I am so excited to have kicked off my spooky reading this year with The Whistling by Rebecca Netley, it has been on my TBR pile for a while but I really wanted to save it for the right time.
Our protagonist is Elspeth Swansome and early on in the book she travels to the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea. She is take up the position of nanny to a young girl called Mary, she has lost her mother and brother and has not uttered a word since. Elspeth arrives at Iskar, the largest house on the island and is immediately aware that something is awry. She soon hears a strange whistling sound at night that cannot be explained and there is talk of witchcraft amongst the locals and they are suspicious of the silent Mary.
This book is perfect for this time of year, it has a truly gothic feel, the mysterious silent child, a house with locked up rooms and hidden tunnels, unexplained noises and faceless dolls, what more could you want as we head towards Halloween?
Rebecca Netley delivers a truly spooky tale, she has the perfect blend of suspense and creepy details. Just as I thought it might be getting a little predictable, Netley thew in a huge twist that I had not seen coming. I can highly recommend this one!

It’s the autumn of 1860 and following the tragic death of her sister, Elspeth has taken on a job as a nanny on the remote Scottish island of Skelthsea. Her new charge is a troubled girl named Mary who has been mute since the recent death of her twin brother William, just days after the disappearance of the children’s previous nanny. Elspeth and Mary find an instant kinship – both somewhat alone in the world – but Elspeth is disturbed by events on the island. No one will speak about William’s death other than to say the boy was involved in something dark and unnatural, strange dolls appear in the rooms of the old house, and Elspeth hears lullabies being whispered in seemingly empty corridors. Worst is the bone-chilling whistling that haunts the night air.

As the weather closes in and Skelthsea is cut off from the mainland, Elspeth finds herself trapped just as events begin to escalate and the danger faced by her and Mary begins to feel insurmountable. It’s down to Elspeth to discover what really happened on the island and what secret is keeping Mary locked behind a wall of silence, but can she figure out the truth in time to save them both?

The Whistling is a fantastic work of traditional style gothic fiction that feels right at home beside classic horror novels like The Turn of the Screw and The Woman in Black. Its Victorian-era setting makes it feel much older than its actual 2021 release date although the more modern writing style makes it a much easier read than many of the classics it clearly seeks to emulate. I really loved the main character Elspeth who reminded me of an Austen or Bronte heroine determined to strike her own path in a world where doing so is difficult for women and despite her silence, I also found myself increasingly attached to Mary and wanting to protect her just as Elspeth did, even when her motives begin to become suspect.

If you have loved all the classics and are looking to find something new in a similar style then definitely give The Whistling a try.

"And then, through the silence, the widows' whistle began to whine and a shape emerged, one that seemed cut out of something blacker than the night itself."
The Whistling has been on my TBR list for almost a year now, but I wanted to save it for the spooky season. It is a wonderful novel, full of mystery and suspense. Even better, this book is set in the 1800's, on a fictional Scottish island called Skelthsea, in a tumbling old manor house called Iskar. It has all the wild weather of the Highlands and Islands, being very atmospheric in its descriptive passages, successfully transporting me from Yorkshire, to the wilds of Scotland as I read.

It tells the story of Elspeth, a young women recently bereaved of her father and sister and now all alone in the world. She moves to Iskar from Edinburgh, to take up the position of nanny to Mary, a nine year old girl who's twin brother has recently died. Their former nanny has disappeared, seemingly running off into the night, leaving the children to the care of their neglectful aunt. So Elspeth is eager to offer comfort to her sad young charge.

She views Iskar and Skelthsea as a fresh start, perhaps even the possibility of a new adopted family, so she is keen to fit in and make friends on the island. However, as with most parts of the Highlands and Islands, the locals do not take kindly to strangers, not even the new nanny. The maid, Greer, is openly hostile and the islanders are full of gossip, claiming that young Mary is in league with the devil and that no nanny can save her from her wicked ways. Furthermore, Mary hasn't spoken a word since the death of her brother, so Elspeth has her work cut out trying to win her trust and build a bond with her.

This is a novel full of wild storms and howling winds rattling Victorian window panes; of malevolent witchcraft and sinister haunting; of superstitions and isolation. It explores the damage malicious gossip can do within the small community of a tiny island, because where people suspect witchcraft, surely there must be a witch to hold accountable, even if the suspected witch is just a child? Elspeth has to protect Mary from these rumors and superstitions, and get her to talk or else she is likely to be sent to an asylum on the mainland.

At it's heart, this is a novel about grief and loss and being haunted by the past. Who is the lady who stalks the corridors of Iskar at night, singing lullabies? What is the meaning of the high, fluting whistling that wings its way to the house on the wind from the stone circle of Fiaclach? As both Espeth and Mary deal with their personal griefs in different ways, the mystery unfolds around them and the various secrets of Skethsea Island begin to come to light.

The Whistling is a glorious Gothic novel, part mystery-thriller, part ghost story, it rattles along at a good pace. If you like the novels of Laura Purcell, or you enjoy reading books such as The Haunting Season, or The Lighthouse Witches, then I think you will like The Whistling. It is the perfect Scottish ghostly tale to snuggle under the covers with this Halloween night! Whatever you are doing this evening, have a blessed Samhain 🎃

BB Marie x

AD: This book was sent to me by the publisher for the purposes of review. It is available now in both hard cover, audio and digital formats. NOTE TO PUBLISHER - THIS REVIEW WILL BE POSTED ON HALLOWEEN THIS YEAR

This was a hard book for me to get into at first - I found it a bit slow and struggled with picking it up for about the first 25%. This, admittedly, might be because I had just finished watching The Haunting of Bly Manor and I found the story in this book to be very similar to what I had just watched, so it wasn't able to full grab my attention.
However, I did get more into it after that point and I found myself wanting to know what had happened and actually wanting to pick it up. The story itself was suspensful and full of intrigue, the writing was very well executed and I did find myself caring about the characters and what happened to them.
I would recommend this book for horror fans - and I will be checking out this author again.

A chilling and spooky read The Whistling is perfect for Halloween and fans of historical reads that have that slight mystery/ horror vibe going on.

Tense, atmospheric and terrifying.

Perfect for fans of Susan Hill, 'The Turn of the Screw' and 'The Others'.

With thanks to the author, publishers Penguin Michael Joseph UK, and NetGalley for providing me with a digital ARC for this book, in exchange for my honest and unbiased review.

Horror is one of my favourite genres, and this book did not disappoint! Creepy and ambient right from the off, this gothic ghost story has characters, both alive and dead, that were well developed as the story progressed, while the revelations about these characters and the plot twists that accompanied them kept me guessing practically until the last as to how the story would pan out. The author’s descriptions of the house and the island were really chilling and mysterious, to the point that they almost became characters in the story themselves, while small recurring events such as the moving of Elspeth’s shoes and the footsteps outside her door each night contributed wonderfully to the building of the tension in the story.

A thoroughly enjoyable book, I would love to see more works in the same vein from this author.

What a great horror story. I dont tend to usually read this genre of book, and if I'm honest I struggled with the first three chapters as I couldnt get in to it, however please persevere! It is a great book and I became addicted to reading more of it right through to the end.

I loved the main character Elspeth and the story is pretty unique.
I dont usually like really heavily descriptive stories, but this one really reeled me in and I felt like I was almost there watching from afar.
I loved the book and would recommend to anyone, especially if you dont normally read horror stories.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for providing me an advance copy .

What a creepy cover! This storyline had me gripped and I raced through it...well worth reading :) I can't wait to read more from this author!

I really enjoyed this book as I like anything with a horror vibe. I think if you enjoy horror and gothic reads you will like this book. It is a little bit slow but the creepy atmosphere makes it enjoyable.

If you like Horror like i do you will love this book.
so creepy in places i had to stop reading sometimes at night, but it kept me reading more.
The town is so shady about the family Elspeth is looking after no one will tell her what has happened.
So many secrets to unfold and so many twists that are chilling will just keep you wanting more.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publishers for sending me a copy in exchange for a review.

This was a beautifully written, slow burning thriller set in the outer islands of Scotland during the 1800s, giving you an atmospheric reading experience that was quite captivating.
I felt for the characters, and enjoyed the almost claustrophobic scenes inside the house itself, with the island and weather almost becoming its own character.

Very well written, and I look forward to more from this author.

A pretty good gothic ghost story about a young woman running from her past who goes to a remote Island to be a nanny to a young selectively mute girl.
It has well drawn characters and is satisfactorily puzzling and spooky.
For fans of Laura Purcell.

DNF @ 40% - Unfortunately, I didn't get on with this one. I usually love a gothic sort of story but this was a little too slow for me. I wasn't particularly attached to Elspeth, which made it harder for me to keep going. I think if I'd liked her a little more, I might have pushed through, but all in all, this wasn't for me.

It's 1860 and Elspeth Swansome is alone in the world. Trying to escape painful memories and the ghost of her life in Edinburgh, Elspeth accepts the position of nanny to a family on the remote island of Skelthsea.

When she gets there, though, she discovers that her new charge, Mary, hasn't spoken since the death of her twin, William. A death no one wants to talk about. Soon, strange things start occurring in the house and an eerie whistling can be heard at night... and Elspeth will be left wondering whose secrets haunt the halls, those of ghosts or of the living?

The Whistling is a novel in the best gothic tradition, that kept me glued to the pages and gave me quite a few chills. It's an absolutely perfect read for a dark winter night (or afternoon, if you're like me and need to read spooky stories in the light). The author did a great job in creating a haunting atmosphere with a strong sense of foreboding, while at the same time letting the story eerily play out in the space somewhere between dreams and reality.

I absolutely adored the setting in this. The island and the house were both drawn so well I could almost see them and feel the cold, the fog, the sea... and the whistling. This book is beautifully atmospheric and reminiscent of classic gothic novels in its style and setting.

The characters were also compelling, with Elspeth and Mary certainly being the best ones in terms of characterisation. The bond that develops between the two of them is so tender and adorable that I couldn't help getting attached to them too! The rest of the cast is quite varied, and I enjoyed seeing snippets of island life through them, and the colourful characters that live there. I did occasionally find Elspeth to be a tad too naive, but I suppose that added to her charm somewhat and didn't end up annoying me too much.

Even though I thoroughly enjoyed this, it came just short of blowing me away. Mostly, I think, this was because I had a strong sense of having seen all this before. There are hardly any original elements here, and the story follows pretty closely the template of other ghost/gothic island stories. The author does a fantastic job with it, but it just needed a little bit more for it to go from a really good read to a great one for me. This possibly won't be a big issue for anyone just looking for an entertaining haunting read, but genre aficionados might not appreciate it as much.

The whistling - Rebecca Netley

DNF - in my opinion very slow and drawn out. Lost interest and then it expired so didn’t get to finish it anyway. Thank you for giving me the opportunity to read it.

Not really my cup of tea. The twists and turns kept me reading ,just to find out who done it! The storyline was hardly unique but it had its moments.

A superior ghost story - I was drawn into Elspeth's story straight away. She takes a job as a nanny on a remote Scottish island, her charge is mute, the maid in the house is hostile to her and there are more than a few strange goings on... yes, including a mysterious whistling that is linked to the dead...

Excellent for these long dark evening, prepare to get a chill down your spine.

Mysteriously creepy story, this gothic tale was atmospheric chilling me with its vibrations as I traversed the pages. The story had Elspeth moving to the island to take care of Mary, who was unable to speak since the death of her brother. Added to that was the feeling of an invisible entity. The book had its emotional factors along with the feeling of impending danger. The ending could have been slightly more explosive. Overall, a great debut.

I absolutely loved this book, it was enthralling from the start and I was dissapointed when it finished, I would definitely recommend this book, one of the best that I have read this year