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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
This was such a good October read! It’s very gothic, ghostly, sapphic, and violent. I really enjoyed the relationship between Ruth and Roos, it’s so simple in the fact that they cannot live without each other (or in Ruth’s case, live after death.) It becomes toxic for the first time when Agnes threatens it, and watching their individual reactions made me both want their relationship, but also wish for it to never actually find me. I also hated Wilemijn’s character, like we all did, and was pleased when she was left to the elements. Oh and I also really enjoyed the chapters of the psychiatrist’s notes! It was fun to see how Roos was perceived by a mental health professional (I’m a psychology girl.)
There was only one thing I didn’t quite love, that being the interaction between Roos and Thomas - after all the build up, it was kinda anti-climactic.
Overall this was a really good read, and I just love when a character murders for love! How sweet :)
There was only one thing I didn’t quite love, that being the interaction between Roos and Thomas - after all the build up, it was kinda anti-climactic.
Overall this was a really good read, and I just love when a character murders for love! How sweet :)
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This one starts off a bit slow and the main character takes a little time to get used to, but I did get hooked before too long
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
dark
emotional
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Mental illness
Moderate: Rape
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
This was so refreshingly brave and different and creepy and I LOVED it.
The book "My Darling Dreadful Thing" is an eerie and evocative gothic tale steeped in longing, grief, and the pull of the supernatural. The story follows a woman trying to make sense of her fractured past and the ghostly presence that clings to her. We travel back and forth from her memories to present day in an asylum, as the story unfurls before us bit by bit. This is a romance novel of sorts, but one haunted by violence, memory, and the question of what it means to be truly seen.
The atmosphere is thick and immersive. The walls of the asylum feel damp with secrets, and the writing leans into that sense of decay without ever becoming stagnant. There is movement in the story. Ghosts drift between pages, past selves rise up, and relationships shift beneath the weight of truth. The romance at the heart of the book is complex and strange, filled with a tension that feels both dangerous and tender. There is an ache to it, the kind that comes from loving someone who might destroy you or save you, depending on the day.
What stood out most to me was how the book treats madness, not as spectacle, but as a lens for understanding power, trauma, and love. The narrator’s voice is intimate and unreliable, and that uncertainty adds another layer to the horror. You are never quite sure what is real, but the emotion always is.
"My Darling Dreadful Thing" is dark, poetic, and beautifully disorienting. I would recommend this to readers who love gothic horror, sapphic longing, and stories that lean into emotional and psychological ambiguity. If you are looking for a straightforward plot, a reliable narrator, or romance that feels comfortable and safe, this may not be the book for you.
The atmosphere is thick and immersive. The walls of the asylum feel damp with secrets, and the writing leans into that sense of decay without ever becoming stagnant. There is movement in the story. Ghosts drift between pages, past selves rise up, and relationships shift beneath the weight of truth. The romance at the heart of the book is complex and strange, filled with a tension that feels both dangerous and tender. There is an ache to it, the kind that comes from loving someone who might destroy you or save you, depending on the day.
What stood out most to me was how the book treats madness, not as spectacle, but as a lens for understanding power, trauma, and love. The narrator’s voice is intimate and unreliable, and that uncertainty adds another layer to the horror. You are never quite sure what is real, but the emotion always is.
"My Darling Dreadful Thing" is dark, poetic, and beautifully disorienting. I would recommend this to readers who love gothic horror, sapphic longing, and stories that lean into emotional and psychological ambiguity. If you are looking for a straightforward plot, a reliable narrator, or romance that feels comfortable and safe, this may not be the book for you.
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated