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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
dark
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
dark
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Drug abuse, Drug use, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Murder
Moderate: Miscarriage, Self harm, Suicide, Sexual harassment
Minor: Infertility
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
challenging
dark
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This book is many things; an interesting reverse ghost story, an experimental Gothic story, the debut of horror literature’s shooting star Catriona Ward… It is many things but it is not my book.
Even trying to describe the plot seems like a rather difficult task, in retrospect, but I’ll give my best shot. The story starts with two young friends, Tom Gilmore and Iris Villarca, spending their days on a Gothic property in Dover named Rawblood and owned by Iris’ father Alonso. They’re very close and sweet but feel the impending weight of a curseful illness that runs in the Villarca family.
Their story alternates with a past storyline of scientists Charles Danforth and Alonso Villarca, who try to shed light on the mysterious illness that affects the Villarcas.
Their story, in turn, is interrupted by the background story of Charles’ sister and Alonso’s future wife Meg Danforth, by the adventures of Mary Hopewell and Hepzibah Brigstocke, one of whom is Alonso’s mother, and by the impressions of a nameless soldier.
I guess a gnarled story can have its charm too, and being a lifelong fan of endless telenovelas I’m certainly not averse to complicated family ties. But the characters were really unrelatable and uninteresting for me, especially in the beginning. The really juicy things start happening in the last third, but up until that point the pace is unfortunately frustratingly slow. The crazy arrangement of different timelines and the confusing ending did nothing for me either.
So, as much as I loved her latest book, this isn’t it. If you like unconventionally structured slow burners this might be your case, unfortunately, it wasn’t mine.
Even trying to describe the plot seems like a rather difficult task, in retrospect, but I’ll give my best shot. The story starts with two young friends, Tom Gilmore and Iris Villarca, spending their days on a Gothic property in Dover named Rawblood and owned by Iris’ father Alonso. They’re very close and sweet but feel the impending weight of a curseful illness that runs in the Villarca family.
Their story alternates with a past storyline of scientists Charles Danforth and Alonso Villarca, who try to shed light on the mysterious illness that affects the Villarcas.
Their story, in turn, is interrupted by the background story of Charles’ sister and Alonso’s future wife Meg Danforth, by the adventures of Mary Hopewell and Hepzibah Brigstocke, one of whom is Alonso’s mother, and by the impressions of a nameless soldier.
I guess a gnarled story can have its charm too, and being a lifelong fan of endless telenovelas I’m certainly not averse to complicated family ties. But the characters were really unrelatable and uninteresting for me, especially in the beginning. The really juicy things start happening in the last third, but up until that point the pace is unfortunately frustratingly slow. The crazy arrangement of different timelines and the confusing ending did nothing for me either.
So, as much as I loved her latest book, this isn’t it. If you like unconventionally structured slow burners this might be your case, unfortunately, it wasn’t mine.
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
I was confused by the format. The constant switching of pov was an odd choice that didn’t allow me to connect with any of the characters. It felt like the characters were just there to provide exposition instead of their specific perspectives. I wasn’t sure why there was so much focus on the experiments Charles and Alonso did when every other past character only got a chapter or so. The story itself was definitely interesting but I think it would better suit a different method of narration.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Addiction, Animal cruelty, Confinement, Mental illness, Forced institutionalization, Blood
Moderate: Animal death, Body horror, Death, Drug abuse, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Murder, Pregnancy, Gaslighting, War, Injury/Injury detail
dark
mysterious
sad
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Content Warnings
Graphic: Forced institutionalization