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emilywemily6's review
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.25
This book had a lot of things going for it, but the execution was subpar. The vibes were witchy and perfect for a spooky fall read. The house itself and the history of the family had so many secrets and interesting details. I’ve read a few witchy books recently and this one had the most interesting details. However, the story has lots of superfluous facets that impeded the plot and over complicated the story as a whole. The first chapter is super ridiculous with cheating, impending divorce, bankruptcy, and then a mob boss?? Not all that was needed to compel Cordelia or move the story forward. I also felt like a lot of descriptions and similes used by the author were either inaccurate (trying to say a murky pond was viscous like amniotic fluid- actually it’s not viscous, it’s pretty watery, so…) or really pointed with the witchy vibes, like the author was trying too hard. Cordelia was also really slow to get what was going on or to do anything about it, the story dragged on for most of the book. And I couldn’t get behind the romance because Cordelia just pined from the beginning, they didn’t have chemistry, she constantly said or thought rude things to/about him and their interactions were awkward as a result; it felt very childish. I could tell from the beginning he was a good guy and Cordelia did all but sabotage even a friendship. I honestly don’t know how they ended up together. Part of the mystery was really obvious, but there was a lot of what was going on that I didn’t understand until the end of the book, and I really wanted to find out what really was happening. The mysterious happenings were truly creepy and foreboding, and I wish the author had done some things different in the story.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Hate crime, Infidelity, Mental illness, Terminal illness, Animal death, Cursing, Death, Death of parent, Drug use, Alcohol, Blood, Grief, Murder, Animal cruelty, Bullying, and Sexual content
Moderate: Car accident, Suicide, Toxic relationship, Child abuse, and Pregnancy
Minor: Medical content and Cancer
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