The Hunt and the Haunting

eBook

English language

Published June 19, 2023 by Victoria Audley.

ISBN:: 979-8-215-86138-7

(1 review)

Agnes Marchdale loved to tell fantastical stories. She never expected to find herself in one.

Everything seems to be looking up for the Marchdale sisters after Marianne's engagement to the rich and handsome Lord Blackett. But when a long-buried scandal rears its head and threatens to overturn everything, Agnes must determine where truth lies or risk greater danger than she ever imagined.

The Hunt and the Haunting is a story about ghosts, both literal and metaphorical; a story about the stories we love, the stories we believe, and the stories that shape the world around us.

2 editions

Stephanie Jane reviewed The Hunt and the Haunting by Victoria Audley

A wonderfully atmospheric ghost story

5 stars

At just about fifty pages, The Hunt And The Haunting is a quick read, but a wonderfully atmospheric one with a compelling narrative that swiftly drew me in. Nothing is quite as it seems for Agnes and Marianne, two sisters who are about as different from each other as it is possible to be, yet who still maintain a close friendship. I could empathise more strongly with curious Agnes - who would rather be outside observing nature and ruining her pretty dresses in the process - than with the sweet and demure Marianne, but I appreciated how deeply both are portrayed.

I don't want to say too much about the actual storyline itself because I felt that going in without any preconceptions was the most fulfilling way for me to experience The Hunt And The Haunting and I don't want to risk inadvertently spoilering this for anyone else. Suffice to …

At just about fifty pages, The Hunt And The Haunting is a quick read, but a wonderfully atmospheric one with a compelling narrative that swiftly drew me in. Nothing is quite as it seems for Agnes and Marianne, two sisters who are about as different from each other as it is possible to be, yet who still maintain a close friendship. I could empathise more strongly with curious Agnes - who would rather be outside observing nature and ruining her pretty dresses in the process - than with the sweet and demure Marianne, but I appreciated how deeply both are portrayed.

I don't want to say too much about the actual storyline itself because I felt that going in without any preconceptions was the most fulfilling way for me to experience The Hunt And The Haunting and I don't want to risk inadvertently spoilering this for anyone else. Suffice to say that I eagerly read it all in one sitting as I just didn't want to put the book aside until the final page was read! I loved how the importance of the stories told within this story, plus how they are believed and by whom, gives the whole work multiple layers and a complexity that I hadn't expected because of its brevity. The gothic vibe is also beautifully pitched and the ghostly aspect would make this a perfect tale to explore on Hallowe'en or Christmas Eve.