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3.47 AVERAGE
3.47 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
This is a retelling of The Mysteries of Udolpho per the authors note. This has a very gothic vibe to it and I enjoyed it. Emile our narrator is young and scared and running from his aunt who is threatening him with divulging his sexuality to get his inheritance. It's always about money. But in this book there's also some mythical creatures if not scary people doing some grotesque things. The family Emile finds himself working for had secrets he's thinking of selling for money but bites off more than he can chew.
Henri the Count and Bram the doctor both were interested in Emile and their different courting approaches confused his decision since he was drawn to both of them.
This had mystery, secrets, romance and hidden passages.
Thank you pridebooktours for including me on this book your!
Henri the Count and Bram the doctor both were interested in Emile and their different courting approaches confused his decision since he was drawn to both of them.
This had mystery, secrets, romance and hidden passages.
Thank you pridebooktours for including me on this book your!
A gothic gay werewolf book should have been more fun than this.
adventurous
dark
fast-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
This was a fun easy shifter romance/mystery. I'll admit that the pacing was a little off BUT I love some character driven plot and that is ultimately what we got. I'm intrigued to see what the author writes next and will hope for some general improvements
Jumping, screaming, crying, laughing. This book had everything I needed and wanted all wrapped up nicely within its pages. It's sweet, simple, and so perfect for the way it was described!
This is a book I'll be rereading in the next few months, because every time I read it I discover something new that makes me love the characters, the setting, and the story that much more. David does a beautiful job at creating this Gothic scene and characters that you can't help but fall in love with almost immediately. Right from the get-go I was enchanted by the story telling and the characters who you as a reader can't help but fall in love with.
It's just one of those books that made me smile and cry all at the same time. It was the perfect mix of gothic, French style, and Bridgerton, wrapped up into one. Definitely one of my favourite reads of the year!
Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
This is a book I'll be rereading in the next few months, because every time I read it I discover something new that makes me love the characters, the setting, and the story that much more. David does a beautiful job at creating this Gothic scene and characters that you can't help but fall in love with almost immediately. Right from the get-go I was enchanted by the story telling and the characters who you as a reader can't help but fall in love with.
It's just one of those books that made me smile and cry all at the same time. It was the perfect mix of gothic, French style, and Bridgerton, wrapped up into one. Definitely one of my favourite reads of the year!
Thank you NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
When Emile’s aunt insists he get married or be sent to an asylum for being gay and lose his inheritance, he runs away and gets a job as a servant in Count Montoni’s mansion. He finds a dismembered hand on the property which introduces him to the local doctor, Valancourt. Emile also draws the attention of the Count’s nephew, Henri. As Emile finds more bodies on the property, he wonders if the Count has a dark secret. He hopes to figure it out so that he can blackmail the Count so that he no longer has to wait for his inheritance. However, Emile’s past catches up with him and the family moves to Udolpho castle, where there is no chance for escape and the danger lies within the castle walls.
This story is a queer retelling of The Mysteries of Udolpho. I haven’t read that story but I am familiar with it. Though I can’t speak to the way this story was adapted, I liked the other nods to classic gothic novel. For example, there was a character in a scene named Carmilla, whose skin was cold to touch, like the vampire in the book Carmilla. This story was exciting, with twists that I didn’t see coming. There was also a love triangle, but it actually ended in a healthy relationship, that I won’t give details on to avoid spoilers.
The Alchemy of Moonlight is a spooky new gothic novel!
Thank you Manda Group for sending me a copy of this book!
Content warnings: death of parents, mentions of suicide, dismemberment, homophobia
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia, Death of parent
Minor: Suicide
adventurous
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
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an ALC copy of this book.
This was a very exciting read and while it did not feel like anything new, it was very enjoyable and entertaining.
I did like Emile, but his actions often made me roll my eyes at him.
Henri is another story. It was hard to like him, especially at first, but he did go through some great character development, arguably much more than the MC and by the end, I actually cared for him.
The plot felt a bit repetitive toward the end ( How many times can you flee and be stopped by the same person? ), but I enjoyed the ending itself very much. Finally a love triangle that ends in polyamory! I did wish for the characters to come to their conclusions more naturally though, it often felt like too big a leap with not enough groundwork.
Even though the story was predictable most of the time, I found myself very emotional at every twist and turn right alongside the characters.
The Fantasy aspects of the book were played up a lot in the first half for them to not be as big of a plot device in the second half. Overall, this was more of a love story than anything else.
The audio book narrator did a great job and I really liked listening to the book.
So, all in all, an enjoyable read, but nothing groundbreaking.
adventurous
dark
funny
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No