Book Review – The Toll House

Title: The Toll House

Author: Carly Reagon

Genre: Historical Fiction/ Horror/ Gothic/ Mystery & Thriller

Goodreads Rating: 3.93

My Rating:

Source: ARC

Synopsis:

The past isn’t always dead and buried . . .

A house with history. That’s how the estate agent described the old toll house on the edge of the town. For Kelda it’s the perfect rural home for her young son Dylan after a difficult few years.

But when Kelda finds a death mask concealed behind one of the walls, everything changes. Inexplicable things happen in the house, Kelda cannot shake the feeling of being watched and Dylan is plagued by nightmares, convinced he can see figures in his room. As Dylan’s behaviour becomes increasingly challenging, Kelda seeks answers in the house’s mysterious past. But she’s running out of time.

Because something has awoken.

And now it won’t rest . . .

My Review:

I’d like to thank NetGalley and Little Brown Book Group UK for approving me for an ARC of this book. I’ve recently been getting into my ghost stories and loving a spooky read for this time of year. When I saw The Toll House on NetGalley I knew this was one I would love to read and it didn’t disappoint.

From the moment Kelda and her son Dylan moved into the toll house things did not seem right. I immediately got that sense of dread and doom that bad things were going to happen and the author did a fantastic job of setting the scene. Throughout the whole story, I felt I was on tenterhooks waiting for things to happen and made the mistake of reading this one at night, which is not something I would advise if you scare easily like me!

During the story we flick back to the 1800’s were the original toll house keeper’s story is revealed. This part of the book was deeply disturbing and very dark but in a gripping way. Getting to know the history of the house and its occupants in the 1800’s was fascinating and the more I learnt the more scared I was for Kelda and her son. The back and forth between the different stories kept the momentum going and had me transfixed the whole way through.

I really felt for Kelda, not just because of what was happening in the house but because of her own past. I won’t go into too many details but lets just say her history is much more complicated and you understand why she is so protective of Dylan and is estranged with her family.

This book builds to a dramatic conclusion that I thoroughly enjoyed. It was dark, menacing, creepy and frightful. All the thins you come to expect from a gothic read.