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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
dark
medium-paced
Ik ben geen fan van de schrijfstijl. Voor mij probeert het te hard.
dark
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
If you liked The Haunting of Bly Manor on Netflix, you will like this book. However, you will notice the obvious similarities.
dark
emotional
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:
Yes
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Death, Domestic abuse, Emotional abuse, Gore, Incest, Mental illness, Misogyny, Panic attacks/disorders, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Sexual assault, Suicide, Terminal illness, Violence, Blood, Vomit, Suicide attempt, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Lesbophobia, Gaslighting, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Pedophilia, Colonisation
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this was deliciously unsettling and exactly what i needed from my gothic summer. a lot of books these days are trying to use “gothic” as a buzzword for dark or eerie aesthetics, but this one truly understands the genre. it’s about being uncomfortable and aroused at the same time, it’s about the rot beneath the polished floors, about the secrets so long buried that the lengths you’ll go to to KEEP it secret become worse than the sin itself.
i love a horror story that begins with clear foreshadowing that something Very Bad is going to happen, and van veen delivered here. the patient interviews dotted throughout roos’s main story slowly build tension as we spend our days in the steadily decaying manor. this is a slow burn with an excellent payoff, though the last 20% or so got a bit “real world” for me versus the ghostly atmosphere of the rest of the book, i still enjoyed the conclusion.
and oh BOY the tragic sapphics! haunting of bly manor girls, have i got a rec for you. i was also pleasantly surprised not only to have a nonwhite mixed love interest in agnes, but to find that her role as an indo woman in dutch high society was handled with care by the narration. roos tries to understand, but agnes is very clear that there are some things that will remain unique to her experience as a woman of color, and that is respected.
this was just excellent all around. johanna van veen may have just cemented herself as one of my auto-buy authors.
i love a horror story that begins with clear foreshadowing that something Very Bad is going to happen, and van veen delivered here. the patient interviews dotted throughout roos’s main story slowly build tension as we spend our days in the steadily decaying manor. this is a slow burn with an excellent payoff, though the last 20% or so got a bit “real world” for me versus the ghostly atmosphere of the rest of the book, i still enjoyed the conclusion.
and oh BOY the tragic sapphics! haunting of bly manor girls, have i got a rec for you. i was also pleasantly surprised not only to have a nonwhite mixed love interest in agnes, but to find that her role as an indo woman in dutch high society was handled with care by the narration. roos tries to understand, but agnes is very clear that there are some things that will remain unique to her experience as a woman of color, and that is respected.
this was just excellent all around. johanna van veen may have just cemented herself as one of my auto-buy authors.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body horror, Child abuse, Toxic relationship
Moderate: Racism, Sexual content
Minor: Incest, Rape, Sexual assault
I really really enjoyed this book. It painted some graphic scenes and created some creepy imagery but maintained an elegant almost beautiful air. I love the way its wraps up and found the resolutions satisfying but not entirely predictable. It’s a creepy story but also a heartfelt one. I absolutely loved the character Ruth. Her dedication and love for Roos is moving, so much so that it’s shocking at times it’s even scary.
My only gripe is that I share a last name with an undesirable and pompous character (van Vliet) but I know that’s a common Dutch last name. Thankfully he is a very minor character haha.
Definitely recommend reading this one!
My only gripe is that I share a last name with an undesirable and pompous character (van Vliet) but I know that’s a common Dutch last name. Thankfully he is a very minor character haha.
Definitely recommend reading this one!