“Best read by candlelight.” – The Curse of Ravenhall by CL Raven reviewed

The blarb: Whilst the town has always avoided the castle, it’s always seemed a peaceful, if eerie place. Now, since Nathaniel’s death, there seems to be a sense of…evil around it. Like Nathaniel’s death has opened a door and let the monsters out.

The Curse of Ravenhall is an epistolary historic, gothic horror set in the fictional town of Carfax. At the edge of town, lies Ravenhall Castle, which has been abandoned for two hundred years. It was owned by the Deveaux family, but there are no records for their deaths. And no graves. Everyone knows to avoid Ravenhall Castle after dark. In the day, the ruins are just a crumbling relic from the town’s past. By night, it comes alive. Not because it’s haunted by ghosts. Curses, murder and madness haunt its dark heart. When Tess’s fiancé, Nathaniel, is found murdered on the grounds, she sets out to investigate why the town believes the castle to be cursed. And why Nathaniel died screaming.

The town where I grew up, the town I have always loved, is now a stranger to me. Where I once saw friendliness, I now see lies. Where I once saw beauty, I now see decay. The town which gave me life will surely be my death.

The review: Tessa Skelton, a Lady no less, is mourning the loss of her fiancé Nathaniel. He was apparently killed by a kick from a horse, but Tessa suspects otherwise. For a start, she knows that her father and the local policeman are lying to her, and she’s pretty sure that his passing is somehow connected to a few other inexplicable deaths that have occurred in the town of Carfax.

Yes, Carfax is a place of mysteries, and at the centre of them all is Ravenhall Castle.

In The Curse of Ravenhall, the mistresses of the macabre CL Raven have delivered another fine historic gothic horror (histora-gotha-horror?) tale that is their trademark. It has death, it has séances, it has ghosts, it has secrets, it has an asylum. Well, of course it does. CL Raven love asylums, especially Victorian asylums, and no novel of this kind would be complete without one.

I defy anyone to read the first chapter of this twisted tale and not end up hooked. Lady Tessa herself is gloriously grief-ridden, tortured by the loss of her beloved. The story is rich in twists and turns. And the atmosphere conjured by the quills of these twins of evil (IE the authors) is creeping and malevolent. But the real dark star of this grisly narrative for me is the castle itself. Yes, Ravenhall is presented in these ghoulish pages as an actual character. An entity that sleeps, breathes, draws people in and devours them.

Is the castle an avatar for CL Raven themselves? Is it a projection of the morbid sides of their personalities? The name would certainly suggest as much. But do all those who fall into their orbit go mad or suffer inexplicable deaths? Let’s hope not because I’ve met them a few times. But, to be fair, they seemed really nice.

The Curse of Ravenhall is CL Raven doing what CL Raven does best, so be brave and enter their dark and dangerous minds. You won’t be sorry. Well, actually, you might be.

Best read by candlelight.

The authors: C L Raven are identical twins and mistresses of the macabre. They’re horror writers because ‘bringers of nightmares’ isn’t a recognised job title. They write novels, short stories, comics and film scripts. Their work has been published in magazines and anthologies in the UK, USA and Australia. A story of theirs was published in The Mammoth Book of Jack the Ripper, which makes their fascination with him seem less creepy. They’ve worked on several indie horror films as crew and reluctant actors and have somehow ended up with lead roles in the forthcoming indie horror film School Hall Slaughter. In their spare time, they hunt ghosts, host a horror radio show, look after their animal army, and try to look impressive with polefit. Their attempts at gymnastics should never be spoken about.

The Curse of Ravenhall by CL Raven is available from Amazon (and a convention near you!).