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jrayereads's review
3.0
I had high hopes for this but ultimately it was just fine. The pacing was frustrating and I struggled to get through the first 90 or so pages. We get a twist around halfway and then we get A LOT of backtracking from a different perspective to fill in the holes of what is going on. That section of the book REALLY needed to be cut down, because even though we were being provided the behind-the-scenes of what was going on, I still felt like we were retreading the same stuff. If that section had been more brief and that time was spent actually developing Sylvie and Charlotte’s relationship, I think that would’ve done wonders for making the story more engaging. Make me care about them!!
Speaking of the ridiculousness of the characters, I truly just did not understand WHY Sylvie needed to be involved WITHOUT being in the loop on the revenge plan. That made no sense to me, and I ended up sort of being on Sylvie’s side, even when it went against the relatively believable and sympathetic couple made up of Florence and Charlotte. We needed so much more time to be spent on developing the relationship between the two sisters that was instead spent on the romance and overexplaining the twist.
Also the “argument” Sylvie had with her husband when he suspected she was cheating on him infuriated me because she did nothing to defend herself? That felt like a moment that encapsulates the issues I have with characterization, which is that I didn’t really understand any of the characters’ motivation for why they did what they did, things just HAPPENED to move the plot along. This made me feel disconnected from most of the main cast.
Still giving it three stars for the atmosphere, the writing, and for surprising me with the twists. Those were strong elements, so I can see why people are rating this highly. I liked how things were slowly revealed over time and that gave the mystery these layers that were fun to delve into before the reveal. Unfortunately, I didn’t connect with the characters or their motivations and that made it kind of a slog to get through. I would definitely check out more from this author in the future, though.
ecurry's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder and Child death
devanrichards's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
bluemoons's review against another edition
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
3.5
la_ravenreader's review
3.0
Paris 1866, Charlotte seeks out the help of her estranged older sister. After over two years, Slyvie has made her own life as a Baroness. Slyvie left her old life behind along with her sister and father. Charlotte intend to guilt her sister to help with one more client. They were mediums and a family needed their help. Against her better judgement, Slyvie agrees to her help.
raceyburden's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- 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
3.5
marina_ofthesea's review against another edition
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
4.5
retrogirl20's review against another edition
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Overall I really enjoyed this, I do think there needs to be a bit more work with the characters, but I will definitely be picking up more books from this author!
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
mere's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
4.5