This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Free Book Program, which is open to all readers and is completely free. The author will provide you with a free copy of their book in exchange for an honest review. You and the author will discuss what sites you will post your review to and what kind of copy of the book you would like to receive (eBook, PDF, Word, paperback, etc.). To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Review Exchange Program, which is open to all authors and is completely free. Simply put, you agree to provide an honest review an author's book in exchange for the author doing the same for you. What sites your reviews are posted on (B&N, Amazon, etc.) and whether you send digital (eBook, PDF, Word, etc.) or hard copies of your books to each other for review is up to you. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email, and be sure to describe your book or include a link to your Readers' Favorite review page or Amazon page.
This author participates in the Readers' Favorite Book Donation Program, which was created to help nonprofit and charitable organizations (schools, libraries, convalescent homes, soldier donation programs, etc.) by providing them with free books and to help authors garner more exposure for their work. This author is willing to donate free copies of their book in exchange for reviews (if circumstances allow) and the knowledge that their book is being read and enjoyed. To begin, click the purple email icon to send this author a private email. Be sure to tell the author who you are, what organization you are with, how many books you need, how they will be used, and the number of reviews, if any, you would be able to provide.
Reviewed by Scott Cahan for Readers' Favorite
Gothic Revival by Michael Mullin is a psychological thriller about five college friends coming together for an unusual fifteen-year reunion. Their host Eric invites the others to a gothic mansion on a lake and surprises them with a challenge to each write a ghost story while they are together. The idea is modeled on the friendly competition between writers that produced the original Frankenstein story during the 1800s. Eric, Chris, Anne, Lauren, and Fiona begin their stories, while also reconnecting with one another. Secrets concerning the five emerge and strange things begin to happen in the house where they are staying. The real-life story of the five friends reconnecting soon becomes darker than the fictional stories they are writing.
Gothic Revival is a fascinating work that I found enjoyable at every level. Michael Mullin’s characters are so well written that they feel eerily real. He does a fantastic job of leading his readers on a journey that probes their troubled minds and explores their questionable actions. The plot is intelligent and clever, moving methodically along tracks that twist and turn in exciting directions. The spooky setting of the mansion and the backstory of famous writers from the 1800s add extra layers of flavor to this already juicy story. There is an underlying tension that is present from page one and carries on to the very end. At first, the apprehension is subtle, but then slowly builds, adding to the unease. I highly recommend this book to fans of smart, spooky, psychological thrillers.
