At a foreboding manor tucked back in the New Hampshire mountains, four young girls gather with an eccentric host to compete for the prize of being named the heiress of a vast fortune. At first glance, it seems like the opportunity of a lifetime, especially for these girls who each have their own private demons they’re trying to escape. But by the end of the weekend, they’ll learn that private demons aren’t the only ones and winning will pale in comparison to surviving. Get ready for the thrill of terror in Kelly McWilliams’ YA novel No One Leaves the Manor.
[Note: While I am reviewing this novel independently and honestly, it should be noted that it has been provided to me by Little, Brown Books for Young Readers for the purpose of this review. Warning: My review of No One Leaves the Manor contains some spoilers!]
Meet the girls
Dorothea is a talented thief. Her light skin lets her pass as white, allowing her to move through the highest levels of society while she robs them blind. But what she really wants is to know what happened to her mother. Elspeth’s life is in shambles. Her mother’s gambling problems have left them destitute, but Elspeth could care less about money; she just wants someone to love her. Vaughn has been groomed to be a debutante since the moment she was born, and she almost had the richest man in Boston. Too bad her mother was institutionalized years ago; that kind of thing can ruin a girl’s chances in certain circles. And don’t forget Birdie. She almost died from polio, but her spirit and her faith are strong. Stronger than all the men who have tried to hold her back. Now she’s ready to finally have an adventure, and maybe even make a friend.
These girls are all special, but they’re also all considered pariahs. Each of them is looked down on by society for a different reason. They’re seen as less than by the world. But just because the world sees them that way doesn’t mean they have to. Working together and finding their inner strength will be the key to surviving Greystone. But they’re so different; can they manage it in time?
They’ve come to Greystone for a reason. There’s the money, of course, but more than that, there’s what the money can do, the power that it bestows. They’ve been chosen because they appear to be powerless. Discarded lives that can be molded by the evil that lives in Greystone. But like countless women through the centuries, they’ve been underestimated. Separately, they each have weaknesses, but together they are strong. Strong enough to fight back against the eldrich evil that wants to consume them. But are they strong enough to win?
The chance of a lifetime, and that just might be the price
When the girls arrive at Greystone, they are amazed by its grandeur. But they are also put off by a general wrongness they just can’t explain. Vaughn has the hardest time admitting to it. Of the four, she is the most spoiled and the most scared. After all, she’s well accustomed to money, but she’ll never have a grand home of her own now that her mother’s past has been exposed. So if Caroline Kane is a little odd, if the mirror’s reflections are off, if there are creepy birds crying out in the walls, Vaughn is just going to ignore it because that can’t be real and she isn’t crazy.
The other three are more willing to see the house for what it is. Birdie, with her faith, seems to have the clearest take on the house and the best idea for staying safe. But her desire for adventure, to be more than a caged bird in her father’s house, keeps her from leaving while she has a chance.
Now Elspeth is different. She stays because she doesn’t really have anywhere else to go. She doesn’t want the money, but she would like a friend, and she seems to have found that in Birdie. Maybe even more than a friend. That is worth staying for, so until Birdie agrees to leave, Elspeth will stay too, no matter how scary things get.
And of course there’s Dorothea. As a thief, she always has an escape plan, and she’s the one most likely to run. But her mother disappeared after performing at Greystone, and Dorothea needs to know what happened to her. Until she knows the truth, she’s not going anywhere. By the time they’re ready to run it might be too late. Because the house is old, powerful, and, most of all, hungry.
No One Leaves the Manor is a creepy book just right for young readers
Greystone Manor is terrifying. It starts out with a general wrongness that you feel as soon as you get there, and it gets worse the longer you’re there. The more you pay attention, the more you see that it is just wrong. It creeps under your skin, unsettling you. But Greystone doesn’t pull its punches either. McWilliams very quickly goes from unease to terror as the chills become physical and undeniable. But there’s nothing in here that’s too much for young readers. She also doesn’t pull her punches when talking about race. Dorothea can pass for white, but her brother absolutely cannot. Seeing the different ways people respond to them is interesting and gives young readers something to think about. Girls will probably be more into No One Leaves the Manor than boys, but if they sit down and really try it, anyone will enjoy being creeped out by this story of power and corruption.
Rating: 8/10
No One Leaves the Manor by Kelly McWilliams is available now!
Learn more about the book at the official website for the title.
You might also like…
