Tyme's End by B. R. Collins

Publisher: Bloomsbury

Format: ARC

Published: January 2011

Number of Pages: 336

Book: Proof From Bloomsbury*

Genre: Ghost Story, Ghost, Supernatural, Thriller, Romance, Psychological Thriller, YA

Bibi feels out of place wherever she goes – everywhere, that is, except for Tyme’s End, the deserted house she breaks into whenever she thinks nobody is nearby.  There she meets Oliver, the owner, who has returned after ten years away.  Bibi’s and Oliver’s lives become inextricably linked as they are both pulled towards Tyme’s End.  For Tyme’s End is more than just a house.  It is a house that can be by turns romantic, beguiling, sinister and malevolent.  It is a house that once had an evil and manipulative owner.  And anybody who enters Tyme’s End must prepare themselves for terror...

Part supernatural tale, part psychological thriller.  Spans three generations with narrative ease, twisting the tension tighter and tighter with each protagonist’s voice.  A consuming and compulsive read that will have readers on the edge of their seats...

Review:

Bibi feels alone in the world, having been adopted by family friends after her parents died.  And although they love her and she loves them, she’s not theirs, and they’re not hers, not really.  She doesn’t feel at home anywhere, longing for her birthplace in the Middle East. Nowhere, that is, apart from Tyme’s End, the old house in the village where she lives.  There she feels safe, she feels as if she belongs.  And so, when the mysterious owner, Oliver, appears and claims he is going to sell that house, she just has to change his mind.

But why?  What enchantment does Tyme’s End have over her and what possibly could have happened there for Oliver to be so desperate to get rid of it?  And what scared him enough to stay away for ten years?  As the first part of the story goes on, Bibi’s and Oliver’s lives become entwined, as they experience the beauty of first love.  But all the while, through all the magic, there’s Tyme’s End, hanging over the story remotely, hinting at the darkness to come...  For Tyme’s End has a sinister past that involves death, betrayal, and an evil, manipulative owner, H. J. Martin...  (See why it had me hooked?) 

Tyme’s End is made up of three parts, that start in 2006 and end up in 1936, the year of the events leading up to the murder of H. J. Martin.  Each of the three narrators feels real; each has their own unique voice, and I found it incredible that the tale slipped so smoothly between the generations.  I must admit, the first part of the tale is a little slower than the rest of it, but it’s so beautiful you really don’t care.  And, besides, from the first page, even if you don’t really notice at first, B. R. Collins winds up the suspense, tempting you with snippets that make it impossible to stop until you know the reason of the house’s evil: this book is absolutely addictive!  I also love the way the story started at the end and slowly went backwards to the core of the tale; the reason the house is malevolent and evil, the death of the owner.  Beautifully written, Tyme’s End had me hooked from the first page, and haunting and scary, I knew that B. R. Collins could make me believe anything after the first few paragraphs.  A psychological thriller, with a side of ghosts; it builds suspense from the first page, tightening its grip on you with every chapter.  Managing to both shock me by the twists and causing me to be riveted by the evil of the house, I needed to get to the end, to find out who killed H. J. Martin.  An absolute page turner that promises to both chill and absorb you, this book is a must read for all readers who want to be on the edge of their seats for an entire story.  With a killer ending – literally! – this book is absolutely sensational!

Star Rating:

5 Out of 5

Read This Book if You Liked:

What I Was by Meg Rosoff

The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins

The Dead of Winter by Chris Priestley


Challenges It's Taking Part In:
100 Books in a Year Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
British Books Challenge (Hosted by The Bookette)
Horror and Urban Fantasy Reading Challenge 2011 (Hosted by Book Chick City)
Off The Shelf Challenge (Hosted by BA Reading Challenges)

Happy Reading

Megan

*This book was recieved from Bloomsbury in exchange for an honest review