Lindsey Barraclough

Long Lankin by Lindsey Barraclough is a very atmospheric horror story about two little girls who are sent to stay with a distant aunt and encounter a curse involving generations of missing children, witchcraft and the supernatural. Cora and Mimi were sent into Ida Eastfield’s care without warning. She knows they are not safe with her and wants them to be taken back to their father in London but he insists that he can’t be responsible for their care while the mother is in hospital.

Aunt show more Ida’s rules are many and strict, don’t open doors, keep all windows sealed, don’t wander the house and especially don’t go near the church. Cora and Mimi do meet a couple of local boys to play with, but the four children soon start to see and hear strange things and realize that something is hunting them, something that is after the youngest, Mimi.

Long Lankin is set in 1958 and is an old-fashioned ghost story with the author relying on the dark and damp setting, the whiff of foul scents, strange sights and sounds along with a dark family history. The pace is very slow but this changes during the last chapters of the book as the action amps up into a hair-rising encounter with pure evil. Definitely a haunting and tense story. show less

This review appears on my blog, Starting the Next Chapter.

From the very first page, Long Lankin has such a bleak tone that you know you're in for an eerie read. At the onset, Cora and Mimi are in a bad situation. Being shipped off to an unsuspecting elderly relative by their distracted father and then dropped off to make their way up the long road to their destination by the uncouth man their father entrusted their safety to doesn't speak well for the happiness quotient. When they lay eyes show more on their great aunt's house for the first time, you just know that things are about to get worse. The stage is set for a spooky read. Just how spooky remains to be seen, but rest assured that you are in for a frightening story.

Long Lankin is told from the perspective of three characters: Cora, the outspoken older sister to Mimi; Roger, one of the Bryers Guerdon neighborhood boys who becomes Cora's friend; and Mrs. Eastfield, Cora and Mimi's troubled, reclusive great aunt. Each character has their own distinctive speech pattern and personality, insuring that as many details as possible are covered from multiple perspectives. I really came to enjoy each character over time, though I was very much put off by Mrs. Eastfield, at first. Once you learn more about her, however, you come to realize that she is a woman in torment from her past, all thanks to the story's antagonist: Long Lankin. Oh, my. Long Lankin (aka Cain Lankin) has to be the most frightening monsters I have read about in a long time and reminded me very much of Rawhead and Bloody-Bones, a figure from Yorkshire folklore that is absolutely horrifying. I made the mistake of finishing the novel at night and let me tell you, I was very jumpy as I read about the main conflict with Long Lankin. Don't say I didn't warn you.

It took me a little while to grow accustomed to the style in which Long Lankin is written. I soon got into the dialog and the pacing and came to realize just how beautifully done it all was. The alternating perspectives are a little different than one usually sees in multiple p.o.v. books. Rather than alternating chapters, the three characters take turns sharing their thoughts, feelings, and observations on an event as they each experience them. This really brought the story to life and injected so much detail into the narrative. The pacing may seem slow at first, but it soon begins to make sense. The truly frightening horror stories take time to build and Long Lankin is no different. It added to the level of foreboding inherent in the plot and didn't allow me to let my guard down for a second. It is very easy to be on edge the entire time you are reading this book.

I haven't been this freaked out by a story since I read Rawhead Rex by Clive Barker. Much like that story, Long Lankin will stay with me for years to come. Part monster tale, part ghost story, Long Lankin provides an unbelievable amount of thrills and chills and leaves you jumping at your own shadow. As a fan of a good scare, I am a happy customer after finishing Long Lankin. I will be reading this one again in the future just so I can see what other nuances I discover. If you enjoy a good horror story, you must try Long Lankin.

Obligatory legal statement: This digital review copy was provided to me free of charge by the publisher via Netgalley. No monetary compensation was received in exchange for this fair and unbiased review. show less

Well-written, engrossing and terrifying — but I am deeply uncomfortable with the underlying messages in the book. In addition to having no characters of color or LGBTQIA+ characters, it otherizes and quite literally demonizes people living with disabilities. The ultimate motives of the monstrous figures don’t really make much sense.

Worse still, the cause of all of the suffering in the book is a single act of compassion by a clergyman to a social outcast. One could very reasonably show more conclude that the book is saying an act of kindness to a social outcast will kill your children for generations to come.

To;dr I enjoyed reading it, but now that it’s over I feel really uncomfortable. show less

Wow, this book was creepy! I didn't think it'd be that scary since it's a YA novel, but it was. I feel like bricking up all of my windows, just to be safe. Do not read this book alone at night, whatever you do. Trust me. You will be sorry. Barraclough will trick you into thinking you're safe when you're really not. She does this repeatedly throughout the novel, yet somehow, you never learn. Don't say I didn't warn you.

Long Lankin is one of those novels that gets into your head, and while show more you're reading it, the outside world disappears. I really enjoyed getting to know all of the characters, and every single character was well-developed. Aunt Ida was a bit unsettling, to say the least, but most of the characters were quite enjoyable. Cora was a very intriguing and brave character. It was clear that she'd do anything for her little sister, Mimi. She never backed down, and she was willing to do what it took to save Mimi. Roger served as the comic relief, of sorts. I'm glad that someone was there to lighten the mood, or the book may have been to intense for me. Roger was a sweet kid, though, and I really enjoyed his and Cora's interactions.

The plot was compelling, intriguing, and horrifying. This is one of those books that you can't put down, and even though some parts are scary, so you sit there making horrified faces at the book while you read, and hold the book as far away from your face as you can in order to "protect yourself" from it, you still can't put it down. That's the mark of a good horror story, if you ask me. I'm pretty sure my cat thought I was having some sort of facial muscle spasms/nervous twitches while I was reading this book. At least I read it during daylight hours.

The pacing for this book was pretty spot on, but the ending did feel rushed. I felt like the entire ending could have been explained more and slowed down a bit. Overall, though, the pacing worked for me. I never felt like the story was dragging, and it only moved too quickly at the very end. The information was woven gracefully into the narrative, and I didn't feel like there weren't any massive info dumps to break up the flow of the story.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book, even if it did creep me out. Barraclough is obviously a master of suspense, and she did a terrific job of alternating back and forth between giving the reader a false sense of security and scaring them. I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a good scary story! show less