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joybookish's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
3.0
Castle of the Cursed really hits the mark as a gothic story. There are ghosts, forbidden blood magics, and many secrets within the old castle that has been passed down through one family for hundreds of years. Garber gave a unique spin on narration as she wove in the past and present in unique formats. She unraveled information only the moment it was necessarily, which kept me on my toes. She wrote an interesting main character, and I felt like I was really in the small Spanish town.
One problem I had is with one of the main characters, the "boy" referenced in the synopsis. If he wasn't mentioned as a boy, I never would have guessed it. Very little information was given about his appearance, and he gave off a very strong vibe of being alive much longer than our main heroine has been alive. This wasn't a major deal, but it was still enough that threw me off.
Another problem -- much larger this time -- is the plot. While the first 50% kept me utterly captivated, around 50% it started falling apart a little, and by 60% there was a huge pivot that was very off-putting. It very sudden and out of place, and I didn't necessarily enjoy where the story turned to. It did help answer questions about the plot, but it was just too out-there for me.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves a gothic read and stories with huge plot twists. There is no spice, so I'd recommend to any age group. Overall a 3-star read for me.
One problem I had is with one of the main characters, the "boy" referenced in the synopsis. If he wasn't mentioned as a boy, I never would have guessed it. Very little information was given about his appearance, and he gave off a very strong vibe of being alive much longer than our main heroine has been alive. This wasn't a major deal, but it was still enough that threw me off.
Another problem -- much larger this time -- is the plot. While the first 50% kept me utterly captivated, around 50% it started falling apart a little, and by 60% there was a huge pivot that was very off-putting. It very sudden and out of place, and I didn't necessarily enjoy where the story turned to. It did help answer questions about the plot, but it was just too out-there for me.
I'd recommend this book to anyone who loves a gothic read and stories with huge plot twists. There is no spice, so I'd recommend to any age group. Overall a 3-star read for me.
therearenobadbooks's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
4.0
From the author of Lobizona comes a great start to a supernatural thriller/mystery perfect for readers who enjoy following a teen character who has lost everything and moves to a completely different environment, usually a haunted or strange mysterious house. In this case, it's an amazing Castle/Mansion in Spain and she is going to learn more about her family's past. The author builds more and more, giving us more twists and information that keep us turning the pages. Vampires included. It has a peculiar vibe that I haven't seen much in recent books and that makes it a compelling read with a bit of love interest. I enjoy this author's style.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this e-arc.
Thank you Netgalley and publisher for this e-arc.
indy1527's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
5.0
Castle of the cursed
I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.
This book wasn’t what I was expecting at all… in a good way.
Estela loses her parents in a train accident, she was the only survivor. She later finds that she has an aunt in Spain, that’s where this story begins.
Once in Spain Estela finds out that her parents weren’t honest with her and she wants to find out why. She embarks on a journey of magic, betrayal, love, and loss.
What is really happening in Oscuro? Read this book to find out.
audrian_crow's review
tense
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
3.0
Thank you to Netgalley and St. Martin's Press for allowing me to review this ARC.
A YA gothic horror that reminds me of fanfiction set in Luigi's Mansion with an unhealthy dose ofAlex Jones conspiracy theories .
- The Good -
The general idea was solid, and the author does a fairly good job of incorporating Spanish throughout to add to the authenticity of the setting and general sense of place.
- The Bad -
The book was a slog. This is mostly due to the first person POV that facilitated an outbalanced focus on the MC's inner world and kept the town from really reaching the rich but concise levels of detail that the story needed to build up the gothic atmosphere. The characters as a whole were fairly flat.
- The Ugly -
The ending was bad. Because so much of the story relied on romance to propel the plot, the ending(more or less a bog standard psychological thriller ending) failed to feel like it fit either the genre it advertises on the tin or the foundational plot that it relied on for it's guts. There is also the issue that two parts of the ending conflict, but whether that's because what the author was going for wasn't clear or the story was purposely lying to the reader is unclear. Overall the writing was clunky. There were no grammatical errors or things like that, but the prose didn't flow and the dialogue tended to sound the same for all the characters.
A YA gothic horror that reminds me of fanfiction set in Luigi's Mansion with an unhealthy dose of
- The Good -
The general idea was solid, and the author does a fairly good job of incorporating Spanish throughout to add to the authenticity of the setting and general sense of place.
- The Bad -
The book was a slog. This is mostly due to the first person POV that facilitated an outbalanced focus on the MC's inner world and kept the town from really reaching the rich but concise levels of detail that the story needed to build up the gothic atmosphere. The characters as a whole were fairly flat.
- The Ugly -
The ending was bad. Because so much of the story relied on romance to propel the plot, the ending
grapehead's review against another edition
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
I was provided an ARC of this book through Netgalley for an honest review.
The biggest draw of this book is absolutely the incredible atmosphere. Dark, gothic and immersive, the castle, and the town by extension, stand out as characters of their own. I enjoyed the mystery unfolding as Estela slowly explored the castle and got to learn about the town's history. Her aunt and the other townsfolk's odd behavior kept up that off-kilter feeling that Estela was going through as her whole life was turned upside down.
Estela is a compelling main character and her grief and mental illness hit hard. Her feeling so alone in the world and then experiencing even more losses on top of everything, things she didn't even know she had to lose, absolutely hurts. The way she grapples with whether it's even worth it to fight or to try to win adds to the conflict she is facing.
The romance in this book and Bastian's character change fell flat for me. His personality and priorities change too much too fast for it to make any sense to me. I don't understand how he lost so much ruthlessness and then fell head over heels for Estela. I like Estela as a character but I don't understand what he specifically would see in her. The build up for his devotion to her to make sense just wasn't there.
I had the fun experience of being a Spanish learner at a similar level to Estela when I picked up this book. I enjoyed trying to translate and parse what characters were saying and then reading on to see Estela having a similar thought process and strategy as I did. It was a delightful little aspect of the book that I was pleasantly surprised by.
Pick this book up if you want to read about a creepy, gothic castle and a sinister, supernatural plot. That is absolutely where this book shines the most.
Thank you so much Netgalley, Romina Garber and Wednesday Books for the ARC!
The biggest draw of this book is absolutely the incredible atmosphere. Dark, gothic and immersive, the castle, and the town by extension, stand out as characters of their own. I enjoyed the mystery unfolding as Estela slowly explored the castle and got to learn about the town's history. Her aunt and the other townsfolk's odd behavior kept up that off-kilter feeling that Estela was going through as her whole life was turned upside down.
Estela is a compelling main character and her grief and mental illness hit hard. Her feeling so alone in the world and then experiencing even more losses on top of everything, things she didn't even know she had to lose, absolutely hurts. The way she grapples with whether it's even worth it to fight or to try to win adds to the conflict she is facing.
The romance in this book and Bastian's character change fell flat for me. His personality and priorities change too much too fast for it to make any sense to me. I don't understand how he lost so much ruthlessness and then fell head over heels for Estela. I like Estela as a character but I don't understand what he specifically would see in her. The build up for his devotion to her to make sense just wasn't there.
I had the fun experience of being a Spanish learner at a similar level to Estela when I picked up this book. I enjoyed trying to translate and parse what characters were saying and then reading on to see Estela having a similar thought process and strategy as I did. It was a delightful little aspect of the book that I was pleasantly surprised by.
Pick this book up if you want to read about a creepy, gothic castle and a sinister, supernatural plot. That is absolutely where this book shines the most.
Thank you so much Netgalley, Romina Garber and Wednesday Books for the ARC!
ravyensbookera's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
I want to start this by saying that there is super heavy and dark mental illness rep in here. Our main girl, Estela, spirals and struggles so much with depression, grief and suicide after her parents death. It is not a one off and is throughout the entire book. Please take your mental health seriously and make sure you're ready before reading this book.
Now my thoughts! I LOVED it. I DEVOURED this absolutely amazing book. It's my first Romina Garber book and it was just *chefs kiss*
Estela's parents are killed by a "freak" accident on the Subway and she is sent to a hospital as a ward of the state. While there, she receives a letter from an estranged aunt who lives in Spain. When she arrives, weird things start to happen and she can tell everyone in this small town is hiding something. Estela quickly starts to unravel the mysteries that surround her family and childhood, only to find something so much more sinister going on. With the help of her "Shadow Beast", a man she's been seeing in her dreams, they unravel the truth while finding love in the most unexpected ways.
I loved all of the characters so much as well as the mystery. The first few pages had me immediately hooked and kept my attention throughout the whole book! There wasn't a single boring part. I felt all of the emotions. I laughed, giggled, cried SO much, felt Estela's anger and frustration.
Bast is so swoon-worthy too!😍 Like, corporeal being who shows feelings after he tried to kill me? Yes, please. He's so protective of Estela, physically and regarding her mental health doing everything he can to show her that she's not alone.
"I choose you over ... over everything."
MY HEART
Now my thoughts! I LOVED it. I DEVOURED this absolutely amazing book. It's my first Romina Garber book and it was just *chefs kiss*
Estela's parents are killed by a "freak" accident on the Subway and she is sent to a hospital as a ward of the state. While there, she receives a letter from an estranged aunt who lives in Spain. When she arrives, weird things start to happen and she can tell everyone in this small town is hiding something. Estela quickly starts to unravel the mysteries that surround her family and childhood, only to find something so much more sinister going on. With the help of her "Shadow Beast", a man she's been seeing in her dreams, they unravel the truth while finding love in the most unexpected ways.
I loved all of the characters so much as well as the mystery. The first few pages had me immediately hooked and kept my attention throughout the whole book! There wasn't a single boring part. I felt all of the emotions. I laughed, giggled, cried SO much, felt Estela's anger and frustration.
Bast is so swoon-worthy too!😍 Like, corporeal being who shows feelings after he tried to kill me? Yes, please. He's so protective of Estela, physically and regarding her mental health doing everything he can to show her that she's not alone.
"I choose you over ... over everything."
MY HEART
Content Warnings
Graphic: Suicide, Suicide attempt, Suicidal thoughts, Death of parent, Death, and Self harm
Moderate: Child death, Sexual harassment, and Violence
vickys_reads's review
4.0
I received this book in exchange for a review. Castle of the Cursed is about a girl who goes through the tragic loss of her parents and other strangers around her while on a train. She battles with herself as the media strings together lies to make sense of the accident that happened. Unfortunately, what she thought she saw must have been her imagination because after her estranged aunt sent for her the man in her dreams seems to have become reality set on killing her. In the first few chapters, I struggled to get into the book because of the back-and-forth between past and present though it did give the background of the main female character. It was a slow build for me getting juicer toward the end. (TW)There are some mental health concerns with MFC which cause her to make questionable decisions while in her depression. I found the magic system interesting seeing as everything revolved around the castle and it was more about sacrifices from generations. I did like it just seemed a bit overwritten a certain points.