#BLOGTOUR: Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis #CoverLove #TheWriteReads #UltimateBlogTour #HarrowLake @The_WriteReads @WriteReadsTours

Welcome to my stop on the #BlogTour for Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis.

When I first signed up for the blog tour I had no idea Harrow Lake was classified as a YA. It’s been years since I’ve read anything from the very large, very diverse and all genre encompassing YA field. So I was excited to get stuck in but also a little nervous that this might just not be a book for me – despite its amazing blurb and quite striking cover design.

Amazing cover, right!?!?

Book Blurb:

Lola Nox is the daughter of a celebrated horror filmmaker – she thinks nothing can scare her. But when her father is brutally attacked in their New York apartment, she’s swiftly packed off to live with a grandmother she’s never met in Harrow Lake, the eerie town where her father’s most iconic horror movie was shot.

The locals are weirdly obsessed with the film that put their town on the map – and there are strange disappearances, which the police seem determined to explain away.

And there’s someone – or something – stalking Lola’s every move.

The more she discovers about the town, the more terrifying it becomes. Because Lola’s got secrets of her own. And if she can’t find a way out of Harrow Lake, they might just be the death of her…

And I have to admit Harrow Lake wasn’t quite for me. I liked the writing and it was creepy! Definitely a book to read with the lights on. But for some reason or another, I wasn’t totally gripped by the story. I kept on asking – WHY! I felt a little frustrated by the setup, I felt frustrated that anyone would treat their daughter how Lola was treated and I was frustrated at some of the language used repeatedly throughout the book. It wasn’t optimal for my enjoyment.

BUT!

And it is a big BUT – I am not the target audience for it. So please take some of my reactions with a large pinch of salt because there was a LOT to like about Harrow Lake and I’m not giving it a bad review. In fact, I thought the writing was good, the pacing was spot on and I found parts very creepy! And some of the content was quite disturbing. The setting was VERY interesting and I would have loved to know more about Harrow Lake’s unfortunate history, and the Mister Jitters town story was memorable – for rather unsettling reasons. Atmospheric.

Also – The ending transcript was AMAZING. The beginning and the ending of the book featured an interview with the famous Nolan Nox for Scream Screen magazine and I thought it was all well done and clever. Great writing. But after reading the last page I was still left with questions! Harrow Lake isn’t a neatly wrapped up novel, but then I think in the horror genre this sometimes happens? Maybe… But I do like answers.

This is a young adult novel but I would think it’s aimed at the older end of the YA market- it is a very creepy horror novel with some very dark themes. And I am sure it is going to do well.

Have you read it? Have you read anything else by Kat Ellis?

I received a copy of the Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis for review from the publisher, via NetGalley, which was all arranged by the blog tour organiser – Thank you!

Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis will be published in the UK on the 9th July 2020 by Penguin.