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enchantedbookshelf's review against another edition
5.0
I am a huge fan of anything Gothic, whether the genre is romance, horror, mystery, or other. The aesthetic, the sense of foreboding, the archetypes, the supernatural, and the often creepy, crumbly homes and mansions provide the perfect atmosphere for lovers of scary and uncanny.
Donyae Coles has found a perfect niche with this novel. Orabella has been taken for a wife and the estate where her new husband takes her is disturbing, dark, and peculiar. She constantly wonders whether she's dreaming or if her experiences are real.
We bring our own ideas to the stories we read, and I wondered if Coles had some inspiration from the myths and legends of the Unseelie Court. The world Orabella enters when she joins the Blakersby family is split between the few remaining well-kept areas of the manor and those where nature is overcoming. The spirits, or perhaps fairies, inhabit that realm, leading to an increasing otherworldliness that keeps the reader turning the pages, captivated.
No, there are no "official" answers here, and that's okay. Read your own conclusions into the story and take from it the woozy, dreamy emotions that it leaves you with. It's lovely, lovely work.
Donyae Coles has found a perfect niche with this novel. Orabella has been taken for a wife and the estate where her new husband takes her is disturbing, dark, and peculiar. She constantly wonders whether she's dreaming or if her experiences are real.
We bring our own ideas to the stories we read, and I wondered if Coles had some inspiration from the myths and legends of the Unseelie Court. The world Orabella enters when she joins the Blakersby family is split between the few remaining well-kept areas of the manor and those where nature is overcoming. The spirits, or perhaps fairies, inhabit that realm, leading to an increasing otherworldliness that keeps the reader turning the pages, captivated.
No, there are no "official" answers here, and that's okay. Read your own conclusions into the story and take from it the woozy, dreamy emotions that it leaves you with. It's lovely, lovely work.
lanidon's review
I felt like nothing was happening and the main character is even flatter than cardboard. She feels like she has no thoughts or emotions or personality of her own, she's just waiting for forces to act upon her
makthewyrm's review
dark
emotional
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
anj_t's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
mymercurialnature's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
What a wonderful, gothic, almost-a-romance story! Donyae Coles takes the best parts of the fairytales we grew up with- the adventure of being whisked away by a mysterious being who promises to rescue us from our mundane lives- and spins them into a dark and twisted tale of an arranged marriage turned nightmare. With fever dreams, a dark, sexy yet odd, and illusive MMC, and a Black FMC who feels relatable and real, this gave me We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson vibes. The audiobook is well-narrated and makes the gothic elements even more so.
Donyae Cole’s’ writing is captivating and the story kept me engaged so much so that I had to purchase the physical book so I could underline. The audiobook is wonderfully done. I have listened to the audiobook and read the physical copy twice.
Donyae Cole’s’ writing is captivating and the story kept me engaged so much so that I had to purchase the physical book so I could underline. The audiobook is wonderfully done. I have listened to the audiobook and read the physical copy twice.
blacksphinx's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
Speaking as a lover of the gothic, this book is just way too derivative. Every time something happened I kept thinking "just like in [X]." There's even some perfunctory incest accusations that doesn't add a damn thing to the plot. I was excited to read a gothic period piece where the protagonist is a Black woman, but it barely ever comes up? It's messy, and not just because our PoV character is hallucinating.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Toxic relationship, Drug abuse, Sexual content, Confinement, Alcohol, Emotional abuse, and Animal cruelty
Moderate: Violence, Sexual assault, Injury/Injury detail, Pregnancy, Incest, Gore, Sexual violence, Vomit, and Gaslighting
Minor: Death of parent, Infertility, Cannibalism, Domestic abuse, and Fire/Fire injury
katiml's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.75
bookwyrms_shelf's review
4.0
Orabella is sent off to her husband's estate after marriage, a whirlwind of change that is happening way too fast. Once arrived, Orabella learns that there is much wrong with this house, she just can't escape it.
The family themselves are quirky and mysterious, and the house is another story altogether. Dark, full of dust and decay, and in states of various disrepair...side by side with a gilded ballroom and fancy breakfasts. Nothing feels quite right.
This was interesting, uncanny and just so, so unsettling. I couldn't put it down because I had to find out what was going on!
The family themselves are quirky and mysterious, and the house is another story altogether. Dark, full of dust and decay, and in states of various disrepair...side by side with a gilded ballroom and fancy breakfasts. Nothing feels quite right.
This was interesting, uncanny and just so, so unsettling. I couldn't put it down because I had to find out what was going on!
herelieshenry's review against another edition
ARC expired, hopefully will revisit in the future.