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saniya18's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-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? It's complicated
4.5
nonesensed's review against another edition
5.0
Agnes has kept her family fed and housed since the Accident through her silhouette art. She cuts people's silhouettes as portraits, a previously popular memento that's sadly fallen out of fashion. Recovering from pneumonia the last thing Agnes needs is for her rare few customers to end up murdered.
Once more, Laura Purcell weaves a tale with enjoyable prose that flows well, characters that are deeply flawed in a way that draws you in and with a mystery that keeps you guessing on if anything supernatural is going on or not. I'm usually very annoyed but such ambiguity, but Purcell pulls it off again and again, leaving you with a dark and interesting ending to the mystery once you reach it. Highly recommended for all fans of horror and mystery!
Once more, Laura Purcell weaves a tale with enjoyable prose that flows well, characters that are deeply flawed in a way that draws you in and with a mystery that keeps you guessing on if anything supernatural is going on or not. I'm usually very annoyed but such ambiguity, but Purcell pulls it off again and again, leaving you with a dark and interesting ending to the mystery once you reach it. Highly recommended for all fans of horror and mystery!
lucita_knjige's review against another edition
3.0
Not sure what to rate the book. It's easy to read and starts quite spookily and eeire and it's both a bit gothic and a bit of a horror. Then it introduces a spirit medium and she's an albino and her sister is a mesmerist. Much wow. The search for the killer is fun UNTIL they tell you who it is. SCREAM 3. That's all I'll say. But then it's also Shutter Island. BUT THEN... in the end, I'm disappointed and confused. I think I guessed correctly but can't confirm.
virginia_mcbride's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
athirah_idrus's review
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
3.5
imaginarytiger's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Loveable characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
clairelovestoread's review against another edition
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
brittanya's review against another edition
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.75
sharron_joy_reads's review
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Agnes is a silhouette artist in Victorian Bath, still waiting for her love Montague to return and struggling to provide for her mother and nephew Cedric.
Pearl is a child medium, pale and sickly, her gift seems remarkable and is exploited by her sister, Myrtle who takes care of Pearl and her ailing father.
As the sitters who have been portrayed by Agnes start to die she seeks out Pearl to help find the killer but, sometimes the ghosts bring more than answers and once that darkness is unleashed, who can contain it.
An historical murder mystery very much in the author’s style. Set in a bleak and frozen Bath in winter, it is heavy with the symbolism of death and suffering, the atmosphere is morbid and macabre. Both Agnes and Pearl are stuck in their lives, both feeling obligated to provide for the family around them.
It is a slow build that is compelling and addictive in its steady flow of intrigue and the revelations in the last quarter of the story are shocking and unexpected. A gruesomely gothic tale.