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3.35 AVERAGE
3.35 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book had a great premise and a delightfully uneasy atmosphere which unfortunately didn't really go anywhere. I was initially intrigued, but the first 80% of the book is very repetitive - something unsettling happens, all the girls at the school blame Emily White for it, Ivy defends her but ultimately changes nothing, and around and around we go. Ivy didn't have enough agency to really draw me in as a protagonist, even though I did find her sympathetic and thought the bones of her character were interesting.
The conclusion of the novel introduces some interesting twists, but I can't help but wish they'd been seeded in throughout the story more effectively. The exposition and release of tension is too backloaded and it doesn't really make up for how sluggish the rest of the novel is.
There was a really great story buried in this book, but the execution was lacking for me. The pacing was too slow and the events of the novel seemed to unfold around the protagonist, rather than her shaping the story. Despite that, the eerie atmosphere was still well-captured, and there were several twists at the end that I didn't anticipate.
The conclusion of the novel introduces some interesting twists, but I can't help but wish they'd been seeded in throughout the story more effectively. The exposition and release of tension is too backloaded and it doesn't really make up for how sluggish the rest of the novel is.
There was a really great story buried in this book, but the execution was lacking for me. The pacing was too slow and the events of the novel seemed to unfold around the protagonist, rather than her shaping the story. Despite that, the eerie atmosphere was still well-captured, and there were several twists at the end that I didn't anticipate.
dark
emotional
mysterious
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
Alone and friendless at a Victorian boarding school for young ladies, Ivy forms a strong bond with a new teacher, Miss Emily White. However, there's something a bit mysterious about Miss White and strange things start to happen after her arrival at the school. Can she really be in two places at once? Does she have supernatural powers? Is she evil, or is she the victim of cruel rumors and gossip? As the tension builds and events take a sinister turn, it becomes harder and harder for Ivy to defend her new friend or to make sense of what is happening and why.
I love spooky novels set in Victorian times, so this was definitely a good choice for me and I really enjoyed it. The writing is elegant and the atmosphere dark and menacing. It's about loneliness, secrets, obsessions, appearance versus reality and the power of the imagination.
I completely understood why Ivy was so captivated by Emily White. I found Emily intriguing too and I felt very protective towards her. I didn't want anything bad to happen to her. It's one of those books where the characters get under your skin. It unsettles you, but it draws you in.
I love spooky novels set in Victorian times, so this was definitely a good choice for me and I really enjoyed it. The writing is elegant and the atmosphere dark and menacing. It's about loneliness, secrets, obsessions, appearance versus reality and the power of the imagination.
I completely understood why Ivy was so captivated by Emily White. I found Emily intriguing too and I felt very protective towards her. I didn't want anything bad to happen to her. It's one of those books where the characters get under your skin. It unsettles you, but it draws you in.
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ivy is sent off to a boarding school for young ladies by her grandparents to learn how to be a proper and dutiful daughter, grand-daughter and someday a wife. Feeling isolated by the other girls, she befriends her teacher, Miss White (or Mademoiselle Blanc) and quickly develops an obsession with her, defending her at every turn as the other students throw out accusations against the woman she is so desperate to keep to herself.
It is clear from the beginning that Ivy is delusional, willing to be believe whichever narrative proves Emily White’s innocence denying what she has seen with her own eyes - her teacher in two places at once! That she has created in her head a vision of the relationship between them being more than what it really is.
This is a cleverly written gripping historical ghost story. I couldn’t put it down.
Many thanks to Titan Books and Net Galley for the ARC.
It is clear from the beginning that Ivy is delusional, willing to be believe whichever narrative proves Emily White’s innocence denying what she has seen with her own eyes - her teacher in two places at once! That she has created in her head a vision of the relationship between them being more than what it really is.
This is a cleverly written gripping historical ghost story. I couldn’t put it down.
Many thanks to Titan Books and Net Galley for the ARC.