Started well and creepy but then became a bit supernatural and I was out.
Did not finish as I did not enjoy hence the 2 stars - sorry!

As a child, Ashley Whitelam was haunted by ghostly figures, no one else could see, that she called the Heedful Ones. She has not seen them since a shocking incident at Red Rigg House eighteen years before, but suddenly they are back and she has no idea why. Along with her father and brother, Ashley performs as a ‘psychic’ pretending to be able to communicate with the dead relatives of unsuspecting audience members.
They offer her services to the police who are looking for a missing young boy. Deeply uncomfortable with this, Ashley is astounded when the Heedful Ones appear and lead her to the remains. The police are suspicious when she can’t explain how she found the location, the press are hounding her, and her father is exploiting the situation to protect their lucrative lifestyle. Desperate to escape his controlling behaviour and clear her name, she agrees to collaborate with American true crime podcaster Freddie Miller who is investigating the ‘Gingerbread House’ murders.
The dual-timeline narrative uses flashbacks to gradually reveal Ashley’s backstory. The Lake District setting adds to the atmosphere, and though it is not as scary as her last book, I still only read it with the lights on. Despite how she earns her living, I liked Ashley. She is trapped in the family business by her twisted, manipulative father (her brother is not much better), no matter how often she tries to break away. She is over thirty, but they treat her like a child. The irony is that he dismissed the shadowy figures she could see as a child as it did not suit his plan.
We are never sure if Freddie is on the level, but their partnership was my favourite part of the book. Most of the characters are well drawn, though some are verging on caricature. When she goes back to Red Rigg House, she is forced to confront her past. Hopefully, now she will be able to move forward. Although this is not my favourite genre, I definitely plan to read whatever Jen Williams writes next. Thanks to HarperCollins and NetGalley for a digital copy to review.

This book was creepy, chilling and full of suspense. I did enjoy elements of this book but I enjoyed the supernatural aspect of the story less so. I really like the flashbacks used to tell the story throughout and I thought it added another layer to the storytelling itself.

You know a book is going to be good when the preface gives you goosebumps! That's exactly what happened to me with this book.
The story itself follows a phoney/scam psychic as she's roped into helping the police potentially discover clues into some gruesome local murders. After actually finding the body of the latest victim, she's forced to confront demons from her past who are now finding their way back into her life. This read was faced paced and extremely addictive and I couldn't wait to pick it up every day. It had a dual timeline perspective, which really elongated the suspense of the story. The reveal at the end was not expected at all, I had some ideas, but none that matched up completely. I just felt it was a really unique story!
At some points, I was thinking, is this going to give me nightmares? Luckily, it didn't, but maybe don't read this in the dark. This has to be one of my favourite reads of the year so far.

This book absolutely has the perfect title. Dark in tone, its path snaked forward like a lonely twilight road with no turning back...

I found it hard going at time, given the subject matter, and it's definitely a story that I had to be in the mood for. An engaging thriller with smart writing, but I suspect this won't be for everyone.

"She saw them every day in the bedroom she shared with her brother, by the bus stop, in her Grandad’s back garden . Silent, shadowy figures that watched her. That no one else could see. The Heedful Ones were her own silent companions."

Darkly atmospheric, unsettling, eerie and tense, The Hungry Dark is the epitome of a book you need to read with the lights on.

Psychic Ashley Whitelam has always seen things that others don’t. It started when she was a child when she was haunted everywhere she went by ghostly figures she called the Heedful Ones. But she hasn’t seen them for eighteen years. Not since the night at Red Rigg House that she can’t bear to think about. But when she collaborates with the police to try and find a boy who has gone missing, Ashley sees the Heedful Ones again and they lead her to the boy’s broken body. Unable to explain how she found it, the police suspect her of being involved in the crimes and Ashely must prove her innocence.

I’ve been all about the creepy books lately and this one certainly lived up to my spooky-season hopes. It opens with an unsettling prologue, setting the tone for a book that bleeds with chilling suspense and keeps you on the edge of your seat from start to finish. The story is told in dual timelines, the flashbacks slowly revealing what happened at Red Rigg House to leave Ashley so traumatised. While both are compelling, I particularly enjoyed the flashbacks as this is where we get to know Ashley best. You get a real sense of how ‘other’ she felt, the fear that the Headless Ones instil in her, and her present-day family dynamics begin to make sense. In the present I was gripped by the murders and Ashley’s fight to prove her innocence that sees her team up with Freddie to investigate the crimes. They had a compelling dynamic and I liked that we are never sure if he is friend or foe. The Heedful Ones add a terrifying supernatural element that I loved as the tension built to a heart-stopping crescendo that left my jaw on the floor.

Nerve-shredding, spooky and utterly addictive, this is one you don’t want to miss.

After a slow and confusing start this story gained pace. I felt sorry for Ashley with her Heedless Ones, her father's control even in her thirties, her lack of self-worth and her conflicted feelings about her gift - or lack of!!
Despite the far-fetched nature of this tale I found myself reading late into the night to know what was going on. Not really my genre, but a definite page turner.
31/2 stars
Many thanks to Netgalley/Jen Williams/HarperCollins UK for a digital copy of this title. All opinions expressed are my own.

Great thriller kept me hooked the whole way through. Great writing and plot. Love this authors work and unpredictable till the ending

Thank you to the publisher who invited me to review this book, as I had previously reviewer of a similar author/genre.

My only issue is that it took me so long to get to this - usually I preview my invites straight away.

This is a very long novel, with lots of twists and turns.

Ashley is a crank psychic in the business of separating people from their money. Or is she? As she sees The Heedful Ones floating around and going through people. She gets terrifying images of things that are going to happen and in lead the police to a dead child's body.

The plot takes her back to Red Rigg House, a place where Ashley went to as a child but never went back. There she addresses her own past and puts to rest her demons in a terrifying plot twist.

Ii did find this novel quite long, and it took a while for me to get into it but I came away from it thinking that its one of the best horror fiction novels I have read in a long time.

This didn’t hit for me as well as I thought it would. This had a good plot and I enjoyed the characters. I really liked the Lake District setting, it’s so beautifully described and a great contrast to the dark points of this book. There was some good plot twists and it kept me guessing in parts but for me it just wasn’t as thrilling as I thought it would be. That being said I would like to read more from Jen Williams in the future.

I liked how this was a mix of mystery, thriller and horror. The drama was done well and i thought the action was done in a way where i always felt was gripping. Ashley was such an interesting character to follow and i thought she was written well, there were some side characters who needed a bit more fleshing out but for the most part, they didn't detract away from the overall quality of the story too much. I liked the atmosphere in this novel and thought the atmosphere, especially in the later section, was suitably ominous. I would read more by this author as i really liked this read!

The download date was unfortunately missed, I would be happy to re-review it if it became available again. I have awarded stars for the book cover and description as they both appeal to me. I would be more than happy to re-read and review if a download becomes available. If you would like me to re-review please feel free to contact me at thesecretbookreview@gmail.com or via social media The_secret_bookreview (Instagram) or Secret_bookblog (Twitter). Thank you.

This is a book you can love or hate and I'm on the fence because I don't know if I want to read it 5 or 4 stars.
Let's say 4.5.
I like novels featuring con people with psychic power and this is a gripping, atmospheric and creepy novel featuring one.
This is the type of cathartic novel you can read when you want something to keep you on the edge and ready to jump for any unexpected sound
Read it and have fun, highly recommended
Many thanks to the publisher for this ARC, all opinions are mine

I unfortunately didn't vibe with this novel, i felt the pacing was slow and the character developments didn't happen until right at the end of the book.
It had all the descriptions I enjoy but it somewhat lacked unfortunately. I'm sure they'll be others that enjoyed this novel but it wasn't for me, which is no way a reflection on the author or her writing skills.

Unfortunately had to DNF this at 10%. I just couldn’t quite get to grips with the characters and storyline. Thank you to Harper Voyager and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this ARC.

Red Rigg Fell plays with and thwarts the minds of many who visit it, burrowing deeper into their heads until their whole persona seems to darken. The premise for this book caught my eye, it ticked the box of being my usual genre, but with a supernatural twist. The eerie, chilly vibes were real in this book, and I have to say I may have checked under the bed once or twice when reading it.

The plot itself didn’t keep me hooked throughout. The eeriness of some sections of the book had me drawn in, and wondering what was going to happen next. The events at Red Rigg House in 2004 were really well done, kudos to the author for bringing that scene alive. If that sense of suspense and tension continued throughout the book then I would be rating it higher, but I know that’s the tough task for any author!

Each character added to the book, but I felt like we were only getting to know the true nature of the characters in the last few pages. I would have enjoyed more character development for certain characters, and a bit more of a backstory.

Overall I liked the book, and it was an interesting twist to a thriller.

DNF: 20%

I couldn't get into this one! I do think it will be one I give another try in the future, but for now I've set it aside.

Excellent story. Fast paced, thrilling and scary.
Great twist and ending.
Looking forward to more from Jen Williams

Ashley Whitelam has always seen things others don't. When she was at school she went away on a holiday to Red Rigg Fell in the Lake District. She used to see what she referred to as 'The Heedful Ones' but after a traumatic event their appearance was rare. Far from managing to escape from this trauma, her father set her up as a medium & now she spends her time going around halls telling the bereaved what they want to hear thanks to info fed into her earpiece by her brother. She feels trapped. A series of child disappearances are in the news. The Heedful Ones are back. A young podcaster, Freddie is following the events. The murders give her father the idea she should help the police try to find them- no-one is more surprised when she actually finds a body! The police are instantly suspicious of her so she agrees to work with Freddie. When Ashley has to return to Red Rigg Fell to honour a promise to a friend things get even weirder!

This was a terrific creepy read. I loathed Ashley's family, especially her overbearing father. Although Ashley made her money by exploiting the grief of others I couldn't help bit like her. The description of Red Rigg Fell & its environs added to the atmosphere. Thanks to Netgalley & the publisher for letting me read & review this book-it was a cracker!

A fabulously written gripping story that was a pleasure to read. I would absolutely recommend this book, it was brilliant