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eviemayhem's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
The climax- Amazing.
Everything is downhill from there. It felt much too fast and then somehow the true villain (objectively) of the story is no longer the villain and it all resolves too quickly. It is intense and overwhelming and messy. The writer is amazing, but the pacing on this one was just too fast at the end to be satisfying.
Graphic: Ableism, Body horror, Child abuse, Child death, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Misogyny, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, and Injury/Injury detail
carrasreadsandthings's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Graphic: Addiction, Bullying, Child abuse, Chronic illness, Confinement, Death, Emotional abuse, Gore, Infidelity, Physical abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Kidnapping, Grief, Medical trauma, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, and Alcohol
wrensreadingroom's review against another edition
5.0
Graphic: Ableism, Addiction, Alcoholism, Body horror, Bullying, Child abuse, Child death, Confinement, Cursing, Death, Drug use, Gore, Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Rape, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Kidnapping, Grief, Stalking, Abortion, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Toxic friendship, Abandonment, Alcohol, and Injury/Injury detail
jackiespider's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Graphic: Child death
Minor: Child abuse
piperclover's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
The first few chapters were fairly slow and I was worried about the pacing but it quickly got good and I was hooked. This book does a fantastic job at introducing elements that you think will be the spooky clues in the overall plot but then you learn it has a normal explanation so you're lulled into false security until its later revealed that it was actually something bad all along. I absolutely loved that because it kept me on my toes and second guessing everything.
In the summary you are told that Camille has to finally tell Verity that she's been seeing ghosts and she does it in such a callous, cruel way that I don't understand. She was afraid of Verity being institutionalized for her curse but then weaponizes it to drive Verity away. It makes me think that the author used that conflict as a catalyst for the real plot bc it doesn't really make sense for Camille's motivations.
I think everything I have to say from here on out are spoilers.
Where it went wrong for me was when Verity cheated on Alex. This was at 79% of the way and my enjoyment crashed hard and swiftly bc of it. I was annoyed by the stupid thing where the female mc questions her chemistry and attraction for the "good guy" in favor of the sizzling, on sight lust for the "bad guy". Thats such an obnoxious over used trope and I find it harmful to perpetuate the idea that girls and women only ever *really* want a mildly toxic bad boy over the genuinely good to and good for her good guy.
This only lasts about 2 chapters and Verity shuts Victor down hard so I hope the author meant it as a dismissal of that above trope but I cant forgive that she voluntarily kissed him AFTER she knows its not Alex and she has dreams about him while daydreaming while awake. It's disgusting and I hate cheating. I'm not sure if I should rate this really low bc I hate cheating so much and it made me so angry or if I should weigh the parts I did enjoy a little more positively. It makes me dislike Verity a little bc her morals are so weak she willingly, with no coercion or force, cheats on her fiance. I also really dislike that Victor is characterized when we first meet him as the hot headed super sexy charming man that sweeps a Verity off of her feet and tries to convince her that she can have more than settling for "boring" or "safe" but ditching Alex and marrying him instead.
Victor is the root of all of my problems with this book. If he didn't exist, I would probably give this 5 stars. If he was characterized differently, again probably 5 stars. I despise that he is a one tone, evil for no reason villain who wipes everyone he can out. He could've been so interesting bc his emotions, powers, link to Julian, dismissal from the manor, and desire for approval could have been so compelling but the author gives up and instead writes a cliche villain archetype with no depth at all.
The last 15 or so percent of the book is so rushed, shallow, and obvious that it ruined the ending.
I'm annoyed by this because I want this to be a wrapped up duolog but that sentence and the epilogue is a obvious set up for a third book and I just don't know if I care for a third book. I feel like everything that I need answered has been answered and there's nothing to go from here except to continue making up plot for a third book.
In the epilogue you're seeing the corpse preparers ready the bodies for the ceremony that the people of the petal do when someone dies. At first I thought that was a cool because it was definitive finality that the bad guys are dead and the story is over but then the last sentence of the epilogue is presumablyVictor's body twitching on the table. While I do find this compelling and interesting I just keep going back to the fact that I don't think there's anything to do with it in a third book. If Victor is alive then it means somehow Alex's paralysis has been fixed but if it's actually Alex on the morgue table, it means the Victor is the one who is married to Verity and the third book is going to have to be her untangling herself from him and defeating him.
I don't even know if any of this makes sense but there was just so many things happening and I didn't like the entire character of Victor which really clouded my enjoyment and if the next entire book is going to be about Victor again I don't know if I want to read it.
Graphic: Child abuse, Death, Blood, Death of parent, Murder, and Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Medical content
More warnings not availablein tagsroseofphantom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
OH MY GOOSSSHHH this TOTALLY lived up to the first book!! It reads like a romance but there's definitely something sinister happening underneath and despite how twisted the first book was nothing could have ever prepared me from how messed up this book was. This was delicious and thrilling, I couldn't stop reading it!!
Graphic: Child abuse, Child death, and Gore
Minor: Sexual assault
lastblossom's review against another edition
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
A beautiful gothic horror that combines stunning imagery and a genuinely creepy mystery. Strong recommend.
Thoughts
I devoured this in a day, and my heart is still pounding even as I write this review. I have a deep love for gothic horror and for stories about flowers and things that grow from the earth, so this book is my "reese's peanut butter cups" of storytelling. A quiet sense of dread permeates the story, with paranoia ramping up on each page, as literal gaslights light a beautiful house full of terrifying secrets. I loved the thorough world building, and the imagery and location are very clear in my mind. It can be easy for the heroines of gothic novels to feel a little too unaware of their surroundings, but Verity is a good balance between canny and trusting. She's definitely out of her depth, but never in way that seems like she is actively being a fool. While there is a romance in here, a lot of it develops off page and through time skips, so readers don't get to see much of it unfold in real time. The tradeoff is that we get to focus on the mystery, with plenty of clues and some incredibly creepy reveals. Strong recommend for anyone in the mood for some gothic horror.
Of note, this book is a follow-up to House of Salt and Sorrows, but you don't need the previous book to jump into this one (there will be some spoilers for it, though).
Thanks to NetGalley and Random House Children's for an advance copy. All thoughts in this review are my own.
Graphic: Body horror
Moderate: Child abuse, Violence, and Alcohol
Minor: Animal death, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Death of parent, and Fire/Fire injury