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3.54 AVERAGE

mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

3.5 stars. Read a bunch of Holt as a 90s teen because my high school library had them. Wasn't sure if I'd read this or not but it all came flooding back to me. Pretty atmospheric and the action moves from the Isle of Capri to Cornwall; my only real criticism was that the romance part happened v early (plus is pretty insta-love) and so it was more mystery-heavy. It's been a long time since I saw <u>Rebecca</u> (and I've never read it(!?)) but from what I recall this is roughly  along the same lines.
dark hopeful mysterious sad tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Character
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

3.5 A friend bought this book for me at a thrift store. She read it and loved it in high school and she thought the gothic romance would be right up my alley. The story did not disappoint. The crazy plot twist and always wondering who the villain was kept me insanely turning the pages. Is it a literary masterpiece? No. But it’s a damn good read. :)
emotional mysterious medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Complicated
Loveable characters: Complicated

I’d call this a cozy gothic. All turns out well but there’s suspense and mystery all along the way.
dark mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: Plot
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: No
Flaws of characters a main focus: No

On a gothic romance binge. It's what I used to read growing up and my brain seems to think it's twelve years old again in these trying times. After a few not so great ones I decided to go back to the queen of the genre. This one has it all. Lovely mansion in Cornwall filled with people named Roc and Barbarina and Morwenna, shifty nurses and governesses and maybe bastard children, spooky mausoleums and dangerous cliff paths and mysterious deaths. And twins! So many twins. Excellent reading when you want to forget about the apocalypse.

Victoria Holt had clearly swotted up on [bc:Rebecca|17899948|Rebecca|Daphne du Maurier|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1386605169s/17899948.jpg|46663] & [bc:Wuthering Heights|11019333|Wuthering Heights|Emily Brontë|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1385412726s/11019333.jpg|1565818] before writing this doom laden account of a young girl's infatuation & marriage to an older man. After her father's unexpected death, Roc whisks Favel from Capri to Cornwall where she is terrorised by the legend of the Brides of Pendorric.

While reading I found Favel's constant unease surprising in one so young (nineteen) but she was completely on her own & married to a man she barely knew. So I'm cutting her some slack.

A major weakness for me was that I didn't find Roc appealing - neither the description of his physical appearance or his (generally distant) behaviour. & there were far to many characters to keep track of & a lot of them didn't add much to the story.

SpoilerI thought I had guessed the solution early but I missed some obvious clues.


The ending felt forced & rushed, but I loved this book as a teen so I'm giving it a charitable 4*
awhite1554's profile picture

awhite1554's review

5.0
adventurous mysterious reflective tense medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: Yes
Loveable characters: Complicated
Diverse cast of characters: Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated
mysterious tense slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven: A mix
Strong character development: No
Loveable characters: No
Diverse cast of characters: No