Review--Harrow Lake by Kat Ellis

A can't-put-down, creepy thriller about the daughter of a horror film director who's not afraid of anything--until she gets to Harrow Lake.

Things I know about Harrow Lake:
1.It's where my father shot his most disturbing slasher film.
2.There's something not right about this town.

Lola Nox is the daughter of a celebrated horror filmmaker--she thinks nothing can scare her.

But when her father is brutally attacked in their New York apartment, she's quickly packed off to live with a grandmother she's never met in Harrow Lake, the eerie town where her father's most iconic horror movie was shot. The locals are weirdly obsessed with the film that put their town on the map--and there are strange disappearances, which the police seem determined to explain away.

And there's someone--or something--stalking her every move.

The more Lola discovers about the town, the more terrifying it becomes. Because Lola's got secrets of her own. And if she can't find a way out of Harrow Lake, they might just be the death of her.

Finally! A horror read to keep you turning the pages terrified at nearly every moment! Kat Ellis' Harrow Lake was the page-turning thriller I had been waiting for this Halloween season! This book was super creepy and eerie that will have you jumping at every creak of the house and breeze rustling the windows. Omg, this book was terrifyingly awesome!

Lola is the daughter of movie genius Nolan Nox, who is famous for all his horror movies. She pretty much lives in his shadow as he doesn't like her going out anywhere, else he approves it and doesn't let her use a cell phone or laptop except for school purposes. He's your average megalomaniac overprotective parent! But when Lola comes home the night before they're to move and finds him stabbed and bleeding to death, she's frightened. Though it's not long before she's shipped off to live with runaway mother's mother at Harrow Lake while Nolan heals.

Harrow Lake was the place Nolan filmed his iconic horror movie and where he met Lorelei, Lola's mother. When Lola was five, Lorelei pulled a runaway and abandoned her to her father's whims. Lola isn't overly impressed with the small town, though the town still touts its fame to Nolan's movie. They even have an annual festival in its honor. 

Strange things keep happening in this eerie little town. Her grandmother isn't the overly friendly type and may or may not be a little on the crazy side. Then there's the fact that the very next morning upon her arrival, Lola's suitcase vanishes and she's forced to wear her mother's old clothes, clothes she wore for her character in the movie that brought her to fame.

But that's not the only strange thing happening in town. Her father based part of his horror movie on a legend involving a creepy old timer who got trapped underground in a landslide and turned cannibal, Mister Jitters is his name. The weird things happen on the regular once Lola gets into town and it is downright creepy! The shadows she sees out of the corner of her eye, freaky dolls moving when they shouldn't, ghostly figures...is it all in Lola's imagination or is this town really harboring dark secrets?

You guys! This book is seriously creepy! Kat Ellis sure knows how to lure her readers into a false sense of security. This book will have you needing to re-read the pages just to make sure you caught onto the strange and eerie, as I did more than once! The ending was positively bone-chilling as well! A satisfying bone-chilling that is! Though I did hope that perhaps a few things would've been clarified. Like if the eerie things happening were really real or somewhat real...were they paranormal in nature or the evil that is human? Little things like that. 

Although, not having that answer doesn't deteriorate from the story at large. It may in fact add to its overall eerieness. The kind of eerieness we all enjoy from a good horror story! Harrow Lake is definitely one I'd recommend if you're looking for a super creepy and terrifying read! It's got the most satisfying of endings as well when it comes to horror. Sure there are a few things I would've liked clarification on, but I'm not devastated by the lack of concrete answers.



Overall Rating 5/5 stars