Wakenhyrst

By: Michelle Paver

Narrated by: Juanita McMahon

Bloomsbury presents Wakenhyrst by Michelle Paver, read by Juanita McMahon.

A Times Best Book of 2019.

'Paver is one of Britain's modern greats. This sinister, gothic chiller shows why' BIG ISSUE, Books of the Year 2019.

"Something has been let loose..."

In Edwardian Suffolk, a manor house stands alone in a lost corner of the Fens: a glinting wilderness of water whose whispering reeds guard ancient secrets. Maud is a lonely child growing up without a mother, ruled by her repressive father.

When he finds a painted medieval devil in a graveyard, unhallowed forces are awakened.

Maud's battle has begun. She must survive a world haunted by witchcraft, the age-old legends of her beloved fen – and the even more nightmarish demons of her father's past.

Spanning five centuries, Wakenhyrst is a darkly gothic thriller about murderous obsession and one girl's longing to fly free by the bestselling author of Dark Matter and Thin Air. Wakenhyrst is an outstanding new piece of story-telling, a tale of mystery and imagination laced with terror. It is a masterwork in the modern gothic tradition that ranges from Mary Shelley and Bram Stoker to Neil Gaiman and Sarah Perry.©2019 Michelle Paver (P)2020 Bloomsbury Publishing Plc.

Critic reviews

"A ghost story to chill and thrill...Like Touching the Void rewritten by Jack London, Thin Air is a heart-freezing masterpiece." (Guardian)

"Paver is the mistress of suspense." (The Times)

"A wonderful atmospheric and hugely enjoyable ghost story." (Anthony Horowitz)

A slightly more subtle chiller from Paver

Once again, Michelle Paver proves herself to be a top notch writer of subtle horror.

Great Story. Classic Vibes

Loved everything about this book. Narration, pacing, theme, and story. Loved the twists and felt invested in the main character. A good, slow-burn, psychological thriller

great narration

great narration and vivid characters. reminiscent of old horror like Shirley Patterson. loved to hate Edward

Dark, but not dark enough

The blurb of the book promised a far darker read. Not that it wasn't, but I was missing the atmosphere being more forefront.
The final revelations were trully disturbing, though, I give it that!
This one book would've benefited from a male narrator to set the atmosphere.

A slow burn with so many twists and turns!

I usually don't like slow burn books as they tend to sometimes drag and one loses interest, but Wakenhyrst sucks you in and holds you tight. Michelle Paver does a fantastic job with world building and weaving suspense. The character's of Wakenhyrst are vivid and you really connect to them. If you are looking for an in your face and make you jump ghost story this isn't it. This is a gothic ghost story which is a different type of scary, but it is also more than that. This touches into the supernatural on other levels and shows you the slow and dark descent into the human mind. As for Juanita McMahon narrating this fantastic book she lends even more talent to a already talented author and brings even more depth to the story! I will definitely be checking out more of Michelle Paver's books in the future. Wakenhyrst is laced with Obsession, Religious Fervor, Romance, Madness, The Supernatural, Lies, Deception, and all of it weaves a twisted and dark tail that is best listened to or read in a quiet and dimly lit room where the shadows and your imagination can play with your mind as you read!

Slow moving but interesting story

I would not label this book as horror. It is more of a thriller but very slow moving. The character development is the part I found most interesting. The performance was excellent.

A Slow Atmospheric Burn

The story struck me as very well crafted. I could see where everything written moved the story forward without being forced or contrived. All the characters acted realistically. The author did an admirable job of drawing me into the setting and then steadily increased the tension to the end, the very last page. No cheap, sudden jump scenes or fake danger. I also enjoyed how the author began the story with what happened in the end. The story then is about how events came to that, and it surprised me. Really liked the narrator. I wish Michelle Paver would write more stories like this.

A dark tale

I enjoyed being led through this dark tale to the very end. It was never slow or boring but tickled your imagination throughout to see where the story would take you.

The descriptions are vivid.

Interesting with an unexpected twist. I will read more of this author’s works. She has become a favorite. I hope she will be added to our local library. I highly recommend.

performance perfect but...

Reader was excellent-accent, characters, emotion - expected more suspense or scary-ness - some loose ends and ending was ok but quick