The story opens with the group arriving at the sprawling, atmospheric mansion, which is beautifully described and sets the stage for mystery. The author does a commendable job of creating an eerie sense of place, with moody Scottish weather and the mansion’s creaky hallways adding to the tension. Unfortunately, that’s where much of the novel’s strength ends.

The characters, while diverse in background, often feel one-dimensional and clichéd. Each teen seems to fit into a stereotypical mold—the brooding loner, the overachiever, the rebellious wild child—without much depth or complexity. Their interactions often feel forced, lacking the genuine chemistry or conflict that could make their dynamics more engaging. As a result, it’s difficult to become invested in their fates, even as danger looms.

The pacing of the plot is another issue. The book spends a lot of time building up the mystery, but much of that buildup feels repetitive and drawn-out, with little payoff. The teens stumble upon various clues and red herrings, but the revelations are predictable, and the suspense is dulled by the lack of significant twists. When the final “big reveal” arrives, it feels anticlimactic, as the solution to the mystery is neither surprising nor particularly clever.

This atmospheric gothic YA novel is addictive and fast-paced with absolutely stunning prose. The cast of characters and our heroine Meg were so fun to read! There was so much angst, tension and drama between the group that was further heightened by the deliciously gothic backdrop of Wren Hall. And that plot twist? Loved it!!

I hope to try Goldsmith’s debut novel next!

This is one of those rare cases where I really enjoyed the story but can't say I liked any of the characters. They all came across as pretty annoying and shallow, or grumpy and abrasive. Normally rich teen drama with the added bonus of the average girl who gets to become part of that world is a favourite narrative of mine.
This book did that really well. The story starts interestingly enough, the main character has been invited to a special party with her former best friend. It's clear there was some sort of major incident right off the bat and there's a lot of tension as the plot gets going. Little bits of info are dropped throughout and its never quite revealed until the end what really happened. It weaves the taking part today and the past together in an interesting mystery. There's a good gloomy atmosphere as things go from bad to worse and added into that some Irish mythology as well. What was particularly good was you're never quite sure if the mythology angle is real or imaged.
While I didn't care of any of the characters, the mystery part and the story was captivating and made the book hard to put down. I would definitely read something by this author again.

Thank you to NetGalley and to the publisher Black and White Publishing/Ink Road for the digital ARC, it has not affected my honest review.

TW: horror, classicism, mental illness, alcohol and drug abuse, bullying

Months ago, Meg was riding high at the exclusive and deeply rich private art school Greyscott’s and had finally been embraced by the highest clique there despite her scholarship status, including the Wren twins- gentle, artistic Lottie and beautiful, intriguing Sebastien. However, things fall apart and Meg commits a terrible and dangerous mistake, one that might lead to her expulsion from Greyscott’s all together- her friends no longer want to acknowledge her and she’s cast adrift. Now after sheer silence from her former friends, Meg is invited to a Halloween weekend at the isolated Wren estate in Ireland in order to make amends for what she did. This might be her only chance to save her place at Greyscott’s and to regain the love of the Wren twins and Meg is willing to do whatever it takes. Wren Hall, unfortunately, is not the relaxing retreat that Meg imagined when she prepared her apologies- it has a dark history beside an apparently haunted lake, the house is constantly damp, full of covered mirrors and it’s always raining. The locals refuse to come anywhere near and even the Wren twins won’t elaborate on the things that Meg and her former friends see and hear- particularly not the legend of the terrifying banshee and her connection to the mansion. As the weekend continues and things grow more complicated between the friends, and the house seems to be calling Lottie into the lake, Meg has to ask herself if she truly knows the people she wants to be with- and what Wren Hall might have been through.

This is a deeply creepy contemporary YA and one I found impossible to put down once I started. Everyone is deeply complicated and morally grey, the setting is isolated and haunting and the mystery of the woman in the lake at Wren Hall is so engaging. One thing I found really effective is that none of the friends- or Meg herself- say what she did until further into the book, which makes you have doubts about the kind of person she is. Everyone has secrets in this book, even characters who Meg is certain of at the beginning and as things grow more tense, relationships begin to collapse. I was originally drawn into this book by it’s gorgeous, atmospheric cover but I stayed for the stark writing, complicated characters and haunted storyline. I love books about secrets lurking in the dark and this combined all those elements so well, it was so difficult to pull myself away when I needed to know what would happen. The refrain of “come on in the water’s divine” got stuck in my head the entire time I was reading this and I got actual chills during some parts of it.

This book is absolutely a contender for my top 5 this year and I'm so so grateful I got to read it as an ARC!
I haven't felt so torn about a group of friends since I read The Secret History- I loved the dynamic and hated it at the same time, I wanted Meg to get her life back but also desperately wanted her away from those insufferable (but cool in an artsy way) private schoolers. I loved how there was a sense of injustice in the Wren's owning the house from the moment we find out about the backstory.
I usually disregard people saying they couldn't see the ending coming but I *genuinely* didn't expect it, I think I was too caught up in how unsettling the house was, how I couldn't quite figure out if this was some supernatural horror or a whodunit.
Overall definitely 5* and I'm off to order myself a physical copy

I'll start by saying that horror isn't my usual genre but I absolutely loved this book. It's not full horror, as it has romance and fantasy aspects, which may be why I enjoyed it so much.

There are rumours that there is something in the lake.

Meg and her friends have fallen out after an incident where she got suspended. She wants their forgiveness and agrees to visit Wren Hall to make amends. It soon becomes apparent that everything is not what it seems at this ancestral home. The setting of this story helps create suspense and fear. You never know what will happen next. The friendship group is intriguing as there are fractures and backstories between each character which added to the drama and mystery of what was happening as you never really knew until the end. I enjoyed not knowing if Seb could be trusted even up to the end.

I enjoyed the folklore and location of the house on the haunted lake. I love learning about mysteries and local tales so this was great.

This book was a brilliant entrance for me into horror as a genre and I definitely want to pick up more gothic horror books.

I hadn't read anything by Amy before but I do have Those We Drown to read which I'll be getting straight to!

Thank you to Ink Road Books for sending me an early copy to read as part of the blog tour!

Our Wicked Histories was such a spine-tingling speculative horror mystery that I gobbled up greedily.

Amy Goldsmith burst onto the YA scene and straight into my horror loving heart last year with Those We Drown. It had excellent use of atmosphere, complex characterisation and a fiercely compelling plot. With Our Wicked Histories, Goldsmith cements these as hallmarks of her work and excellent ones at that. I absolutely adore the edge of mythology that feeds into her work and gives it this speculative edge. It makes it feel like a more linear place, where the line between fantasy and reality may ebb and blur. This is particularly true for me here with an exquisite interweaving of Irish mythology. It hits that classic horror trope of the outsiders being unaware of what they’ve stumbled into while also belying the chasm of the class dynamic prominently at play here.

Meg is under immense pressure to maintain her scholarship and her class places her at odds immediately. She simply does not inhabit the same world as these other characters, growing up in lives of immense wealth. There are clear cracks though, echoed by the crumbling family mansion. I really enjoyed this element of social commentary and how it altered the outlooks and attitudes of certain characters. Overall the characterisation and atmosphere were stellar, with some great twists and shifting dynamics.

I love horror for being able to bring out the monstrosity of humanity and face it head on – this can be literal or metaphorical. I have always been fascinated by the genre, so much so that I ended up studying it partially. The Gothic is such a phenomenal genre that has expanded and birthed offshoots that will haunt your nightmares. There is a power in being able to control your fear and face it despite being terrified. Goldsmith understands that latent power, using it here often to explore hidden secrets and dynamics that are enshrouded in mystery. It taps into wider traumas, particularly within this enmeshed web of privilege and power being exploited.

Our Wicked Histories is a gorgeously Gothic horror mystery that deserves a firm place on your Summerween reading.

I loved the ending of this book, it was so in expected and such a twist. The writing itself is amazing, as is the authors previous book, however in comparison to the previous book this seemed somewhat slower, I really did struggle at some points to continue, it missed out on so many good horror/twists and it wasn’t as dark as I had hoped. Would have been a 3* however the ending was very good!

Those we drown by Amy goldsmith was one of the first ARCS I got to read and review, and I’m so happy I got to read this new book by her.

This is a brilliant thriller with some local folklore and supernatural references. The character dynamics are strained due to a previous altercation that has our FMC on the outside to the group. Our FMC is also a scholarship student versus her wildly rich peers, this also creates an obvious divide that is referenced many a time by the more spiteful classist members of the friendship group.

Our FMC is put in a precarious position where she has to get back in everyones good graces or face the consequences, the consequences just happen to be more dire than she realises!

Love, love,love this book. This has to be one of those books where you say oooo just one more chapter. A book where the MC is the outcast and joins the popular kids and trouble brews whilst on a week retreat in Ireland Amy Goldsmith has you backing the downtrodden outcast.

It's an easy read with so much packed into the story, too, are left trying to work out, and who is really the bad guy. Loved the twists and turns. This author is definitely one I'm going to keep an eye on in the future.

If you’re looking for a spooky YA read this autumn, that’ll send a chill down your spine, then here it is!

After an incident at the end of the Greyscott school year, Meg is facing suspension. She’s a scholarship art student, and desperate to not lose out on her place at the prestigious school. She wants to try and express her apologies to her friend group, so she can hopefully remain at the school, but she’s mostly being blanked. When one of her closest friends finally reaches out to invite her to spend the week with them, at her Irish ancestral home, she agrees hoping that this is her chance to set things right.

However, things feel off from the get-go, however, when the taxi driver, who’s taking her from the airport, almost hits a sobbing woman, who disappears as quickly as she appeared, the large manor-house seems to be falling into disrepair (and filled with covered up mirrors and cornered off bathrooms), plus, most of the friend group aren’t best pleased to see Meg….

This is such an atmospheric book. Set in a crumbling gothic house, surrounded by a flooded lake full of statues, a deep forest with a towering folly, all in the deep depths of autumn. It plays around with its setting wonderfully, cutting the characters off, and turning the story into an almost ghostly game of cluedo.

There’s so much suspense, and unease. It builds up beautifully, the story unfolding one creepy revelation at a time. It deftly mixes Irish history and folklore together, creating a perfectly ominous springboard for the story as a whole.

The dynamics of the friend group can be strained, especially as Meg is from a poorer background. Some of the group don’t manage to hide their classism and disdain towards Meg, which adds another dimension to the story, alongside their distrust of her after the ball, and how they all interact with each other.

Occasionally I felt like the flashbacks did detract from the atmospheric build up, especially as this would usually place us back in a stereotypical English private school, but they did provide vital plot information, and it all did still flow well overall.

This book builds, and builds, and builds into such a satisfying ending, and I throughly enjoyed my time reading it. Also, I have to shout out the cover - it’s wonderful, and perfectly conveys what to expect from this eerie, paranormal, tale. Highly recommend!

Thank you to the publishers, and Netgalley, for the copy to review.

I love reading horror books and the eerie and creepy feel to this book was so well done, I felt capitated throughout reading this,

Our Wicked Histories is a haunting book about secrets, betrayals and the ghosts of the past (both metaphorical and literal).
It is a gothic story set in an ancient Irish estate. Surprisingly, my favourite thing about the setting was not the house itself but the flooded lake that abuts it. Not only is it overgrown with weeds (where the ghosts still live) but it is also slowly swallowing up the house. The courtyard that should be full of benches and statues for the guests to enjoy is almost completely submerged. Only the heads and torsos of a few marble busts are visible above the water. This image of the half-drowned figures was perhaps the most haunting part of the book. Although Wren Hall isn’t a haunted house like Hill House which is almost sentient, the house still seems to have a kind of presence in the book.
The characters who are isolated in this house think that they are simply celebrating Halloween, or Samhain as a the host Lottie insists on calling it, but there is much more afoot. I think that the author did a great job at creating tension between the friends (who we clearly see have many grievances against one another). Considering the fact that they all attend an elite and highly expensive school it makes sense that there are lingering rivalries over money, status and prestige. Honestly, I would have liked to know more about their everyday lives at this elite school. There are mentions of the drive to create art and succeed no matter the cost, but this more ‘dark academic’ discussion about creativity and the pursuit of beauty is overshadowed by the murder mystery aspect of the novel. I just think that I expected the book to go in another direction. Nonetheless, I think that the mystery surrounding the main character Meg’s social ousting, and the more insidious question of whether there was a murder in the house, helped to drive the plot. I did manage to guess some of the twists, but I still think that the emotional impact of the reveals was strong. Watching certain characters unravel whilst they’re trapped with a killer was very compelling.
I also thought that the supernatural element in the novel was good. I liked that the author researched Irish folklore and included a Banshee (the wailing spirit of a drowned woman). Although the ghost wasn’t actually very active in the story, the threat of this gruesome, watery figure lingered menacingly in the background of the plot. This drowned woman could have added more horror to the novel but ultimately she was there to remind the characters about their ‘wicked history’. She isn’t the true villain of our story. Just like in all good gothic novels, we learn that people are the true monsters.
I would recommend this book to fans of YA horror and gothic novels like House of Hollow. It may also be good for fans of Our Wives Under the Sea and anyone who likes to read about watery women.

Truly haunting this is a book of unfortunate events, mystery and trusts issues. After a very drunk summer ball at their sixth form our MC is suspended for something she doesn't completely recall, and over the course of the book we find there may have been more to it besides her hazy drunk recollection of snapshots from the night.

Given the opportunity to apologise and make amends to get their friendship group back together she jumps at the opportunity as as a scholarship student she doesn't want to loose her place, but also because it's probably the right thing to do.

Overall, this was a haunting tale with nothing that happened once we arrived in the setting of Ireland being at all predictable and remaining a true mystery right up until a shock revelation at the end. Honestly I do not think my review can do this justice, but its an amazing horror/mystery unlike anything I'd read before following the question of 'Who did it?'.

I basically saw the setting for this and clicked 'request' and I did not regret it. I don't read much YA anymore because I find most of it thin and unsatisfying, however this was an atmospheric delight set in an eerie ancestral home. It looked at female friendships against the back drop of secrets and spooky events. Overall I loved this gothic thriller.