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cbookaddiction's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Emotional abuse, Murder, Body horror, Child abuse, and Terminal illness
reading_under_covers's review against another edition
4.5
Roos has a spirit companion only she can see named Ruth. Growing up, Mama used Roos' paranormal abilities to lure clients to their home with promises of channeling their passed loved ones. One of those clients is Agnes, who takes a liking to Roos and pays for her to become her real world companion.
MY DARLING DREADFUL THING by Johanna van Veen is a gothic horror novel, but above all else, it is a love story.
Told through flashbacks of Roos' life and transcripts with her present-day doctor (while awaiting to stand trial for a murder đ), I found myself absolutely unable to put this book down!
The possession itself was extremely intriguing (and disgusting) and had me questioning the realities of it alongside Roos' doctor, and learning about both Roos' and Agnes' pasts was heartbreaking in a very vengeful way.
Highly recommend for all the gothic horror fans out there! Johanna is a new voice we should all be on the lookout for!
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Publication Date: May 14
MY DARLING DREADFUL THING by Johanna van Veen is a gothic horror novel, but above all else, it is a love story.
Told through flashbacks of Roos' life and transcripts with her present-day doctor (while awaiting to stand trial for a murder đ), I found myself absolutely unable to put this book down!
The possession itself was extremely intriguing (and disgusting) and had me questioning the realities of it alongside Roos' doctor, and learning about both Roos' and Agnes' pasts was heartbreaking in a very vengeful way.
Highly recommend for all the gothic horror fans out there! Johanna is a new voice we should all be on the lookout for!
Thanks to Poisoned Pen Press for an ARC in exchange for an honest review!
Publication Date: May 14
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Homophobia, and Sexual assault
bookedbymadeline's review
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Thank you to Netgalley and Poisoned Pen Press for the eARC!
First off, I loved that the author gives content warnings! Itâs something I think every book should have. Now into the review-
The novel is set in The Netherlands during the 1950s. I was so excited to discover this since I havenât read many books set in The Netherlands!
The story goes back and forth between the main plot and transcripts of Dr/patient interviews at the end of each chapter. It made the plot feel more driven, and was a big reason why I didnât want to put it down!
Agnes is part Indo, and we learn a bit about the culture as well as the history of Dutch colonization in Indonesia. I found it very interesting and learned a lot I didnât know before about that piece of history!
Although the story is eerie and disturbing at times, it also has an undertone of warmth and affection, especially regarding the found family between the characters! The book slowed down a little bit in the middle but overall it was an engaging story. I enjoyed the complex characters and the unique ghost story aspect, with having spirit companion instead of being unwillingly haunted.
I did half guess a couple of the twists but they were still really well written! The novel was a quiet horror book with more disturbing imagery than fast paced action. The imagery of Ruth gave me nightmares and made me scared of the dark for sure đ
Fantastic gothic story with a haunting, atmospheric setting and sapphic romance subplot! Iâll definitely be keeping my eye out for the authorâs next book đ¤ I enjoyed the book and the story but it wasnât exactly what I hoped for. It was slower paced than what I wanted/hoped for and I kind of expected more action based on the synopsis. It was good just not great, if that makes sense?
Iâd recommend for anyone wanting a sapphic love story (thatâs not a romance book), unique haunting/ghost story, or a gothic horror set in an eerie estate!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Body horror, Racism, Mental illness, Child abuse, Self harm, Vomit, Terminal illness, Death, and Violence
Moderate: Misogyny, Toxic relationship, Child death, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Sexual violence, Incest, Medical trauma, Sexual content, and Homophobia
Minor: Suicide attempt
coobugz's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
So at first, my thoughts were âwtf am I reading?â Iâm not a big horror and âspooky bookâ reader, and the first bit made me nervous. But the further I got into it, the harder it was for me to put the book down. In a way, itâs like a dark âWhere the Crawdads Singâ mixed with a less haunting âThe Shining.â
I appreciated the interspersed different POVs, and looked forward to the doctorâs POV/case notes. I felt defensive and protective of Roos, and have respect for Dr. Montague. Not gonna lie, Ruth weirds me out and pissed me off sometimes, but thatâs plot for ya.
A solid 2 claps for the ending and epilogue. đđ
I received the book through Goodreads giveaways as an advanced copy and was super excited to read it before the release date, and to give my first review.
âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸
I appreciated the interspersed different POVs, and looked forward to the doctorâs POV/case notes. I felt defensive and protective of Roos, and have respect for Dr. Montague. Not gonna lie, Ruth weirds me out and pissed me off sometimes, but thatâs plot for ya.
A solid 2 claps for the ending and epilogue. đđ
I received the book through Goodreads giveaways as an advanced copy and was super excited to read it before the release date, and to give my first review.
âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Vomit, Blood, and Gore
Moderate: Confinement, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Eating disorder, Homophobia, Emotional abuse, Body shaming, Child abuse, Death of parent, Incest, Murder, Sexual assault, and Rape
Minor: Miscarriage, Racial slurs, Cursing, Cannibalism, and Infertility
datewithathriller's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Moderate: Child abuse, Sexual violence, Racism, and Mental illness
Minor: Homophobia and Animal death
sunsetsyd's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
I haven't read a gothic horror/lit in forever and this story reminded me why I love the genre! The authors decision to alternate between interview and flashback made the story engaging and I was on the edge of my seat from beginning to end. (I would reccomend to those who liked Rebecca) Thank you Poisoned Pen Press for thr arc!:)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Violence, Child abuse, and Mental illness
Moderate: Racial slurs, Sexual assault, and Racism
Minor: Incest
illtakethenightshiftx's review
dark
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
Thank you to Poisoned Pen Press and NetGalley for an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review!
I donât think Iâve met a gothic horror story that I didnât like, and My Darling Dreadful Thing is no exception. I was immediately drawn in by the cover, the blurb is what sold me, and I was so surprised and excited when I found out my request was approved!!
My Darling Dreadful Thing is dark, unrelenting, mysterious, and heartbreaking. I absolutely loved van Veenâs prose and her characters. They are so tragic and deeply flawed, but I also wanted to sweep some of them up in a hug and give them some love, especially Roos, Ruth, and Agnes. I really enjoyed how the majority of the book was told in first person through Roosâs eyes, which is something I never thought Iâd say. Roosâs internal monologue broke my heart and watching her learn and grow through her eyes as the story passed made it feel like I was an active participant in the story.
Stripped down to its core, My Darling Dreadful Thing is a love story and love (of all kinds!) is the throughline that connects all of the characters, for better or for worse.
There were some spots where the pacing couldâve been a bit tighter, but when there was action, it was page-turning and I couldnât read fast enough! (There was a scene that reminded me a bit of the topiary animals scene in The Shining which made my heart RACE!!)
My Darling Dreadful Thing was a fantastic read and I canât recommend it enough if youâre a fan of queer gothic horror!!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Confinement, Death, Eating disorder, Self harm, Chronic illness, and Child abuse
Moderate: Domestic abuse, Incest, and Injury/Injury detail
emily_journals's review
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
This book was a really solid read and a strong debut novel and I will definitely have my eye on this author moving forward.
I really enjoyed the inter-character relationships going on in this book and I really loved the world-building. You can tell that the author really took time to develop the relationships in this book, especially those between Roos and Ruth and between Roos and Agnes. The ghost/spirit lore established in this book was so intriguing and unique. The level of intricacy in this lore of relating not only how someone dies, but where their body resides to how a spirit comes to be and has to be reawakened was really brilliantly done.
As typically expected when reading a debut novel, there were some craft issues with this book. While I did really love the inter-character relationships in this book, I did think that the character development of singular characters could have been explored more. I also thought that the pacing of this book was a bit off, this book felt very slow and drawn out for the level of plot and character development that were happening within this book, but I think learning when to draw out or condense parts of a story typically come with practice so I'm usually a little more forgiving of debut authors on pacing. My biggest complaint about this book is that even though it was a horror novel and there was a level of anticipation as certain points, I felt that this book was greatly lacking in suspense. For me, the interview framing device was taking suspense out of this story rather than adding to it and I wish that the framing had been done a little differently so that I still felt suspense going through this story.
Overall, this was a very strong debut and the character relationships and lore building generally outweighed the craft issues for me.
ARC provided by NetGalley.
I really enjoyed the inter-character relationships going on in this book and I really loved the world-building. You can tell that the author really took time to develop the relationships in this book, especially those between Roos and Ruth and between Roos and Agnes. The ghost/spirit lore established in this book was so intriguing and unique. The level of intricacy in this lore of relating not only how someone dies, but where their body resides to how a spirit comes to be and has to be reawakened was really brilliantly done.
As typically expected when reading a debut novel, there were some craft issues with this book. While I did really love the inter-character relationships in this book, I did think that the character development of singular characters could have been explored more. I also thought that the pacing of this book was a bit off, this book felt very slow and drawn out for the level of plot and character development that were happening within this book, but I think learning when to draw out or condense parts of a story typically come with practice so I'm usually a little more forgiving of debut authors on pacing. My biggest complaint about this book is that even though it was a horror novel and there was a level of anticipation as certain points, I felt that this book was greatly lacking in suspense. For me, the interview framing device was taking suspense out of this story rather than adding to it and I wish that the framing had been done a little differently so that I still felt suspense going through this story.
Overall, this was a very strong debut and the character relationships and lore building generally outweighed the craft issues for me.
ARC provided by NetGalley.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Blood, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Confinement, Death, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, and Body horror
Moderate: Abandonment, Forced institutionalization, Cursing, Infidelity, Racial slurs, Domestic abuse, Sexual assault, Torture, Self harm, Murder, Rape, Schizophrenia/Psychosis , Incest, Medical content, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Vomit, Cannibalism, Child death, and Racism
Minor: Colonisation, Death of parent, Pregnancy, Eating disorder, Alcohol, Animal cruelty, Mental illness, Animal death, Classism, and Drug use
love_and_lilacs's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
3.5 STARS
My Darling Dreadful Thing hooked me almost immediately. I inhaled this book. I simply could not leave it unfinished. I had to know what happened.
I have mixed feelings on the ending, though, which is often the case for me in this genre of work. I found the premise entirely enthralling, and the author's take on how someone becomes a spirit and lingers in this world was especially intriguing to me. I absolutely love, love, loved that idea. I would love to see it explored further.
In general I found there were some minor continuity issues here and there, though nothing jumps out at me as totally distracting from the overall story.
It should be said, this is not an easy book to read if you are sensitive to any number of topics. This is a gothic horror book through and through, dealing with the tough topics of sexual assault, homophobia, child abuse, racism, murder, and more, and probably some stuff I just plain forgot. So be aware of that if you intend to pick it up and give it a go.
All-in-all, even with the less-than-satisfying ending, I'd still generally give a recommendation to gothic horror fans who can handle some rough subject matter.
ARC provided by NetGalley
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death, Incest, Blood, Body horror, Body shaming, Child abuse, Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Violence
Moderate: Racism, Sexual assault, Racial slurs, Homophobia, Toxic relationship, and Vomit
This is a gothic horror book and it is entirely about horrible and horrific things happening. Your definition of graphic may be different than mine. Please be advised that I may not have remembered every content warning, but I tried to remember the big ones.pattytru08's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Panic attacks/disorders and Child abuse
Moderate: Death, Eating disorder, Sexual assault, Toxic relationship, Self harm, Drug use, Child death, Emotional abuse, Mental illness, Chronic illness, and Toxic friendship