I found this a really mixed bag as i didn't enjoy the first portion of this and then loved the final 2/3rds when the action was happening. The two perspectives were interesting and i liked how it showed the different investigations the two characters were taking. I found the tension was handled well and the way it affected the story going forward. The beginning is a slow burn but if you stay with it, it gets so good!

Eve’s husband has been appointed housemaster at the same school he attended. It’s not until Fen arrives that she begins to enjoy the experience. Unfortunately it was too much of a slow burner so didn’t enjoy it as much as I’d hoped to. There are several interesting aspects to the story and it was well written but it didn’t “grab” me. I’m sure there are many people who enjoy books set in schools/academia and they will love this novel!

Thank you Atlantic Books and Netgalley for one of the best books I've read this year
Wow, I was hooked. Brilliant storyline and the characters.
Plenty of twists and turns I thought it was one character and then another until I eventually got there.
This really is a can't put down book.

Wow, this book was intense. The atmosphere pulled me into the story and refused to let go. It was so creepy and kept me turning the pages (even when I should have been asleep!) There were so many twists, none of which were predictable. The characters were well developed and it was impossible to predict who was the bad guy. Overall, a cleverly plotted novel. I can’t wait to read more from the author in the future.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW


Review for 'Hazard Night' by Laura Vaughan.

Read and reviewed for Laura Vaughan, Corvus Books and Rachel's Random Resources Tours.

Publication date 6th April 2023.

This is the first book I have read by this author.

This novel consists of 40 chapters. The chapters are short to medium in length so easy to read 'just one more chapter' before bed...OK, I know yeah right, but still just in case!

'Hazard Night' discusses some topics that may upset some readers or may not be suitable for others. I like to point this out ahead of time in my reviews so you can judge if this book is for you or not. In this book Laura discusses/includes suicide.

I love the fact that this book is based in a boarding school as I have yet to read one that is set in a school. I have read hundreds of books so it is getting harder and harder to find a book with unique settings or storylines but Laura has managed to do just that with this storyline so congratulations Laura!! In this book we meet Eve who has been uprooted from her busy London life when her husband becomes housemaster at his old boarding school Cleeve College. Eve is struggling with the isolation but when new Classics teacher Fen joins then life changes for Eve. Fen refuses to listen to rules and brings Eve into a game of dares and disruptions. However, when a body is found after Hazard Night things will never be the same again. Will the killer be caught before anyone else dies? What story has Alice got to tell? Well, grab your copy and find out today!! This storyline was absolutely ram packed with suspense from the beginning which kept me turning the pages while on the edge of my seat waiting to find out what happened next. It is filled with drama, death, suspense, tension, secrets and twists to keep you on your toes. I love the fact that there were multiple protagonists telling us their stories from both first and third person perspectives which gives the reader a massive insight into everything that was going on but without giving away too much. This book takes the reader straight into the action leaving them constantly wanting to know what happens next from the very first page until the last!! I could not put this book down as every single time I even thought about it something else would happen until I just had to read one more until this happened so much I had devoured it in one sitting of a few hours so make sure you clear your schedules before starting!! An absolutely unputdownable addictive page turner!! I am looking forward to reading more books by Laura and cant wait to see what she comes up with next!

In this book we are told the story from the perspectives of two females who are both connected with Cleeve College. Firstly we meet Eve who is the wife of newly appointed headmaster of the school. Eve has given up her London life to join him at the college but is struggling with the isolation. We then meet Alice who is the daughter of the school chaplain who gives us more of an outsiders insight into what is going on. Although I must admit I didnt really "click" with either of the main protagonists I was still invested in them and the storyline. Laura weaves the chapters from each of the protagonists perfectly to drip feed the reader just the right amount of information she wants to give from both past and present timescales which I found intriguing. I love the fact that both the protagonists are in completely different situations but their storylines weave together perfectly. Laura's excellent writitng skills ensures that the reader sees and feels everything that the characters are feeling and my heart rate was speeding up along with theirs at different times in the books. Laura has done a great job of creating several complex characters each with their own unique personalities and mixing them into a storyline that will keep you turning the pages from beginning to end!!

Overall a gripping, twisty rollercoaster ride psychological thriller!

314 pages.

This book is just £2.99 to purchase on kindle and £9.19 in paperback via Amazon at time of review, which I think is an absolute bargain for this book!!!

Rated 4/5 (I enjoyed it ) on Goodreads, Instagram, Amazon UK and Amazon US and on over 30 Facebook pages plus my blog on Facebook.

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The suspense in this book is a tightrope walk, leading to a precipice of revelations that will keep you on edge until the final page.

This was a good psychological thriller, although it didn’t blow me away it still kept me captivated and murder mysteries combined with dark academia are fully my vibe! The cover is intriguing, the premise is intriguing and overall the story did match up which is great. The story becomes quite a rollercoaster with its twists and turns and working out what’s gone on on Hazard Night. Overall, not life changing but still good all the same!

Wow. Brilliant story, i loved the storyline and the characters. The twists and turns in it i thought it was one person then another and was kept going till the end. Couldn't put the book down.

Provocative and chilling, Kalagian Blunt plunges into the depths of the dark web, unearthing the hidden underbelly of suburban Sydney.

Prepare for an unsettling journey, as gory details intertwine with powerful prose, exposing relatable fears. Witness Raegan Carsen's gradual descent into the web's sinister realm, breaking free from her self-imposed internet exile. This gripping narrative explores the complexities of relationships, from the good to the bad and everything in between, shedding light on real-world issues.

As Raegan's traumatic past unravels and her intricate dynamics with her mother and evolving friendship with Min take center stage, solving the killer's puzzle becomes merely a backdrop. With its well-paced plot, artful conception, and clever execution, "Dark Mode" is an exceptional read that leaves a lasting impact.

A murder set in boarding school academia - yes please! Hazard Night is a night where pranks and misdemeanours are allowed in the boarding school, and when things go wrong, a body is found.
This ticked all the boxes for me, and the story was definitely a page turner, 3.5/5 stars for me

This was a dark academia novel that focused more on the (seemingly) adult characters than the students, a refreshing change. Eve moves from London with her husband when he secured a position as a housemaster at his former school, Cleeve College. Eve is not enamored with the stuffy institution and doesn't feel particularly fulfilled even after having a baby. Enter Fen, wife of the new Classics teacher and a bit of a wild child. Together they egg each other on to misbehave with dares and the suspense builds toward the climax of what is going to happen on Hazard Night, when students are allowed to cut loose and engage in pranks that this year will take a serious turn. The novel touches on themes of misogyny as female students have only recently been admitted into Cleeve, and only in the Sixth Form, and the school is having difficulty shaking off its past. The novel also highlights the plight of being an outsider in such a cloistered environment. The novel was a suspenseful slow burn and was highly enjoyable.

When Eve's husband starts a new job at an isolated boarding school, Cleeve College, they leave their life in London behind. Eve gets to know the wife of one of the teachers, Fen, and they start playing dares and breaking rules together. Hazard Night is a tradition at the school where students can roam free and wreak havoc. The next morning it becomes clear that something has gone terribly wrong when a body is discovered.

A complete rollercoaster of a story that instantly pulls you in.

I loved how there was an incredible level of tension immediately, with little hints here and there suggesting that something awful was going to happen on Hazard Night. I could feel straight away that the suspense was building up. I was hooked and couldn't wait to find out what was going to happen. I've read books set in schools before but usually they are centred around students, so it was really refreshing to come across a story where the teachers and adults had a main role.

The chaos created by Eve and Fen really drew me into their lives in such an enticing way. I enjoyed reading the book through different character perspectives. It created a range of insights and opinions that kept me invested in every single storyline.

A captivating story with a fascinating glimpse into life at a boarding school.

Thank you NetGalley and Atlantic Books for sending this book for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I do love a good school story and this one was very good, a dual narrative that exposes an underlying darkness in the academic world setting.

The characters were fun to read about and had layers and intrigue. It is a slow burn and focuses on the distinctive relationships forming that ultimately lead to tragedy and as such it was highly addictive.

Perhaps I would have liked more about the actual night in question and the adult characters are not very adulty (possibly a word I just made up) but overall a highly enjoyable read.

Eve is not happy when her husband, Peter, is appointed housemaster at his old boarding school, Cleeve College, but she dutifully uproots her life to join him. Peter's new job seems to take over his time & Eve finds herself pushed to the edges of his life, even becoming mother to son Milo doesn't help, so she is happy when a new couple arrive on campus. Fen is married to Gabriel, a new teacher who left his last post under something of a cloud. Eve & Fen become fast friends & start relieving the boredom by indulging in a game of dares to break all the school rules by Easter.

Meanwhile Alice, daughter of 'God' the school chaplain, lives on campus but attends one of the town schools. Looked down on & nicknamed 'Fishface' by the boys of Cleeve & rejected by the local kids, Alice feels as if she doesn't belong with either side, & is surprised when Bette Drummond, a popular girl from the latest small intake of girls at Cleeve, seems to take an interest in her. Alice is happy to have a friend, even if it is more to use Alice's knowledge of the school & its buildings to misbehave & grow closer to Alice's only friend (& secret crush), Henry, than a genuine friendship.

As the year progresses, the eve of Hazard Night draws near, a night when for a short time the students are allowed to play pranks, which are normally harmless, but this year the maelstrom of emotions, tangled relationships, & secrets bring to fruition a night when people will find out who their friends really are, culminating in the shocking discovery of a body.

I really enjoyed 'Let's Pretend' by the same author so I was looking forward to reading this one. It's good, but not quite as good as LP. Told from two points of view, Eve & Alice, I thought that, again, the author did a good job in highlighting not just the overt misogyny but also the hidden assumptions & long-held prejudices in such an institution as Cleeve College. Both Fen & Eve come across as rather immature for adults & would probably have been the 'mean girls' when younger. Alice was probably the most sympathetic character, even Henry was a little disappointing in the end. I was expecting a bit more skullduggery though from the synopsis - even Hazard Night itself was only a very small part of the book. It does get quite dark in the final chapters though. Overall, good but doesn't quite hit the target. 3.5 stars (rounded up)

TW: mentions of suicide, inappropriate sexual relationships (technically both parties are adults but there is an age/power imbalance which makes it predatory), deaths

My thanks to NetGalley & publishers Atlantic Books/Corvus Books, for the opportunity to read an ARC.

I found the story quite unusual, and there was an increasing sense of menace, although quite lightly handled. I did enjoy the different points of view, and how they increasingly meshed together.
The characters were distinctive and varied.
There were plenty of twists and action to keep me satisfied, although I did find the end quite sad.

I wasn't sure what to expect of Hazard Night as this is the first I've read from this author as I mostly stick to the classic like Christie when it comes to a murder mystery. But I'm converted to Vaughan's writing - set in a British boarding school, the tension and escalation of 'who dunnit' leads to learning more about each of the admittedly imperfect and sometimes shady characters and several times I was led right by the red herring of thinking I had cracked the case when I hadn't at it.
I inhaled this book in one sitting (in a few hours) as once I picked it up I could not put it down! I'm off to read Vaughan's other novels!

A good dark academia, gripping and well plotted. A story full of secrets and twists, a fast paced plot that kept me on the edge.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

This is another great read from Laura Vaughn, with her signature exploration of the outsider in a closed society and the damage they can inflict, for good or bad.

Here is the traditional boarding school, a male preserve, threatened by the presence of women in different forms. The chaplain's daughter, the housemaster's wives, and the sixth-form girls reluctantly allowed into the ranks.

Vaughn explores how the traditions of the years have been kept up through a veil of secrecy and lies, and exposes their fragility as they come under attack in the present day.

I loved the range of female characters and their viewpoints and opinions of a dusty institution on the brink of collapse. The intrigues and the collusion and the impact on the book's characters are all finely drawn and lead to an enjoyable read.

If you enjoy twisty tales, pull up a chair, and get stuck into this one. I didn't really like any of the characters, but that didn't matter. Good book worth a read.

„Hazard Night“ is a murder mystery set in a private boarding school. Eve’s husband Peter went to Cleeve himself. When he is offered a job as a housemaster there they leave their London life behind. But Eve soon feels isolated and even the birth of her son does not make her happy. But then a new teacher arrives at the school with his wife Fen in tow. Fen likes to break the rules, she is free-spirited and artistic and full of mischievous ideas. Eve is drawn to her and soon they become friends. But Fen has a dark side, too.

The book is told from two POV. Alice, the daughter of the school chaplain is the second narrator and she gives us a bit of an outsider look into the school. The story captivated me right from the beginning. You can feel that something bad is going to happen. It is also a slow burn read. The book takes its time, which is not always something bad. I liked the setting in the boarding school (I do love Dark Academia). The only thing that I would criticize was the ending. It is too nicely wrapped up in a bow and it left me a bit unsatisfied. But overall it is a well-constructed story and the writing is flawless. This is my first book from the author but I will look out for other books from her.