Scan barcode
spectacledbear's review against another edition
challenging
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5
sorrel29's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
reflective
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Minor: Sexual assault and Violence
jimib1970's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
menfrommarrs's review against another edition
4.0
Love the open and sometimes derisive relationship of the Watkins pair!
Merrily's moody teenage daughter, Jane, as a counter-point to the current theme, is a good mental challenge for the vicar AND the reader.
Must see what they get up to next.
Merrily's moody teenage daughter, Jane, as a counter-point to the current theme, is a good mental challenge for the vicar AND the reader.
Must see what they get up to next.
didactylos's review against another edition
4.0
Another enjoyable read, though at times the convolutions of the plot annoy me. Too many twists and turns. I did also dislike the sudden climax which then just stopped and the recapping of the conclusion is not the way i like a narrative to run. The deus ex machina finale is not the best way compared to a blow by blow narrative in my opinion.
megan_prairierose's review against another edition
5.0
I finally couldn't read this book before bed anymore because it haunted my dreams. Great bone chilling story! Can't wait to read the next book!
angelica_jardinerica's review against another edition
2.0
I don't remember finding the other book I read from the Merrily Watkins series,(Wine of Angels), so annoying. Both of the ones in this collection should be renamed 'Jane's Duffel Coat parts 1 and 2' due to the number of times the damned thing is mentioned. What was that all about?! I had the distinct impression that there was a serious lack of editing: new sentences started unneccesarily, ellipsis all over the place for no apparent reason, stunted dialogue which just didn't flow, together with serious continuity flaws. The attempts to withold information in order to create suspense only serve to cause confusion and there are so many things which simply don't make sense. I kept waiting for the real story to kick in, but it never did.
andrew61's review
4.0
It's a while since I read the first of this series but returning to the gentle world of a Herefordshire parish vicar was a pleasant reading experience however as merrily and teenage daughter Jane recover from the supernatural goings on that she encountered in book 1 she is appointed as diocesan exorcist by a Blair like bishop and the spooky goings on start all over again.
I really enjoyed this story as Merrily has to battle sexual prejudice , a very sinister old priest who is being retired to make way for merrily, a dodgy bunch of local new age tarot reading individuals who seem to be drawing Jane into their web, a haunted cathedral, a teenage femme fatale, and an encounter in the deathly hours in a creepy hospital ward with a nasty dying old man.
This is not therefore the cosy story that its middle England parish setting suggest but a goose bump causing supernatural chiller and I look forward to reading book 3 soon although I may save it now until the nights start drawing in.
I really enjoyed this story as Merrily has to battle sexual prejudice , a very sinister old priest who is being retired to make way for merrily, a dodgy bunch of local new age tarot reading individuals who seem to be drawing Jane into their web, a haunted cathedral, a teenage femme fatale, and an encounter in the deathly hours in a creepy hospital ward with a nasty dying old man.
This is not therefore the cosy story that its middle England parish setting suggest but a goose bump causing supernatural chiller and I look forward to reading book 3 soon although I may save it now until the nights start drawing in.
bgg616's review against another edition
4.0
This features a woman Anglican priest. In this book, she becomes an exorcist, though reluctantly. The novel convinces you that evil spirits are real, and kept me engaged throughout.