I thought this would be a great pick for Halloween, set in an Edwardian Asylum, nice and spooky. Well, it wasn't really, it started of quite strongly; it's a dual timeline novel, Meg, who has her own ghosts to deal with, is an archivist specialising in family histories. She has been sent to Abbey Heights, the former asylum being converted into flats, to research the history. Betty has also asked her to find out about Ella, her ancestor who died there in mysterious circumstances. We get to learn Ella's story through diary extracts and a journal kept by her doctor.

It was not actually very spooky at all, more of an historical mystery, which wasn't what I'd signed up for, it started very strongly, but became quite slow moving and I rather lost interest at times. Evelyn Dr Morgan turned up as a character, which was intriguing, but wasn't much used. It ended up taking longer to finish than expected, but I'm glad I did.

When I picked up this book, I was expecting a horror story set in a creepy asylum. This book was more of a mystery told in multiple timelines. The characters were reasonably well-developed but I could not get Invested in the narrative. Although it was an enjoyable, easy read, it did not captivate me in the way I had been hoping.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I throughly enjoyed this book and the story line was unusual but very intriguing. The main characters were very relatable and I just had to know what happened.Although this is not my usual genre it was very enjoyable.

2.5/5.0

This should have been exactly up my street - a creepy old asylum, historical murder mystery and vengeful ghosts. But unfortunately this book missed the mark for me.

The whole book was slightly underwhelming and then I found the ending to be too far the opposite way. It felt as though the author was trying to make up for the rest of the plot in the very last chapter. And quite honestly the twist just annoyed me with how implausible it was.
I closed the book still not really knowing anything about the group of main characters or how they related to each other or where they all seemed to pop up from.

There was nothing haunting or spooky about this book. I was craving dark undertones and jump scares but nothing delivered. So if you're looking for a true horror read this definitely isn't for you.

The ideas behind this book are great and I thought main character Meg could have been a refreshing protagonist if she was fleshed out a little more. It was an easy read and I didn't not enjoy it, I just unfortunately wouldn't be raving about it to my friends.

An enjoyable read that was well written and had well developed characters. I treally enjoyed the different timelines through the book and how different characters points of voew were given. I would recommend reading this book.

the story setting is dramatic. Also it was in two time lines 1907 and present times. Megan is
a genealogist/archivist and she has been asked to find out whatever she could on a particular
inmate of the institute Elle. The present day institute was earlier a asylum, and to Megan
resonated with the heaviness and unhappiness of what those institutes were at the time.

Delving into Elle's history and sad end, we also delve into the life of Lucy. A person also
an inmate of the asylum, admitted for hysteria by her fiancee and family who became very close to
Elle. Though not openly spoken of Elle was admitted because she was a lesbian and Dr Wood who
was in charge at the asylum worried over the increasingly close relationship between the two women.

The story weaving the daily workings of the asylum, with Dr Wood's modern approach of integrating
the inmates as much as possible into public life showed up historically the manner in which
mental incapacity was treated, the stigma attached to it and for many the hopelessness for
the future.

The present day building was apartments and Megan lived there whilst unravelling the task
she was set to. it had strands of historical fictiin, along with two mystery murders which
were solved decades later and altogether was a very interesting read set in Edwardian tim

I really enjoyed "The Haunting of Abney Heights" by Cat Thomas. I'm vaguely familiar with the area and have been wanting to visit the cemetery for a while, so definitely will after reading this book. It did feel as if it was set in the past, thanks to the 1907 diary entries and loved that it was a mystery that was being unravelled over 100 years later. Not the predictable ending that I was expecting, so great stuff!

I enjoy Gothic stories, which is why this story appealed to me.

I liked this a lot - it was a mystery rather than a horror/ghost story, but it had the dark, eerie atmosphere that I was hoping for. There was some time-shifting, and recently I've been into reading a lot of books like that. There were a few narratives, and I was interested in each character's perspective. The story held my attention and I read most of it in one sitting.

I don't know if there are any more books featuring these characters, but I would definitely be interested in reading more books by this author.

This book was fine! It's not my typical genre and I did know that going into it. I think I thought it would be more thriller than it was? It did give me some creepy vibes but not completely what I was going for. I think going into it with less expectations would have been better for me!

Thanks to the publisher and #netgalley for letting me read and review #thehauntingofabneyheights. This was a great Halloween read that I really enjoyed and was well written. I love when books go back and forth between past and current time especially when using old journals. I also love archive stories and this one was fabulous! Highly recommend.

When an old asylum is made into new modern exclusive apartments Meg is hired to chronicle all the papers associated with the asylum. When she stumbles on the murders of two previous patients there’s more questions than answers like what does this have to do with vampires in the psychical research society? There’s so much to this book in so many different side stories and questions and all diaries and letters I couldn’t stop reading it and didn’t at all know how it would end but what an ending. I love in the old mystery and one that’s accompanied by diaries is even better. There’s much more to this mystery than the brief summary I have given but there’s too much to put into a simple bio about the book. Just know if you love gothic mysteries and ghost stories you get it all in the haunting of Abney Heights just make sure you have time to read and you won’t be interrupted because this book is so good you’re not want to stop. I received this book from NetGalley and the publisher but I am leaving this review voluntarily please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate most of my review.

Thank you for the book! This arc was given to me by #netgalley and the publishers!

I really didn't like this book so I couldn't finish it.

This ARC was provided to me via Kindle, from BooksGoSocial and #NetGalley. Thank you to the publishers, NetGalley and the author for the opportunity to preview and review. Opinions expressed are completely my own.

Unfortunately this one didn’t hold my attention or live up to expectations.

The Haunting of Abney Heights is not a horror book. It's a historical fiction murder mystery and a passive one. The main character, Megan, is a genealogist/archivist, who she gets assigned by a woman named Betty Gardiner to unravel the mystery of Betty's great aunt Emmanuelle. Emmanuelle Murray (Elle) was a patient in The Abney asylum in 1907. In June 1907., Elle tragically died on the grounds of the asylum. On the same day of Elle's death, her friend, Lucy, is also found dead in the Abney park cemetery. While Megan's task is to shed light on Elle's life and death, the more information she gathers, the more obsessed she becomes with the two Edwardian ladies. This unexpected mystery rattles Meg to her core when she finds herself engrossed with the history of Abney Heights to the extent of deliberately disregarding her history that lurks in the shadows.

In the present day, Abney Heights is a luxurious apartment complex owned by Monarch. Megan is staying in one of the apartments of The Abney Heights while she combs through the former asylum archives. Once the story starts developing, we are introduced to a few characters who will be assisting Megan in solving the mystery. As with most historical fiction, the book has two timelines. The present-day timeline is written partially as a regular narrative and partially as Uzi's messages (Uzi is one of the residents in the complex), whereas the past timeline is in the form of dr. Wood's diary entries (Elle and Lucy's doctor), and later Elle's diary entries. I am not a big fan of dual timelines because the present-day timeline is often not as intriguing as the one set in the past. This was partially true in this story too.
Why it worked: Megan is a refreshing protagonist. She's a middle-aged divorcée with no kids, has an unusual job, and has a Ph.D. in fairy tales. Her sidekick is her childhood friend, Antoine Byrne, an editor for the local paper – The Hockney Comet, who also lives in the Abney complex. The other characters who make up the 'Scooby Gang' are Uzi, Uzi's boyfriend Rowan, and Megan's college mentor Benedict. They're a fun group with a good dynamic.
Why it didn't work: It was passive and bit underwhelming. The detective work consists of the characters gathering around in Megan's or Antoine's apartment, or a local cafe, The Happy Cat, to discuss what they've read in the diary entries. No real action happens until the very end. Also, this should not be in the horror category. Absolutely nothing remotely scary or creepy occurs until the end. One mildly scary scene does not a horror make. Megan's background story falls flat. It takes too long to develop because Emanuele's story overshadows the present-day plot. I think that is why Thomas decided to incorporate the twist at the end, which elevates Megan's history and makes it more relevant.

One more thing I must address: the sapphic romance. Firstly, why not just use the term lesbian instead of 'gay women'? Secondly, the alleged queer romance is barely there. I find that it is also a historical fiction trope - the stories include lesbians but the romance is superficial, so it feels more like queer baiting. For the most part, the romance feels one-sided or as if the writer forgot to include the other character's contribution. Towards the end, the romance becomes more intense and complex and serves as a plot device rather than a stand-alone love story.

Don't get me wrong I had a fun time reading this book. I recommend it to fans of Edwardian history, murder mysteries, complex plot, slightly underdeveloped characters, and lovely descriptive writing. If you want a haunted asylum, you're not going to get it.

I just finished this last night.
I was impressed with the historical research that clearly went into this novel. The journal entries read just like reading an actual journal from the time period. It was amazing. I loved the characters. Our protagonist was perfect for this story.
There were somethings that were just plain weird. The text sections were especially weird. They fit in with the story, I guess, but they were strange.

I read this pretty quick but only because I try to push through stories I’m not a fan of quickly. I’m sorry to say I just wasn’t a fan. The best part about this book was the synopsis and title. I felt underwhelmed and disappointed ☹️

A creepy modern gothic story just in time for Halloween!
Meg returns to London almost against her will., knowing she will face her past mistakes. Taking up residents in an old asylum, she is researching the deaths of two asylum patients. It's a slow burn with many different literary elements and even Buffy references!
If you like a Halloween read, The Haunting of Abney Heights is for you!
.#BooksGoSocial

I thought that this was a really good book with great back and forth through timelines and points of view.

The first half of this book was brilliant, it really had me engaged and eager to find out what happened at the asylum, but halfway through I lost track of some of the peripheral characters and their connection to the dead girls and it was a shame as the book could have been shorter and kept up a tight pace and been brilliant. 4 stars for the first half, but 3 overall.

I enjoy dual timeline historical fiction and present day novels and this is a good example of this for most of the book. Towards the end, as we discover what really happened at the asylum it takes a very dark turn and I found it difficult to read a fictionalised version of events we know happened all too often in these places. For me it wasn't creepy, more harrowing and I struggled to finish the book.

I’m just going to make this one short and say that it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I expected more scare factor and less rambling and a drawn out slow pace. This one just didn’t do it for me.I’m just going to make this one short and say that it wasn’t quite what I was expecting. I expected more scare factor and less rambling and a drawn out slow pace. This one just didn’t do it for me.