Scan barcode
bookeduntil's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Rape, Toxic relationship, Violence, Emotional abuse, Abandonment, Adult/minor relationship, Child abuse, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Body horror, Sexism, Sexual violence, Racial slurs, Toxic friendship, Blood, Chronic illness, Confinement, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Racism, Sexual assault, Death, and Gore
Moderate: Suicidal thoughts, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Child death, Suicide, Lesbophobia, Abandonment, Incest, Cannibalism, Classism, Infertility, and Infidelity
nostoat's review
5.0
This is an incredible modern example of the Gothic, complete with questions of sanity, obsession, love, and desire. What is love? Is it pain? Must it only be pain? When you've been through what these women have, can it be anything but sharply edged, with bloody teeth?
I was a bit apprehensive to read this book, as I have strong feelings about madness in narrative, as well as triggers around unreality. However van Veen handles it with such a deft hand. While some readers might still find it difficult or triggering to read (there are doctor's notes sprinkled throughout that, while deeply compassionate, might still be difficult), I didn't.
I was a bit apprehensive to read this book, as I have strong feelings about madness in narrative, as well as triggers around unreality. However van Veen handles it with such a deft hand. While some readers might still find it difficult or triggering to read (there are doctor's notes sprinkled throughout that, while deeply compassionate, might still be difficult), I didn't.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Death, Terminal illness, Self harm, Racism, and Child abuse
Moderate: Incest and Sexual assault
Roos is intentionally starved by her mother throughout the beginning of the book.blacksphinx's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
This is a really lovely sapphic Gothic that goes some places. I just loved the light epistolary touch - every couple of chapters you'll get a transcribed interview between our protagonist Roos and the doctor hired by the court to determine if she's sane enough to stand accused in a murder trial. I felt the interviews gave a good scaffolding to the book. Normally I hate narration that's like "little did they know that one of them would soon be dead", but knowing the tale we are being told has already occurred and getting flickers of how it ends just built up the dread for me. Some parts of this novel thrilled and chilled me; but at other points, I was stuck by how derivative certain plot elements were. (One character's backstory seemed lifted straight out of a very famous Gothic novel; the author even name-checks that one in the back.)
Overall this is a great novel about the lingering effects of trauma and what that does to those who survive. If you're a goth who is always tweeting about "toxic yuri", open a new tab and buy it now.
Overall this is a great novel about the lingering effects of trauma and what that does to those who survive. If you're a goth who is always tweeting about "toxic yuri", open a new tab and buy it now.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Medical content, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Vomit, Injury/Injury detail, Cannibalism, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Incest, Racism, Terminal illness, Child abuse, Confinement, and Death
Moderate: Self harm, Infertility, Toxic relationship, Forced institutionalization, Panic attacks/disorders, Rape, Sexual assault, and Physical abuse
Minor: Abortion, Pregnancy, Animal death, Death of parent, Murder, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , and Trafficking
It's a massive spoiler butsimonlorden's review against another edition
4.5
I received an ARC through NetGalley and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
A sapphic horror that manages to be soft and romantic as well as horrifying. The description of rotting dead bodies is definitely horroristic, but it's not really scary, and in fact often done with love.
Roos is an abused child with a spirit companion that only she can see, at least until she meets the widowed Agnes, who has her own spirit companion. The two of them cling to each other and slowly begin a relationship, but Agnes's relationship with her husband still haunts them. You sort of know from the beginning that it's going to end horribly, but you still can't really blame Roos, because she did what she thought was best for Agnes and her love.
Overall, a horrifying but still emotional and hopeful story that focuses a lot on death and abuse and trauma, as well as racism.
A sapphic horror that manages to be soft and romantic as well as horrifying. The description of rotting dead bodies is definitely horroristic, but it's not really scary, and in fact often done with love.
Roos is an abused child with a spirit companion that only she can see, at least until she meets the widowed Agnes, who has her own spirit companion. The two of them cling to each other and slowly begin a relationship, but Agnes's relationship with her husband still haunts them. You sort of know from the beginning that it's going to end horribly, but you still can't really blame Roos, because she did what she thought was best for Agnes and her love.
Overall, a horrifying but still emotional and hopeful story that focuses a lot on death and abuse and trauma, as well as racism.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death and Incest
elmanana's review
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
If you’re looking for something more paranormal and trauma focused then this is a good pick. It’s pretty dark, but not super gory. It feels more akin to psychological horror and I like how the author applied the experiences of trauma to the characters in a way that makes you want to know what they’re gonna do next and how it’ll affect the ending. A true gothic tale where it’s left to the reader to decide what was real and what wasn’t. I did see other reviewers mentioning that the middle dragged on a little. I didn’t feel that way, although I do feel like it’s not strictly horror which can feel disappointing if that’s what you’re looking for.
This is a tragedy of a young woman who is abused as a child and continues to experience trauma even after finding a safe haven. Then, her mental state is called into question after some mysterious deaths. There’s a strong sense of isolation in the plot and storytelling which provided a lot of interesting tension. Makes for a simple plot yet the author provided a lot of substance through the characters sense of the world as she yearns for companionship and approval.
I liked it.
This is a tragedy of a young woman who is abused as a child and continues to experience trauma even after finding a safe haven. Then, her mental state is called into question after some mysterious deaths. There’s a strong sense of isolation in the plot and storytelling which provided a lot of interesting tension. Makes for a simple plot yet the author provided a lot of substance through the characters sense of the world as she yearns for companionship and approval.
I liked it.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse and Eating disorder
Moderate: Incest, Racism, Domestic abuse, and Sexual assault
lillieslibraryy's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
My Darling Dreadful Thing is a feral, sapphic gothic fiction, complete with toxic relationships, ghosts, murder and mystery. It really leaves you questioning what happened and if any of it was in fact real. van Veen is an amazing writer. This novel is lush and atmospheric and it really engrosses you and feels as if you're right there with the characters.
I love that this was set in the Netherlands too, as I don't read many books with Dutch characters. I was pleasantly surprised this touched on aspects of colonialism especially in Indonesia, I do wish it had explored that a tad more but understand it wasn't the focus.
The vibes of this were just perfect. I actually felt so creeped out and disturbed while reading certain parts and I loved it. This book truly is a work of art in such that art is to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. I truly feel for the characters and what they went through and wished the book had been different purely so they had some piece in life.
If you love Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House this is for you.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
I love that this was set in the Netherlands too, as I don't read many books with Dutch characters. I was pleasantly surprised this touched on aspects of colonialism especially in Indonesia, I do wish it had explored that a tad more but understand it wasn't the focus.
The vibes of this were just perfect. I actually felt so creeped out and disturbed while reading certain parts and I loved it. This book truly is a work of art in such that art is to disturb the comfortable and comfort the disturbed. I truly feel for the characters and what they went through and wished the book had been different purely so they had some piece in life.
If you love Netflix's The Haunting of Hill House this is for you.
Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the e-arc in exchange for an honest review.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Mental illness, and Sexual assault
Moderate: Incest
peachy_reads's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
My Darling Dreadful Thing was a dark and mysterious tale of love and obsession and the blurred lines between the two. I adored Ruth and Roos’ sticky codependent relationship, and how it juxtaposed Roos and Agnes’ relationship which, while still dark and creaky, would have been a step in a more positive direction for Roos.
The gothic atmosphere was so well crafted, helped along but the presence of Ruth and Peter whose creepy ever changing appearances which leant a certain level of surreal-ness to everything. AND THE MYSTERY ELEMENTS! Each reveal made me gasp with horror but it was so delightfully twisted to discover each one.
If this story was comprised solely of the life and Roos as she suffered the mysteries of Rozentuin, it would be a solid 4 stars for me! Roos desperation to please Agnes and the tenuous foundation of their relationship was compelling. I wish I could splice those parts of the story apart from the oddness of of the rest of it,,,
While I loved the writing and the main story of it all, I found myself in turns baffled and frustrated by the interviews with the doctor. At first it was an interesting tilt on the ghostly story to inject a bit of realism, to throw doubt into Roos’ story. But soon it was being used to undermine much of the sense of mystery. We weren’t allowed to sit with any ominous foreshadowing before the Doctor was spelling it out for us, as if we couldn’t draw the conclusions ourselves.
**SPOILERS** The doctor’s presence was especially redundant during the trial. Any doubt that was created about Roos actual mental health and the realness of the ghosts was ruined when the lawyer outright proved Roos couldn’t have done anything she was accused of, veritably proving the reality of the ghosts and destroying any mystery. From there the story limped on a few more baffling chapters of Roos starting her new life and getting better? Question mark? But still having Ruth and still firmly believing Agnes would come back to her. It felt like, especially with the inclusion of the excerpt of the Doctor’s writing, that the author was still trying to draw back to the doubts about Roos’ mental health and the reality of Ruth, but by that point it felt thoroughly shattered. At least for me!
Anyways while I loved the main story, I didn’t not appreciate the use of the Doctor as a story telling element and felt he greatly diminished much of the appeal of the main storyline. For that I can only give 3.5 stars :/
Content Warnings
Graphic: Classism, Murder, Rape, Racism, Death, Body horror, Grief, Vomit, Eating disorder, Forced institutionalization, Sexual content, Chronic illness, Terminal illness, Incest, Mental illness, Self harm, and Schizophrenia/Psychosis
bookedbymadeline's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC!
First off, I loved that the author gives content warnings! It’s something I think every book should have. Now into the review-
The novel is set in The Netherlands during the 1950s. I was so excited to discover this since I haven’t read many books set in The Netherlands!
The story goes back and forth between the main plot and transcripts of Dr/patient interviews at the end of each chapter. It made the plot feel more driven, and was a big reason why I didn’t want to put it down!
Agnes is part Indo, and we learn a bit about the culture as well as the history of Dutch colonization in Indonesia. I found it very interesting and learned a lot I didn’t know before about that piece of history!
Although the story is eerie and disturbing at times, it also has an undertone of warmth and affection, especially regarding the found family between the characters! The book slowed down a little bit in the middle but overall it was an engaging story. I enjoyed the complex characters and the unique ghost story aspect, with having spirit companion instead of being unwillingly haunted.
I did half guess a couple of the twists but they were still really well written! The novel was a quiet horror book with more disturbing imagery than fast paced action. The imagery of Ruth gave me nightmares and made me scared of the dark for sure 😭
Fantastic gothic story with a haunting, atmospheric setting and sapphic romance subplot! I’ll definitely be keeping my eye out for the author’s next book 🤍 I enjoyed the book and the story but it wasn’t exactly what I hoped for. It was slower paced than what I wanted/hoped for and I kind of expected more action based on the synopsis. It was good just not great, if that makes sense?
I’d recommend for anyone wanting a sapphic love story (that’s not a romance book), unique haunting/ghost story, or a gothic horror set in an eerie estate!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Racism, Mental illness, Child abuse, Self harm, Vomit, Terminal illness, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Child death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Incest, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and Homophobia
Minor: Suicide attempt
coobugz's review
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So at first, my thoughts were ‘wtf am I reading?’ I’m not a big horror and ‘spooky book’ reader, and the first bit made me nervous. But the further I got into it, the harder it was for me to put the book down. In a way, it’s like a dark ‘Where the Crawdads Sing’ mixed with a less haunting ‘The Shining.’
I appreciated the interspersed different POVs, and looked forward to the doctor’s POV/case notes. I felt defensive and protective of Roos, and have respect for Dr. Montague. Not gonna lie, Ruth weirds me out and pissed me off sometimes, but that’s plot for ya.
A solid 2 claps for the ending and epilogue. 👏👏
I received the book through Goodreads giveaways as an advanced copy and was super excited to read it before the release date, and to give my first review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I appreciated the interspersed different POVs, and looked forward to the doctor’s POV/case notes. I felt defensive and protective of Roos, and have respect for Dr. Montague. Not gonna lie, Ruth weirds me out and pissed me off sometimes, but that’s plot for ya.
A solid 2 claps for the ending and epilogue. 👏👏
I received the book through Goodreads giveaways as an advanced copy and was super excited to read it before the release date, and to give my first review.
⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Vomit, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death of parent, Incest, Murder, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Cursing, Cannibalism, and Infertility
sunsetsyd's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
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? Yes
5.0
I haven't read a gothic horror/lit in forever and this story reminded me why I love the genre! The authors decision to alternate between interview and flashback made the story engaging and I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. (I would reccomend to those who liked Rebecca) Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for thr arc!:)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Racism
Minor: Incest