .

This book has a very good story to be told, but I feel it could have been told as a short story. It is just over 200 pages, but even in those pages I found myself easily distracted. Do not get me wrong, the story was good. If it was to be a novel, I feel there should have been more to back story. Some things were left unanswered because there was just no information given as to what was actually causing the killer and transformation. That would have been more intriguing then the description of them hiking. There was/is a lot of potential for this story, but I do not know that it will ever see the light of day, I am sadly only able to give this a 2.5-star review which I will round to a 3-star.

This is a quick read, almost novella length, and has the feel of an extended short story. Interspersed with news clippings about strange disappearances, the story centres around a group of four teenage boys and their walking trip on a remote moor with their teacher, Mr Stevens, who is also the father of one of the boys. The narrative switches back and forth between the trip in 2002 and 2015, where one of the group, Matt, now an adult, is struggling to deal with the events of that teenage expedition. There's more than a touch of Stephen King here, from the Stand By Me feel of the boys' friendships to the well-paced suspense and darker elements. I look forward to seeing more from this author.

This is a short book that you won't be able to put down once you've started!

A campsite setting for a ghostly horror story, boys going missing and different points of view set out amongst newspaper articles, this book has it all. I won't spoil it by saying any more than that...

The boys, all friends plus a newcomer to the area, are described in a way that paints a picture in your head clear as day. The descriptive text works beautifully with the rest of the narrative and you cannot put the book down until you know what happened to those boys! A great read by an emerging author, one to watch.

There are lots of things about this book that I enjoyed but I particularly liked the evocative passage of time used in the two time frames., it recalled poignantly the feeling of early adulthood. I also liked the relationship between the five boys, an inbetweenersesque mixture of insults and insecurities.

However I found the monster dad a little hard to swallow (pun intended) and the lack of pre story frustrating (what was he? Why hadn’t anyone noticed? Are there really man eating worm creatures in Devon?)

A very promising debut but I think it might have worked better as a novella with some crucial editing.

Great paced tale reminded me of American werewolf in places, in a good way. Good weekend read. Thanks to Netgalley for the copy.

I will be the first to admit that I am quite the picky reader. It takes a lot to hold my attention, and I've even found myself being critical of the most successful authors for not pulling me in right away, or not being able to consistently captivate me throughout. This was absolutely NOT the case with The Moor. I absolutely loved the protagonists of the story, although I will say I may or may not have wished for someone to throw Gary off a cliff at one or more points during my reading. I enjoyed the plot even more than I thought I would after initially reading the synopsis. We journey alongside a group of boys hiking and camping along the Moors. Rumors have swirled about many that have gone missing, and the group of friends learn more than they'd like around the fire on their first night there, but could this just be a distraction from the real horrors of Rutmoor?

I absolutely did not expect nor was I able to predict (and boy was I trying from the very beginning) where this tale was going to go. A quick and never dull story with, for me, a surprisingly emotional ending that I didn't see coming. I implore everyone to add this to your shelf or whatever sort of reading device you use, because it is definitely one of my favorite new books of 2018 and I cannot wait to see what comes next from the author!

One adult and five 13 year old boys start out on a hike through the moors. Only three come back. The leader and two boys, Tom and Gary have disappeared. Tim, James and Matt day they became separated during a storm. The other three are never found.
I enjoyed reading this book. It has drama, suspense, and you can never guess what will happen next. Well written, great storyline.
I recommend it to be read!

Was unable to finish. Moved too slow and couldn't keep my attention. I rarely give up on a book, but this one fell into that limited category.

This book is a quick ghost story, perfect for a flight or a long weekend away when you’re needing something to keep you interested and relaxed during your downtime. It’s got the right amount of real-world thrills and chills, with just a touch of other-worldliness, which is my perfect combination. I don’t like too much of the mystical solutions, but i enjoy a little with my ghost stories.

And this one’s a whopper of a creepy tale.

It bounces from the present - with an adult man trying to come to terms with what happened on a fateful camping trip when he and his friends were 13. The boys initially thought it was going to be a straightforward - if a little boring - weekend hike when they share a ghost story around the campfire. After that, strange things begin happening. Turns out, it’s not the first time. What’s really going on on the moors? Hopefully, they can find out before it’s too late.

I really enjoyed this slow-burn build up. You know right away that things on the trip went horribly wrong, and that they were only one incident in a pattern of mysterious deaths/disappearances. The set-up works really well, because you’re completely on edge wondering when that other shoe is going to drop and all hell is going to break loose.

I also really enjoyed the ending. It’s really the perfect way to wrap things up and bring things full circle. I can’t really say much more. However, i do wish more explanation had been given on some things, which I can elaborate on for anyone that wants to chat about the book (just message me or comment below!)

Overal, I greatly enjoyed this creepy tale. I think I finished it in two days. It’s great for anyone who wants to be just a little scared before they tuck in for the night or head out on vacation.

Enjoy.

This book is wholly saturated with the clichés of the literary heritage it attempts to emulate. The dialogue between characters was cheesy and stunted, with a completely unnatural flow. Other horror writers such as Stephen King, Paul Tremblay, and Ania Ahlborn have perfectly conjured interrelationships and interactions amongst young friendship groups, and the ones in this novel fell completely flat and unbelievable. The concept of the witch on the moors and her back story was completely unoriginal, which made it dull and uninteresting. There was unfortunately no originality or writing skill within this novel.

4.5 stars

I enjoyed this a lot. A proper classic spooky story of a group of teenagers going camping and starting to mysteriously disappear.
The difference here though is that it is set on the Devon moors in South West England. A place very close to my heart. The fact that that area of the UK is already well associated with the supernatural just makes things extra creepy and extra real.

The story switches between timelines allowing the reader to slowly put the pieces together to work out exactly that happened. Just as one timeline is getting super suspenseful we get thrown into another time making this little book impossible to put down. I do love a good tease.

I feel like the "reveal" was maybe done a tiiiiny bit early but with such a short book I can see why it was done. I just would have liked the mystery to have been a little bit longer. Honestly, I would love the whole thing to be longer. I didn't want it to end.

Overall, an excellent debut and I can't wait to read more from this author!

I don't really read much mystery or horror, but the cover and the description were appealing. I did enjoy the plot and writing, and I know my library patrons will, too. I have ordered several copies already.