Frightful Read: The Loney by Andrew Michael Hurley

Some places weren’t meant to be found. And some miracles should never be asked for.

Let’s talk about The Loney—a novel that doesn’t so much scare you as it creeps quietly into your bones, curls up in your spine, and starts whispering unsettling things about faith, folklore, and what might be waiting at low tide.

This is horror at its most insidious. You won’t find any jump scares here. No chainsaw-wielding maniacs or screaming final girls. What you’ll find instead is a bleak, salt-soaked stretch of English coastline, a deeply religious family searching for healing, and a series of rituals that are as old as the land itself—and just as merciless.

The Plot (Or: Why You’ll Suddenly Be Afraid of Remote Coastlines)

The Loney follows two brothers—one mute, one watchful—as they return with their family and church group to a desolate stretch of the Lancashire coast. Their devout mother believes this trip may finally deliver a miracle. But faith and fear make uneasy bedfellows, and soon, the boys find themselves caught in a web of secrets, rituals, and unspoken truths.

The locals are odd. The house they’re staying in feels… wrong. And somewhere between the crumbling cliffs, the fog, and the church’s insistent prayers, something ancient is listening.

Is it divine intervention? Pagan remnant? Or something else entirely?

Why It’s Frightful (in the best possible way)

This book is folk horror distilled into its purest form. Forget flashy gore—The Loney is the slow, creeping dread of rituals you don’t understand and landscapes that remember what you forget.

The setting isn’t just background—it’s a character. The Loney is damp, windswept, and quietly malevolent.

Hurley weaves faith, guilt, and old superstition into a narrative that feels more like a confession than a story.

Every page hums with tension. You’re constantly waiting for something to go wrong—and you’re never quite sure when (or if) it already has.

🌊 The sea? Let’s just say it’s not there to refresh your spirit.

What to Expect:

✅ A masterclass in atmospheric dread.

✅ Coastal folklore, mysterious locals, and rituals that raise more questions than answers.

✅ An exploration of belief, grief, and the monstrous weight of spiritual certainty.

✅ A final act that leaves you chilled and strangely hollow—in the best way.

Final Thoughts

The Loney isn’t a book you devour. It’s one you wander into—unsure where the path leads, certain only that you’re not alone. Andrew Michael Hurley has written a horror novel that doesn’t shout—it prays softly and stares unblinking at the spaces between faith and fear.

Perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson, folk horror with teeth, and anyone who’s ever felt unease in a too-quiet village.