The House on Blackstone Moor - reviewed by Neil Benson

 The House on Blackstone Moor by Carol Gill

The author invites the reader to a gripping Victorian era tale of horror on the first page. We meet Rose,a young woman, after she discovers that her father killed her mother and sister and then himself. Rose is so grief-stricken others must take care of her. Unfortunately for Rose, "care" is a trip to the insane asylum.

Rose encounters new horrors during her stay at the asylum. The author has the unique ability to put us inside Rose's head so we see her world through her eyes and experience her tragic tale as if it were our own. The head of the hospital, Doctor Bannion, rescues Rose from the asylum by taking her to the Dartons. They employ her as a governess for their two children.

At first, it seems that Rose has found a refuge from the horrors she has experienced. She has great affection for the children she cares for, and they for her. She falls in love with the Louis Darton, who returns her affection. But all is not as it seems, and Rose slowly learns the true nature of her situation.
Rose sees the children commit a horrible act, but she refuses to accept what they did. When she sees a vampire doing what a vampire always does, Rose realizes she is in the midst of horror and evil on an immense scope. The author creates a time and place and characters that are not for the faint of heart.

Ms. Gill uses "sacred" portions of vampire lore in new ways. To reveal them would be to say too much. As Rose plunges deeper into the evil maelstrom, she makes decisions that change her very essence. She moves to the dark of her own accord, and the hellish nature of the events in her life worsen. Louis Darton rescues her time and again, but he is part of the darkness.

Gypsies aid and befriend Rose in her fight to survive the onslaught of evil forces. The battles between the forces who seek to destroy Rose and those who protect her rage to the end of the novel. The immensity of the evil that Rose encounters grows greater and greater. At the end of the novel Rose must make the final decision about her fate.

Blackstone Moor is a creative and imaginative novel. It is well-written and the author demonstrates a mastery of the subject matter. The plot is complex and the characters are well delineated. The author created a horror novel best not read before going to sleep.

If you like good horror novels, buy this one. Below is a link to other reviews for this novel on Amazon. 

 http://www.amazon.com/House-Blackstone-Moor-Vampires-ebook/product-reviews/B00804XJBA/ref=cm_cr_pr_btm_link_next_3?ie=UTF8&pageNumber=3&showViewpoints=0