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e_freckles's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death and Suicide
Minor: Infidelity
julziez's review
2.0
I won this little read through the fantastic Good Reads First Reads Giveaways and I must say it was pretty much exactly what I expected. I hear the phrase a lot in my English classes, "Show, don't tell" and I felt that this book fell short on this point. When I'm being told that Grace did this and then she said this and felt this way and then this happened and she reacted accordingly, I begin to lose interest because it sounds really rehearsed; there's no emotion. I read recently that how can you expect your readers to try and work out what's going on if you're telling them every little detail? Essentially, the style of the text was quite immature and not what I expected from a not-unknown, published author.
That being said: the story itself was a bit of mystery, a bit of heartache and a bit of ghosty business. I found the haunting aspect to be quite well done and spooky, especially with the grandfather clock that stops at 3 am. But the relationships, the missing person and the family secrets all seemed rather forced and not as stimulating as I'm sure they were intended to be. Yes, Adam's story was a sad one and, yes, the Blakeney's were pretty mixed up but the characters didn't draw me in and I didn't make any real connections with the story. I'm glad I read it, it wasn't a complete waste of time but it's definitely not something to be seriously analyzed or interpretated.
That being said: the story itself was a bit of mystery, a bit of heartache and a bit of ghosty business. I found the haunting aspect to be quite well done and spooky, especially with the grandfather clock that stops at 3 am. But the relationships, the missing person and the family secrets all seemed rather forced and not as stimulating as I'm sure they were intended to be. Yes, Adam's story was a sad one and, yes, the Blakeney's were pretty mixed up but the characters didn't draw me in and I didn't make any real connections with the story. I'm glad I read it, it wasn't a complete waste of time but it's definitely not something to be seriously analyzed or interpretated.
anneaustex's review
3.0
An enjoyable read featuring ghosts, strangers, a moorish setting, a remote cottage and a handsome stranger. Yes, there are shades of du Maurier's Rebecca along with a few interesting new twists on the story.
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