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3.81 AVERAGE
3.81 AVERAGE
The positives:
-Some genuinely terrifying imagery brought to life through the writing. The taxidermy and deer in the marsh scenes spring to mind as ones that relayed genuine beauty and horror.
-Always game for authors bringing explicit and loving depictions of queer characters and relationships to genres and stories that are strictly heterosexual or only allow for subtextual homoeroticism.
-The setting was a proper gothic haunting; a beautiful ancient house sinking into the sea with the saltwater flooding the vast property and exposing the literal bones of the palatial estate. Very creepy and the lush writing helped bring it to life.
The negatives:
-The pacing was deeply uneven and the story didn’t really go anywhere until Evie showed up. And then, in the last third, the revelations started to stack up one right after the other so instead of each one slowly coming to light through investigations by the heroine, we got hit with nearly all at once and really only because Marin convinced Evie to come clean.
-Marin’s reactions to everything Evie revealed felt…flat, at best. Her inner turmoil really seemed to evaporate the minute she decided her love for Evie trumps all. Which, could’ve been an interesting avenue to explore; how trading the devotion of family love to romantic love still traps people. But the narrative unambiguously favored Marin’s devotion to Evie. Thought it didn’t help that Evie was essentially perfect and only seemed capable of mistakes or accidents.
-Evie felt like the more beloved character of the author and Marin’s own feelings and character suffered as a result. It was honestly shocking to read how quickly Marin accepted and got over her mother’s experiences at Lovelace house as well as all the lies and subterfuge involved in getting her to Lovelace House
-I’m not opposed to happy endings, but part and parcel of the gothic sub-genre is the exposure of and reckoning with generational wealth and family power. And there really wasn’t any kind of critique of or even any deeper revelations on the Lovelace family, wealth, and lineage. We learned the grandmother and Evie shared the same curse and based on the ending revelation with Thea and Wren, it’s supposed to be an inherited trait. But why that curse? Why that family? Why the women of that family? What’s the history of the family in that part of the world? The author touched on Alice’s frustration for being passed over, but barely. And the story ended with everyone who survived having a happily ever after living in a crumbling gothic estate. Which, ok. Never mind the surrounding towns who apparently think the place is cursed. Also very strange that there’s virtually no outside perspectives from surrounding towns, aside from one comment from a cab driver and the gardener deciding to quit when they dig up the other dog.
-Absolutely wild to me that neither Evie nor Marin ponder or discuss the fact that they were both born of resurrected women. Or how that tidbit just doesn’t seem to matter, never mind how much of a big deal is made of animals and people coming back “bad.” How could that affect people born of those resurrected people?
Overall: A very “vibes” heavy book with some admittedly creepy scenes and excellent descriptions of the landscapes with its intertwining beauty and horror. But aside from some lip service to “letting go” of guilt and working through grief, there was very little substance and as much as I want to enjoy queer romances, this one came at the cost of genuine character emotions and believable agency. I mean, even Jane left Mr Rochester for a time before deciding to come back to him. Marin’s complete acceptance of Evie read less as “love conquers all” and more like someone substituting grief for devotion. Which again, might have been an interesting thought experiment, but the narrative wholeheartedly approved of that choice and didn’t question it at all so we’re led to believe it was the right one. And that just seems convenient and uninteresting to me.
-Some genuinely terrifying imagery brought to life through the writing. The taxidermy and deer in the marsh scenes spring to mind as ones that relayed genuine beauty and horror.
-Always game for authors bringing explicit and loving depictions of queer characters and relationships to genres and stories that are strictly heterosexual or only allow for subtextual homoeroticism.
-The setting was a proper gothic haunting; a beautiful ancient house sinking into the sea with the saltwater flooding the vast property and exposing the literal bones of the palatial estate. Very creepy and the lush writing helped bring it to life.
The negatives:
-The pacing was deeply uneven and the story didn’t really go anywhere until Evie showed up. And then, in the last third, the revelations started to stack up one right after the other so instead of each one slowly coming to light through investigations by the heroine, we got hit with nearly all at once and really only because Marin convinced Evie to come clean.
-Marin’s reactions to everything Evie revealed felt…flat, at best. Her inner turmoil really seemed to evaporate the minute she decided her love for Evie trumps all. Which, could’ve been an interesting avenue to explore; how trading the devotion of family love to romantic love still traps people. But the narrative unambiguously favored Marin’s devotion to Evie. Thought it didn’t help that Evie was essentially perfect and only seemed capable of mistakes or accidents.
-Evie felt like the more beloved character of the author and Marin’s own feelings and character suffered as a result. It was honestly shocking to read how quickly Marin accepted and got over her mother’s experiences at Lovelace house as well as all the lies and subterfuge involved in getting her to Lovelace House
-I’m not opposed to happy endings, but part and parcel of the gothic sub-genre is the exposure of and reckoning with generational wealth and family power. And there really wasn’t any kind of critique of or even any deeper revelations on the Lovelace family, wealth, and lineage. We learned the grandmother and Evie shared the same curse and based on the ending revelation with Thea and Wren, it’s supposed to be an inherited trait. But why that curse? Why that family? Why the women of that family? What’s the history of the family in that part of the world? The author touched on Alice’s frustration for being passed over, but barely. And the story ended with everyone who survived having a happily ever after living in a crumbling gothic estate. Which, ok. Never mind the surrounding towns who apparently think the place is cursed. Also very strange that there’s virtually no outside perspectives from surrounding towns, aside from one comment from a cab driver and the gardener deciding to quit when they dig up the other dog.
-Absolutely wild to me that neither Evie nor Marin ponder or discuss the fact that they were both born of resurrected women. Or how that tidbit just doesn’t seem to matter, never mind how much of a big deal is made of animals and people coming back “bad.” How could that affect people born of those resurrected people?
Overall: A very “vibes” heavy book with some admittedly creepy scenes and excellent descriptions of the landscapes with its intertwining beauty and horror. But aside from some lip service to “letting go” of guilt and working through grief, there was very little substance and as much as I want to enjoy queer romances, this one came at the cost of genuine character emotions and believable agency. I mean, even Jane left Mr Rochester for a time before deciding to come back to him. Marin’s complete acceptance of Evie read less as “love conquers all” and more like someone substituting grief for devotion. Which again, might have been an interesting thought experiment, but the narrative wholeheartedly approved of that choice and didn’t question it at all so we’re led to believe it was the right one. And that just seems convenient and uninteresting to me.
For a YA this def brought some creepiness!
The atmosphere is superb! We have an ivy covered mansion with a library, conservatory, greenhouse, and on-site cemetery all on the coast of Maine.
Though there is a reminiscence to Pet Sematary and Bly Manor, the twists were quite surprising. I loved the sapphic romance in here, and thought the younger girls were pretty funny and mischievous. Some parts were cliche, but that is to be expected with a YA.
For what it is, I had a really great time reading this!
The atmosphere is superb! We have an ivy covered mansion with a library, conservatory, greenhouse, and on-site cemetery all on the coast of Maine.
Though there is a reminiscence to Pet Sematary and Bly Manor, the twists were quite surprising. I loved the sapphic romance in here, and thought the younger girls were pretty funny and mischievous. Some parts were cliche, but that is to be expected with a YA.
For what it is, I had a really great time reading this!
A little slow in the middle but the end really tied everything together wonderfully.
This was creepy for a YA, but I can’t help but think that if we spent less time on the romance aspect, it could have been slightly creepier. Like the dead, and the mother were right there but we didn’t even attempt to touch them until the end. It just lacked for me
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
The Haunting of Bly Manor meets Night of The Living Dead.
An easy read which mixes beauty and horror seamlessly. I think I would have liked a bit more action or horror earlier in the book but then again it is YA so I understand why there wasn’t.
An easy read which mixes beauty and horror seamlessly. I think I would have liked a bit more action or horror earlier in the book but then again it is YA so I understand why there wasn’t.
y'know what I'm not gonna finish reading this one bcs it felt like a bad rip-off of the haunting of bly manor
i'll be much better off reading fanfiction
i'll be much better off reading fanfiction
this book was so eerie and unsettling, major Bly Manor vibes while still being an independent story
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Boring and uneventful. 200 pages until anything happens. It felt more like a romance with necromancy thrown in instead of the other way around.
This book was definitely not for me. Uninteresting characters with a plot that was mediocre at best and super duper cliched at worst. Teenagers that speak/act like dumb young adults and children that act like dumb teenagers.
From chapter one, this seems like a fairly blatant retelling of Bly Manor (main character’s last name is Blythe even). Very cliche and over the top. Nothing felt spooky but a lot felt tacky and ridiculous. About 15% in, the book just straight up states that the girls are crazy despite not showing that AT ALL leading up to that. A little weird but definitely not homicidal. [insert meme voice] Well, that escalated quickly.
The romance is very cliche and felt super forced to me. The second the love interest showed up our narrator acted like one of those cartoon dogs whose eyes fall out of their head while their tongue hangs to the floor. There was never any real chemistry, instead it was just a case of being the only two teenagers within eyeshot so they must be in love.
Plus, I literally rolled my eyes throughout the entire part 3.
From chapter one, this seems like a fairly blatant retelling of Bly Manor (main character’s last name is Blythe even). Very cliche and over the top. Nothing felt spooky but a lot felt tacky and ridiculous. About 15% in, the book just straight up states that the girls are crazy despite not showing that AT ALL leading up to that. A little weird but definitely not homicidal. [insert meme voice] Well, that escalated quickly.
The romance is very cliche and felt super forced to me. The second the love interest showed up our narrator acted like one of those cartoon dogs whose eyes fall out of their head while their tongue hangs to the floor. There was never any real chemistry, instead it was just a case of being the only two teenagers within eyeshot so they must be in love.
Plus, I literally rolled my eyes throughout the entire part 3.
Haunting of Bly Manor is a very bold comparison to make and this did not live up to it.
The horror premise is strong; it could’ve atmospheric and spooky, but McCauley couldn't pull it off. It also leans more toward fantasy than horror as a result. Character-wise, the Marie and Evie romance is fine but doesn’t get me excited.
Alice's plot twist would've been so poignant if we got to connect with her, but we never see her positively interact with her family or any sense of character beyond ‘absentee writer’, making it so much less impactful. What a waste.
I do really like Evie, perfectionist eldest daughter with her wild magic and buried grief. She's a well fleshed out character with a solid arc. But besides that, 2 stars.
The horror premise is strong; it could’ve atmospheric and spooky, but McCauley couldn't pull it off. It also leans more toward fantasy than horror as a result. Character-wise, the Marie and Evie romance is fine but doesn’t get me excited.
Alice's plot twist would've been so poignant if we got to connect with her, but we never see her positively interact with her family or any sense of character beyond ‘absentee writer’, making it so much less impactful. What a waste.
I do really like Evie, perfectionist eldest daughter with her wild magic and buried grief. She's a well fleshed out character with a solid arc. But besides that, 2 stars.