Reviews with content warning for Death - Yellow Jessamine

The basics
Enjoyment: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Plot: ⭐⭐⭐⭐
Characters: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Pacing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
Writing: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

What I loved
Caitlin Starling's prose and just the way she told this incredibly unsettling, bizarre novella, was excellent! I loved the characters and how all of the little plot strings tied so well together in the end. I was absolutely invested in everything that was happening. This is the type of gothic c horror I can get behind.

If you loved The Monster of Elendhaven, I highly recommend this one!

Content Warnings

hannahollihan's review against another edition

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dark slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.0

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katieconrad's review

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dark mysterious medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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dhwani's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

nullandvoidlibrary's review against another edition

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dark mysterious fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

Content Warnings

rorikae's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense fast-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

'Yellow Jessamine' by Caitlin Starling weaves a fascinating story within a novella length. It tells the story of Evelyn Perdanu, a woman who has been surrounded by death and is now watching the world she lives in crumble. But when a strange sickness starts affecting the people around Evelyn, is it merely a new plague or is there something more to the way that it appears to be stalking her?
Starling creates a lush story that weaves in and out as we discover more about Evelyn's past. It's gothic, with incredible atmosphere and the ending is fascinating. This is a dark novella that explores one woman's desire to bend the lives around her out of fear that started in her childhood. One of the few shaky bits is that large discoveries sometimes feel like they are dropped in haphazardly. I believe this is due in part to the fact that a novella length doesn't allow for enough time to properly weave in some of the foreshadowing that I think was necessary. Even so, I found this a gripping story that, though it had a lot to cover in a short space, successfully wove together all of its different parts. I hope that Starling explores this world further because it is absolutely fascinating. I can't wait to read more works from Neon Hemlock. If you are looking for an atmospheric tale that delves into nature and poison, please pick up Yellow Jessamine.

Content Warnings

gracew's review against another edition

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dark mysterious tense slow-paced

Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? No
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

A dark story with a very morally gray queer woman is just what I needed after a lot of disappointing horror this year. Not overly scary but super tense with a very dark message that I cannot help but love. I enjoy the way the ending played out, I enjoyed the way the horror unfolded around the reader. I would have loved for this to be longer but I also think it was a good pace, it's just I never wanted it to end. Overall a really great, short read for people who like Penny Dreadful or Crimson Peak.

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