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beforeviolets's review
adventurous
dark
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Thank you so much to Penguin Teen for providing me a copy in exchange for an honest review!
what a fun spooky read! I had the pleasure of getting to read this haunted horror while on a weekend trip to VA (where the book is set) which made reading it all the more fun :) I felt so immersed!
I loved the representation in this book! our MC is bisexual and has diabetes and our LI is sapphic (obviously) and half-Puerto Rican! and they’re both such incredible nerds, I felt like I would be friends with them in real life.
this was such a wonderful classic haunted house story! fascinating complex lore! relatable and interesting characters! overall a great time while also being a really quick read.
the points are lost where I felt like this book missed a lot of opportunities. I would’ve loved to see more of the multi-media style writing throughout rather than used just as bookends! I also felt like I often found myself being told things instead of being showed them, especially earlier on. I ached for more descriptive atmospheric choices (where were the dark clouds rolling in? the hoot of an owl deep in the trees? each omen felt like a planned plot point instead of an aid to the tension as a whole). not disappointing enough to take away from my reading experience but it kept the book from going above and beyond for me.
what a fun spooky read! I had the pleasure of getting to read this haunted horror while on a weekend trip to VA (where the book is set) which made reading it all the more fun :) I felt so immersed!
I loved the representation in this book! our MC is bisexual and has diabetes and our LI is sapphic (obviously) and half-Puerto Rican! and they’re both such incredible nerds, I felt like I would be friends with them in real life.
this was such a wonderful classic haunted house story! fascinating complex lore! relatable and interesting characters! overall a great time while also being a really quick read.
the points are lost where I felt like this book missed a lot of opportunities. I would’ve loved to see more of the multi-media style writing throughout rather than used just as bookends! I also felt like I often found myself being told things instead of being showed them, especially earlier on. I ached for more descriptive atmospheric choices (where were the dark clouds rolling in? the hoot of an owl deep in the trees? each omen felt like a planned plot point instead of an aid to the tension as a whole). not disappointing enough to take away from my reading experience but it kept the book from going above and beyond for me.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Child death, Death, Violence, Vomit, Grief, Death of parent, and Murder
Moderate: Medical content
Minor: Stalking
melaniereadsbooks's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- 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
Thank you to Penguin Teen and Netgalley for the arc of this book!
This is a dark and twisty queer ghost story following Dare, a bi teenage paranormal podcaster as she investigates the mystery around Arrington Estate and Atheleen Bell's mysterious drowning 30 years prior. She gets to the house as an intern for Rose, who is restoring the estate to become a museum. and is joined by Rose's daughter, Quinn, and Holly, another intern. Dare expects to spend her summer debunking the ghost myths surrounding the estate, and instead is forced to confront the dark mysteries of the house that started long before Atheleen Bell's death.
I adored this book! It kept me up late because I could not put it down. It is so atmospheric and creepy and spine-tingling. The sapphic relationship is to die for (hah, no pun intended) and I love how off-kilter I felt while reading! It seemed like anyone could be a suspect and something creepy and sinister was around every page.
The ending also absolutely blew me away. I won't spoil anything here, but it took a turn I did not expect but absolutely loved!
I thought the character development was quite good and I will say this is hands down the best ghost story I've read!
Pub date: September 7, 2021
This is a dark and twisty queer ghost story following Dare, a bi teenage paranormal podcaster as she investigates the mystery around Arrington Estate and Atheleen Bell's mysterious drowning 30 years prior. She gets to the house as an intern for Rose, who is restoring the estate to become a museum. and is joined by Rose's daughter, Quinn, and Holly, another intern. Dare expects to spend her summer debunking the ghost myths surrounding the estate, and instead is forced to confront the dark mysteries of the house that started long before Atheleen Bell's death.
I adored this book! It kept me up late because I could not put it down. It is so atmospheric and creepy and spine-tingling. The sapphic relationship is to die for (hah, no pun intended) and I love how off-kilter I felt while reading! It seemed like anyone could be a suspect and something creepy and sinister was around every page.
The ending also absolutely blew me away. I won't spoil anything here, but it took a turn I did not expect but absolutely loved!
I thought the character development was quite good and I will say this is hands down the best ghost story I've read!
Pub date: September 7, 2021
Content Warnings
Graphic: Chronic illness, Vomit, and Medical content
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, and Death of parent
Minor: Violence, Blood, Stalking, and Murder
foreverinastory's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
The MC has a service dog and I'd like you all to know that the dog does survive.
Rep: Bisexual chronically ill female MC (type 1 diabetes), sapphic Bourican/biracial love interest.
CWs: Animal death (not on page, but skeletons are found), blood, chronic illness (type 1 diabetes), death, ghostly haunting, medical content, murder, stalking, toxic relationship, violence, vomit.
Rep: Bisexual chronically ill female MC (type 1 diabetes), sapphic Bourican/biracial love interest.
CWs: Animal death (not on page, but skeletons are found), blood, chronic illness (type 1 diabetes), death, ghostly haunting, medical content, murder, stalking, toxic relationship, violence, vomit.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Chronic illness, Death, Toxic relationship, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Medical content, Stalking, and Murder
sunshinestark's review
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Body horror, Child death, Death, and Vomit
The dog does not die (in case anyone else is worried about that like I was the whole time reading)