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2.88 AVERAGE
2.88 AVERAGE
It was hard to rate this book because while the writing was so/so and there were holes in the story, it was so fun to read. A ghost story with a fun romance built in? What's not to love? Also, Neil Storm's character reminded me of a young, hot Stephen Graham Jones (whom I love) so that made it all the more fun. The romance was a little Insta-love, and the ghost story was somewhat hard to follow, yet still creepy. But again, really fun read! I enjoyed it a lot.
(4.5 Stars) Enemies-to-lovers in a bone-chillingly haunted castle. The perfect addition to your spooky season TBR.
It's a bit of a slow burn, with really great romantic tension. The passion that made them hate each other is explosive when they realize they don’t. There’s a fine line between hate and love, and forced proximity in a haunted castle is a great setting for them to cross it.
I expected this to be spooky, but not that I’d almost need to sleep with the lights on. The haunted house atmosphere is so well done. I was simultaneously cursing them for willingly going towards the danger while also hoping they would figure things out. The supernatural mystery is strong enough to stand on its own outside of the romance.
As Pen and Neil are both Native horror writers, there’s a big focus on Native identity and how it’s affected by society's perceptions and expectations. It gets very specific, but the debate of compromising to make yourself more palatable to other people is universal enough that it will also appeal to non-Native readers. There’s a lot of casual queer representation as well.
I would absolutely recommend people pick this up when it comes out later this year. It’s a fantastic and unique blend of horror and contemporary romance.
This ARC was provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions provided are my own.
It's a bit of a slow burn, with really great romantic tension. The passion that made them hate each other is explosive when they realize they don’t. There’s a fine line between hate and love, and forced proximity in a haunted castle is a great setting for them to cross it.
I expected this to be spooky, but not that I’d almost need to sleep with the lights on. The haunted house atmosphere is so well done. I was simultaneously cursing them for willingly going towards the danger while also hoping they would figure things out. The supernatural mystery is strong enough to stand on its own outside of the romance.
As Pen and Neil are both Native horror writers, there’s a big focus on Native identity and how it’s affected by society's perceptions and expectations. It gets very specific, but the debate of compromising to make yourself more palatable to other people is universal enough that it will also appeal to non-Native readers. There’s a lot of casual queer representation as well.
I would absolutely recommend people pick this up when it comes out later this year. It’s a fantastic and unique blend of horror and contemporary romance.
This ARC was provided by St. Martin’s Press through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All opinions provided are my own.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
dark
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I really tried to get through this book but the whole enemies to lovers trope was completely overshadowed when a few pages into the book, Penelope was talking about how often she thought about Neil and it went downhill from there. I want enemies to lovers to HATE each other in the beginning and that just wasn’t the case for this book.
I received an e-arc and ALC from Netgalley in exchange for this review.
The audio to this book is so well done and performed. Curtis Michael Holland and Kyla Garcia do such a wonderful job bringing these characters to like.
The book is cute - two enemy writers go on a writing retreat to a haunted castle in Scotland. They keep getting pushed together by the spirits in the castle, and eventually they aren't enemies anymore.
I rated 3 stars because there are some definite pacing issues in the book. It really slows down in the middle to the point I had the audio on 3x speed just to get to something exciting.
It's a little spicy, and an interesting enough story. It didn't wow me but it wasn't terrible. Some people may DNF in the middle due to pacing but it DOES pick back up and the ghost parts were the most exciting read about.
The audio to this book is so well done and performed. Curtis Michael Holland and Kyla Garcia do such a wonderful job bringing these characters to like.
The book is cute - two enemy writers go on a writing retreat to a haunted castle in Scotland. They keep getting pushed together by the spirits in the castle, and eventually they aren't enemies anymore.
I rated 3 stars because there are some definite pacing issues in the book. It really slows down in the middle to the point I had the audio on 3x speed just to get to something exciting.
It's a little spicy, and an interesting enough story. It didn't wow me but it wasn't terrible. Some people may DNF in the middle due to pacing but it DOES pick back up and the ghost parts were the most exciting read about.
funny
mysterious
tense
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
adventurous
dark
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is just a dull cliche. The characters and their stories don't make sense in the context of the plot or the setting of a haunted Scottish castle. It isn't funny or romantic. And quite truthfully, the plot has been done to death and better.