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minimicropup's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.5
Main POVs š:
- An adult in their 20s, trauma bonded to their verbally abusive aunt after the loss of their father under tragic circumstances. As a result, they devalue their own opinions and desires.
- An adult in their 20s. They are eager, friendly, and enthusiastic. They are used to facing judgement for being genderqueer so try to avoid those situations, but their insatiable curiousity about the new arrivals in town (and the historic murder mystery) cause them to let their guard down.
Atmosphere š«„: Vague and detached, building to complex and urgent
- Set in a small town at the inherited Victorian mansion of our MCs father
Cred Rating š: Mix of suspended disbelief realism
The overall plot and events are suspenseful but could be ruined if youāre an overthinker so go in with some suspended disbelief. Realistic depictions of gaslighting and abuse cycles; has all the obvious red flags to outsiders mixed in with the subtle ones that make it so hard to identify abuse.
Growls, Howls, and Tail Wags šŗš:
- The atmosphere starts off thin and stuttering, but eventually finds its footing later in the plot. A lot of this was because the first ~20% of the story had jarring transitions (paragraphs where we have no idea where the characters are) and seemingly abrupt behaviours (the first time Maeās husband acts āout of characterā, we donāt understand why she wouldnāt at least question why heās so angry). As the story proceeds these jarring moments are minimized and I wasnāt knocked out of the story anymore.
- The commentary on narcissistic abuse, and gender identity was not OTT or hit-you-on-the-head. It was subtle and sometimes direct, but relevant to the plot. For example, there are moments where you arenāt sure if someone is just in need of some perspective and empathy because they have biases from their privilege, or if they are truly narcissistic, toxic people. There are men behaving badly, but women too. Without giving away spoilers, it feels balanced, particularly with Maeās family dynamics.
- Haunted house vibes done right! Our MC has reason to believe the house is haunted but isnāt in a mindset to be able to telland she has nowhere else to go and no resources ā although she still tries to figure it out. Itās not the typical haunted house trope that relies solely on the ambivalence of the haunted.
- The cover is misleading. It looked like a steamy romance involving a violinist, which just isnāt for me (not yucking yums, I just canāt help judge a book by its cover). After reading the synopsis I decided to try it out and glad I did.
Reading Journey š: Road trip with a rough start but got it all sorted out.
Mood Reading Match-Up:
- Subtle haunted house vibes mystery
- Here-all-along, heartwarming romance elements
- Amateur sleuthing with consequences
- Good-for-them revenge trope
- Suspense plots with IRL horrors and fight-for-your-life thriller bits
- Commentary on prejudices and biases against women, non-binary, non-male (coming from men and women and both well intentioned and not) and covert narcissism
Vibes: šØš”š
Content Heads-Up: Drug use (intentional and unintentional). Gaslighting and narcissistic abuse. Homophobia/transphobia. Genderqueer rep (seems healthy and accurate).
Format: Digital from BookSirens on Kindle (I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization, Death of parent, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, and Gaslighting
Moderate: Transphobia, Toxic relationship, Drug use, Homophobia, Mental illness, and Physical abuse
Minor: Infidelity and Abandonment
raincorbyn's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
hopeful
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
4.5
lecreigh's review
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
talesoftheraven's review
3.0
A murder mystery in an old Victorian home. A missing rare violin. A woman lost and found.
I was given an advanced reading copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I have not read this author before, and I'm not familiar with their other works. I opted into the advanced copy because I am always looking for queer horror and mystery writers to read, review, and promote.
This book was an interesting mix of elements. I can see where the author took time and care in showing the mental decline of their protagonist. The expression of her innocence, her need for escape, and her reaching out for something she could call her own was written well, even if some of the transitions were a little jarring.
I enjoyed Ollie - the genderqueer small town weird with a love of animals who is trying to establish themselves as a serious investigator and a friend/love interest to the main character, Mae. Watching them struggle with their own motivations, even as they push for a resolution to a decades old murder and for Mae's health and well being.
Here are the things I didn't like:
Some of the transitions were very jarring - so jarring that they didn't make a whole lot of sense in the flow of the work as a whole.
Some of the character introductions felt a little forced (I think somewhere I missed the reference to the dog, Lady, before she was helping Ollie hunt for clues).
The depth of character got lost with some of those transitions - particularly Mae going from milquetoast to determined to stop what was happening to her.
There were several brushes with other issues queer and other vulnerable people deal with: the homophobia and conspiracy theory mongering Aunt Bel, the healthcare system failing them (the doctor was absolutely NAILED - he was my personal worst nightmare). I felt like these were shoehorned into moving the plot forward.
Overall, I think this was a good debut novel. I would be willing to read more by this author, especially given that they are trying to give voice to queer issues in the context of traditional horror stories.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this work!
I was given an advanced reading copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review.
I have not read this author before, and I'm not familiar with their other works. I opted into the advanced copy because I am always looking for queer horror and mystery writers to read, review, and promote.
This book was an interesting mix of elements. I can see where the author took time and care in showing the mental decline of their protagonist. The expression of her innocence, her need for escape, and her reaching out for something she could call her own was written well, even if some of the transitions were a little jarring.
I enjoyed Ollie - the genderqueer small town weird with a love of animals who is trying to establish themselves as a serious investigator and a friend/love interest to the main character, Mae. Watching them struggle with their own motivations, even as they push for a resolution to a decades old murder and for Mae's health and well being.
Here are the things I didn't like:
Some of the transitions were very jarring - so jarring that they didn't make a whole lot of sense in the flow of the work as a whole.
Some of the character introductions felt a little forced (I think somewhere I missed the reference to the dog, Lady, before she was helping Ollie hunt for clues).
The depth of character got lost with some of those transitions - particularly Mae going from milquetoast to determined to stop what was happening to her.
There were several brushes with other issues queer and other vulnerable people deal with: the homophobia and conspiracy theory mongering Aunt Bel, the healthcare system failing them (the doctor was absolutely NAILED - he was my personal worst nightmare). I felt like these were shoehorned into moving the plot forward.
Overall, I think this was a good debut novel. I would be willing to read more by this author, especially given that they are trying to give voice to queer issues in the context of traditional horror stories.
Thank you for the opportunity to review this work!
tag_gregory's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Literal Gaslighting & Scary Narcissism! Oh, my!
After Maeās father is killed during the robbery of his priceless Stradivarius, the traumatized child is shipped off to live with her conservative conspiracy-nut Aunt. Not a nice place to live for a sensitive, artistic, young queer. Is it any wonder sheās the perfect prey when an apparently rich, older man begins to pay her attention? Carter says all the right things. Heās charming. Heās suave and sophisticated; heās everything a girl raised in a trailer park dreams about. And when he asks her to marry him after theyāve only been ādatingā a few weeks, Mae immediately accepts, desperate to escape her aunt and start a real life.
Of course, I hated Carter from his first introduction.
Luckily, this evil villainās presence is offset by Ollie, the quirky NB handy-person whoās hired to help Mae and Carter rehab the old house Mae inherited from her murdered father. Yay, queer romantic interest! Good thing Ollie is onto Carter almost from the start.
I really enjoyed this psychological drama with a queer twist. Not sure you can really call it a āmysteryā though because itās pretty clear who the bad guy is from the beginning. But I kept reading because I had to know if Mae would ultimately succumb or triumph. Youāll want to as well.
Mind the CWs!
My review is based on the ARC I received of this title.
After Maeās father is killed during the robbery of his priceless Stradivarius, the traumatized child is shipped off to live with her conservative conspiracy-nut Aunt. Not a nice place to live for a sensitive, artistic, young queer. Is it any wonder sheās the perfect prey when an apparently rich, older man begins to pay her attention? Carter says all the right things. Heās charming. Heās suave and sophisticated; heās everything a girl raised in a trailer park dreams about. And when he asks her to marry him after theyāve only been ādatingā a few weeks, Mae immediately accepts, desperate to escape her aunt and start a real life.
Of course, I hated Carter from his first introduction.
Luckily, this evil villainās presence is offset by Ollie, the quirky NB handy-person whoās hired to help Mae and Carter rehab the old house Mae inherited from her murdered father. Yay, queer romantic interest! Good thing Ollie is onto Carter almost from the start.
I really enjoyed this psychological drama with a queer twist. Not sure you can really call it a āmysteryā though because itās pretty clear who the bad guy is from the beginning. But I kept reading because I had to know if Mae would ultimately succumb or triumph. Youāll want to as well.
Mind the CWs!
My review is based on the ARC I received of this title.
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