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columnclub's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I loved this! The Gothic elements were fantastic, and made for such a rich, spooky atmosphere and really tightly maintained tension. The worldbuilding was so thorough, and though the Twelve Dancing Princesses story was more of a jumping off point, the mystery that emerges from it was super well done. I generally agree that the romance here wasn't the strongest, but it had some really sweet moments, and for me it justified its presence in the novel.
I had a couple of initial qualms when we started getting some real answers, but the payoff pulled it back. On the whole, I had a great time reading this, and will definitely keep an eye out for future titles.
I had a couple of initial qualms when we started getting some real answers, but the payoff pulled it back. On the whole, I had a great time reading this, and will definitely keep an eye out for future titles.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child death, Death, and Pregnancy
Moderate: Death of parent, Murder, Miscarriage, and Gore
Minor: Sexual harassment, Suicide, and Vomit
feb_books's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
In a manor by the sea, twelve sisters are cursed.
I read this book because I need a book that will give me a nightmare. Some people on Goodreads said this book is spooky, full of death, ghost, and mystery-no doubt about it! This book is indeed spooky. If you search for an enchanting and haunting book, you can try House of Salt and Sorrows by Erin A. Craig.
But if you're not a fan of dark mystery fantasy books, you will find this book is a little bit boring.
Trigger Warnings: Death, Child Death, Grief, Suicide, Blood, Miscarriage, Gore.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Child death
Moderate: Miscarriage, Blood, and Suicide
Minor: Gore
shaybrawner's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
"A shooting star danced across the opening, but before I could point it out, Cassius's lips descended on mine, and I forgot all about the sky."
This book is for you if... you want a darker fairytale that's also a retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses.
This was soooo good! I think this will definitely be a book that's rating could raise with a reread of it. The story of The 12 Dancing Princesses was always one of my favorite as a child, I would beg my mom or grandma to put on the barbie movie or read it from the story book we had, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about one of my childhood favorites being retold in a dark way. But I loved it, it was done so well and I didn't want to put it down except when my eyes needed a short break.
The romance in this book was perfect. And I'm not usually a crazy fan of romance in my books like leave me with my fantasy and keep the romance, but this pairing, just made sense to me. I will say it has a bit of an insta love feeling so if you aren't into that you might not like it as much as I do(I usually don't like insta love but I liked this one).
My main issue with this book, was the pacing in the first half, it just felt so slow and like things were happening but not happening. That probably make absolutely no sense. Is this book perfect? Not in my opinion no. Is it a damn good book that I would recommend? Absolutely. I felt like I was pulled into this beautiful seaside world, filled with ghosts and gods.
CAWPILE Rating: 7.43/10
Stars: 4/5 Stars
Felt like living a fairytale.
This book is for you if... you want a darker fairytale that's also a retelling of the 12 Dancing Princesses.
This was soooo good! I think this will definitely be a book that's rating could raise with a reread of it. The story of The 12 Dancing Princesses was always one of my favorite as a child, I would beg my mom or grandma to put on the barbie movie or read it from the story book we had, so I wasn't sure how I would feel about one of my childhood favorites being retold in a dark way. But I loved it, it was done so well and I didn't want to put it down except when my eyes needed a short break.
The romance in this book was perfect. And I'm not usually a crazy fan of romance in my books like leave me with my fantasy and keep the romance, but this pairing, just made sense to me. I will say it has a bit of an insta love feeling so if you aren't into that you might not like it as much as I do(I usually don't like insta love but I liked this one).
My main issue with this book, was the pacing in the first half, it just felt so slow and like things were happening but not happening. That probably make absolutely no sense. Is this book perfect? Not in my opinion no. Is it a damn good book that I would recommend? Absolutely. I felt like I was pulled into this beautiful seaside world, filled with ghosts and gods.
CAWPILE Rating: 7.43/10
Stars: 4/5 Stars
Felt like living a fairytale.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, and Grief
Moderate: Blood, Suicide, and Miscarriage
Minor: Gore and Body horror
thecatconstellation's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.25
This is a creepy story with a decent pace. There is some character development and a wide variety of character personalities. Some fantasy elements and some plot twists. Kept me engaged.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Body horror and Grief
Minor: Blood, Child death, Death of parent, Gaslighting, Gore, Murder, Suicidal thoughts, Suicide, Suicide attempt, and Violence
j_emerson18's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
5.0
I loved this story much more than I thought I would. It is beautifully written and has plot twists that I wasn't expecting.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Murder
Moderate: Blood, Fire/Fire injury, Grief, and Kidnapping
Minor: Death of parent and Kidnapping
dazzling_aurora's review against another edition
dark
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Death, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Gore, Grief, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Vomit, and Child death
Minor: Alcohol
amandaamanda's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death and Death
Moderate: Blood and Body horror
spookynerd00's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
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
3.0
There were enough good elements to keep me reading. The horror was nice and creepy, and I found the mystery enticing. Plus I loved the overall concept.
But there were too many things I didn’t love. Annaleigh was such a flat character. Apparently character development is more important to me than I thought, but the plot was good enough for me to forgive that after the first section of the book. But it was a slow start, and Annaleigh’s lack of depth made it slower.
The romance was also... unnecessary? Too quick? I don’t know, I just didn’t like it.
And the big reveal at the end, it all happened so quick, and I found it a little unbelievable and a bit unsatisfying.
Finally, I have mixed feelings about the world building. There were so many different elements to explore, which was very cool, but it all felt... too convenient? I’m not sure how to elaborate on this. I will say that there does seem to be potential for more stories written in this world, and I wouldn’t be against trying them out.
But there were too many things I didn’t love. Annaleigh was such a flat character. Apparently character development is more important to me than I thought, but the plot was good enough for me to forgive that after the first section of the book. But it was a slow start, and Annaleigh’s lack of depth made it slower.
The romance was also... unnecessary? Too quick? I don’t know, I just didn’t like it.
And the big reveal at the end, it all happened so quick, and I found it a little unbelievable and a bit unsatisfying.
Finally, I have mixed feelings about the world building. There were so many different elements to explore, which was very cool, but it all felt... too convenient? I’m not sure how to elaborate on this. I will say that there does seem to be potential for more stories written in this world, and I wouldn’t be against trying them out.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death
Moderate: Death of parent and Pregnancy
Minor: Blood, Body horror, and Gore
bookcaptivated's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Gore, Grief, Mental illness, Miscarriage, Murder, Pregnancy, Suicide, Violence, Vomit, Blood, Child death, and Death
Moderate: Animal death
its_madi's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Death, and Child death
Moderate: Blood