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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
love_and_lilacs's review
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 STARS
My Darling Dreadful Thing hooked me almost immediately. I inhaled this book. I simply could not leave it unfinished. I had to know what happened.
I have mixed feelings on the ending, though, which is often the case for me in this genre of work. I found the premise entirely enthralling, and the author's take on how someone becomes a spirit and lingers in this world was especially intriguing to me. I absolutely love, love, loved that idea. I would love to see it explored further.
In general I found there were some minor continuity issues here and there, though nothing jumps out at me as totally distracting from the overall story.
It should be said, this is not an easy book to read if you are sensitive to any number of topics. This is a gothic horror book through and through, dealing with the tough topics of sexual assault, homophobia, child abuse, racism, murder, and more, and probably some stuff I just plain forgot. So be aware of that if you intend to pick it up and give it a go.
All-in-all, even with the less-than-satisfying ending, I'd still generally give a recommendation to gothic horror fans who can handle some rough subject matter.
ARC provided by NetGalley
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Incest, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
This is a gothic horror book and it is entirely about horrible and horrific things happening. Your definition of graphic may be different than mine. Please be advised that I may not have remembered every content warning, but I tried to remember the big ones.atlastheninth's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
4.0
I received a free ARC of this book and here's my honest review.
At the beginning the author writes: “If you strip down My Darling Dreadful Thing until nothing remains but its essence, you will not find a horrific secret at its very heart. You will find, instead, a love story.” And I could not say it better.
Overall this was an enjoyable, easy flowing read. I liked the writing, I liked the characters an I liked the pacing.
I also did enjoy the interview excerpts every other chapter but at the same time I felt like they took out some of the tension.
The ending was nice, but a bit boring? The story just kind of ebbed off with no real climax.
Personally I had hoped for something a bit more exciting and maybe that the question if the spirits are actually real would have been answered, but that's just my preference.
"I know what she wants: to curl herself around me like a comma and press her gaping mouth to my throat so she can drink my blood."
Content Warnings
Graphic: Mental illness, Racism, Rape, and Child abuse
Moderate: Ableism, Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Miscarriage, and Misogyny
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