The Haunting of Ashley Hall School – Book Review and Summary
The Haunting of Ashley Hall School channels the nostalgia of classic ensemble tales while offering a fresh story to latch onto.
Spoiler Alert: This summary and review contains spoilers.
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“The Haunting of Ashley Hall School” Book Details
- Pages: 205
- Public Release Date: October 6, 2025
- Writer(s): Jim D’Andrea
- Publisher: Crystal Lake Publishing
- Primary Language: English
- Genre(s): Horror, Youth
- Official Site Link | Buy Now
Book Summary
For almost a decade, Emily has been haunted by this figure she saw kill a man, and now, at 14, at a boarding school, she finds herself befriending a girl named Gia, who is really into the occult. What started as a slightly loner girl befriending her school’s outcast, playing with an ouiji board, grows into a fight with what can only be described as a monster.
This entity, thanks to a séance or Emily and Gia finding other ways to disturb this thing, has now decided to kill again, and whether you are 14 or well into your 40s or beyond, you are not safe. Thus leading to the girls, and a few others, realizing if they don’t do something, they’ll be next.
What To Expect In “The Haunting of Ashley Hall School” – Content Overview
- Dialog:
- Cursing: Rarely If Ever
- Violence:
- Violence Against Children: Yes
- Gore/ Blood/ Body Horror: Notable Disfigurement
- Notable Violence: Torture, Intense Fight Scenes, Murder
Review and Commentary
Highlight(s)
Your Investment In The Leads Makes Their Safety Something To Invest In [82/100]
Whether it is Emily and Gia’s friendship, and how they reaffirm each other and build something akin to a sisterhood, or Martin and Twerp, who are going through awaiting puberty to hit, having crushes, and trying to be brave in the face of the book’s villain, you will fall for both who these characters are, and who they would like to be. Like with any media where there is something that threatens the mortality of the leads, this is immensely important, and The Haunting of Ashley Hall School delivers.
Emily’s Relationship With Her Mother [83/100]
Getting into some specifics, while we don’t get to experience Emily and her mom beyond the early part of the book and towards the end, their tense relationship holds weight. You can see her mother is far more focused on being a provider than a maternal figure who coddles and reassures Emily. Yet, Emily still wants and needs that from her.
Now, whether it is that Emily’s mom doesn’t know how, doesn’t want to, or didn’t experience that, so she doesn’t believe Emily needs that, isn’t gone into with explicit detail. But seeing Emily try to navigate that relationship, even to confront its flaws, helps you understand why she tries to give everything she’d want, even if in the form of chosen family, to Gia, and to a point, Betsy, and appreciates being given just the same.
Martin and Twerp’s Insecurities [85/100]
While the heart of The Haunting of Ashley Hall School is Emily’s experience — especially with the being trying to kill people — the book often alternates chapters between her story and that of Martin and Twerp until their lives intertwine with what’s going on in Emily’s. But when the focus shifts to Martin and Twerp, it can sometimes feel like a separate coming-of-age story that’s a little out of place. For with the focus on them being two small, skinny boys waiting for puberty to hit, curious about girls, and figuring out who they are, their biggest horror is an older kid who bullies them.
That said, once their paths intersect with Emily’s, things click more naturally. Their efforts to impress the girls and project a kind of masculinity, only to revert to vulnerable boys when that slips, work well thematically. Still, you might feel Martin and Twerp end up with stronger, more consistent character development since we see more of their lives outside of the monster angle. In comparison, Gia, Betsy, and even Emily at times can feel less fleshed out.
On The Fence
Some Writing Choices Feel a Bit Cliché or Overly Descriptive [76/100]
Books call on you to imagine a world and inhabit its characters’ thoughts, and The Haunting of Ashley Hall School does that well when it comes to pulling you into its characters’ emotional space. However, there are moments when you may pause—either because a line of dialogue feels unnatural for a teenager (or even an adult), or because a description feels a bit too vivid.
At times, the teens’ conversations remind you that this isn’t a story written by a teenager for other teens, but by an adult either trying to mimic or recapture how teens communicate. As for the vivid descriptions, some focus on physical anatomy in ways that, given the characters’ ages, may feel uncomfortable and unnecessary.
Overall
Our Rating (81/100): Positive (Buy)
While at times it can seem like the dialog between characters is wonky, and maybe certain scenes didn’t need to be described as they are, overall, The Haunting of Ashley Hall School is engrossing, with characters you’ll form an attachment to and a monster who provides enough fear to keep you worried about whether your favorite character may live or die.
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