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mooca's review against another edition
5.0
It took me a minute to realize she has different names for some of her books and I don't really understand why. The House of Whispers is also called Bone China in older editions, and the Poison Thread was also called the Corset. I don't think I've noticed this kind of publishing shenanigans for other books so it was just a little confusing. Anyway.
While I didn't adore this one as much as I did the Silent Companions, I felt the character building and ambience she puts to page really sells her writing to me. I don't feel like I'm going through a slog of visual descriptions with her writing. It flows super easy and deliberate.
For this book I expected more mystical spookage like in Silent Companions. The paranormal horror tapered out at a point in this book on account for me. I know the point is mystery which has its own appeal, but it came at the cost of what made Silent Companions so fun to me: the magic that could be there with plenty of evidence to suggest it is there and just enough reason to say it isn't there. By the end I was leaning toward it all being in their heads, just barely teetering on mystical where I wanted stronger doubts on reality.
Adding to that, I felt it ended too abruptly before I was sold on the odd magic of the caves and Morvoren House. Plus I didn't feel the ending did Hester justice. I didn't feel like she had that much reason to "solve" the situation the way she chose to. While I may not have agreed with everything she did throughout the book, I loved the consistency of her character flaws. So when the ending came, even though I could bargain with myself that she might make those decisions under the circumstsances, I didn't feel they aligned with who I expected her character to be.
While I didn't adore this one as much as I did the Silent Companions, I felt the character building and ambience she puts to page really sells her writing to me. I don't feel like I'm going through a slog of visual descriptions with her writing. It flows super easy and deliberate.
For this book I expected more mystical spookage like in Silent Companions. The paranormal horror tapered out at a point in this book on account for me. I know the point is mystery which has its own appeal, but it came at the cost of what made Silent Companions so fun to me: the magic that could be there with plenty of evidence to suggest it is there and just enough reason to say it isn't there. By the end I was leaning toward it all being in their heads, just barely teetering on mystical where I wanted stronger doubts on reality.
Adding to that, I felt it ended too abruptly before I was sold on the odd magic of the caves and Morvoren House. Plus I didn't feel the ending did Hester justice. I didn't feel like she had that much reason to "solve" the situation the way she chose to. While I may not have agreed with everything she did throughout the book, I loved the consistency of her character flaws. So when the ending came, even though I could bargain with myself that she might make those decisions under the circumstsances, I didn't feel they aligned with who I expected her character to be.
mabelcharlotte's review against another edition
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? No
2.5
lucyharriet's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-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? It's complicated
2.75
rhidee's review against another edition
5.0
It was a 4 until the ending, which pushed it over into a solid 5. I thought at times it was a bit slow to get going, but now looking back at the experience as a whole I see an inexorable build of the pieces of the puzzle and the increasing pace. I was so gripped from about 350 pages that I had to do a sprint to the end before I could put it down.
aieshab's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
mav1024reads's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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
1.0
Forget slow burn. This book dragged on in excruciating dullness, focusing on the main character's self centered, drug muddled dismissal of everyone around her until jumping back in time to yet another eyes-closed, self righteous main character also failing to see a single thing outside of her immediate orb. Not a hint of the "creepy, tense, excitement" promised of this book until perhaps the last 40 pages only to end with a fade to black/madness exit.
I want the hours back that I spent forcing myself to finish this book, hoping for anything remotely interesting.
I want the hours back that I spent forcing myself to finish this book, hoping for anything remotely interesting.
stormnangel1's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
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? It's complicated
3.5
apeter's review against another edition
Not a fan. Had an old English vibe that I didn’t care for
girlglitch's review against another edition
2.0
I was hooked by the opening chapters of Bone China. Purcell is brilliant at location horror, and the remote Cornish setting of Morvoren House is promisingly creepy. I really enjoyed The Silent Companions and I was pleased to see echoes of it here, alongside a fresh gothic concept.
However, the atmosphere seemed to dissipate all too quickly. Bone China is not structurally sound: it's disjointed and poorly paced, all the tension seeping through the cracks of a confused plot. The dual timeline structure that was used to such great effect in The Silent Companions seems clumsy and random here, and the result is that the horror never really hits home.
Bone China was still an enjoyable read, and Purcell is clearly a capable writer - I was just hoping for something more.
*Thank you to ThePigeonhole.com for sharing this story!*
However, the atmosphere seemed to dissipate all too quickly. Bone China is not structurally sound: it's disjointed and poorly paced, all the tension seeping through the cracks of a confused plot. The dual timeline structure that was used to such great effect in The Silent Companions seems clumsy and random here, and the result is that the horror never really hits home.
Bone China was still an enjoyable read, and Purcell is clearly a capable writer - I was just hoping for something more.
*Thank you to ThePigeonhole.com for sharing this story!*