You Are Invited - Sarah A. Denzil

During a midnight journey snaking through the Carpathian Mountains, these are the words whispered to Cath Fenwick. It is the warning she will later wish she'd taken more seriously.

When 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 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, surrounded by forests teeming with nature, 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. Who--or what--is in the monastery with them?

Wolves roam the nearby forests. Shadows haunt the long corridors of Sfântul Mihail. Slowly, five lonely people begin to lose their minds. You are invited to The Event.

Blurb taken from Goodreads.

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I received an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

When I first read the blurb for this book, I was really intrigued. A ghost story, but with definite thriller undertones, and I loved the idea behind the social media thread. I'm not a massive fan of paranormal and ghost stories, but I'd never come across any other story like this, so I was really excited to give it a try. 

Thankfully, it had just the right balance between paranormal, thriller and general modern fiction. It took me a couple of chapters to really grasp what was going on and get into the story, but when I did, I devoured it in one sitting.

Rating: ✫✫✫✫

I loved the idea behind 'The Event'; a social media retreat for influencers to engage with subscribers and earn money in the process. Set against the background of the Romanian monastery, it provided a wonderful contrast between the modern world and legend. It really set up the story for the paranormal aspects that threading through the plot.

To me, it felt a lot more thriller-esque than paranormal, which I was more than happy with. The ghost stories and strange happenings popped up just often enough to keep its relevance in the story, but it definitely wasn't overdone. The thriller side of things, on the other hand, was done perfectly. There was just the right level of suspense throughout the story, leading up to an explosive finale that I really enjoyed. 

I think my favourite part of the book was reading about the interactions between the characters; those influencers at the retreat. Cath's battles with her mental health were really powerful to read about, and the other diverse characters provided a lot of interesting dialogue. All in all, a really enjoyable read that I will definitely be recommending to friends.