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ABOUT THE BOOK:
A teen girl’s attempt to make amends with her former friend group takes a sinister turn during a weekend getaway at an ancestral Irish estate in this atmospheric, literary horror from the author of Those We Drown.
There’s something in the lake at Wren Hall.
At least, that’s what the locals say. Not that Meg cares much about the rumors. When she’s asked to spend Halloween weekend at the Ireland retreat of the wealthy Wren twins, she recognizes the invitation for exactly what it is: her last, and only, chance to save her spot at Greyscott’s, the exclusive British art school she attended on scholarship until last summer. Clever, beautiful, and talented, the twins are the pride of Greyscott’s, and kindhearted Lottie Wren was once Meg’s closest friend. But not anymore.
None of Meg’s old friend group have talked to her since she left school—and they especially don’t talk about the incident that resulted in her suspension. Now, Meg is willing to do whatever it takes to earn their forgiveness.
But Wren Hall turns out to be far from the idyllic country manor Meg was expecting. The house is damp and drafty, the mirrors are all covered, and the weed-choked lake is at the center of legends that haunt the property to this day—a tainted legacy the estate seems unable to shake. The truth is, people aren’t the only ones who keep secrets. Places can keep them too—and Wren Hall is drowning in them. When the past bleeds into the present and ancient sins rise to the surface, Meg must ask herself how well she really knows her one-time best friends…or whether any of them will survive the weekend.
Book Links
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/201103468
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0593703952
Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/our-wicked-histories-amy-goldsmith/1144298264
IndieBound: https://bookshop.org/p/books/our-wicked-histories-amy-goldsmith/20811920
My Thoughts:
My literal only regret about this book is that I read it on a hot summer’s day and not a creepy fall day, complete with tea and rain. That would have made it just about perfect. Our Wicked Histories is my kind of creepy – always on the edge of being REALLY dark without being REALLY dark. As someone with an overly-vivid imagination, I can take creepy to a whole different level if I’m not careful. And the atmospheric and richly-detailed world of Wren Hall totally had me feeling the creepy vibes.
Seb and Lottie are perfect creepy, maybe too creepy twins. Emma is there, sulking around the grounds and making you wonder about her story. Meg is the perfect narrator – just curious enough to be dangerous, but smart enough to try and make sense of the world she’s experiencing. The rest of the cast of characters are not caricatures.
My only big complaint was that there are a lot of flashbacks, and I would have preferred more of the story to happen in real time. Some were needed for context, but I could have done with fewer of them!
At the end of the story, I was left wondering what was real, what was supernatural, what was just a messed up obsession, and more, which I think makes for a great and creepy book. Is Wren Hall haunted? Do the grounds house a banshee? So many questions without perfect endings. If you’re looking for a creepy book to usher in your fall reading, pick up Our Wicked Histories!
About the Author:
Amy Goldsmith grew up on the south coast of England, obsessed with obscure 70s horror movies and antiquarian ghost stories. She studied Psychology at the University of Sussex and, after gaining her Postgraduate Certificate in Education, moved to inner London to teach. Now, she lives back on the south coast where she still teaches English and spends her weekends trawling antiques shops for haunted mirrors. She is the author of Those We Drown, Our Wicked Histories and Predatory Natures.
Author Links:
Website: https://www.amygoldsmith.co.uk/
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/amygoldsmith_writes
Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/22019824