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3.38 AVERAGE
3.38 AVERAGE
Romero Park is the ancestral home of Edward Dorchester, your classic haughty-yet-troubled gothic noble. It is harvest time, and Dorchester is planning a ball to celebrate the announcement of his engagement. But as the local gentry descend upon the manor, and the servants scramble to get everything in order, a fell moon rises on the proceedings, and a mysterious corruption is slowly working its insidious way through the manor house and grounds.
I wasn’t sure what I was in for when I started this book. Let’s face it, the zombie thing is on the decline, and classic-literature-plus-undead is hard to do right. Fortunately, Cook does a fantastic job with Romero Park, giving us both zombie mayhem and Victorian correctness in one package. The book uses the bones of Jane Eyre, and drapes it in rotting flesh and gnashing teeth. The story moves from person to person, flirting with the Brönte plot we know and love, but veering away into wholly original (and very entertaining) territory.
My original beef with the book is that it was largely build-up with little climax. Now that I know the book is the first in a planned trilogy, I can understand the reasons for the pacing. Cook slowly builds up the terror in store, letting us see glimpses of a future calamity, and setting us upon several red herrings. It also lets me appreciate the time the author takes with each of her characters, letting them live and breathe a bit before the undead come knocking.
This book, quite simply, is an enormous amount of fun. You know how the story is supposed to go, and you happily anticipate the chaos of the zombie apocalypse to come. And let’s face it, who hasn’t wanted some version of Blanche Ingram to get eaten by a horde of mindless undead?
If you enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (and I will confess that I enjoyed this book more), or like a whiff of rotting flesh with your classic literature, this is an incredibly entertaining read. I’m waiting on tenterhooks to see how the story plays out in the next book!
A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
I wasn’t sure what I was in for when I started this book. Let’s face it, the zombie thing is on the decline, and classic-literature-plus-undead is hard to do right. Fortunately, Cook does a fantastic job with Romero Park, giving us both zombie mayhem and Victorian correctness in one package. The book uses the bones of Jane Eyre, and drapes it in rotting flesh and gnashing teeth. The story moves from person to person, flirting with the Brönte plot we know and love, but veering away into wholly original (and very entertaining) territory.
My original beef with the book is that it was largely build-up with little climax. Now that I know the book is the first in a planned trilogy, I can understand the reasons for the pacing. Cook slowly builds up the terror in store, letting us see glimpses of a future calamity, and setting us upon several red herrings. It also lets me appreciate the time the author takes with each of her characters, letting them live and breathe a bit before the undead come knocking.
This book, quite simply, is an enormous amount of fun. You know how the story is supposed to go, and you happily anticipate the chaos of the zombie apocalypse to come. And let’s face it, who hasn’t wanted some version of Blanche Ingram to get eaten by a horde of mindless undead?
If you enjoyed Pride and Prejudice and Zombies (and I will confess that I enjoyed this book more), or like a whiff of rotting flesh with your classic literature, this is an incredibly entertaining read. I’m waiting on tenterhooks to see how the story plays out in the next book!
A copy of this book was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.
The Dorchester and Helgram families are coming together for a ball at Romero Park. Unfortunately the night will not go smoothly as the undead are roaming the grounds. Told from different viewpoints, the story unfolds slowly, with enough teasers to keep you hooked before things go from bad to worse. In a similar vein as pride and prejudice and zombies, I thought the writer did a good job of portraying Victorian times and the way of life back then. It was also nice to read about zombies in a different era. It was a little slow in places, but if it was a movie i think this would build suspense. I enjoyed the book and would recommend it to zombie fans
As the guest are arriving for a ball, the tenants and servants are in a superstitious state due to the moon. Strange things happen to those who've died in Night of the Victorian Dead by Amber Michelle Cook but will everyone realize what's going on before something terrible befalls them?
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
To celebrate the official announcement of his ward, Sophie's, engagement, Mr. Dorchester invites guests to his home, Romero Park. With romantic entanglements and desires, as well as a mind toward elevating familial status through prudent marriages, the gentlemen and ladies of the Dorchester's acquaintance have various goals for the ball Mr. Dorchester's hosting. As each of the guests are set to arrive on the Harvest Moon, leaving the servants and tenants of Romero Park uneasy from the stories they believe of spirits negatively affecting them. As each party seems to have fallen victim to some trouble before arriving, suspicions are aroused by the superstitious and generally inquisitive among them, but in finding rational explanations for the odd occurances the creepy, haunting reality behind what's going on isn't realized.
This first book spends most, if not all, of its time concerned with lengthy (and somewhat unnecessary) exposition, bringing all the characters together and setting up action for the rest of the series, with very little actual progression; now that the pieces are in place on the board and odd things have started happening right at the end of this installment, there's some interest in seeing how events would progress and characters fare in the end as the concept of the undead in Victorian England is intriguing. Having read much British literature I found the communication issues between characters familiar but became rather frustrated by the attempt made to emulate the writing style of British literature as the commitment wasn't consistent enough to be of use (inconsistent American/British spelling for words, Mr shouldn't have the period after it like it does in American English, etc.).
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
To read this, and other book reviews, visit my website: http://makinggoodstories.wordpress.com/.
To celebrate the official announcement of his ward, Sophie's, engagement, Mr. Dorchester invites guests to his home, Romero Park. With romantic entanglements and desires, as well as a mind toward elevating familial status through prudent marriages, the gentlemen and ladies of the Dorchester's acquaintance have various goals for the ball Mr. Dorchester's hosting. As each of the guests are set to arrive on the Harvest Moon, leaving the servants and tenants of Romero Park uneasy from the stories they believe of spirits negatively affecting them. As each party seems to have fallen victim to some trouble before arriving, suspicions are aroused by the superstitious and generally inquisitive among them, but in finding rational explanations for the odd occurances the creepy, haunting reality behind what's going on isn't realized.
This first book spends most, if not all, of its time concerned with lengthy (and somewhat unnecessary) exposition, bringing all the characters together and setting up action for the rest of the series, with very little actual progression; now that the pieces are in place on the board and odd things have started happening right at the end of this installment, there's some interest in seeing how events would progress and characters fare in the end as the concept of the undead in Victorian England is intriguing. Having read much British literature I found the communication issues between characters familiar but became rather frustrated by the attempt made to emulate the writing style of British literature as the commitment wasn't consistent enough to be of use (inconsistent American/British spelling for words, Mr shouldn't have the period after it like it does in American English, etc.).
*I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
This novel ends at the setting of the first of the three days of the Harvest Moon. However, the first book in a series needs to be able to stand on its own. Look at Harry Potter, Inkheart, and Magyk, to name a few. In every one of these, the villain is vanquished and wrongs are set right, even if the reader knows it will only be for a little while. I am sorry to say that Welcome to Romero Park does not succeed in this.
The author spends 3/4 of the book making the reader trudge through dull and relatively uninteresting backstories and fluff, leaving them in the head of so many characters that it is impossible to feel any sort of attachment to any of them. We get bits and pieces of cliched backstories, but the characters are unoriginal and bland, and there is nothing that gives us a true connection. Her narrators are spread so thin that the story feels clunky and disjointed. It is often very hard to figure out any sort of timeline in the first part of the novel, but in the later sections it is much easier to see that everything is happening simultaneously.
The biggest grievance in this book, however, is the author's assumption that her readers have never encountered a book before and therefore must have everything spoonfed to them. All throughout the book, things are told to the reader instead of shown to them, which is the biggest sin an author can make. If things are shown, it is only for a very brief moment and then the entirety of the next scene deals with a character explaining in detail what happened in the previous scene. This is especially prominent when the reader first arrives at the Helgram house, Highland Hall, in chapter 6 of part one. It extends to the prolonged judgment of Mrs. Helgram as well. I think the use of telling was most prominent when
Another thing that goes along with the "show, not tell" is the author's absolute delight in hitting her reader over the head with foreshadowing. It is all so painfully obvious () what is going to happen all throughout the novel, particularly . the author so loves writing her bad boys and wants you to know EXACTLY what they are up to.
Be forewarned that the language used will really begin to grate by chapter four. She is trying so hard to sound Austenian, but takes it too far. It also shows that, while the author's love for archaic language comes out hard, she completely avoids the British "u" in words like color/colour. It's a very small thing, but it stands out glaringly over the course of the novel, particularly when compared to the author's enthusiasm over everything else.
I was really excited for this novel and was disappointed. There is so much fluff in the first two parts of this novel that it could've easily been cut down by 2/3 and nobody would've been the wiser. Stuff really didn't start happening until I'd hit 82% in the Kindle edition! I understand it's meant to sound Austenian, but Austen had a purpose for everything she wrote. Nothing was fluff. I spent an entire course studying Austen and her writing style, and while the author tries, it falls short for a few reasons:
1. There just is not enough character development for the reader to care about anyone, and the characters are all cookie cutter lifted from other novels (Mr. Dorchester, for example,, and Mrs. Helgram is , and Miss Helgram reminds me of ).
2. The author puts so many things in your face while keeping minor things infuriatingly vague ()
3. THERE IS SO MUCH FLUFF.
Had I not read Jane Austen's novels first, and if I hadn't studied them and other Gothic novels nearly to death during my time as an English undergraduate and graduate student, I might have felt okay with giving this book 3.5 or even 4 stars. As it stands, though, I've thoroughly studied (and thoroughly enjoyed!) Austen's work and the work of the Brontë sisters over the past six years (I'm due to graduate with my English MA in May 2018), that I cannot ignore what is going on here.
I feel like there is potential for this book, but as it stands now, I feel like the only reason I would read the others in the series would be to see if the author can possibly wrap this up in a satisfying way. The end of book one was not satisfying, and the "preview" of book two at the end actually turned me away from attempting the next one.
2/5 stars.
This novel ends at the setting of the first of the three days of the Harvest Moon. However, the first book in a series needs to be able to stand on its own. Look at Harry Potter, Inkheart, and Magyk, to name a few. In every one of these, the villain is vanquished and wrongs are set right, even if the reader knows it will only be for a little while. I am sorry to say that Welcome to Romero Park does not succeed in this.
The author spends 3/4 of the book making the reader trudge through dull and relatively uninteresting backstories and fluff, leaving them in the head of so many characters that it is impossible to feel any sort of attachment to any of them. We get bits and pieces of cliched backstories, but the characters are unoriginal and bland, and there is nothing that gives us a true connection. Her narrators are spread so thin that the story feels clunky and disjointed. It is often very hard to figure out any sort of timeline in the first part of the novel, but in the later sections it is much easier to see that everything is happening simultaneously.
The biggest grievance in this book, however, is the author's assumption that her readers have never encountered a book before and therefore must have everything spoonfed to them. All throughout the book, things are told to the reader instead of shown to them, which is the biggest sin an author can make. If things are shown, it is only for a very brief moment and then the entirety of the next scene deals with a character explaining in detail what happened in the previous scene. This is especially prominent when the reader first arrives at the Helgram house, Highland Hall, in chapter 6 of part one. It extends to the prolonged judgment of Mrs. Helgram as well. I think the use of telling was most prominent when
Spoiler
Sophie Dorchester ran away nearly in tears after the scene in the sitting room near the end of the book. I had not picked up on any slight so monstrous as what she perceived, so it took Rosemary Helgram's callout of her brother in the next scene to truly understand what had happened. This scene is particular could have had so much more tension in it, but as mentioned before, it is hard to feel any real sympathy for any of these characters, because they are so lacking in things that set them apart.Another thing that goes along with the "show, not tell" is the author's absolute delight in hitting her reader over the head with foreshadowing. It is all so painfully obvious (
Spoiler
and indeed, actually PLAYS OUT predictably instead of just being a red herring!!Spoiler
if you've read Jane EyreBe forewarned that the language used will really begin to grate by chapter four. She is trying so hard to sound Austenian, but takes it too far. It also shows that, while the author's love for archaic language comes out hard, she completely avoids the British "u" in words like color/colour. It's a very small thing, but it stands out glaringly over the course of the novel, particularly when compared to the author's enthusiasm over everything else.
I was really excited for this novel and was disappointed. There is so much fluff in the first two parts of this novel that it could've easily been cut down by 2/3 and nobody would've been the wiser. Stuff really didn't start happening until I'd hit 82% in the Kindle edition! I understand it's meant to sound Austenian, but Austen had a purpose for everything she wrote. Nothing was fluff. I spent an entire course studying Austen and her writing style, and while the author tries, it falls short for a few reasons:
1. There just is not enough character development for the reader to care about anyone, and the characters are all cookie cutter lifted from other novels (Mr. Dorchester, for example,
Spoiler
is totally Mr. Rochester from Jane EyreSpoiler
a dead ringer for Mrs. Bennet from Pride & PrejudiceSpoiler
Marianne from Sense and Sensibility2. The author puts so many things in your face while keeping minor things infuriatingly vague (
Spoiler
Georgie's condition, for example; does he have fainting spells? What's up with him? He's never been bitten or encountered anything unnatural; let us know what his problem is!3. THERE IS SO MUCH FLUFF.
Had I not read Jane Austen's novels first, and if I hadn't studied them and other Gothic novels nearly to death during my time as an English undergraduate and graduate student, I might have felt okay with giving this book 3.5 or even 4 stars. As it stands, though, I've thoroughly studied (and thoroughly enjoyed!) Austen's work and the work of the Brontë sisters over the past six years (I'm due to graduate with my English MA in May 2018), that I cannot ignore what is going on here.
I feel like there is potential for this book, but as it stands now, I feel like the only reason I would read the others in the series would be to see if the author can possibly wrap this up in a satisfying way. The end of book one was not satisfying, and the "preview" of book two at the end actually turned me away from attempting the next one.
2/5 stars.
Undead in Victorian times. Interesting! I think this book was good for me. I was not sure what to except from this book but I enjoyed it. It had a little bit of something different for me. There were times it was bit slow but for the most part this book was good. * I received this book from the author in exchange for an honest review*
I wanted so bad to love this story, Pride & Prejudice meets Zombies, sign me up! Ultimately though it just wasn't for me. I'm okay with a slow burn, I don't mind waiting awhile to get to the payoff, but I never really felt like I got there by the end, unfortunately. To be honest the real build up didn't even seem to come into play until the second half of the book and it just never quite delivers on the action I was highly anticipating.
Besides the lacking action I had wanted, I also found it hard to connect with any of the characters as they all seemed so similar to me and there were so many of them they all kind of blobbed together. It was written well, and there was a lot of potential and a few enjoyable scenes, but in the end I was left wanting and not in a good way.
* I received a copy of this book from the author and this is my honest review *
Besides the lacking action I had wanted, I also found it hard to connect with any of the characters as they all seemed so similar to me and there were so many of them they all kind of blobbed together. It was written well, and there was a lot of potential and a few enjoyable scenes, but in the end I was left wanting and not in a good way.
* I received a copy of this book from the author and this is my honest review *