Apparently I am on a haunted house kick, and I am completely okay with it.
I just finished The Haunting of Blackwood House by Darcy Coates, and I LOVED it.
Darcy Coates has quickly become one of my favorite authors. I’ve loved everything I’ve read from her so far, and every time I pick up another one of her books, I know I’m probably going to get exactly the kind of creepy story I love.
And The Haunting of Blackwood House definitely delivered.
It had a creepy old house, ghosts, a horrible history, things happening that couldn’t possibly be explained away, and a main character who absolutely REFUSED to believe any of it.
Seriously, Mara. THERE ARE GHOSTS.
If you love creepy supernatural stories and haunted houses, this is such a fun one.
You can find The Haunting of Blackwood House on Amazon, and you can also check out my other Darcy Coates book reviews here.
About The Haunting of Blackwood House
Mara has spent her entire life rejecting the world of spirits and shadows. Raised by spiritualists and scam mediums, she craves a future grounded in logic―far from the superstitions she’s learned to despise. But when Mara and her fiancé move into Blackwood House, a sprawling estate marked by tragedy and an irresistible price, her hard-won skepticism is put to the test.
Inside Blackwood House, whispers echo through empty rooms and cold spots appear without warning. As the house’s chilling secrets come to light, Mara is drawn into a relentless psychological struggle between disbelief and growing terror. What begins as an escape from her past soon becomes a fight for sanity, as the boundaries between reality and the supernatural blur with every turn of the key.
My Thoughts on The Haunting of Blackwood House
WARNING: Major spoilers ahead! If you haven’t read The Haunting of Blackwood House yet, stop here because I’m talking about EVERYTHING.
I loved this book.
One of the things I loved most was Mara herself, even though there were definitely moments when I wanted to shake her.
The book opens with Mara at a séance arranged by her mom. Her parents are spiritualists, and her mom believes Mara has abilities of her own. She wants Mara to meet with a medium who might be able to help her understand and develop those abilities.
But Mara wants absolutely nothing to do with it.
Growing up around that world has left her completely disillusioned. She’s seen the tricks and performances, and she’s convinced herself that it’s all fake. She doesn’t want anything to do with spirits, mediums, séances, or anything supernatural.
And honestly, I understood why.
I Loved How Independent Mara Was
Four years after leaving that life behind, Mara has made herself as independent as possible.
She’s scraped by, lived in a pretty crappy apartment, and saved everything she could because she wants something that’s completely hers.
I really admired that about her.
She also has Neil, her boyfriend, who I really liked. Neil comes from a religious family, which creates such an interesting contrast between the two of them. They come from very different backgrounds, but he clearly loves Mara and wants her to be safe.
Then Mara’s realtor shows her Blackwood House.
And OH MY GOSH. It’s dark. It’s creepy. It has a horrible past. People have died there. A serial killer lived there. Basically, every single thing about this house is screaming, “DO NOT BUY ME.”
So naturally, Mara loves it. And moves in as quickly as possible. Honestly, I kind of loved that about her, too.
Mara, Your House Is Haunted
Once Mara moves in, things start happening. And she dismisses ALL OF IT. This was probably one of the craziest parts of the book for me. Mara is so determined not to believe in ghosts that she finds a rational explanation for everything happening around her.
Strange noises? There’s an explanation.
Something moves? There’s an explanation.
Something terrifying happens? There MUST be an explanation.
Meanwhile, I’m reading this thinking, “MARA. YOUR HOUSE IS HAUNTED.”
Her dreams were especially creepy because she eventually realizes that these aren’t just random nightmares. She’s dreaming about things that actually happened inside Blackwood House, including deaths that occurred there.
The creepiness in this book was off the charts.
And once again, I kept thinking this would make SUCH a good movie.
Neil Crosses a Line
Neil knows something isn’t right. He’s worried about Mara, stays with her some nights, and genuinely wants to figure out what is happening inside that house. But then he makes a very bad decision.
Without telling Mara, Neil brings Erica and Damian into Blackwood House to investigate what’s happening. Erica is more connected to the spiritual side and is working on developing her abilities, while Damian handles more of the equipment and seems focused on keeping Erica safe during their investigations.
I completely understood why Neil did it. He was scared for Mara. He knew something was happening. He wanted answers. But I also completely understood why Mara was FURIOUS.
Given everything she had been through growing up and how strongly she felt about mediums and the supernatural, bringing them into her home behind her back was a huge betrayal of her trust. And Mara didn’t just ask them to leave. She kicked EVERYONE out. Including Neil.
You could feel her anger in the writing, and I loved that scene because neither side felt completely wrong to me. Neil was trying to protect her. Mara was absolutely justified in feeling betrayed.
Unfortunately, kicking everyone out also meant Mara was now alone in Blackwood House. Which was about the worst possible time to be alone.
Blackwood House Comes Alive
Once Mara is alone and dealing with all of that anger, fear, and emotion, the house seems to explode around her. This is where things got REALLY creepy.
All of those things Mara had spent the entire book dismissing suddenly became impossible to ignore. This wasn’t someone playing a trick on her. This wasn’t an old house making noises. This wasn’t her imagination. Blackwood House was haunted. And whatever was inside it was dangerous.
Mara’s disbelief nearly gets her killed because she waits so long to accept what is happening. I was genuinely scared for her at this point. She finally calls Erica and Damian back because she knows she needs help. And Neil comes back, too. I loved that. Even after everything that happened between them, he just wanted to make sure she was safe.
The Truth About Blackwood House
And then we get the BIG reveal. The most dangerous spirit in Blackwood House is connected directly to Mara.
Her great-great-grandfather, Victor Barlow, built Blackwood House, and Mara has inherited abilities from him. Except Victor was EVIL.
Everything comes together in this huge supernatural confrontation, and Mara finally stops running from the very thing she’s spent years trying to convince herself isn’t real.
She faces it. She uses her own abilities. And she defeats him. I loved it.
Part of what made that ending so satisfying was seeing Mara finally understand that accepting her abilities didn’t mean becoming the people she’d spent her life trying to escape.
She could acknowledge this part of herself without giving up who she was.
And I LOVED the Ending
The ending might have been one of my favorite parts of the entire book.
Three months later, Blackwood House is still active because it’s built on an area with a huge amount of spiritual energy.
But instead of being terrified of it, Mara has completely changed her relationship with the supernatural.
Erica and Damian are living and working upstairs, using the house’s energy to practice and investigate.
Neil is back. His mom has moved in, too. And Mara is HAPPY.
She even goes on ghost hunts now! I loved that so much.
She spent most of the book refusing to believe ghosts existed, and now she’s willingly going out looking for them. That’s quite the character arc.
And I love that Blackwood House doesn’t magically become this perfectly normal, ghost-free home at the end. It’s still weird. It’s still active. It’s probably going to continue attracting all kinds of supernatural activity.
But now Mara understands it. She’s not afraid of her abilities anymore. She’s surrounded by people she loves. And she’s finally living the life she wants.
Final Thoughts on The Haunting of Blackwood House
I really, really enjoyed The Haunting of Blackwood House.
It was creepy without being so scary that I didn’t want to read it at night, which is pretty much my sweet spot.
I loved Mara’s independence. I loved Neil and how much he cared about her, even when he made a decision I completely understood her being angry about. I loved the history of Blackwood House, the dreams, the ghosts, and the slow realization that Mara’s refusal to believe what was right in front of her was actually putting her in danger.
And I especially loved the ending. It felt like exactly where Mara needed to end up.
Darcy Coates has officially become one of my top authors. I’ve loved everything I’ve read from her so far, and at this point, seeing her name on a creepy book is probably enough to make me want to read it.
And yes, I’m saying it again. Someone needs to turn one of these books into a movie.
I’d watch The Haunting of Blackwood House in a heartbeat.