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The Bargaining
The fact that neither of her parents wants to deal with her is nothing new to Penny. She’s used to being discussed like a problem, a problem her mother has finally passed on to her father. What she hasn’t gotten used to is her stepmother…especially when she finds out that she’ll have to spend the summer with April in the remote woods of Washington to restore a broken-down old house.
Set deep in a dense forest, the old Carver House is filled with abandoned antique furniture, rich architectural details, and its own chilling past. The only respite Penny can find away from April’s renovations is in Miller, the young guy who runs the local general store. He’s her only chance at a normal, and enjoyable, summer.
But Miller has his own connection to the Carver House, and it’s one that goes beyond the mysterious tapping Penny hears at her window, the handprints she finds smudging the glass panes, and the visions of children who beckon Penny to follow them into the dark woods. Miller’s past just might threaten to become the terror of Penny’s future….
Set deep in a dense forest, the old Carver House is filled with abandoned antique furniture, rich architectural details, and its own chilling past. The only respite Penny can find away from April’s renovations is in Miller, the young guy who runs the local general store. He’s her only chance at a normal, and enjoyable, summer.
But Miller has his own connection to the Carver House, and it’s one that goes beyond the mysterious tapping Penny hears at her window, the handprints she finds smudging the glass panes, and the visions of children who beckon Penny to follow them into the dark woods. Miller’s past just might threaten to become the terror of Penny’s future….
407 pages, Hardcover
First published February 17, 2014
55 people are currently reading
2394 people want to read
About the author
Carly Anne West
17 books225 followersCarly Anne West is the author of several works of spooky fiction for readers of all ages, with titles including The Murmurings and The Bargaining (Simon Pulse), and the forthcoming series The Ghosts of Nameless Island (Andrews McMeel). Her works also include the Hello Neighbor series (Scholastic), based on the fan favorite video game, as well as contributions to the NYT Bestselling Five Nights at Freddy's literary universe (Scholastic), based on the wildly popular video game of the same name. Carly holds an MFA in English and Writing from Mills College and lives in Seoul, Korea with her family.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 190 reviews
January 9, 2015
I picked up this book because of the woods theme. For whatever reason, creepy dark forests that have a mind and story and life all of their own, just appeal to me.
I love the dark rich atmosphere, the creepiness and of course the mystery behind them. Who wasn't afraid to go into the woods alone at night? Who hasn't heard a good ghost story over a campfire and been too afraid to fall asleep at night?
There is just something I love about them and after combining the cover with the synopsis it was just a no brainer for me to pick this up and dive in.
I have to be brutally honest, this book wasn't quite what I was expecting. The first few chapters move a little slow and are a bit confusing. You have this great suspenseful epilogue and then...something else entirely when we flash to the present time. I hate to say it but, it moved rather slow and while I loved Penny's wit and sarcasm, I didn't quite love her. But that might be in part to the fact that I wasn't sure what was going on with her. Her past and relationship with Rae was revealed slowly over the course of the book and I am not so sure that was a good idea. I think it might have been more insightful to have had it all out in the openearly on, since we already have the other mystery of the woods going on.
Which, speaking of, the woods! I loved the woods. So creepy and every bit as strange and bizarre as I was hoping they would be but again, the exact mystery behind the disappearance and reappearances of the kids was sometimes confusing and a little disjointed. I know it is suppose to be a mystery, and it was, a good one in the end, a crazy one in fact, but I think a little more could have been done to help reveal it and explain it. Not a whole lot is said and shown until way over the half way mark and even then, the ending still left me scratching my head wondering exactly what was going on. I mean, I know what happened but why? Why were the woods the way they were? What about the mural and the connection between it and the Dodson's? Why is none of this explained in the end?
Don't get me wrong, I liked this read. It was as twisted and strange as I was hoping it would be and it was even downright creepy (although not scary) at times but it wasn't everything I was hoping it would be. It left too much undone, unsaid, and unexplained for me to truly have loved it.
I think if the ending could have been a little bit more, this would have moved up from three stars to four but with the ending left as it was, I have to rate this a little slower because of it and it makes me sad because this truly could have been a four star read.
I love the dark rich atmosphere, the creepiness and of course the mystery behind them. Who wasn't afraid to go into the woods alone at night? Who hasn't heard a good ghost story over a campfire and been too afraid to fall asleep at night?
There is just something I love about them and after combining the cover with the synopsis it was just a no brainer for me to pick this up and dive in.
I have to be brutally honest, this book wasn't quite what I was expecting. The first few chapters move a little slow and are a bit confusing. You have this great suspenseful epilogue and then...something else entirely when we flash to the present time. I hate to say it but, it moved rather slow and while I loved Penny's wit and sarcasm, I didn't quite love her. But that might be in part to the fact that I wasn't sure what was going on with her. Her past and relationship with Rae was revealed slowly over the course of the book and I am not so sure that was a good idea. I think it might have been more insightful to have had it all out in the openearly on, since we already have the other mystery of the woods going on.
Which, speaking of, the woods! I loved the woods. So creepy and every bit as strange and bizarre as I was hoping they would be but again, the exact mystery behind the disappearance and reappearances of the kids was sometimes confusing and a little disjointed. I know it is suppose to be a mystery, and it was, a good one in the end, a crazy one in fact, but I think a little more could have been done to help reveal it and explain it. Not a whole lot is said and shown until way over the half way mark and even then, the ending still left me scratching my head wondering exactly what was going on. I mean, I know what happened but why? Why were the woods the way they were? What about the mural and the connection between it and the Dodson's? Why is none of this explained in the end?
Don't get me wrong, I liked this read. It was as twisted and strange as I was hoping it would be and it was even downright creepy (although not scary) at times but it wasn't everything I was hoping it would be. It left too much undone, unsaid, and unexplained for me to truly have loved it.
I think if the ending could have been a little bit more, this would have moved up from three stars to four but with the ending left as it was, I have to rate this a little slower because of it and it makes me sad because this truly could have been a four star read.
February 11, 2015
***This review has also been posted on The Social Potato
This book is far from perfect but I absolutely adored it. When I first dived into this book, I pretty much had no idea what it was about, I remembered reading the blurb and being intrigued but the only concrete detail I remembered was that this book had something to do with woods. I had thought I was diving into a paranormal book, instead I found myself amidst a horror and a well written one at that.
I am not going to say there weren't loop holes, there were but I think what really matters in a story like this is that the author actually manages to make you the feel the fear the characters felt and I did. I find that I don't frighten easily (although I startle very easily) but when I was reading this book, I was SO JUMPY. Every time someone opened the door, I would freak out. I am just glad I didn't scream!
This isn’t some loosely plotted horror novel. The author takes her time to develop aspects of the story. It isn’t just meant to scare the readers but to actually make them feel more than just fear. To make them connect to the main character (as well as the other characters) and to make them cheer for her not just because someone has to survive but because they like her and want her to come out of this alive!
Penny is a very likeable character. You don’t need a likeable character to make a story work but hey likeable characters are... likeable and Penny is likeable. What I think makes her character a little interesting is the way her own doubt can make her some what of an unreliable narrator. My only complain was that we never actually find much about the ‘old’ Penny. We are given hints as to what she was like but we never really find out more about the kind of affect Rae had on her especially given how much the story focuses on the negative impact Rae’s friendship had on Penny. That said, I did adore Penny. She was far from perfect and that made her all the more rootable.
This book doesn't have any romance (heck yeah) but what it does have is a heep of fantastic secondary characters. My favorite is obviously Rob (who was the stepbrother) but both April and Miller are fantastic in their own right.
April is the stepmother and she can be pushy but the one thing that strikes you about her is that she is genuinely trying to get to know Penny better. I think that’s what gets to Penny too. Her stepmother isn’t the best person on the planet but at least she is trying to reach out to her.
What makes Miller so interesting is how so very abnormal he is. He would be the love interest if this were any other book but he is Miller. I think it’s very interesting to see how he spirals out of control over the course of the book as we find more and more about what has happened to him and the tragedies that he has to live through (and has played an indirect part in).
The author puts so much work into developing the atmosphere of the book and she does it just right. I was genuinely scared and my eyes were glued to the pages. This book is quite frankly, creepy as fuck and I am just incredibly glad I didn’t have nightmares that night.
What makes the horror aspect of this book work so much is that the author actually develops the back story of the events that lead to all this creepy stuff happening. We may not get all the answers but I think in this kind of situation, it's almost impossible to have all the answers. And anyway, what fun would that be?
One of my complains was that the author didn’t actually give us any details about how they were survivng in the creepy house. Considering they were shunned by the entire town, how were they getting supplies? How were they making their food? Assuming everything works is too much of a stretch considering the condition the house was described to be in so yeah... how were they living?
Aside from that though, I thought this was a very well written story and I cannot wait to read more of the author’s works.
There may be a couple of loop holes but all in all, this book is one hell of a ride and a book I’d recommend to lovers of horror and all things creepy.
This book is far from perfect but I absolutely adored it. When I first dived into this book, I pretty much had no idea what it was about, I remembered reading the blurb and being intrigued but the only concrete detail I remembered was that this book had something to do with woods. I had thought I was diving into a paranormal book, instead I found myself amidst a horror and a well written one at that.
I am not going to say there weren't loop holes, there were but I think what really matters in a story like this is that the author actually manages to make you the feel the fear the characters felt and I did. I find that I don't frighten easily (although I startle very easily) but when I was reading this book, I was SO JUMPY. Every time someone opened the door, I would freak out. I am just glad I didn't scream!
This isn’t some loosely plotted horror novel. The author takes her time to develop aspects of the story. It isn’t just meant to scare the readers but to actually make them feel more than just fear. To make them connect to the main character (as well as the other characters) and to make them cheer for her not just because someone has to survive but because they like her and want her to come out of this alive!
Penny is a very likeable character. You don’t need a likeable character to make a story work but hey likeable characters are... likeable and Penny is likeable. What I think makes her character a little interesting is the way her own doubt can make her some what of an unreliable narrator. My only complain was that we never actually find much about the ‘old’ Penny. We are given hints as to what she was like but we never really find out more about the kind of affect Rae had on her especially given how much the story focuses on the negative impact Rae’s friendship had on Penny. That said, I did adore Penny. She was far from perfect and that made her all the more rootable.
This book doesn't have any romance (heck yeah) but what it does have is a heep of fantastic secondary characters. My favorite is obviously Rob (who was the stepbrother) but both April and Miller are fantastic in their own right.
April is the stepmother and she can be pushy but the one thing that strikes you about her is that she is genuinely trying to get to know Penny better. I think that’s what gets to Penny too. Her stepmother isn’t the best person on the planet but at least she is trying to reach out to her.
What makes Miller so interesting is how so very abnormal he is. He would be the love interest if this were any other book but he is Miller. I think it’s very interesting to see how he spirals out of control over the course of the book as we find more and more about what has happened to him and the tragedies that he has to live through (and has played an indirect part in).
The author puts so much work into developing the atmosphere of the book and she does it just right. I was genuinely scared and my eyes were glued to the pages. This book is quite frankly, creepy as fuck and I am just incredibly glad I didn’t have nightmares that night.
What makes the horror aspect of this book work so much is that the author actually develops the back story of the events that lead to all this creepy stuff happening. We may not get all the answers but I think in this kind of situation, it's almost impossible to have all the answers. And anyway, what fun would that be?
One of my complains was that the author didn’t actually give us any details about how they were survivng in the creepy house. Considering they were shunned by the entire town, how were they getting supplies? How were they making their food? Assuming everything works is too much of a stretch considering the condition the house was described to be in so yeah... how were they living?
Aside from that though, I thought this was a very well written story and I cannot wait to read more of the author’s works.
There may be a couple of loop holes but all in all, this book is one hell of a ride and a book I’d recommend to lovers of horror and all things creepy.
January 10, 2016
{I recieved this book from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review}
I really, REALLY wanted to like this book. I mean, look at how gorgeous that cover is and the synopsis is super creepy, but I was extremely disappointed. I HATED the first 65% of this book! It was confusing and the pace of the book moved painstakingly slow, but the ending of this book was crazy!
The writing of this book was pretty good, other than the fact that I was super confused through the majority of it. I do not blame that on the writing, but how the mystery was revealed to readers. The mystery was revealed in a very haphazardly way, which made me forget small details that were revealed earlier. I think if West would have revealed the mystery in more of a chronological order of events, it would have been easier to understand. Plus, there were a lot of things going on in this book other than the big mystery that made the plot confusing and slow moving.
Boredom was also a culprit in making this book hard to understand. I found my mind wandering a lot while reading this book, which made me question if I had missed something. The majority of this book was not enjoyable for me, but once the mystery was revealed, I began to really enjoy it, but that was nearly at the end of the book. However, even after the main character had her ahh ha moment, I still did not know what was going on. It was not until the main character practically spelt out the mystery that I even grasped the concept. This book also leaves a lot of unanswered questions, which I am not entirely sure if it was intentional or not.
I really didn’t connect with any of the characters in this book. I didn’t really find Penny all that relatable. It is hard to describe how I felt about Penny…I didn’t hate her or find her annoying, but I did not really care for her either. I really did not have any feelings toward Miller either. I found that his relationship with Penny was underdeveloped and the small romance (?) that was happening was strange. I question the romance aspect because there really was not a romance, but then Penny would talk about how he was good looking and then she has the urge to kiss him, but that is about it. Honestly, my favorite character was April (Penny’s step mother). I thought the other characters were not integrated into the story very well and was left questioning some of the relationships that began to develop.
So was this book scary? That’s probably why most readers would want to pick up this book and I would have to say it is…well the last 75% of it is. I think that the confusion that I felt at the beginning and middle of the book really took a toll on how scary I perceived some of the scenes. One scene in particular would have been pretty creepy, but the entire time I was trying to decipher what was going on. After the big mystery was revealed, it became much scarier! I found my heart racing and I occasionally found myself looking around the room while I was reading to make sure nothing was coming to get me. I also thought it had a lasting effect. After finishing the book, I sat there in my room that night having a hard time going to sleep because I could not stop thinking about the ending of the book.
Honestly, I would probably not recommend this book because I really did not enjoy the majority of it. I would say that if it is at your library or you can find a deal on the book, to give it a shot, but read until the end because that is when it gets really scary. However, I would not put this on the top of my TBR shelf on Goodreads. With that being said, I do plan on reading West’s other horror novel, The Murmurings, which I have already purchased. I am really hoping that I will enjoy that book better and that it will not be as confusing as this one.
I really, REALLY wanted to like this book. I mean, look at how gorgeous that cover is and the synopsis is super creepy, but I was extremely disappointed. I HATED the first 65% of this book! It was confusing and the pace of the book moved painstakingly slow, but the ending of this book was crazy!
The writing of this book was pretty good, other than the fact that I was super confused through the majority of it. I do not blame that on the writing, but how the mystery was revealed to readers. The mystery was revealed in a very haphazardly way, which made me forget small details that were revealed earlier. I think if West would have revealed the mystery in more of a chronological order of events, it would have been easier to understand. Plus, there were a lot of things going on in this book other than the big mystery that made the plot confusing and slow moving.
Boredom was also a culprit in making this book hard to understand. I found my mind wandering a lot while reading this book, which made me question if I had missed something. The majority of this book was not enjoyable for me, but once the mystery was revealed, I began to really enjoy it, but that was nearly at the end of the book. However, even after the main character had her ahh ha moment, I still did not know what was going on. It was not until the main character practically spelt out the mystery that I even grasped the concept. This book also leaves a lot of unanswered questions, which I am not entirely sure if it was intentional or not.
I really didn’t connect with any of the characters in this book. I didn’t really find Penny all that relatable. It is hard to describe how I felt about Penny…I didn’t hate her or find her annoying, but I did not really care for her either. I really did not have any feelings toward Miller either. I found that his relationship with Penny was underdeveloped and the small romance (?) that was happening was strange. I question the romance aspect because there really was not a romance, but then Penny would talk about how he was good looking and then she has the urge to kiss him, but that is about it. Honestly, my favorite character was April (Penny’s step mother). I thought the other characters were not integrated into the story very well and was left questioning some of the relationships that began to develop.
So was this book scary? That’s probably why most readers would want to pick up this book and I would have to say it is…well the last 75% of it is. I think that the confusion that I felt at the beginning and middle of the book really took a toll on how scary I perceived some of the scenes. One scene in particular would have been pretty creepy, but the entire time I was trying to decipher what was going on. After the big mystery was revealed, it became much scarier! I found my heart racing and I occasionally found myself looking around the room while I was reading to make sure nothing was coming to get me. I also thought it had a lasting effect. After finishing the book, I sat there in my room that night having a hard time going to sleep because I could not stop thinking about the ending of the book.
Honestly, I would probably not recommend this book because I really did not enjoy the majority of it. I would say that if it is at your library or you can find a deal on the book, to give it a shot, but read until the end because that is when it gets really scary. However, I would not put this on the top of my TBR shelf on Goodreads. With that being said, I do plan on reading West’s other horror novel, The Murmurings, which I have already purchased. I am really hoping that I will enjoy that book better and that it will not be as confusing as this one.
September 5, 2024
Well this book was a trip. And honestly, I'm still not sure what happened...
After getting into some trouble, Penny is shipped off to live with her dad & stepmother. While there, her stepmother, April, enlists Penny's help restoring this old house she bought out in the middle of nowhere. Once there Penny starts seeing and hearing things she just can't explain. The longer she's there, the worse it gets until everything all comes to a head.
The characters were alright. The one I actually felt the most sorry for was April. I get Penny went through a lot, and her mother just abandoning her was horrible (her mother is the WORST person ever) but she treated everyone around her like shit and it was just uncalled for. It was really hard being in her head especially when she was 'seeing' Rae. I almost wish the author would have just listed her backstory in the beginning instead of spreading it out so long. It did nothing but frustrate me and took away from the present mystery - the woods.
And there was definitely mystery here. The problem I ran into was that it was almost too mysterious. It took a hot minute to really get into the mystery - even after that crazy opening that had my head spinning. But what really bothered me is that I felt that when I got to the ending, nothing was answered. I wanted to know more about these woods and this town that had no issue doing what they did. How was it discovered? How does it work? The author barely scratched the surface of this mystery in such a way that maybe she didn't really know the full mechanics of it either. I don't know, I just wanted more.
Also, if you're looking for a love story - this is not it. I can't honestly tell if the author wanted us to root for Penny & Miller or not because they were just so stunted with zero chemistry.
Overall, this wasn't a bad book but it was kind of a mess. The author kept a little too much hidden that I really didn't understand what was going on - this also might just be me missing things. But while I got the big OMG moment at the end, I was still left with so many questions.
After getting into some trouble, Penny is shipped off to live with her dad & stepmother. While there, her stepmother, April, enlists Penny's help restoring this old house she bought out in the middle of nowhere. Once there Penny starts seeing and hearing things she just can't explain. The longer she's there, the worse it gets until everything all comes to a head.
The characters were alright. The one I actually felt the most sorry for was April. I get Penny went through a lot, and her mother just abandoning her was horrible (her mother is the WORST person ever) but she treated everyone around her like shit and it was just uncalled for. It was really hard being in her head especially when she was 'seeing' Rae. I almost wish the author would have just listed her backstory in the beginning instead of spreading it out so long. It did nothing but frustrate me and took away from the present mystery - the woods.
And there was definitely mystery here. The problem I ran into was that it was almost too mysterious. It took a hot minute to really get into the mystery - even after that crazy opening that had my head spinning. But what really bothered me is that I felt that when I got to the ending, nothing was answered. I wanted to know more about these woods and this town that had no issue doing what they did. How was it discovered? How does it work? The author barely scratched the surface of this mystery in such a way that maybe she didn't really know the full mechanics of it either. I don't know, I just wanted more.
Also, if you're looking for a love story - this is not it. I can't honestly tell if the author wanted us to root for Penny & Miller or not because they were just so stunted with zero chemistry.
Overall, this wasn't a bad book but it was kind of a mess. The author kept a little too much hidden that I really didn't understand what was going on - this also might just be me missing things. But while I got the big OMG moment at the end, I was still left with so many questions.
January 3, 2016
I received a free copy via Edelweiss.
First Impression: The Bargaining was a riveting, if not a little slow paced, gothic novel. The atmosphere is fantastically creepy and Carly Anne West has done an excellent job. Nevertheless, I think the slow pacing kept this from getting four stars from me.
Review: I went into The Bargaining with not quite so high expectations after reading some GR reviews. I soon realised that was a mistake because The Bargaining is a generally good gothic novel. Penny has been through something traumatic, that much is obvious, and she's trying to start fresh or at least that's what everyone wants her to do, but she's finding it hard to let go of the past. When she's handed over to her father and step-mother because her mother doesn't want to deal with her issues anymore, she's subjected to spending the summer with April, her step-mother, in an old house in the middle of the woods. As you can guess, the house turns out to be more than just old and water damaged, it's got a chilling past that involves several missing children, and the local boy Miller has more to do with it than she thought.
The Bargaining was a genuinely creepy novel and I think West wrote those scenes particularly well because they really did have the creepy factor. I didn't really enjoy the "romance" between Miller and Penny, it seemed under developed and a bit forced, but I did like the role Miller played in the mystery and that ending has me a little psyched out. Penny was a good protagonist too, though there was nothing really special about her.
The best part of The Bargaining, and the reason I would recommend it, is the mystery and undeniable scary atmosphere, though be warned the pacing is slow.
First Impression: The Bargaining was a riveting, if not a little slow paced, gothic novel. The atmosphere is fantastically creepy and Carly Anne West has done an excellent job. Nevertheless, I think the slow pacing kept this from getting four stars from me.
Review: I went into The Bargaining with not quite so high expectations after reading some GR reviews. I soon realised that was a mistake because The Bargaining is a generally good gothic novel. Penny has been through something traumatic, that much is obvious, and she's trying to start fresh or at least that's what everyone wants her to do, but she's finding it hard to let go of the past. When she's handed over to her father and step-mother because her mother doesn't want to deal with her issues anymore, she's subjected to spending the summer with April, her step-mother, in an old house in the middle of the woods. As you can guess, the house turns out to be more than just old and water damaged, it's got a chilling past that involves several missing children, and the local boy Miller has more to do with it than she thought.
The Bargaining was a genuinely creepy novel and I think West wrote those scenes particularly well because they really did have the creepy factor. I didn't really enjoy the "romance" between Miller and Penny, it seemed under developed and a bit forced, but I did like the role Miller played in the mystery and that ending has me a little psyched out. Penny was a good protagonist too, though there was nothing really special about her.
The best part of The Bargaining, and the reason I would recommend it, is the mystery and undeniable scary atmosphere, though be warned the pacing is slow.
January 5, 2015
3.5 stars
Arc provided by Simon Pulse through Edelweiss
Release Date: February 17
What it felt like reading this title:
Uncovering layer upon layer of truths tightly wrapped in different time dates, never knowing exactly who was going to present them, and what I was going to find next...
Also, it was _what I guess would be _ akin to be blindfolded, with no clue whatever of what was happening, with no compass, and at the mercy of a vast number of unknown characters, who'd just make an appearance, and would immediately give it's place to another character....
Frustration may arise....and you may found yourself reading and re-reading the initial pages to see if there was something that escaped you...
That's what happened with me, but I do like uncovering a mystery, and the one in this story is gigantic as the Titanic, and also prone to take people with it when it sinks....
The beginning
I guess it depends on the reader. Some will enjoy the fact that _and once again sticking with nautical metaphors _ one has to give all it has to stay floating in this story's reality_, and others will probably DNF it.
The first chapters are simply a teaser of everything scary that will be happening in the end. And let me tell you, that what ends up happening is completely frightening.
However after that, the tale enters a more calm _although fragile _ story's depiction.
There's a heavy psychological drama underway, and that, mixed with the underlying horror that you keep waiting to jump and grab you by the throat, makes reading this at times, a nerve shattering existence.
I can't help however feeling that the story should have been shorter.
I think that that would have given it more strength, making the feeling that it was sometimes adrift, disappear.
I understand why it happened: Including the psychological thriller aspect, it was bound to give this more strength and a greater depth...however it had the consequence of derailing it somewhat from the horror department until the last third of the story.
I am afraid that those who were expecting only an horror story will be disappointed.
However the psychological drama, and all the connections that we see between the characters _the alive ones and the others _are so well done that I had to keep reading, to find out what was going to happen.
For those however who aspect a strong focus on a certain romance?
Yeah, forget about it, lol, that's not going to happen! ;)
Despite all that happens, the misery, the heartbreak, the trying to recover from what life has brought you, the scary creepy kids...the main focus of this story are family ties.
Arc provided by Simon Pulse through Edelweiss
Release Date: February 17
What it felt like reading this title:
Uncovering layer upon layer of truths tightly wrapped in different time dates, never knowing exactly who was going to present them, and what I was going to find next...
Also, it was _what I guess would be _ akin to be blindfolded, with no clue whatever of what was happening, with no compass, and at the mercy of a vast number of unknown characters, who'd just make an appearance, and would immediately give it's place to another character....
Frustration may arise....and you may found yourself reading and re-reading the initial pages to see if there was something that escaped you...
That's what happened with me, but I do like uncovering a mystery, and the one in this story is gigantic as the Titanic, and also prone to take people with it when it sinks....
The beginning
I guess it depends on the reader. Some will enjoy the fact that _and once again sticking with nautical metaphors _ one has to give all it has to stay floating in this story's reality_, and others will probably DNF it.
The first chapters are simply a teaser of everything scary that will be happening in the end. And let me tell you, that what ends up happening is completely frightening.
However after that, the tale enters a more calm _although fragile _ story's depiction.
There's a heavy psychological drama underway, and that, mixed with the underlying horror that you keep waiting to jump and grab you by the throat, makes reading this at times, a nerve shattering existence.
I can't help however feeling that the story should have been shorter.
I think that that would have given it more strength, making the feeling that it was sometimes adrift, disappear.
I understand why it happened: Including the psychological thriller aspect, it was bound to give this more strength and a greater depth...however it had the consequence of derailing it somewhat from the horror department until the last third of the story.
I am afraid that those who were expecting only an horror story will be disappointed.
However the psychological drama, and all the connections that we see between the characters _the alive ones and the others _are so well done that I had to keep reading, to find out what was going to happen.
For those however who aspect a strong focus on a certain romance?
Yeah, forget about it, lol, that's not going to happen! ;)
Despite all that happens, the misery, the heartbreak, the trying to recover from what life has brought you, the scary creepy kids...the main focus of this story are family ties.
June 4, 2015
***I received the ARC eBook free as a review copy from the publisher through Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review***
Did not finish at 75%.
I simply could not get into this book. From the second I saw the cover and read the synopsis I thought it was something I’d like or even love, but after I started reading nothing stood out to catch my interest. With no expectations I still managed to be disappointed. Granted I did stick it out to 75% but I must have skim read at least half of that which is something I naturally hate resorting too.
Eventually though I put it down because I’m not one to continue reading a book I’m not enjoying when there are so many others out there I know (or at least hope) I will.
However I thought it only right to explain why. The biggest problem for me was the snail-slow pace and also as I already said nothing stuck out in the writing. There was barely any paranormal mystery happening in the first 50% and instead we got a main character that spent her time in an old house complaining. A lot. Penny didn’t go so far as to infuriate me with her self-pity because I simply didn’t feel anything for or about her.
There were no connections to other characters either and the supposed love interest had no chemistry with Penny resulting in no romance. The part he played was miniscule compared and left me wondering what the point was.
I probably stopped too soon to judge much on the paranormal side of it because I didn’t make it to any big revelation; the mystery leading up to it however was boring and not for one second was I scared. It was a handprint here and a twig breaking there *cough*100 pages later*cough* but that was it with no follow ups or even emotion. I could very easily put it all down to Penny being bat-crap crazy and to be honest that is enough of an ending for me.
Posted on: http://enchantedbyya.blogspot.co.uk/
Did not finish at 75%.
I simply could not get into this book. From the second I saw the cover and read the synopsis I thought it was something I’d like or even love, but after I started reading nothing stood out to catch my interest. With no expectations I still managed to be disappointed. Granted I did stick it out to 75% but I must have skim read at least half of that which is something I naturally hate resorting too.
Eventually though I put it down because I’m not one to continue reading a book I’m not enjoying when there are so many others out there I know (or at least hope) I will.
However I thought it only right to explain why. The biggest problem for me was the snail-slow pace and also as I already said nothing stuck out in the writing. There was barely any paranormal mystery happening in the first 50% and instead we got a main character that spent her time in an old house complaining. A lot. Penny didn’t go so far as to infuriate me with her self-pity because I simply didn’t feel anything for or about her.
There were no connections to other characters either and the supposed love interest had no chemistry with Penny resulting in no romance. The part he played was miniscule compared and left me wondering what the point was.
I probably stopped too soon to judge much on the paranormal side of it because I didn’t make it to any big revelation; the mystery leading up to it however was boring and not for one second was I scared. It was a handprint here and a twig breaking there *cough*100 pages later*cough* but that was it with no follow ups or even emotion. I could very easily put it all down to Penny being bat-crap crazy and to be honest that is enough of an ending for me.
Posted on: http://enchantedbyya.blogspot.co.uk/
July 1, 2022
wow this was such a page turner !! and that ending…so fucking crazy.
i’m really glad i picked this up.
i’m really glad i picked this up.
March 7, 2017
I picked this one up on a whim because I was mostly drawn to the cover and then of course the synopsis. I liked the pacing of the book which kept it moving and I loved the creepiness of the story which kept me engaged. I found that there seemed to be a lot more to the story than the synopsis tells us and I was pleased by that. The ending of the book was not what I expected, but on the other hand it would be expected to happen the way it did, if that makes sense.
In this story we have Penny who has many issues that she needs to deal with. When she finds out that she is going on a realty adventure with her stepmom, she was less than thrilled. Unexplained creepy things begin happening once they arrive at their destination. April her stepmom is drawn to the beauty of the Carver house in which she will be renovating, while Penny feels quite differently about the house and the woods that surround them.
I really enjoyed Penny, I found her to be quite smart and also very headstrong. Even though she is flawed, which I love, she is also very strong, but the one thing that I found to be a little annoying was the fact that she would really trust no one. I do find that she was well developed though, and I am sure the trust issues stem from the flawed life the author created her from. There are several other characters to like and many other to hate and some that I was even on the fence about. I did love how some of them were secretive and had a somewhat dark aura about them. I thought brought a lot to the story.
I recommend this to anyone who likes a good, creepy story. Also those who enjoy paranormal horror will like this one as well.
In this story we have Penny who has many issues that she needs to deal with. When she finds out that she is going on a realty adventure with her stepmom, she was less than thrilled. Unexplained creepy things begin happening once they arrive at their destination. April her stepmom is drawn to the beauty of the Carver house in which she will be renovating, while Penny feels quite differently about the house and the woods that surround them.
I really enjoyed Penny, I found her to be quite smart and also very headstrong. Even though she is flawed, which I love, she is also very strong, but the one thing that I found to be a little annoying was the fact that she would really trust no one. I do find that she was well developed though, and I am sure the trust issues stem from the flawed life the author created her from. There are several other characters to like and many other to hate and some that I was even on the fence about. I did love how some of them were secretive and had a somewhat dark aura about them. I thought brought a lot to the story.
I recommend this to anyone who likes a good, creepy story. Also those who enjoy paranormal horror will like this one as well.
July 2, 2016
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: How lonely are the woods?
Opening Sentence: The first thing I should see is Pop with his belt.
The Review:
This is why I do not like horror stories. They creep the hell out of me and give me nightmares for days (or nights, I guess). I tried to read this book as quickly as possible just so I could get to the ending. But at 400 odd pages, it took a while!
“So this is for real then?” he says.
I nod because I can’t make myself say the words. I want to be casual about this, but it’s hard to make light of the knowledge that you’ve been deemed hopeless by one of the only two people who is never supposed to give up on you.
I can’t say I enjoyed this story because, as a rule, I don’t like scary stories, however if you’re into thrillers and horrors then you’ll love The Bargaining. It is genuinely frightening and gave me that horrible feeling of being watched, so much so that I kept jumping at loud noises!
“And Penny,” she says just before I’ve broken free of the trees. I can’t see her anymore. I can only hear her voice. “These kids, they aren’t playing around, you know. They have something to say. But you know what my dear old mom always used to say. Not all voices deserve to be heard.”
That house near the woods. I can imagine it perfectly, with the mural that keeps moving, and the handprints on the window. The children with the silent screams and that freaky humming song, argh I’m creeping out just thinking about it!
From the beginning I could tell there was more to Miller than meets the eye. Without revealing any spoilers, all I’d like to add is that his story was sad, and the resulting effect was that Miller has a lot of baggage. In another lifetime I think he and Penny could have made a cute couple.
I try to remember anyone ever making me an offer like that. Anyone ever telling me they’d just listen. They’d just let me say it. All of it. Someone who hasn’t heard the back story third-hand, who didn’t know me before I came to Phoenix, who didn’t know me after Melissa Corey. Who didn’t need to see me as something just so they could make sense of the next something I became.
My favourite character was oddly the step brother, Rob. Although Rob doesn’t have a huge role to play, I loved how supportive he was, and he just seemed like a really sweet sibling. Not my usual type of favourite but perhaps in all the horror, it was nice to have someone normal!
I also liked the dynamics of Penny and her stepmother’s relationship. I don’t think I’ve read a book where both parents are alive but can’t seem to help their child, so it’s left up to the stepmother to try and ‘fix’ her. April made an excellent stepmother and I liked how their relationship develops over the course of the story and the horrors they face.
“What? You don’t think it’s beautiful?”
“No.”
“Well, don’t hold back,” she says. I know I’ve hurt her feelings, though I can’t imagine how she would have expected me to feel about this place that means such different things to her than it does to me. She sees the realization of a long-sought fantasy finally fulfilled, the claiming of some real estate ambition she’s fostered from her career’s infancy.
I see the bottom of a deep, deep hole.
A brilliantly written thriller, but I can’t imagine willingly wanting to read this!
Notable Scene:
“I would do a million things differently. I would’ve torn up the letters so Rae could never read them. I’d have never written them in the first place. I’d have stopped being her friend months before that. Years before that. I would’ve erased the first conversation we ever had, and I would have gone on being the freak nobody talked to, but at least I would’ve been a freak who never ruined some girl’s life for no reason or woke up in the desert with my sort-of best froend dead or hated muself so much for all of it months after I should’ve gotten over it. So yes. If I could erase it all, I would. But here’s the thing about ‘would.’ It’s the most useless word in the entire dictionary because it has no place in any point in time. It’s a stand-in for an imaginary space between what might happen and what actually happens.”
FTC Advisory: Simon Pulse provided me with a copy of The Bargaining. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
Quick & Dirty: How lonely are the woods?
Opening Sentence: The first thing I should see is Pop with his belt.
The Review:
This is why I do not like horror stories. They creep the hell out of me and give me nightmares for days (or nights, I guess). I tried to read this book as quickly as possible just so I could get to the ending. But at 400 odd pages, it took a while!
“So this is for real then?” he says.
I nod because I can’t make myself say the words. I want to be casual about this, but it’s hard to make light of the knowledge that you’ve been deemed hopeless by one of the only two people who is never supposed to give up on you.
I can’t say I enjoyed this story because, as a rule, I don’t like scary stories, however if you’re into thrillers and horrors then you’ll love The Bargaining. It is genuinely frightening and gave me that horrible feeling of being watched, so much so that I kept jumping at loud noises!
“And Penny,” she says just before I’ve broken free of the trees. I can’t see her anymore. I can only hear her voice. “These kids, they aren’t playing around, you know. They have something to say. But you know what my dear old mom always used to say. Not all voices deserve to be heard.”
That house near the woods. I can imagine it perfectly, with the mural that keeps moving, and the handprints on the window. The children with the silent screams and that freaky humming song, argh I’m creeping out just thinking about it!
From the beginning I could tell there was more to Miller than meets the eye. Without revealing any spoilers, all I’d like to add is that his story was sad, and the resulting effect was that Miller has a lot of baggage. In another lifetime I think he and Penny could have made a cute couple.
I try to remember anyone ever making me an offer like that. Anyone ever telling me they’d just listen. They’d just let me say it. All of it. Someone who hasn’t heard the back story third-hand, who didn’t know me before I came to Phoenix, who didn’t know me after Melissa Corey. Who didn’t need to see me as something just so they could make sense of the next something I became.
My favourite character was oddly the step brother, Rob. Although Rob doesn’t have a huge role to play, I loved how supportive he was, and he just seemed like a really sweet sibling. Not my usual type of favourite but perhaps in all the horror, it was nice to have someone normal!
I also liked the dynamics of Penny and her stepmother’s relationship. I don’t think I’ve read a book where both parents are alive but can’t seem to help their child, so it’s left up to the stepmother to try and ‘fix’ her. April made an excellent stepmother and I liked how their relationship develops over the course of the story and the horrors they face.
“What? You don’t think it’s beautiful?”
“No.”
“Well, don’t hold back,” she says. I know I’ve hurt her feelings, though I can’t imagine how she would have expected me to feel about this place that means such different things to her than it does to me. She sees the realization of a long-sought fantasy finally fulfilled, the claiming of some real estate ambition she’s fostered from her career’s infancy.
I see the bottom of a deep, deep hole.
A brilliantly written thriller, but I can’t imagine willingly wanting to read this!
Notable Scene:
“I would do a million things differently. I would’ve torn up the letters so Rae could never read them. I’d have never written them in the first place. I’d have stopped being her friend months before that. Years before that. I would’ve erased the first conversation we ever had, and I would have gone on being the freak nobody talked to, but at least I would’ve been a freak who never ruined some girl’s life for no reason or woke up in the desert with my sort-of best froend dead or hated muself so much for all of it months after I should’ve gotten over it. So yes. If I could erase it all, I would. But here’s the thing about ‘would.’ It’s the most useless word in the entire dictionary because it has no place in any point in time. It’s a stand-in for an imaginary space between what might happen and what actually happens.”
FTC Advisory: Simon Pulse provided me with a copy of The Bargaining. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.
March 5, 2015
This was CREEPY!!! Like The Ring, The Conjuring, and Children of the Corn creepy and I loved every minute of it! I have been on the look out for a book that puts the creepy first and everything else on the backburner and The Bargaining does this flawlessly!
Penny having just been shipped to live with her dad after another incident at school learns she has to endure a summer with her stepmom. The summer will bring renovations on an old house and hopefully a new beginning for Penny. She isn't happy about her situation, but she goes and well things get extremely strange from there. The whole town refuses to help them and before long Penny realizes things aren't what they seem. Four kids went missing in the exact woods that her new home for the summer is located. These four kids miraculously showed back up six months after their disappearance only nobody could figure out where they went and what really happened to them. Somebody knows though and through flashbacks and a terrifying mural Penny finds out just what happened in the North Woods.
I had chills pretty much the entire time I read this. It was scary, intense, spine tingling, and at times really gross. And yes I loved it! The only thing that felt off was Penny's friend Rae. I know Rae was a huge part of Penny's story I just don't get how she fit in at the end. I would have preferred a different conclusion to her part. Everything else in the story fit, but her. Even at the time I was reading I kept thinking where does she fit in and when the big bomb dropped I just felt like it was a jumbled mess. I didn't need her in that part and I felt like Penny really didn't get to resolve her feelings.
Other than that though I loved this. I really liked Rob, Penny's stepbrother, and I even liked Miller. I would love to have one extra chapter to see what Miller's life was like after his decision. I am really curious how that all played out, but I can use my imagination to fill in those blanks. I have a feeling if I did get that last chapter I would be terrified to sleep at night!
If you are looking for creepy then you have to give this one a try! Carly Anne West is a master at this genre and I am definitely going to read the rest of her books!
Penny having just been shipped to live with her dad after another incident at school learns she has to endure a summer with her stepmom. The summer will bring renovations on an old house and hopefully a new beginning for Penny. She isn't happy about her situation, but she goes and well things get extremely strange from there. The whole town refuses to help them and before long Penny realizes things aren't what they seem. Four kids went missing in the exact woods that her new home for the summer is located. These four kids miraculously showed back up six months after their disappearance only nobody could figure out where they went and what really happened to them. Somebody knows though and through flashbacks and a terrifying mural Penny finds out just what happened in the North Woods.
I had chills pretty much the entire time I read this. It was scary, intense, spine tingling, and at times really gross. And yes I loved it! The only thing that felt off was Penny's friend Rae. I know Rae was a huge part of Penny's story I just don't get how she fit in at the end. I would have preferred a different conclusion to her part. Everything else in the story fit, but her. Even at the time I was reading I kept thinking where does she fit in and when the big bomb dropped I just felt like it was a jumbled mess. I didn't need her in that part and I felt like Penny really didn't get to resolve her feelings.
Other than that though I loved this. I really liked Rob, Penny's stepbrother, and I even liked Miller. I would love to have one extra chapter to see what Miller's life was like after his decision. I am really curious how that all played out, but I can use my imagination to fill in those blanks. I have a feeling if I did get that last chapter I would be terrified to sleep at night!
If you are looking for creepy then you have to give this one a try! Carly Anne West is a master at this genre and I am definitely going to read the rest of her books!
September 29, 2022
Creepy turned confusing is the only way I can describe “The Bargaining.” It started off really well by setting up the eerie woods atmosphere and an intriguing, spooky mystery. I was very invested for the majority of the book and couldn’t wait to see how the reveal unfolded. But the author eventually gave a one-sentence, baffling explanation with no further details! I kept thinking that I missed something and had to flip back through the book. There was so much that was not explained with too many loose ends and it really bothered me. I truly felt jypped as a reader and that really affected my overall view of the book. It’s a shame because the majority of the plot was great, but the author couldn’t stick the landing!
December 27, 2014
The Bargaining is quite possibly the most terrifying book I've read in a while. I might be in the minority in this one, but I quite liked the author's YA debut novel, The Murmurings, so I expected The Bargaining to be creepy, but this one surpassed each and every single one of my expectations by far. The horror scenes are just so spectacularly written. It's amazing what West managed to do with this one because her delivery of tension and horror was relentless and deftly written to the point that they were a full-blown sensory experience, even as they stayed locked safely within the pages of my book. This is the first time in a really long time, probably since I read White Space, that I read a book deep into the night and the story has me jumping at every sound and fearing the shadows in the corners.
But The Bargaining is a lot more than just fantastic horror scenes. The story, the world-building, the atmosphere and the development of a broken main character are all executed amazingly. It was really hard for me to tear myself away from this book. It was almost physically painful to have to put it aside because the book was riveting, mesmerizing, so utterly enthralling. West not only knows how to write creepy, she makes you crave it.
What's interesting is that this book carries the typical aspects of the recycled horror story we are all tired of reading about or watching on TV. Someone with some sort of emotional baggage is forced to live with some family member somewhere else, that place is in a small town where they are immediately given the cold shoulder because something horrible happened in that place long ago, someone warns them about the place, freaky things start happening in that place and the main character goes out of her/his way to find out the history of the place even though everyone that knows is reluctant to do so. The story of The Bargaining could be condensed in that simple and sterile summary, and we are all extremely familiar with that. But somehow, West made it engaging and original.
The delivery of horror and creepy was relentless, and even if it got just tiniest bit repetitive towards the end, I still enjoyed it immensely. From beginning to end, West keeps you hooked with it, but, truth be told, when the drama unfolded in the novel, though engaging, it was very slow paced. I didn't find it boring in the slightest, but I can see how some people might find it a bit too slow.
I love how West writes broken heroines. She makes them so realistic, it is very easy to empathize with them, and Penny is not an exemption. What's interesting about her heroines is that, although broken beyond repair, they are never weak. Penny was pessimistic, broken and hopeless, and yet she was still determined, strong and driven. She might've crossed the line into over-dramatic one or two times, but I never stopped believing her grief, her guilt and her baggage.
The rest of the characters, though the vary in exposure throughout the novel, are still very interesting. From the seemingly standard one, an energetic stepmother, to the strangest, a boy with a twisted past, a strange a ability and a determination to right a wrong, the character were intriguing and added several layers to Penny as a main character and the atmosphere of the town. Miller, in particular, was an outstanding character that I would've love to read more about. Thankfully, there's no romance in this novel. There's the insinuation of one, but it never happens, and I think the novel benefited from the lack of romance, for its absence allowed the author to concentrate on other matters that, ultimately, made the novel all the more original and better.
I was more than willing to give The Bargaining 5 stars, but there were a couple of plot holes towards the end that I had a hard time overlooking, plus the resolution of the conflict was a bit of a letdown. It's still a fantastic ending, but I honestly don't see how it fits into the story, into the mythology West created for this novel, and I fail to see how such actions could possibly secure the ending West wrote for Penny. Moreover, I don't expect West to explain every single little thing, of course. That's part of the enchantment of this setting, but there were a couple of lines towards the end that I couldn't make sense of and there were some aspects of the mystery I would've appreciated more information on.
Aside from some questions about the story and a resolution that baffled me a bit, The Bargaining is a thoroughly fantastic novel that gets everything right, from the atmosphere, the setting and the background story, to the horror and the characters. It is a very well-written and chilling novel that excels in the YA horror genre and that leaves you craving for more. I went into it expecting a somewhat satisfying experience like with The Murmurings, but I got a whole lot more from it and it quickly became one of my favorite books this year.
September 24, 2024
This book wasn’t on my radar until I picked it up at my local used bookstore, and even then it went on my TBR and I completely forgot about it. So I’m pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed this! I found it to be well written, spooky from the beginning, and intriguing the whole way through. Penny was a very realistic teenager and honestly I found the sass throughout the book very refreshing 😂
April 6, 2015
I loved the premise which is why I wanted to read the book. There was some interest there, enough for me to finish the book. But the ending just sucked. There was no resolution to the mystery. It just left you wondering even more. And since this is not a series, it's not a standalone that tied things up in the end. It just left you hanging.
Plus some of the phrases were confusing. Not the best choice descriptions. I started to wander a little, veering away from the story. The suspension of disbelief wasn't so believable. I wasn't spooked out or anything. Some of it just seemed cheesy. The relationship with Miller was non-existent. There was a point at the end where the author tried to make it seem like Penny was interested romantically. But the feeling was lost by then. I did however like the stepmother, April. She was the only highlight of the book. Penny, not so much. She was bitter and had an attitude problem that just became annoying. And after the mystery just kept mounting and not unfolding and resolving in the end, there isn't much to remember about the book.
Plus some of the phrases were confusing. Not the best choice descriptions. I started to wander a little, veering away from the story. The suspension of disbelief wasn't so believable. I wasn't spooked out or anything. Some of it just seemed cheesy. The relationship with Miller was non-existent. There was a point at the end where the author tried to make it seem like Penny was interested romantically. But the feeling was lost by then. I did however like the stepmother, April. She was the only highlight of the book. Penny, not so much. She was bitter and had an attitude problem that just became annoying. And after the mystery just kept mounting and not unfolding and resolving in the end, there isn't much to remember about the book.
June 17, 2015
Well, honestly giving this book four stars may be a little too nice of me. Three for sure though. It was a good and captivating read BUT, lots of unanswered things. Such as, the ending! The last two chapters grabbed my brain and flipped it around, and not in a good way. It was like those math jokes, If Gary has 5 apples and Cindy has 7 bananas how many trains will be blue ? That's about how much sense the ending made. The author tried to do too many little stories at once, and then in the end it's as if she got bored and came up with a 2 second ending which kind of killed the whole story in my opinion. I'm just, ugh so frustrated she kind of ruined it. The author I mean. I don't even understand why we needed to know penny's friend Rae got killed. And why in the world Rae in the end is a monster who had nothing to do with those woods then all a sudden is at peace! My head hurts :(
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 2, 2018
3.5/4
This was better that I thought, but it kind of fell flat in the end.
Pros:
-The protagonist was good. She is hard sometimes, but she knows it and try to be better. Also, she had nice comebacks.
-The relationship between her and her stepmother and stepbrother was interesting and avoid cliches.
-It was gripping. I read it in a night.
-Some scary scenes really work.
Contras.
-A contra of having nice scary scenes: if you live some of the things that happened here, how the fuck you keep trying to sleep in that goddamn house? Matches and gasoline people! matches and gasoline.
-The ending was a little bit confusing. I mean, a part of it is my fault because I may have been reading it way too fast, but there are some things that I didn't get completely.
This was better that I thought, but it kind of fell flat in the end.
Pros:
-The protagonist was good. She is hard sometimes, but she knows it and try to be better. Also, she had nice comebacks.
-The relationship between her and her stepmother and stepbrother was interesting and avoid cliches.
-It was gripping. I read it in a night.
-Some scary scenes really work.
Contras.
-A contra of having nice scary scenes: if you live some of the things that happened here, how the fuck you keep trying to sleep in that goddamn house? Matches and gasoline people! matches and gasoline.
-The ending was a little bit confusing. I mean, a part of it is my fault because I may have been reading it way too fast, but there are some things that I didn't get completely.
March 20, 2015
Not bad. Not bad at all. I probably would've given this another star but the ending was a bit unbelievable. Not the actual events so much as the trade itself. And then you get that last chapter that was just weird. It wasn't a twist or anything. It just ... was. It felt utterly random and almost not even part of the book.
But for YA horror/suspense, this was fairly good. I've certain read a whole lot worse.
But for YA horror/suspense, this was fairly good. I've certain read a whole lot worse.
March 30, 2015
It was good but I'm still so confused.
February 7, 2017
Actual rating 3.5 stars (May be subject to change BECAUSE I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO RATE IT)
April 9, 2022
I went to the Seattle area last year and I have to say, the woods are different there. There’s a prehistoric feel to them that you don’t get in, say, New England. I’m from New England. Those woods are old and haunted and creepy AF. But the Pacific Northwest . . . there’s a density to those trees, an ancientness that is very specific to that area and it came through very well in THE BARGAINING.
On the surface, this book isn’t scary. What’s actually scary is the underlying secret that pervades this little town of Point Finney. This is another small town horror, but where the last one kind of failed me, THE BARGAINING really nailed home that insular secret-keeping that can make a person feel out of sorts real quick.
April and Penny were already out of their element going to this house and trying to rehab it with absolutely no experience. But once they head into town, they realize they’re pariahs and they don’t even know why. There’s a lot of side-eyeing and dark looks and hush hush whispers of things that happen in the woods. Meanwhile, Penny’s dealing with her own demons that simultaneously haunt her while the woods around her step-mom’s house haunt her too.
The description of these creepy ass kids, when they start coming out of the woodwork, literally, is terrifying. Like the stuff of nightmares. You don’t see them much on page, but when you do you’ll adopt a whole new appreciation for wanting to move to the middle of a bustling city and never leave it.
The best/worst for me was the description of the woods attacking Penny and how it started absorbing her into the ground. Seriously. Nightmares. That’s terrifying how they scrabbled after her and clawed at her with its branches and how the pine needles basically started swallowing her. I love to look at the woods, but maybe from a distance, okay?
The story culminates in this fantastic explosion of thunder and lightning and rain and terror that made the rest of the book come together so nicely. THE BARGAINING is one of those slower build type stories that you can’t quite see where it’s going, but it drags you along all the same. It’s creepy and enticing and harrowing and terrifying but also hopeful. Not, like, sunshines and rainbows, but a glimmer, and in a story like this I think that’s more than enough.
4.5
On the surface, this book isn’t scary. What’s actually scary is the underlying secret that pervades this little town of Point Finney. This is another small town horror, but where the last one kind of failed me, THE BARGAINING really nailed home that insular secret-keeping that can make a person feel out of sorts real quick.
April and Penny were already out of their element going to this house and trying to rehab it with absolutely no experience. But once they head into town, they realize they’re pariahs and they don’t even know why. There’s a lot of side-eyeing and dark looks and hush hush whispers of things that happen in the woods. Meanwhile, Penny’s dealing with her own demons that simultaneously haunt her while the woods around her step-mom’s house haunt her too.
The description of these creepy ass kids, when they start coming out of the woodwork, literally, is terrifying. Like the stuff of nightmares. You don’t see them much on page, but when you do you’ll adopt a whole new appreciation for wanting to move to the middle of a bustling city and never leave it.
The best/worst for me was the description of the woods attacking Penny and how it started absorbing her into the ground. Seriously. Nightmares. That’s terrifying how they scrabbled after her and clawed at her with its branches and how the pine needles basically started swallowing her. I love to look at the woods, but maybe from a distance, okay?
The story culminates in this fantastic explosion of thunder and lightning and rain and terror that made the rest of the book come together so nicely. THE BARGAINING is one of those slower build type stories that you can’t quite see where it’s going, but it drags you along all the same. It’s creepy and enticing and harrowing and terrifying but also hopeful. Not, like, sunshines and rainbows, but a glimmer, and in a story like this I think that’s more than enough.
4.5
April 28, 2018
This book isn’t very good. The plot is decent, and reading it COULD have been a creepy, atmospheric experience, but it just wasn’t. It felt very juvenile - and yes I realize it’s a YA novel so I shouldn’t be dissing it based on this - but that doesn’t mean it has to be whiny and annoying. Which this was.
The character of Penny was awful. Anyone who got the “likable” vibe from her must have never actually met a likable person. She was defensive, inconsistent, immature and crazy (and not in a good way). Speaking of crazy - why did we even have to suffer through the Rae storyline? It literally added nothing to the primary plot line in my opinion, and just watered down the whole “seeing ghosts” in the woods aspect. Plus we never actually were told what happened to Rae and it all felt like a throwaway subplot to keep the reader semi-interested. Blah. I was rooting for Rae to be a figment of Penny’s f*ed up brain and not a real person at all - now THAT I can get behind.
Too many loose ends, too little explanations(Wtf was the point of Miller being able to “paint” a different outcome for his lost brother? And - if he could do this - why the hell did he wait TEN years?) and too many lame and unbelievable ghostly encounters. Next book please. I have been wanting to read Carly Anne West’s book “The Murmerings” for a long time now, but now I think I’ll pass and read something that doesn’t resemble a reject episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark.
The character of Penny was awful. Anyone who got the “likable” vibe from her must have never actually met a likable person. She was defensive, inconsistent, immature and crazy (and not in a good way). Speaking of crazy - why did we even have to suffer through the Rae storyline? It literally added nothing to the primary plot line in my opinion, and just watered down the whole “seeing ghosts” in the woods aspect. Plus we never actually were told what happened to Rae and it all felt like a throwaway subplot to keep the reader semi-interested. Blah. I was rooting for Rae to be a figment of Penny’s f*ed up brain and not a real person at all - now THAT I can get behind.
Too many loose ends, too little explanations(Wtf was the point of Miller being able to “paint” a different outcome for his lost brother? And - if he could do this - why the hell did he wait TEN years?) and too many lame and unbelievable ghostly encounters. Next book please. I have been wanting to read Carly Anne West’s book “The Murmerings” for a long time now, but now I think I’ll pass and read something that doesn’t resemble a reject episode of Are You Afraid of the Dark.
February 11, 2019
Penny is sent to live with her father, stepmother, and stepbrother.
She ends up spending the summer with her stepmother, as her mother works on flipping an old house in the woods near a small town.
Bad things have happened in that house, in those woods; the locals give them problems; her stepmother is frantic not to lose her investment.
This as a good, scary, haunted house book. The two things I liked best about it: Penny, who is very real in how she handles herself and the situation, neither too brave nor too timid. And, that while there is a local cute guy, this is not a romance, there is no real romance.
I'm so over every book having to also have a romance in it. Can't it just be a scary book (or a mystery or whatever.)
So this: four stars because scary and no romance.
She ends up spending the summer with her stepmother, as her mother works on flipping an old house in the woods near a small town.
Bad things have happened in that house, in those woods; the locals give them problems; her stepmother is frantic not to lose her investment.
This as a good, scary, haunted house book. The two things I liked best about it: Penny, who is very real in how she handles herself and the situation, neither too brave nor too timid. And, that while there is a local cute guy, this is not a romance, there is no real romance.
I'm so over every book having to also have a romance in it. Can't it just be a scary book (or a mystery or whatever.)
So this: four stars because scary and no romance.
March 31, 2017
UGH well that was completely terrifying. Probably because I read most of it while home alone
April 11, 2018
This kept me really entertained the whole time.
January 26, 2021
One and a half (1.5) stars
January 11, 2022
I lost interest in this book and could not finish it.
May 7, 2023
Confusing.
October 21, 2023
Literally one of my favorite books
February 29, 2016
The Bargaining is the best YA horror I’ve read in a long time. The descriptions, pace, creepy house and surroundings, and sense of wrongness reminded me of The Shining. What better compliment can I give a horror novel than to compare it to one of Stephen King’s? Here’s the deal: after being thrown away by her mother and made to live with her dad and stepmom, Penny is forced to spend the summer renovating a house with April (the “evil stepmother”). Truth is, April is not so evil. She’s actually pretty sweet and well-intentioned. She’s a realtor and is super excited about the house she just bought. It’s a fixer upper, she says. Turns out, that’s an understatement. Carver House is a dilapidated house in the middle of the creepiest woods since The Blair Witch Project. April thinks it will be good bonding time for the two of them to renovate the house together while Dad is in Canada working for the summer and step-brother is away at soccer camp. This might all be fine if Penny wasn’t dealing with a crapload of baggage. See, the only friend she was able to make at her old school was a bad influence on her. Rae caused Penny to do things she would normally never even consider. Rae also ended up dead and Penny blames herself. Penny is already haunted by Rae (seemingly both literally and figuratively), so the last thing she needs is to be spending the summer in a crumbling house in a ghostly woods. But that’s exactly what she gets. As the upside down hand prints of small children begin appearing outside an upstairs window, as mattress forts are built again and again by invisible hands, as the mural on a bedroom wall begins to change daily, as Penny’s beloved camera begins to take pictures on its own, it becomes obvious that this place is unholy. Judging by the reactions of the townsfolk, Penny and April are not welcome in their town. They are also not welcome to ask questions about what happened to the four children who disappeared in the woods near Carver House all those years ago and why those kids were never the same once they reappeared years later. Fortunately for Penny, she makes friends with a boy her age that knows all about it. Penny knows these kids or the ghosts of them are still in the woods and in Carver House. It’s important she learn the whole story about what happened in order to save herself and April and maybe even the ghosts of these children. Filled with eerie imagery, slow suspense, and chilling backstory, The Bargaining is definitely a book that will inspire nightmares. It did for me!
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