“Chilling, fast-paced, and addictive, with characters you’ll both love and grow to fear. A must-read.” — Darcy Coates, author of The Haunting of Ashburn HouseWhen Cath receives her invitation to The Event–a monetised retreat for social media influencers–she can’t believe her luck. Irene Jobert is the most famous influencer in the world, and now Cath will be one of the five participants chosen … participants chosen to stay with Irene in a renovated Transylvanian monastery.
The catch? Their every move will be live-streamed to millions of people around the world. Patrons pay for constant access to their favourite social media stars: Irene, the model; Nathan, the gamer; Jules, the blogger; Daniel, the fitness guru; and Cath, the writer.
Nestled halfway up a mountain, the five are isolated, with nothing but the internet to connect them to the world. That is,until eagle-eyed live-stream followers all around the globe notice a sixth participant. A dark figure lurking in the background.
They thought they were alone. Perhaps they were wrong.
Advanced praise for YOU ARE INVITED:
“You know you’ve read a great horror book when, hours after you’ve finished reading, you’re still freaked to the nth level. Sarah A. Denzil is amazing!!!” – Netgalley Reviewer
“Strong ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ vibes, and a little bit of ‘The Shining’ too. It’s easily one of my favourite reads of the year.” – Netgalley Reviewer
“Thrilling, scary and compelling.” – Netgalley Reviewer
“Tense, mysterious, and a modern-day ghost story. I found it impossible to put down and enjoyed it from beginning to end.”- Netgalley reviewer
“Wow wow wow wow! I absolutely loved this book. Easy to follow, well written, and the twist at the end….my jaw actually dropped!”- Netgalley Reviewer
“I loved everything about this book! It’s one of those stories that I didn’t want to end. I could have crawled inside this book and lived.” – Goodreads Reviewer
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Chilling, fast-paced, and addictive, with characters you’ll both love and grow to fear. A must-read.
I admit, I bought this book because I was seeking some easy-to-read fluff. Boy, was I surprised! It was fun, getting an idea of what the monastery was like, and how shallow the characters seemed, at first. I literally shrieked out loud the moment the book got dark. I won’t tell you when that is. But I like that the book also touches on some bigger questions, like how we judge people, and how some people capitalize on the drama other people are seeking. Ultimately, this book was so much more than I expected!
I would like to thank the author and the Netgalley website for allowing me to read this book.
We find Cath who is invited to The Event an event influenced by social networks she can not believe her eyes. She will be alongside Irene Jobert the most famous influencer. She will be one of the five participants to stay in a renovated monastery in Transylvania.
Everything will be replayed live in front of the whole world. These five people will have nothing but the internet to connect to the world. Except that a sixth, well-hidden person is in the vicinity. They thought they were only five, but they will soon be served.
A book read in one go so much I was immediately hooked on the story so gripping, addictive, captivating, full of intrigue, suspense and twists with very endearing characters. I love the author’s writing.
You Are Invited is a fast-paced read with good characters. In the remote mountains of a recently renovated Transylvanian monastery, five social media influencers participate in a live-streaming reality show. But are they alone….. A well-written, creepy page-turner.
It was a good book but it dragged on in some places
Easy to read, just enough interest to keep me wanting to see what next is going to happen
I really enjoyed this book, it was different than this author’s typical stories as it has a twist of the supernatural. The main character is a writer named Cath, who along with 3 other social media influencers have been invited to The Event, a live streaming happening in the Carpathian Mountains. The Event is hosted by Irene Jobert, one of the most famous influencers, and they are staying in an isolated mountaintop former monastery for nuns called Sfântul Mihail. It has a reputation for being cursed and haunted, as all of the nuns save one were killed one night many years ago. Now it’s rumored that the victims walk the halls as ghostly forms, or perhaps even as Strigoi – vampires. It’s a great location for this occasion and will doubtless bring much publicity, but exactly how much truth is there to the local legends?
The interactions between the influencers is what you’d expect from 5 very different people being paid for the quality and amount of content they upload,. The drama between them is never ending for the viewers at home. They argue and bicker, get drunk and party, but no one is without reservations about the mysterious vibes of the monastery and the eerie happenings. They wear body cameras wherever they go and often find out afterwards that strange visions appeared, or that everyone’s cameras went out at the same time. The spookiness starts wearing on everyone and when they hear a severe snow storm is coming their way, they have to decide if fame and fortune is worth never being seen again..
As a fan of Romanian folklore and the Transylvanian legends, I was so excited that this was the setting for the story. It brings an old world atmosphere that’s quite at odds with the twenty-first century nature of the round the clock live streaming and viewer interactions. Much of the suspense involves the strange happenings and trying to figure out if there’s an earthly explanation for what’s going on or not. On top of that, Cath suffers from a mental health condition that can make the line between real and unreal blur into a murky haze. It’s a creepy tale that will have you reading with the light on, just in case.
WOAH. This book went every which way besides the ways I thought it was going to go. Cath was an unreliable narrator so I had no idea what to believe. I really enjoy books where the narrator is like this because it keeps me guessing the whole time. As soon as she arrived at the monastery I was enthralled. I love old castles and buildings that have a past. The descriptive words used when talking about the place had me feeling like I was there.
This book was twisty. Cath was an author that was chosen for a social media experiment in which influencers were to document their lives 24/7 and it was live streamed for subscribers. Each influencer interacted with the public and would receive donations. In the beginning, it seems like a win/win for everyone. But then, things start to get weird. Things go missing, people are getting scared and there is a general sense of dread filling the whole place. Will the monastery break them before they find out the truth within the walls?
I really enjoyed this book. The end had a bit too much explanation for my liking, but it kept me on my toes and I really liked it. Thank you to Victory Editing, Netgalley and the author for an early copy of this book!
The plot was very intriguing and original. I like the idea of the influencers interacting with their fans (made me think of the movie Nerve) and ‘entertaining’ them. At the beginning, you get to know the characters but never deep enough to really care much for them. We see how they react to some mysteries happening in that ‘haunted mansion’. I enjoyed how things unfold at the end. However, I didn’t care much or understood Cath’s obsession with Maria (the potential ghost). Overall, it was a good read.
You Are Invited is a ghost story about five characters living in a haunted monastery where they are live-streaming for millions of viewers. Cath having fewer followers than the others doesn’t understand why she was invited. After all she is a writer not a social media sensationalist.
During the night of her arrival a Dracula Event is taking place giving a dark ominous setting to this ghostly legend. The legend of cursed nuns in this monastery draws tourists from all over the world. Not that long ago a company came and renovated the monastery in hopes of drawing more tourists for the gothic haunted experience.
Nestled in the isolated Carpathian Mountains lies a monastery known as Sfântul Mihail where The Event was taking place. A group of five social media individuals were invited for a live-streaming event where subscribers can watch the show and interact with the cast using chat platforms.
Overall:
Sarah A. Denzil is a British suspense writer. Her subtle use of the British words were limited in this book. I appreciate the limited use as it allows for the story to flow naturally without getting hung up on dialect.
It’s certainly a clever and original ghost story. The concept of live-streaming the five characters lives inside the monastery was interesting. Sarah tells a compelling ghost story. She factored in all the cliched factors leading to a scary haunting. She set the stage with all the essential instruments fully preparing her readers for a spectacular experience.
This was very thought provoking. Sarah mentioned every possible scenario my mind could conjure to dispute the haunting of ghosts. I looked for ways to pick apart the characters, the viewers, and the disturbances. She covered all her bases and provided logical explanations.
The story follows five characters, but the primary character is Cath. It’s written from her perspective. When she interacts with the other four characters it’s from her perspective.
Break out the Ouija board and call me spooked. Nothing creeps me out more than calling spirits on Halloween night. Unless your doing a seance of Bloody Mary in the mirror.
Everything has a meaning and a purpose: the five characters, the monastery, The Event, the subscribers, and the location; all these components worked seamlessly together. Every part of the story transitioned into a sensational experience.
I believe there are different levels of fear so in order to state I was scared or felt fear while reading this ghost story is challenging for me. Had I been present experiencing these same events then yes I would be scared. Reading and experiencing the fear is different. For than I wasn’t ever scared. I got eerie feelings and chills at times. It did have an ominous sense of unease.