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burtini's review against another edition
5.0
I don’t want to talk too much about the plot too much here because the beauty is in how it unravels, but The Quiet Stillness tells the story of Theodora who leaves her grandmother and their crumbling house, to travel to Broken Oak to be governess to Ottoline Thorne. However there’s an unnerving silence to the house, with only Ms Rivers as staff, Ottoline’s stepmother away at the seaside for the sea air and Ottoline’s father, Cassias, often taking ill, it is at night that Theodora starts hearing footsteps outside her door, a wet trail in their wake, and she’s drawn to the attic she’s forbidden to go near.
This is a hugely atmospheric book, the Broken Oak is in it’s way a character, you can feel yourself there, sense the suffocating silence and misery of the house, the sensory use of the candles and the floorboards creating an added element of suspense.
Theodora is a great character, she’s pretty feminist and outspoken, her interactions with the young Ottoline are charming as she helps raise another strong willed young woman and acts like a mother figure to her, and there is a great theme in the book about that independence and free spirit of women, with a ratio of 3 female characters to 1 male there’s no power imbalance in this book which has its own charm.
There’s also a charming romance between Cassias and Theodora, again with no power imbalance, like her relationship with Ottoline, Theodora’s relationship with Cassias is about mutual healing and nurturing and it’s both empowering and delicate in how it’s portrayed.
That said the true beauty in this book is in its mystery - is Cassias’ wife really at the seaside? Why have all the staff gone? What is in the attic? And on paper this formula has been done before, I’ve read quite a few gothic ghostly books that have the mysterious footsteps outside the door and the attic etc, but the twists in this book, the suspenseful writing, the likeable characters, it adds something extra to this book. I’ll admit at one point, and once you’ve read the book you can probably guess where, I actually swore at the book in surprise at a reveal, I was so invested and thrown.
This is a short book, under 200 pages, and yet it achieves so much so confidently and I loved it so much for its brilliance.
Thank you NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
This is a hugely atmospheric book, the Broken Oak is in it’s way a character, you can feel yourself there, sense the suffocating silence and misery of the house, the sensory use of the candles and the floorboards creating an added element of suspense.
Theodora is a great character, she’s pretty feminist and outspoken, her interactions with the young Ottoline are charming as she helps raise another strong willed young woman and acts like a mother figure to her, and there is a great theme in the book about that independence and free spirit of women, with a ratio of 3 female characters to 1 male there’s no power imbalance in this book which has its own charm.
There’s also a charming romance between Cassias and Theodora, again with no power imbalance, like her relationship with Ottoline, Theodora’s relationship with Cassias is about mutual healing and nurturing and it’s both empowering and delicate in how it’s portrayed.
That said the true beauty in this book is in its mystery - is Cassias’ wife really at the seaside? Why have all the staff gone? What is in the attic? And on paper this formula has been done before, I’ve read quite a few gothic ghostly books that have the mysterious footsteps outside the door and the attic etc, but the twists in this book, the suspenseful writing, the likeable characters, it adds something extra to this book. I’ll admit at one point, and once you’ve read the book you can probably guess where, I actually swore at the book in surprise at a reveal, I was so invested and thrown.
This is a short book, under 200 pages, and yet it achieves so much so confidently and I loved it so much for its brilliance.
Thank you NetGalley for the review copy in exchange for an honest review.
darkstarsbookcavern's review against another edition
5.0
'Death was no stranger to Theodora Corvus. It had gathered at her cradle, whisper-soft and unseen, to take her mother's cooling hand. Upon the eve of her eighth midsummer, beneath the old oaks near the lake as the sun slipped behind the hills, Death also took her father's hand.'
With that first paragraph I was hooked, the beautiful Gothic atmosphere enveloping me like a cloak as I stepped into the world of Theodora, Cassias and Ottoline. I quiet literally could not stop until I had reached the last page. Theodora I was glad to see was not some wailing wallflower but wild, strong and independent reminding me at times of Catherine Earnshaw and Jane Eyre. Cassias was the perfect blend of aloofness, mystery and yearning. The descriptions of the houses made me feel like I could reach out my hand and touch their walls, wondering too if they would tell me their secrets.
My one gripe is that it ended. I cannot recommend this story enough and will be proud to add it to my physical collection and my review channel. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. More detailed review here: https://youtu.be/UbTilOEI4Zg
With that first paragraph I was hooked, the beautiful Gothic atmosphere enveloping me like a cloak as I stepped into the world of Theodora, Cassias and Ottoline. I quiet literally could not stop until I had reached the last page. Theodora I was glad to see was not some wailing wallflower but wild, strong and independent reminding me at times of Catherine Earnshaw and Jane Eyre. Cassias was the perfect blend of aloofness, mystery and yearning. The descriptions of the houses made me feel like I could reach out my hand and touch their walls, wondering too if they would tell me their secrets.
My one gripe is that it ended. I cannot recommend this story enough and will be proud to add it to my physical collection and my review channel. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily. More detailed review here: https://youtu.be/UbTilOEI4Zg
shonedawg's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
scijessreads's review
4.0
An eerie stillness. Mysterious absences of people. Closed off parts of giant manor homes. Strange sounds and unexplained events.
All of these are things that make up a good Gothic story. And The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses is a good Gothic story. It has the faint, restless unease that follows our main character, Theodora, as she works as a governess at Broken Oak Manor. A manor with one housekeeper and a Lord, Cassias, that seems broken and lost and not sure how to care for his daughter, Ottoline. Theodora is there, caring for them both, in a way. She provides a sharp counterpoint to the festering wounds that surround the house and its' occupants. Her own life is not without sorrows, but at Broken Oak, they only serve to give her insight into her new companions and their apparent predicaments.
As with any Gothic tale, it is only in the end, after Theodora builds relationships with both Ottoline and Cassias, that the strange occurrences and air of melancholy finally take shape in a twist both familiar and yet somewhat unexpected. The story may have been short, but it wove a deft tale of life and hope, and understanding. Theodora mentions that she has "an affinity for things that refuse to know their place." That seems to be both a truth and a lie for all of the people at Broken Oak. For stories like this know their place, and yet also seek to break out of it just enough to make themselves a little more interesting.
*I received a free ARC from Netgalley and the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.
All of these are things that make up a good Gothic story. And The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses is a good Gothic story. It has the faint, restless unease that follows our main character, Theodora, as she works as a governess at Broken Oak Manor. A manor with one housekeeper and a Lord, Cassias, that seems broken and lost and not sure how to care for his daughter, Ottoline. Theodora is there, caring for them both, in a way. She provides a sharp counterpoint to the festering wounds that surround the house and its' occupants. Her own life is not without sorrows, but at Broken Oak, they only serve to give her insight into her new companions and their apparent predicaments.
As with any Gothic tale, it is only in the end, after Theodora builds relationships with both Ottoline and Cassias, that the strange occurrences and air of melancholy finally take shape in a twist both familiar and yet somewhat unexpected. The story may have been short, but it wove a deft tale of life and hope, and understanding. Theodora mentions that she has "an affinity for things that refuse to know their place." That seems to be both a truth and a lie for all of the people at Broken Oak. For stories like this know their place, and yet also seek to break out of it just enough to make themselves a little more interesting.
*I received a free ARC from Netgalley and the publisher for review. All opinions are my own.
accidentalra's review
3.0
If all you read is one sentence from this review, let it be the next one: lyrical prose and stunning imagery is not quite enough to compensate for uneven plot development and static characters.
Let me start with the three things I love about L. V. Russell's The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses, which follows Theodora Corvid on her adventure as a governess at Broken Oak Manor:
(1) The author's writing style, which includes so many stunning descriptive passages, is gorgeously atmospheric without ever slipping into cliched.
(2) The novel presents a truly clever imagining of the found family trope.
(3) The plot twist (which in my head I keep calling The Big Reveal) is incredibly well executed and satisfying. The details leading up to it are subtle and meticulous, nearly invisible until The Big Reveal.
Honestly, those three *loves* brought my rating up from two stars to three.
Now for the rest—I don't think I've ever said this about a novel before, but it felt like this one should have been longer. At its current length, too much was either completely missing or frustratingly underdeveloped, occasionally referenced but never essential. For example, nearly all vital information regarding Theodora's background from the first three chapters would have been more powerful as well-placed flashbacks. As it stands, the first chapter reads as narratively anemic and the second as utterly superfluous.
There were also simply too many motifs that should have packed a thematic and atmospheric punch—most notably the crows, roses, and porcelain doll—but in the end just...didn't. Merely including these elements without developing adequate nuance and narrative connection effectively leaves it up to the reader to fill in the thematic blank.
Unfortunately, this is the author's job, not the reader's. I'm going to stop just shy of criticizing this novel for "lazy writing," but only because of the author's stunning sentence-level prose. But, if we're talking about plot-level, well...
One personal objection I have is that I straight-up object to the cheating trope. The mutual pining between Theodora and Cassias absolutely could have—and I would argue should have—been extended through The Big Reveal. They still would have earned their HEA, with no perceived cheating required.
This leads me to my final disappointment with this novel—the characters are incredibly flat from start to finish. Other than what we discover at the plot twist, nobody really seems to learn or change much throughout the course of the novel. I would have liked to have seen...more, I guess. Just more.
So, three stars: I liked it. And the things I loved about it made my overall disappointment that much sharper and more frustrating. This book had so much promise, and it’s unfortunate that it fell so far short. Still, I could see myself recommending it to fans of gothic fiction who are looking for a quick atmospheric fix.
[I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.]
Let me start with the three things I love about L. V. Russell's The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses, which follows Theodora Corvid on her adventure as a governess at Broken Oak Manor:
(1) The author's writing style, which includes so many stunning descriptive passages, is gorgeously atmospheric without ever slipping into cliched.
(2) The novel presents a truly clever imagining of the found family trope.
(3) The plot twist (which in my head I keep calling The Big Reveal) is incredibly well executed and satisfying. The details leading up to it are subtle and meticulous, nearly invisible until The Big Reveal.
Honestly, those three *loves* brought my rating up from two stars to three.
Now for the rest—I don't think I've ever said this about a novel before, but it felt like this one should have been longer. At its current length, too much was either completely missing or frustratingly underdeveloped, occasionally referenced but never essential. For example, nearly all vital information regarding Theodora's background from the first three chapters would have been more powerful as well-placed flashbacks. As it stands, the first chapter reads as narratively anemic and the second as utterly superfluous.
There were also simply too many motifs that should have packed a thematic and atmospheric punch—most notably the crows, roses, and porcelain doll—but in the end just...didn't. Merely including these elements without developing adequate nuance and narrative connection effectively leaves it up to the reader to fill in the thematic blank.
Unfortunately, this is the author's job, not the reader's. I'm going to stop just shy of criticizing this novel for "lazy writing," but only because of the author's stunning sentence-level prose. But, if we're talking about plot-level, well...
One personal objection I have is that I straight-up object to the cheating trope. The mutual pining between Theodora and Cassias absolutely could have—and I would argue should have—been extended through The Big Reveal. They still would have earned their HEA, with no perceived cheating required.
This leads me to my final disappointment with this novel—the characters are incredibly flat from start to finish. Other than what we discover at the plot twist, nobody really seems to learn or change much throughout the course of the novel. I would have liked to have seen...more, I guess. Just more.
So, three stars: I liked it. And the things I loved about it made my overall disappointment that much sharper and more frustrating. This book had so much promise, and it’s unfortunate that it fell so far short. Still, I could see myself recommending it to fans of gothic fiction who are looking for a quick atmospheric fix.
[I received an ARC of this title in exchange for an honest review.]
thebookwormsfeast's review against another edition
5.0
Wow. This really enraptured me! I did not want to put it down - I was thinking about it when I wasn't reading it, itching to get my hands back on my kindle.
This book gave me all the gothicness I wanted - bringing elements from some of my favourite classics together. It served me Woman in Black, Jane Eyre, and Haunting of Hill House vibes - but with everything more that I have always wanted those stories to give me wrapped up in the tale. We have grand old buildings giving off almost intentions of their own, corridor wanderings late at night following things going bump in the night, secrets to be uncovered, and a romance that runs alongside it all.
I really loved the characters, the writing conjures the story and atmosphere beautifully, and the ending gave me great satisfaction. For once I actually didn't get my guess right! I am delighted!!
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a review copy.
This book gave me all the gothicness I wanted - bringing elements from some of my favourite classics together. It served me Woman in Black, Jane Eyre, and Haunting of Hill House vibes - but with everything more that I have always wanted those stories to give me wrapped up in the tale. We have grand old buildings giving off almost intentions of their own, corridor wanderings late at night following things going bump in the night, secrets to be uncovered, and a romance that runs alongside it all.
I really loved the characters, the writing conjures the story and atmosphere beautifully, and the ending gave me great satisfaction. For once I actually didn't get my guess right! I am delighted!!
Thank you NetGalley for providing me with a review copy.
jennifersuzette's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to NetGalley and Quill and Crow Publishing House for the ARC in exchange for a review.
Theodora’s father has passed and is sent to live with her grandmother in her dying house. She finds work as a governess but is let go after striking her young master. She ventures out on her own to a further away home to become a governess for another family. Cassias and his daughter Ottoline live in a dark, damp estate on a lily pond with their housekeeper Ms Rivers. Theodora falls in love with Ottoline, enjoying teaching her lessons but is plagued by bad dreams and the whispers of skirts in the halls.
This was a great gothic horror with just the right amount of romance. I ate this up in an afternoon and didn’t expect the twist.
Theodora’s father has passed and is sent to live with her grandmother in her dying house. She finds work as a governess but is let go after striking her young master. She ventures out on her own to a further away home to become a governess for another family. Cassias and his daughter Ottoline live in a dark, damp estate on a lily pond with their housekeeper Ms Rivers. Theodora falls in love with Ottoline, enjoying teaching her lessons but is plagued by bad dreams and the whispers of skirts in the halls.
This was a great gothic horror with just the right amount of romance. I ate this up in an afternoon and didn’t expect the twist.
ramblings_ofa_booknerd's review against another edition
3.0
L.V Russel is a new author to me I wanted to know what does she have to offer in gothic story. AKA my favorite sub-genre. If you like to read a gothic atmospheric, spooky and intriguing mystery and unexpected plot twist then I suggest this one. I like the writing style of the author because it was a gripping and an enchanting one. It really brings out the creepy vibes for me.
In this story, we get to know Theodora and how she tries to figure out the mystery of the manor she works as a governess and the people in it. I admit I didn’t suspect anything so the plot twist at the ending shocked me completely. That was so unexpected.
Meanwhile, I did enjoy the mystery element and the whole vibes of the story, but I didn’t feel the spark between Theodora and Cassias. But at the end, I do feel like they've come to an understanding. So Overall, this story is well written. I’m looking forward to read more books from this author in the future!
In this story, we get to know Theodora and how she tries to figure out the mystery of the manor she works as a governess and the people in it. I admit I didn’t suspect anything so the plot twist at the ending shocked me completely. That was so unexpected.
Meanwhile, I did enjoy the mystery element and the whole vibes of the story, but I didn’t feel the spark between Theodora and Cassias. But at the end, I do feel like they've come to an understanding. So Overall, this story is well written. I’m looking forward to read more books from this author in the future!
kaitwaterhouse's review against another edition
5.0
I read this very quickly, wanting so badly to get to the center of the mystery at Broken Oak! I was surprised and loved every minute of gothic romance and spookiness.
meeranair_54's review against another edition
4.0
Theodora can feel the black spectres waiting for the inhabitants of her home, Woodrow House. With her grandmother being her only living relative, she can’t fathom leaving her behind.
But when the position of governess opens up, Theodora is driven further from safety and into the suspense-ridden halls of Broken Oak Manor.
Why did I not see that coming? WHY?
I am usually very perceptive when reading mystery or suspense novels because, after 10+ years of being a reader, there’s very little in the way of plot twists that catches me off-guard.
But L.V. Russell pulled it off!
The moment I read the synopsis of The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses, I knew I HAD to pick it up. It is a gothic fiction centred around age-old mansions that perhaps “stand tall out of spite” (in her own words).
The author’s writing style is ambient and charged with sensory detail.
It reminded me of Daphne du Maurier and Diana Setterfield’s writing styles – eloquent, character-focused, and hauntingly beautiful.
Written from a third-person omniscient point of view, the story opens with an introduction to the protagonist in the context of her immediate surroundings.
Contrary to the time she lives in, Theodora is... Read the rest of the review on my blog
But when the position of governess opens up, Theodora is driven further from safety and into the suspense-ridden halls of Broken Oak Manor.
Why did I not see that coming? WHY?
I am usually very perceptive when reading mystery or suspense novels because, after 10+ years of being a reader, there’s very little in the way of plot twists that catches me off-guard.
But L.V. Russell pulled it off!
The moment I read the synopsis of The Quiet Stillness of Empty Houses, I knew I HAD to pick it up. It is a gothic fiction centred around age-old mansions that perhaps “stand tall out of spite” (in her own words).
The author’s writing style is ambient and charged with sensory detail.
It reminded me of Daphne du Maurier and Diana Setterfield’s writing styles – eloquent, character-focused, and hauntingly beautiful.
Written from a third-person omniscient point of view, the story opens with an introduction to the protagonist in the context of her immediate surroundings.
Contrary to the time she lives in, Theodora is... Read the rest of the review on my blog