Cover: Highland Cove
by Dylan J. Morgan
The author sent me an ARC (epub format) in exchange for an honest review (a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team).
My rating: ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (4 stars)
Plot
(by Goodreads)
Highland Cove Sanatorium sits abandoned on a desolate island one mile off the Scottish mainland. It’s a dark, foreboding place, filled with nightmares. Even darker are the asylum’s secrets: a history of disease and mental illness, macabre experiments and murder.
The tales of ghostly appearances are said to be more fact than fiction, but no one has ever documented the phenomenon. Codie Jackson aims to change all that. Arriving from London with his small independent film crew, they plan to make a documentary that will forever change their lives.
But when one of the crew disappears, things begin to spiral out of control. A storm closes in to ravage the island, and in the darkness Highland Cove’s true horrors are revealed. Now lost within the institution’s labyrinthine corridors, Codie and his team realize that their nightmare is only just beginning.
| Genre(s): | > Ghost Fiction > British Horror Fiction |
| Series: | n.a. |
| File size: | 3663 kb |
| Release date: | 2020-03-30 |
Teaser
Liam looked up, caught a glimpse of shadow fluttering over the grime-coated wall. The wheelchair turned a gentle arc outside the open door. Pressing the record button on his EVP recorder, he held it out at arm’s length and stared at the wheelchair as it settled against the wall.
“Hello,” he addressed the hallway. “Can you hear me? What’s your name?”
A murmur, indistinct and barely audible, drifted from the shadows at the end of the passage…
My Opinion
The story starts sixty years earlier when Polish psychiatrist professor Bukoski was head of the Highland Cove asylum. The stories about Highland Cove intrigue Codie and his team to document the ghostly appearances. I will not tell you more about the story than shown in the Goodreads plot description. This would spoil the fun of reading this book yourself.
With “Highland Cove”, Dylan J. Morgan has created an expertly woven plot, a thrilling horror novel. “Highland Cove” comprises authentic characters; Codie is a very likeable guy, I liked him from the start. You learn more about the team as the story processes; the more you learn about them, the more you are inclined to take sides. Dylan J. Morgan easily provides that fine chill that soon lets shivers run down your spine. There are turns that I did not see coming; most of my question marks were answered towards the end. I had a great time reading – this is a very compelling read. I was drawn into the story right away, close to Codie and Kristen and relieved to be invisible.
The ending was what I least anticipated; I could imagine two quite different possibilities for a second book or just say ‘Well, I really did not see that coming – but I accept it.’
I could imagine this a perfect plot for the “Fantasy Film Festivals” (they are known for gory horror films); I would admittedly opt to see a milder version, though.
The cover is great – perfect for this story.
This is for you if you like some shivers running down your spine, a creepy atmosphere and a gruelling mystery that needs to be solved.
A remarkable story to read again.
Recommended.
In brief:
| Cover | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (four stars) |
| Writing | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (four stars) |
| Plot | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (four stars) |
| Characters | ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ ⭐ (four stars) |
| Mood | Suspenseful, creepy |
| Pace | Steady |
| POV | Third person – past tense |
| Language |  (some mild swearwords spread sparsely) |
| Violence | 😡 (not for the faint of heart) |
| Sexual content | (mentions) |
About the author
Connect with the Author:
Please take a look at my statement on reading in My train of thoughts on …reading. Now I am asking you. 🙂
My questions for you bibliophiles:
What about you? What did you think about “Highland Cove”? Or – if you did not yet read “Highland Cove” – are you now interested in reading it yourself?
I am looking forward to reading your comments. 🙂
My train of thoughts on... 