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3.31 AVERAGE
3.31 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
medium-paced
adventurous
dark
tense
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:
Yes
A dark and gothic novel with a hint of magic playing around but mostly a mystery book. The characters are interesting, lots of developments happen in the book to keep you entertained but it is not for her faint if heart. Definitely not a cheery novel but nicely written with enough to keep you engaged throughout.
adventurous
mysterious
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
dark
emotional
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Really enjoyed the setting and the mystery around the main characters background/relationship with her sister. However, the pacing was slow in the beginning then incredibly rushed at the end. The deaths seemed gratuitous and served no purpose. Also inclusion of a random ghost monster at the end didn’t make any sense.
All in all enjoyable until the last little bit of the book where logic disappeared.
All in all enjoyable until the last little bit of the book where logic disappeared.
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I rarely find good modern gothic stories, so this was a great find. The tone is very similar to classic gothic novels but the story still feels new and original.
I loved that this book left questions unanswered and leaves some of the fantastical elements mysterious. It meant the dark atmosphere stayed right to then end and made the setting feel so integrated with the local lore that the author created. The supernatural feels like more of a backdrop to the main story rather than a big reveal.
The mystery itself was so satisfying, and kept you guessing even while leaning on some gothic tropes (eg the classic recluse woman in the abandoned wing of the manor ). I also like that Catherine was uncovering more about herself and her background while investigating the murder. The ending twist was great and had elements of horror without tipping too far over the edge.
I loved that this book left questions unanswered and leaves some of the fantastical elements mysterious. It meant the dark atmosphere stayed right to then end and made the setting feel so integrated with the local lore that the author created. The supernatural feels like more of a backdrop to the main story rather than a big reveal.
The mystery itself was so satisfying, and kept you guessing even while leaning on some gothic tropes (
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Murder, Injury/Injury detail
Moderate: Suicide, Death of parent
Minor: Animal cruelty, Child abuse
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
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:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I didn't dislike this but it did feel like ingredients were missing from it - there was an ambiguousness to the writing so you were always a little bit in the dark even when the reveal was made just because nothing was clearly stated. I didn't really love what the final answer ended up being but I was glad Arthur and Georgie and Catherine were the ones standing on the other side of it. There was this sense of too much going on just because of how many deaths there were and how they weren't even really all related (like Harris and Dowle, cursorily sure but also not really a part of the thing). It had potential and some of it definitely felt a little squandered unfortunately.