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3.77 AVERAGE
3.77 AVERAGE
dark
fast-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
this book was TOO long for what it was. it was okay, it was entertaining sometimes. however, it was way too drawn out.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
reflective
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
A dark gothic romance with morally gray man with scars, and legends about the Blackhorne family and the secrets at the castle? Beauty and Beast meets Phanton of the Opera with a hint of Hunchback of Notredame vibes. We have a castle made of bones with ghosts haunting the halls and disappearances that have never been explained.
You guys this book. So freaking good. Isadora gets a job at the infamous Blackhorne manor taking of Lucian Blackthornes mother, known as the Devil of Bonesalt to the small fishing town they reside in. She is intrigued of the castle and not one to fall for rumors. When she meets Lucian and see his scars she more interested than scared. And Lucian can’t seem to get Isa out of his head.
This book felt more of a slow burn for me as nothing romantic happened until maybe 60% but the plot and mysteries kept my attention from the very beginning. Wanting to know what did happened to Lucian wife and son. And the secret group he is apart of. And the medical state of his mother. What are the ghosts that haunt the castle at night.
The connection between Isa and Lucian is easy to see and it was easy to connect to them as a couple as well as individuals. We have a strong female who will do anything for family and a dark heroine who will do anything for the heroine. So many plot twists I didn’t see coming and one I almost guessed. The secrets that are finally uncovered and you figure out the truth of Blackthorne manor.
We have age gap, forbidden romance, caretaker, widowed H. Run, don’t walk to read this. Available on KU as well ❤️
4.5/5 ⭐️
4/5
You guys this book. So freaking good. Isadora gets a job at the infamous Blackhorne manor taking of Lucian Blackthornes mother, known as the Devil of Bonesalt to the small fishing town they reside in. She is intrigued of the castle and not one to fall for rumors. When she meets Lucian and see his scars she more interested than scared. And Lucian can’t seem to get Isa out of his head.
This book felt more of a slow burn for me as nothing romantic happened until maybe 60% but the plot and mysteries kept my attention from the very beginning. Wanting to know what did happened to Lucian wife and son. And the secret group he is apart of. And the medical state of his mother. What are the ghosts that haunt the castle at night.
The connection between Isa and Lucian is easy to see and it was easy to connect to them as a couple as well as individuals. We have a strong female who will do anything for family and a dark heroine who will do anything for the heroine. So many plot twists I didn’t see coming and one I almost guessed. The secrets that are finally uncovered and you figure out the truth of Blackthorne manor.
We have age gap, forbidden romance, caretaker, widowed H. Run, don’t walk to read this. Available on KU as well ❤️
4.5/5 ⭐️
4/5
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Bummed I did not like this one nearly as much as I liked Nocticadia. I think the issue was I did not care for the main female character and did not understand why Lucian would either. If he left his castle he would've been able to find someone more interesting and age appropriate within 30 minutes. But then again she's "not like other girls" because she dresses edgy, carries a knife, and likes reading....
There is a bit of atmospheric writing but nowhere near Nocticadia. I was also able to guess most of the plot twists so I was mainly reading to get through it and waiting until the characters caught up. I did like Lucian and if Isadora had been aged up a few years and had less annoying qualities, I would've believed their love story and enjoyed the book more.
3 ⭐️
I'll definitely pick up more of Keri Lake's books because I do enjoy her writing, but I'm crossing my fingers I actually like the next main character.
There is a bit of atmospheric writing but nowhere near Nocticadia. I was also able to guess most of the plot twists so I was mainly reading to get through it and waiting until the characters caught up. I did like Lucian and if Isadora had been aged up a few years and had less annoying qualities, I would've believed their love story and enjoyed the book more.
3 ⭐️
I'll definitely pick up more of Keri Lake's books because I do enjoy her writing, but I'm crossing my fingers I actually like the next main character.
Honestly i think i could love this im just not in the mood for it right now
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
N/A
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
I tend to love or hate stories that go back and forth in time. It took a while but this one was worth it! Going back and getting Lucians story was really half of the plot but it was also integral to seeing why he is the way he is and piecing together the mystery that is his life.
But honestly, all I could think for a while was that this story was going to be a whole lot of “well my daddy is a sadist so now I’m a sadist… it’s genetic 🤷🏻♀️” but it really wasn’t that type of vibe. His reputation was earned but he wasn’t quite the devil everyone thought. The circumstances of his life and every relationship he had were things that would’ve driven most people mad.
Isadora wasn’t my favorite character who ever existed, but she was brave and somewhat relateable (minus the musical prodigy thing). She came from not so great circumstances and she was thrown in to some pretty bad situations and had to make tough choices at a young age. I really appreciated how mature she was since we had such a large age gap. Nothing like trauma to age you!
The angst and the tension between these two was fantastic. And the forbidden aspect and his particular… tastes? were something completely out of the ordinary.
This still had a gothic, dark vibe and it enhanced the book so much. The description for this beautiful home and cove are forever going to be some of my favorites, too.
Tropes:
Age gap
Tortured Hero
Forbidden
Morally Grey MMC
Gothic
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
But honestly, all I could think for a while was that this story was going to be a whole lot of “well my daddy is a sadist so now I’m a sadist… it’s genetic 🤷🏻♀️” but it really wasn’t that type of vibe. His reputation was earned but he wasn’t quite the devil everyone thought. The circumstances of his life and every relationship he had were things that would’ve driven most people mad.
Isadora wasn’t my favorite character who ever existed, but she was brave and somewhat relateable (minus the musical prodigy thing). She came from not so great circumstances and she was thrown in to some pretty bad situations and had to make tough choices at a young age. I really appreciated how mature she was since we had such a large age gap. Nothing like trauma to age you!
The angst and the tension between these two was fantastic. And the forbidden aspect and his particular… tastes? were something completely out of the ordinary.
This still had a gothic, dark vibe and it enhanced the book so much. The description for this beautiful home and cove are forever going to be some of my favorites, too.
Tropes:
Age gap
Tortured Hero
Forbidden
Morally Grey MMC
Gothic
Spice: 🌶️🌶️🌶️
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Drug abuse, Drug use, Sexual content, Sexual violence, Suicide, Torture, Toxic relationship, Suicide attempt, Death of parent, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
dark
emotional
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes