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3.94 AVERAGE
3.94 AVERAGE
dark
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Loved the story, hated the characters, they were unbearable at times. Really liked Pasja the dog though.
A cover like this made my expectations really high (because how beautifully gothic is it?), yet I finished this book really dissapointed. It could have been more. At times it felt like the author got lost trying to make it as disturbing as possible. So while there was a lot of finger munching, the rest of the story felt weak.
And what irked me: at the start the dog is discribed as an Italian Greyhound. A very small, very shivery dog. Yet on the cover there is a regular sized Greyhound. At some points in the book, the dog is picked up as if it was indeed a Italian Greyhound, while at other moments it is written as if it's strenght is that of a normal Greyhound (even stronger, because those things are made of cardboard).
It drove me insane lol. What size is the dog?
And what irked me: at the start the dog is discribed as an Italian Greyhound. A very small, very shivery dog. Yet on the cover there is a regular sized Greyhound. At some points in the book, the dog is picked up as if it was indeed a Italian Greyhound, while at other moments it is written as if it's strenght is that of a normal Greyhound (even stronger, because those things are made of cardboard).
It drove me insane lol. What size is the dog?
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
forgot to make this review as soon as i finished the book
dark
mysterious
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
In starting this book, I was expecting some type of gothic vampire tale and that was both exactly what this story was and yet so much more.
It's primarily a tale of sisterhood - with some vampirish complications mixed in. The prose was haunting, beautiful, and perfectly grotesque… lot's of gross eye stuff. I highly recommend the audiobook - the correct pronunciation of Dutch words and names was satisfying to listen to, not to mention the thick sense of dread the narrator develops.
There's also this notable thread of dark humor in the story, which I loved as it helped to alter the story's overall mood from being serious and grave.
An unexpected 5 stars from me; you definitely need to pick this up gothic horror readers!
dark
emotional
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Wow. This is a grotesque horror with layers upon layers of intricate storytelling. I cannot even begin to describe them all but I will highlight a few:
family ties and how deeply sisterhood binds the two main characters. Love is portrayed as a surface level experience compared to twin love.
greed: the greed of money above morality; the greed of men and sex; the greed of stations; the greed of excelling academically over loyalty; green of staying alive at all costs.
Horror itself transforms into layers as we discover physical horror: mutilated flesh, blood on every page, decay and death; emotional horror: betrayal, fear, guilt, shame, the decay of friendships; horror of humanity: selfishness of everyone and how it effects the progression of the narrative.
I’ve never read such a profoundly deep horror novel. This is beyond a sickening read- it quintessentially expands grotesque into a fable! Behind the curtain of blood quells the worst of humanity.
A must read for anyone who can stomach it.
family ties and how deeply sisterhood binds the two main characters. Love is portrayed as a surface level experience compared to twin love.
greed: the greed of money above morality; the greed of men and sex; the greed of stations; the greed of excelling academically over loyalty; green of staying alive at all costs.
Horror itself transforms into layers as we discover physical horror: mutilated flesh, blood on every page, decay and death; emotional horror: betrayal, fear, guilt, shame, the decay of friendships; horror of humanity: selfishness of everyone and how it effects the progression of the narrative.
I’ve never read such a profoundly deep horror novel. This is beyond a sickening read- it quintessentially expands grotesque into a fable! Behind the curtain of blood quells the worst of humanity.
A must read for anyone who can stomach it.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Bʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴏɴ Hᴇʀ Tᴏɴɢᴜᴇ ʙʏ Jᴏʜᴀɴɴᴀ Vᴀɴ Vᴇᴇɴ
★.5
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
This one was honestly a struggle. The description hooked me right away — vampires, haunting vibes, and a promise of darkness? Sign me up. But once I started reading, it just didn’t deliver on any of the tension or atmosphere I was hoping for.
The pacing was rough. Scenes dragged on without really going anywhere, and the story felt more repetitive than gripping. I kept waiting for the big turning point or that spark that would pull me in, but it never came. By the time anything actually started happening, I had already checked out mentally.
The characters didn’t help much either. They had potential, but they never felt fleshed out or layered enough to keep me invested. Their relationships felt flat, and I struggled to care about where their arcs were headed. It was more like watching things happen to them rather than watching them do anything.
I’ll give credit where it’s due — the writing itself wasn’t bad, and there were flashes of really nice descriptions that made the gothic elements shine. But overall, the execution just didn’t work for me. It felt more like a draft of a great idea than a finished, immersive novel.
1.5 stars, mostly for the concept and the occasional eerie moment. I wanted to love this, but it ended up being more of a slog than a dark, intoxicating read.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
Bʟᴏᴏᴅ ᴏɴ Hᴇʀ Tᴏɴɢᴜᴇ ʙʏ Jᴏʜᴀɴɴᴀ Vᴀɴ Vᴇᴇɴ
★.5
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
This one was honestly a struggle. The description hooked me right away — vampires, haunting vibes, and a promise of darkness? Sign me up. But once I started reading, it just didn’t deliver on any of the tension or atmosphere I was hoping for.
The pacing was rough. Scenes dragged on without really going anywhere, and the story felt more repetitive than gripping. I kept waiting for the big turning point or that spark that would pull me in, but it never came. By the time anything actually started happening, I had already checked out mentally.
The characters didn’t help much either. They had potential, but they never felt fleshed out or layered enough to keep me invested. Their relationships felt flat, and I struggled to care about where their arcs were headed. It was more like watching things happen to them rather than watching them do anything.
I’ll give credit where it’s due — the writing itself wasn’t bad, and there were flashes of really nice descriptions that made the gothic elements shine. But overall, the execution just didn’t work for me. It felt more like a draft of a great idea than a finished, immersive novel.
1.5 stars, mostly for the concept and the occasional eerie moment. I wanted to love this, but it ended up being more of a slog than a dark, intoxicating read.
✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧ ✩₊˚.⋆☾⋆⁺₊✧
emotional
mysterious
tense
fast-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