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itsheyfay's review
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
2.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Gaslighting, Homophobia, Child death, Murder, Violence, Abandonment, and Outing
Moderate: Physical abuse, Terminal illness, Confinement, Medical content, Vomit, Classism, Death of parent, and Cancer
Minor: Infidelity, Sexual assault, Pregnancy, and Rape
dalenora's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
WOW! This book was incredible. I felt like I was on an incredible ride start to finish, it was really thrilling and emotionally satisfying as each puzzle piece slipped into place. The story was so real and tangible, and you felt their pain but it was also so incredibly fun with the scooby doo/the turning of the screw type premise.
The initial premise really reminded me of one of my favorite episodes of the show Psych (premise: a fake psychic is hired to go to a wealthy man’s house and exorcise a fake ghost only to wonder if maybe ghosts exist after all? Meta shenanigans ensue) and that very fun and eye catching premise gave way to an emotional, thoughtful, exciting novel that surprised me at every turn.
The initial premise really reminded me of one of my favorite episodes of the show Psych (premise: a fake psychic is hired to go to a wealthy man’s house and exorcise a fake ghost only to wonder if maybe ghosts exist after all? Meta shenanigans ensue) and that very fun and eye catching premise gave way to an emotional, thoughtful, exciting novel that surprised me at every turn.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Physical abuse, Sexual violence, Sexual assault, Child death, Lesbophobia, Child abuse, Rape, Outing, and Death of parent
camillessi's review
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
3.75
((More coherent review to come closer to publication date. E-galley received through Edelweiss.))
This was an enjoyable gothic read that was a breeze to get through. The tension stayed consistent, making me want to read more, without feeling overbearing. However, because the comparison to Sarah Waters is what caught my eye in the beginning, I found myself a little more critical than I might have been otherwise.
The prose flowed well, but sometimes felt inconsistent. Sometimes it would be drawn-out and flowery, or feeling very of-the-era. Other times, it would read quite modern and simple. Neither is bad, but the inconsistency sometimes drew me out of the story.
The characters also fell a little flat for me. I could see and understand what the story was trying to do with the two sisters, but I never felt like I could hold on to one thing about them. I wasn't always convinced by what we were being told about them—possibly because much of the time, we were being told things about them rather than seeing it.
But all in all, this book was exactly what it said on the tin: a twisty gothic historical novel with a sapphic romance. I would recommend it for readers of Penner & Waters, but perhaps more for the basics of the story, and not necessarily the writing style. I'm also happy to have another historical sapphic novel to add to the slowly-growing list.
This was an enjoyable gothic read that was a breeze to get through. The tension stayed consistent, making me want to read more, without feeling overbearing. However, because the comparison to Sarah Waters is what caught my eye in the beginning, I found myself a little more critical than I might have been otherwise.
The prose flowed well, but sometimes felt inconsistent. Sometimes it would be drawn-out and flowery, or feeling very of-the-era. Other times, it would read quite modern and simple. Neither is bad, but the inconsistency sometimes drew me out of the story.
The characters also fell a little flat for me. I could see and understand what the story was trying to do with the two sisters, but I never felt like I could hold on to one thing about them. I wasn't always convinced by what we were being told about them—possibly because much of the time, we were being told things about them rather than seeing it.
But all in all, this book was exactly what it said on the tin: a twisty gothic historical novel with a sapphic romance. I would recommend it for readers of Penner & Waters, but perhaps more for the basics of the story, and not necessarily the writing style. I'm also happy to have another historical sapphic novel to add to the slowly-growing list.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Physical abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Confinement, Terminal illness, Child death, Death of parent, and Homophobia
Minor: Suicide
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