Scan barcode
frootjoos's review
4.0
I put this down about 8 times before I was finally brave enough to read on. So creepy! *shudder*
glowberry12's review
2.0
Book Rating: G
I first picked this book off the shelves at a used bookstore because of the cover art and the title. A book titled The House of Dead Maids and with a ghostly creature with hollow eyes was bound to be good, but unfortunately I didn't find that to be true.
The book is described as a prequel to Wuthering Heights, which I loved when I read it my sophomore year of high school. Maybe if I hadn't read Wuthering Heights, I'd find this book more interesting. I kept waiting for characters to appear or for some radical connection to be made, but it never happened. We didn't find out anything about how Heathcliff came to Wuthering Heights until the very last paragraph.
Mostly, this book came off as something made for younger readers, who after reading this initial book might be persuaded to read Wuthering Heights. I found that the descriptions went on for way too long. I found myself getting bored and wishing that the book was over already. The descriptions sometimes went on for so long, I felt that the author was just trying to add length to the book. It was awkward.
I never grew to like any of the characters either. I thought they were dull. They had no character development whatsoever. I can't read a book very well if the characters are unlikable.
The only reason this book has two stars is because of the cover art and the chapter art. Both were hauntingly beautiful and I loved to look at them.
I first picked this book off the shelves at a used bookstore because of the cover art and the title. A book titled The House of Dead Maids and with a ghostly creature with hollow eyes was bound to be good, but unfortunately I didn't find that to be true.
The book is described as a prequel to Wuthering Heights, which I loved when I read it my sophomore year of high school. Maybe if I hadn't read Wuthering Heights, I'd find this book more interesting. I kept waiting for characters to appear or for some radical connection to be made, but it never happened. We didn't find out anything about how Heathcliff came to Wuthering Heights until the very last paragraph.
Mostly, this book came off as something made for younger readers, who after reading this initial book might be persuaded to read Wuthering Heights. I found that the descriptions went on for way too long. I found myself getting bored and wishing that the book was over already. The descriptions sometimes went on for so long, I felt that the author was just trying to add length to the book. It was awkward.
I never grew to like any of the characters either. I thought they were dull. They had no character development whatsoever. I can't read a book very well if the characters are unlikable.
The only reason this book has two stars is because of the cover art and the chapter art. Both were hauntingly beautiful and I loved to look at them.
iilex's review
4.0
I was wary before reading this, because a lot of the Goodreads reviews are fairly negative. I'm glad I took a chance, however, because I actually really liked The House of Dead Maids.
Here are a few things you should know before reading: this is older middle grade/very young YA - if you're looking for a book for older teens, you won't like this. But if you're like me and like MG, then you'll be fine. Secondly, don't think of this as a prequel to Wuthering Heights. I know it's billed as that, but the book has very little connection to Wuthering Heights. That's not a bad thing, but if you were hoping for an actual prequel, you'll be disappointed. I feel sort of bad, because I liked this book and I don't think the author deserves so many negative reviews!
The House of Dead Maids is a nice little ghost story. It's deliciously creepy and I love the historical setting. Even though it's not deeply explored, I like the conflict here of ancient pagan customs vs. 19th century Christianity (just to note: there's probably nothing realistic about the rites depicted here, but I'd imagine that there were legends about them anyway). This book read a lot like an old gothic novel, which I also liked. This was a very short book, and I read it within a couple of hours - I consider those hours well-spent. This was a lovely spooky MG/YA gothic.
Here are a few things you should know before reading: this is older middle grade/very young YA - if you're looking for a book for older teens, you won't like this. But if you're like me and like MG, then you'll be fine. Secondly, don't think of this as a prequel to Wuthering Heights. I know it's billed as that, but the book has very little connection to Wuthering Heights. That's not a bad thing, but if you were hoping for an actual prequel, you'll be disappointed. I feel sort of bad, because I liked this book and I don't think the author deserves so many negative reviews!
The House of Dead Maids is a nice little ghost story. It's deliciously creepy and I love the historical setting. Even though it's not deeply explored, I like the conflict here of ancient pagan customs vs. 19th century Christianity (just to note: there's probably nothing realistic about the rites depicted here, but I'd imagine that there were legends about them anyway). This book read a lot like an old gothic novel, which I also liked. This was a very short book, and I read it within a couple of hours - I consider those hours well-spent. This was a lovely spooky MG/YA gothic.
liadanblue's review against another edition
1.0
The most captivating things about this book are the title, the cover and the premise. It stops there. It’s as if this book was written for children who are pretending to be grown by a child who is also pretending to be older than they are. I don’t know if that makes sense, but if you take a risk and read this book, you’ll probably grasp what I mean.
Wuthering Heights is one of my all time favorite books. My obsession with Healthcliff knows no bounds. So, when I found this book at a discount store, I had to have it. Minus the names thrown in, I would never had guessed it to be a WH prequel. It’s just a spooky little ghost story to tell around the campfire.
I would love to know more about the real life “Tabby”, though.
This story had potential to be great…it just wasn’t.
Wuthering Heights is one of my all time favorite books. My obsession with Healthcliff knows no bounds. So, when I found this book at a discount store, I had to have it. Minus the names thrown in, I would never had guessed it to be a WH prequel. It’s just a spooky little ghost story to tell around the campfire.
I would love to know more about the real life “Tabby”, though.
This story had potential to be great…it just wasn’t.
museofpvd's review
5.0
An excellent tale, dark, well-told, and expertly written. A must for any gothic horror fan.
lemon_drop's review against another edition
3.0
I'm not sure the audio did this book justice. I'm pretty sure I would have
liked it better without the narrator's interpretation of the voices.
liked it better without the narrator's interpretation of the voices.
flyingsails's review against another edition
3.0
Hmmm, strange freaky little book. Definitely creepy, but the plot was told oddly so I felt pretty removed from most of it. Though it's labeled as a "prelude" to Wuthering Heights, it barely has any connection at all. (Not that I minded; Wuthering Heights has never been my favorite story.)
This would be more accurately rated 2 1/2 stars from me. It was short and strange, but good if you're in the mood for something chilling.
This would be more accurately rated 2 1/2 stars from me. It was short and strange, but good if you're in the mood for something chilling.
themadmaiden's review against another edition
3.0
Is it bad that picked this book up because the woman on the cover reminded me of Claudia from Silent Hill?
Probably.
Anyway it was an interesting story with a creepy little plot. Not the greatest by all means but I can't say I disliked it too much.
Probably.
Anyway it was an interesting story with a creepy little plot. Not the greatest by all means but I can't say I disliked it too much.
sarah1984's review against another edition
3.0
18/6 - Let's start off with "I've never read Wuthering Heights." I've seen the Ralph Fiennes and Juliette Binoche movie and thought it was worth four 'very good' stars. The movie made me want to get started immediately on reading the book (obviously I haven't, as other books had precedence), The House of Dead Maids didn't really have the same impact on me. When I put this on my 'to read' list I had no idea it was the 'prelude' for Wuthering Heights. It wasn't until after I started reading that I noticed the half covered by a library barcode note at the bottom of the front cover, saying that it's "A Chilling prelude to WUTHERING HEIGHTS".
SPOILERS AHEAD
The idea that this is the story of the early life of the Bronte's 'domestic servant' Tabitha 'Tabby' Aykroyd is interesting, but the execution was flawed. I wanted a lot more explanation and exploration of the previous 'young maids' and 'young masters' and how their sacrifices continued the luck of Seldom House. Not that Seldom seemed particularly 'lucky', in my opinion. The 'old maid' and 'old master' were forced to live in that house for the rest of their lives, only going out to pick up new 'young maids' or 'young masters', never free, never happy, never doing anything. The people of the town didn't seem particularly 'lucky' either. No one was prospering on the back of the sacrifices, they were pointless sacrifices as far as I could see. This was such a short book, even shorter than it appeared in my copy because the one I read had over 10 pages of book club discussion topics and interviews with the author - it was a bit of shock when I got to the end of the story and there was still a chunk of pages in my right hand. This could have been done so much better. I probably wouldn't recommend it to lovers of Wuthering Heights, I don't think it would add to their reading experience.
SPOILERS AHEAD
The idea that this is the story of the early life of the Bronte's 'domestic servant' Tabitha 'Tabby' Aykroyd is interesting, but the execution was flawed. I wanted a lot more explanation and exploration of the previous 'young maids' and 'young masters' and how their sacrifices continued the luck of Seldom House. Not that Seldom seemed particularly 'lucky', in my opinion. The 'old maid' and 'old master' were forced to live in that house for the rest of their lives, only going out to pick up new 'young maids' or 'young masters', never free, never happy, never doing anything. The people of the town didn't seem particularly 'lucky' either. No one was prospering on the back of the sacrifices, they were pointless sacrifices as far as I could see. This was such a short book, even shorter than it appeared in my copy because the one I read had over 10 pages of book club discussion topics and interviews with the author - it was a bit of shock when I got to the end of the story and there was still a chunk of pages in my right hand. This could have been done so much better. I probably wouldn't recommend it to lovers of Wuthering Heights, I don't think it would add to their reading experience.