I read this book in full spooky season because the blurb made it sound perfect: gothic atmosphere, a remote estate, secrets, witchcraft... basically spooky gold. And yet, when I finished it, I found myself disappointed and left wanting, although I couldn't really articulate why. I gave myself some time to process (a little longer in truth than I'd planned to be honest), trying to get some clarity but several weeks on I'm still no further in this.

Starting off with the positives, the atmosphere is spot on. The author does a great job with the settings and captures the dark, cold weather particularly well. I could almost feel the cold seeping through the page (and my headphones for the parts I listened to on audiobook). The settings are vivid and the tension is palpable, which is the main reason I didn't abandon this halfway through, because for the rest I was fairly disappointed.

The characters were profoundly unlikeable, and not in a good, interesting way. The main character, a woman trying to leave her past behind as a mysterious event led to her losing her job in London, had all the cards to be an interesting, complex character but ended up being quite flat for me. The rest of the cast is entirely forgettable, and I actually mixed them up pretty frequently aside from the mansion owner, his sister and the MC's neighbour, who came across as very one-dimensional.

Quite a few mysterious happenings occur throughout, which may or may not amount to witchcraft, but I became increasingly frustrated as it felt as though the story wasn't really going anywhere. Eventually, I was just bored and the ending felt completely anticlimactic. Nothing is really explained, a lot of things just fall into the void, and what is implied to have happened would contrast with everything we've read up to that point, making the whole thing even more confusing.

Essentially, this didn't quite have enough plot for my taste, feeling to me more as directionless meandering, but also didn't go deep enough in exploring its characters to read like a character study. Such a shame, because the ideas were clearly there and the writing itself was actually good, but I was left very unsatisfied overall.

This book was slightly atmospheric. The writing left me confused at what was actually happening. This book was ok but nothing special

"Hare House" promises a gripping and suspenseful narrative that delves into the unknown, where the line between reality and the supernatural blurs. Readers can expect a tale of mystery, witchcraft, and the eerie secrets hidden within the walls of Hare House as the story unfolds against the backdrop of a remote and enigmatic Scottish landscape.

Due to a sudden, unexpected passing in the family a few years ago and another more recently and my subsequent (mental) health issues stemming from that, I was unable to download this book in time to review it before it was archived as I did not visit this site for several years after the bereavements. This meant I didn't read or venture onto netgalley for years as not only did it remind me of that person as they shared my passion for reading, but I also struggled to maintain interest in anything due to overwhelming depression. I was therefore unable to download this title in time and so I couldn't give a review as it wasn't successfully acquired before it was archived. The second issue that has happened with some of my other books is that I had them downloaded to one particular device and said device is now defunct, so I have no access to those books anymore, sadly.

This means I can't leave an accurate reflection of my feelings towards the book as I am unable to read it now and so I am leaving a message of explanation instead. I am now back to reading and reviewing full time as once considerable time had passed I have found that books have been helping me significantly in terms of my mindset and mental health - this was after having no interest in anything for quite a number of years after the passings. Anything requested and approved will be read and a review written and posted to Amazon (where I am a Hall of Famer & Top Reviewer), Goodreads (where I have several thousand friends and the same amount who follow my reviews) and Waterstones (or Barnes & Noble if the publisher is American based). Thank you for the opportunity and apologies for the inconvenience

As seems to be the popular prognosis, this title is a little tricky for me to summarise my feelings on.

On one hand, I loved the remote Scottish setting with our narrator secluding herself away, for reasons initially unknown, and the nature descriptions surrounding her. I enjoyed the gloomy atmosphere of the land and that pervading unease of not knowing whether the witchcraft elements were real or imagined.

However, on the other hand, I felt the pacing was a little off for me. It is definitely a slow build and while that's not inherently a bad thing, there's something that didn't quite sit right with me about the flow of the plot overall.
'All of the characters could be said to be unlikable to different degrees. The reader gets a sense that they're never really fully able to trust any of them, even the narrator's voice. I think being able to enjoy reading from the perspective of an unreliable narrator will vary from person to person, I enjoyed most of the POV right up until the end, where I felt it just sort of unravelled for me.

All of these characters seem to be somewhat manipulative, but I did like the descriptions of a very small insulated community. How stifling it can feel to constantly feel eyes on you, and whatever you do will be commented on and dissected.
While reading it felt like the author was drawing comparisons of elements that preceded the historical witchcraft trials and accusations. I'm not sure if this was intentional or just what it seemed, like the stifling confinement of winter and close proximity to neighbours, making friction between them all. The older/somewhat standoffish woman in the village being singled out as the "witch". Blame being passed around and slights imagined. Even down to the first accusations being made by a young girl, in this case, Cass.

Apart from the pacing issues, I think the ending will be quite marmite-like for a lot of people. I don't mind an open-ending to some degree but I felt like a lot of what was built up throughout the book, such as the witchcraft myths and poppets were inconsequential in the end. A loose end which was left unsatisfactorily open. As the uneasy, witchy feel was what had drawn me to this book's synopsis this was pretty disappointing for me overall.

Dark, atmospheric and what a great story. My first book by Sally and not my last. Very well written and I really did enjoy this.

Hare House is a deliciously dark novel that is perfect for the colder months. The writing had this sharp crisp quality to it that transported me to the eerie Scottish landscape. This book has a strong broody atmosphere that will hook you and Linger long in your thoughts after reading.

I love a good folk horror tale and Hare House certainly chilled me to the bone. Beautifully written and genuinely creepy!

The idea of this book had me really excited to read it as I love a witch story but this novel fell flat for me.
It took ages to get into it as the story was very slow paced. I didn't particularly like any of the characters, they were unrelatable and odd. After finishing the book I had no idea what had actually happened. It wasn't clear if the narrator was a witch or not, or if the suspected neighbor was. Was the hare a hare or a witch in disguise?
I wanted to like it and there be a 360 plot twist ending but like I said, it fell short of that.

In this atmospheric novel set in a remote Scottish estate we are drawn into a tale of witchcraft and mystery. A woman arrives to start a new chapter in her life, following a strange accident which saw her leaving her job as a teacher behind. She befriends her landlords, Grant and Cass, and is drawn into their lives and their secrets. The novel starts slowly as the author explores the local woods as seen by the narrator, the new neighbours, their curious ways and superstitions.
The isolation is a theme of the book, portrayed not only through the harsh landscapes but also author’s reflections about the need to belong. The narrator’s voice is precise and unharried, as she explores others around her as well as her own past. This is not quick escapism, but a slow journey through pages of growing unease, witchcraft and madness.

3.5 stars
A woman arrives in Scotland having left her life behind in London mysteriously; as the seasons change she begins to believe that all is not as it seems at Hare House and within the small community tensions boil over.

This was a modern gothic tale was a slow burning witch story; I enjoyed the protagonists past being revealed slowly and the strange and inexplicable events that kept happening; it was a little too slow for me but still a very interesting read.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the novel in exchange for an honest review

Such an atmospheric book. Loved the back story which gave a solid reason for her to be moving to Scotland. Loved Cass and Grant. Awe-inspiring . . . The characters are so well drawn and the plot so well paced.

An unnamed woman arrives in Scotland, having left her job as a teacher in London after a dramatic incident in one of her classes. She is now working as a freelance writer and tutor in the grounds of Hare House, a manor surrounded by moors and forest. It isn’t long before our narrator realises that there is something strange within the walls and the grounds of Hare House. As the snow sets in, the mysteries begin to surface. It’s very slow-burning with a cold, unsettling atmosphere that seeps through the pages. It becomes increasingly claustrophobic and creepy, which caused me to become desperate to discover the truth. Due to the fantastic writing in this book, I have a new fear of hares! The perfect, wintry, folk horror read.

A perfect read for cosy winter night, when outside is frosty, bitter and other worldly. A truly haunting tale of a secret past repeating itself in many ways. There was a satisfying continuity of the narrative which I liked. A clever and fast paced chilling tale.

A creepy, riveting and enigmatic story that kept me reading and left me with a lot of questions.
I felt a bit lost at times and I couldn't stop reading, I loved the enigma behind the characters and the style of writing.
We don't know the name of the woman at center of the story as we don't know a lot of thing but I think the missing information are big part of the charm of this story.
Great storytelling, creepy setting, excellent character development.
Highly recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I think this book had a lot of potential but it didn't quite reach it for me. The book tells the story of an unnamed narrator who has moved to Scotland due to a scandal involving her previous job as a teacher. I was curious to see how Scotland was portrayed being Scottish myself and the setting was probably the strongest aspect of the novel. The main character was fleshed out quite well and I felt like I got an insight into her character, the others felt a little one dimensional however which was a shame as some of them had potential to be interesting.

I liked the sense of mystery and restrained malice that ran through the narrative although I felt this perhaps wasn't taken as far as it could have been. I can understand not wanting to make a supernatural mystery novel too obvious but some of the main threads just felt unresolved e.g. the significance of the hare taxidermy at the big house. I'm guessing this was a deliberate choice to leave us guessing but it made the ending feel like a bit of a damp squib really.

‘Without context, things shift their size, their shape. A branch becomes a reaching hand, a stone a crouching beast, coiled to spring. And a hare, a hare can shift from animal to human, human to animal, as fluidly and easily as it can run.’ - ‘Hare House’.

My thanks to Pan Macmillan Mantle for an eARC via NetGalley of ‘Hare House’ by Sally Hinchcliffe in exchange for an honest review.

This atmospheric novel opens with its unnamed narrator relating a story about events almost a decade ago when a mysterious incident at the all-girls school where she had been teaching led to the loss of her position there.

She elects to move to Scotland to start a new life and arrives at the remote estate of Hare House where she has rented a cottage. As she explores the local woods, hills, and moorlands, she learns of the local legends of witchcraft, clay figures, and of those who are said to transform into hares.

She finds her neighbour, Janet, rather intrusive and even sinister. Yet she finds better company in a friendship with her landlord, Grant, and his younger sister, Cass. Still there are troubling signs that all might not be quite as it seems at Hare House. As winter sets in they are all trapped by a heavy snowfall within the walls of the estate. …

Sally Hinchcliffe does a superb job of capturing the haunting landscape of Dumfries and Galloway. I am always drawn to tales featuring folklore and animals such as hares. There are plenty of hares within this tale, sometimes as animals and other times as clearly otherworldly.

Overall, I found ‘Hare House’ an engaging character led novel with elements of the Gothic and folk horror woven subtly throughout.

A story that unsettles you, where you’re never quite sure what is behind events and then come to suspect something quite different. As I drew near to the end of the book I was convinced of certain details, only to be surprised by hints that things were quite different.
Hare House is an atmospheric tale, relying on superstition to fully develop the sense of unease. It focuses on a narrator that is definitely unreliable, someone who we are never certain of.
Our unnamed narrator was, as we eventually learn, a teacher in a relatively prestigious girls’ school in London. After an unfortunate incident (which it seems she was more involved in than she wanted to admit) she leaves her post and escapes to a rural home in Scotland. Away from prying eyes she has only her landlord and his younger sister, and the mysterious older neighbour, for company.
As the story progresses we notice odd events taking place. There’s talk of clay models, witchcraft and mysterious things. We’re never entirely sure what is taking place and what’s imagined, or who is responsible. Tensions run high, and not everyone survives the events narrated.
There was a clear sense of the supernatural at play, but it was hard to tell exactly what was happening or who/what was responsible. Many of the issues that caused problems were put down to the behaviour of older single women, and some elements of the story felt too easily linked to existing prejudices.
I’m grateful to NetGalley for giving me the chance to review this in exchange for my honest thoughts.

When I started reading this novel I was struck by just how in control the author was. The narration was word perfect, conjuring up lovely visions of the Scottish countryside - the way it borders right on the cusp of picturesque and harsh sometimes. There was just a hint of foreboding that crept in as I got the feeling that something was not quite as it seemed - the setting of the story, the other characters or our narrator herself.

The story builds and there are marvellous descriptions of the scenery, the swooping heart of someone rediscovering a love of cycling and being outside, and even the potential for new love being dangled...

This was all set to be 5 stars but then the fever pitch I'd been reading at slowly stilled, and the story itself seemed to have written cheques it couldn't quite cash. A character who I expected would be a big player in the end game, well two characters now I come to think of it just didn't go where I thought I was being pulled. A third, and a fourth character also ended the story without the big climax I was expecting. Most of all though, I'm not sure I really understood what was being hinted at.

One thing is revealed in its entirety but the other thing, the more interesting thing to me, why, I feel like we barely brushed the surface. Did I read the ending as intended or did the author lose a bit of that control and veer off the road?

My thanks to netgalley and the publisher for a copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Atmospheric and wonderful.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for letting me access an advance copy of this book in exchange for my feedback.