1.83k reviews for:

The Castle of Otranto Illustrated

Horace Walpole

3.06 AVERAGE

aylida_05's review against another edition

2.0

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Now I have even more reasons to hate men.

veemars's review against another edition

4.0

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I've been in my historical gothic horror bag lately. This was a great read. It had all the elements one looks for in the genre: creepy castle with lots of winding hallways and secret passages, eerie omens, paranormal happenings, damsel in distress...

amusedmuse's review against another edition

3.0

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As the novel that birthed the gothic genre, I really wanted to love this book. It reads as far more dated (like a Shakespeare play or Greek tragedy) then the works it would later inspire. Overall a lot of histrionics and not enough dealing with the giant ghost that murdered the prince-ling by helmet in the first few pages. I definitely understood why so many writers read this and went, "There's stuff I like here, but I could do better."

claudia_marcela's review against another edition

4.0

mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: No

l_h's review against another edition

3.0

dark mysterious slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: N/A

Loveable characters: N/A

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

elsalindh's review against another edition

2.5

dark funny slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

elliordan's review against another edition

4.0

adventurous funny mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

jflux's review against another edition

4.0

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I thoroughly enjoyed this. That is all I have to say.

regicida's review against another edition

3.0

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isto foi ganda telenovela omg iconic

kaitykat's review against another edition

3.0

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3.5 stars for this one! Well this was certainly the wacky story I expected it to be! It supposedly being the first Gothic novel, it had everything a Gothic novel normally has: an ill fated castle, ghosts, and lots of family drama. It honestly reminded me a lot of Hamlet! It’s a quick read but not an easy one, at least not for me! Many times I found myself confused about what on earth was going on, and bless, many of the characters also felt the same way. I’m glad to have read this, though! Perfect for spooky season and quite entertaining (a la Manfred).