Capable of infecting your mind, altering your breathing rate, and shot-gunning your pulse, Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis absolutely crawled beneath my skin and had me lying in bed, wide awake, wondering what that noise was I heard just a few moments ago… The wind rattling the bathroom blinds, surely? In the same league as Slenderman, old folk tales and chilling legends, Harrow Lake had that all-encompassing quality that never truly lets you be, once the ‘what ifs’ have settled in your mind. Terrifying, but on a subtle level, a level which is more disturbing than frightening, the sort of thing you’re scared of but still completely fascinated by. I loved allowing the author to smother me with this tale, I loved the feeling of terror which she evoked, and I found Mister Jitters to be quite appalling, to say the least.
Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis is a superbly dark and atmospheric novel, with a certain sense of dread laced around each and every word. It’s a sinister tale that takes the readers’ imagination hostage, and runs wild and wicked with it, slotting strange and feverish images into the mind, and ensuring those images remain long after the final page has been turned. This is a unique and exciting story, one I’m delighted to have discovered in the Twitter-sphere, and one which I’m certain would not look out of place if it were to be adapted for the big screen. You’d see me outside queueing up to watch the movie adaptation for sure.
The story behind Mister Jitters and Harrow Lake was a fascinating one, and it reminded me very much of the stories I heard as a child and teenager. From the bogeyman, to the chilling tale of Bloody Mary, to the more recent arrival of Slenderman, Mister Jitters had that same quality of monster which has people running up the stairs after turning out the lights, too afraid to glance behind themselves. What I found most admirable though, was the authors’ obvious dedication to truly bring Mister Jitters to life by adding vibrancy and colour to an entire history surrounding him, and the place he comes from. It was incredible, and I think it certainly had the desired effect on me as the reader. For the author to achieve such an authentic feel to what can only be described as an urban legend, there is a huge amount of creativity and thought that must have gone into the creation of Harrow Lake and its monster.
The characters within Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis were wonderfully unique and certainly made the discovery of this small town in Indiana memorable. We join Lola, daughter of Nolan Nox, as she is sent away to Harrow Lake to stay with her grandmother while her father recuperates in hospital after a brutal attack. The padding surrounding the Nox family was fascinating to read and again, it quickly became clear how much thought had gone into bringing these characters to life and ensuring they leapt off the page and straight into the readers’ imagination. The relationship between father and daughter in Harrow Lake was a complex one, and one that both intrigued yet confused me. As further details of Nolan and Lola’s life together began to unfold further as the plot progressed, I began to realise that this was so much more than just a scary story with a strange monster at its heart. It went much deeper and darker than I had originally anticipated, and in such a clever, secretive way, I couldn’t help but to marvel at the authors’ skill afterwards. There was a ton of mystery within this novel, so much so I felt certain I’d never figure out the truth behind Lola’s past and her family history.
I really loved the movie aspect of this novel, too. Not only does Lola travel to Harrow Lake to stay with her grandmother while her father remains in hospital, but Harrow Lake also happens to be the place where Nolan Nox’s bestselling movie, Nightjar, is set. It’s the movie which made Nolan Nox famous, and it is visited every year by millions of fans and tourists who are desperate to see the very real setting where the horror movie came to life. Knowing that Harrow Lake has such a history to it already really makes it feel all the more authentic, and rich with secrets. Learning of Nolan Nox and his career, and also what effect it had on his relationship with his daughter Lola, was fascinating, and made me enjoy the story all the more. I also enjoyed watching Lola interact with the other inhabitants of Harrow Lake, those of which all had their own stories to tell about the town. It was impossible not to get sucked into the tattle-taling, and to believe that something evil was lurking in Harrow Lake.
All in all, Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis was a harrowing, twisted and spine-tingling tale, exploring the very essence of childhood, of growing up, and of how some of the worst things we deal with when we’re young can, incredibly, take the shape of anything we choose. Mister Jitters played on my mind long after I turned the final page of this novel, and I’m certain he’ll do the same with other readers, too. I won’t be forgetting him in a hurry…
With thanks to the publisher for the advanced reading copy of this book, that of which has no reflection on me providing a fair and honest review.
Read on to find out more about Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis.
Lola Nox is the daughter of a celebrated horror filmmaker – she thinks nothing can scare her. But when her father is brutally attacked in their New York apartment, she’s swiftly packed off to live with a grandmother she’s never met in Harrow Lake, the eerie town where her father’s most iconic horror movie was shot.
The locals are weirdly obsessed with the film that put their town on the map – and there are strange disappearances, which the police seem determined to explain away.
And there’s someone – or something – stalking Lola’s every move.
The more she discovers about the town, the more terrifying it becomes. Because Lola’s got secrets of her own. And if she can’t find a way out of Harrow Lake, they might just be the death of her…
You can pre-order/purchase your copy of Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis here.
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