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3.46 AVERAGE
3.46 AVERAGE
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
I’d read Ward’s four other books previously, loving each of them (though none quite as much as my first experience of her work, the magnificent The Last House on Needless Street). She tends towards Gothic thriller in the truest sense, novels about the illusions, deceptions and cruelties that can be practiced within families as well as the potentially fatal strength of that familial bond. Rawblood is a ghost story told in alternating, sometimes overlapping time frames, about a curse that covers the Anglo-Spanish Villarca family: a bone-white woman who has for centuries appeared to every family member and those whom they love, eventually claiming their lives. Ward’s writing is evocative and gripping as ever, with the final two sections particularly heart-wrenching as the novel’s full thematic concerns are worked out. I was, however, a little disappointed by the length of time it takes for us to get there; since I had worked out the twist by almost exactly the halfway point (and I am not famed for my insight when it comes to twists), the extensive sections that followed peripheral or historical characters felt frustrating, instead of deeply engaging. One of these, a long chapter entitled “Miss Hopewell and Miss Brigstock”, would have made a brilliant short story on its own, but in context felt too much like deferral. As this was her debut, it’s clear Ward hadn’t quite found her feet yet, but that’s hardly unusual. I’ll continue to read anything she writes; she’s got a new novel coming out in October 2025, Nowhere Burning. Can’t wait. Source: local library #LoveYourLibrary
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal cruelty, Animal death, Mental illness, Suicide, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Medical content, Murder
Highly disappointed THAT THIS IS THE AUTHOR'S ONLY PUBLICATION SO FAR! I really enjoyed this book. It was a little dark, but I was in the mood for dark, and it didn't go too far. I'd let my mother read it! The perspective switched from character to character, which I usually hate, but this was done with skill. I couldn't put it down and cried at the end.
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
reflective
sad
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:
Complicated
This book proves that Catriona Ward is a mastermind. I had no idea this was her debut novel as her style has not really changed in the last 7 years. I love that her style hasn’t really changed as that’s what keeps me coming back.
I’ve read, The Last House On Needless Street, Little Eve, and Looking Glass Sound already this year and loved them. Her style is so unique and has you puzzle solving while you read it. It’s fun and entertaining on top of engaging.
This book, like many of her books has spook faster turned up to near full volume. This is a perfect little concoction of gothic delight and yearning, aching romance. Horror is such an umbrella genre because it can be many things on top of horror. I felt melancholy as well as delight at the romance that we were greeted with.
We are introduced to Iris Villarca, a child of 11 years old. Iris tells us of her adolescence and her only friend, Tom Gilmore. Growing up Iris is told by her only living relative, her father, Alonso, that they have a horrible disease that runs through their family. With this Alonso sets “rules” for Iris to follow. Of course as any adolescent is prone to, Iris defies her father’s “rules” and learns the hard way what happens when those “rules” aren’t adhered to.
Throughout the book we are taught about Iris’s lineage and those that came before her. We start the book in 1908, but go back in time to 1840 at some points. Iris is the one character that gets multiple story times, in multiple years. We also go forward in time to 1918, so the only thing that threw me off about this book was the constant time change, constant narrative change, and the 1930’s way of writing. It made it hard to keep up with and I found myself going back to read passages again.
At the same time I loved the 1930’s way of writing because it’s so romantic with its description. The reader really gets a vivid look into each narrator’s story and that gives you the full scope of the Villarca line.
I’m really sad about finishing this book as well because I only have one Catriona Ward book left before I finish her catalog. Ward is now an automatic read for me.
4/5 stars
I’ve read, The Last House On Needless Street, Little Eve, and Looking Glass Sound already this year and loved them. Her style is so unique and has you puzzle solving while you read it. It’s fun and entertaining on top of engaging.
This book, like many of her books has spook faster turned up to near full volume. This is a perfect little concoction of gothic delight and yearning, aching romance. Horror is such an umbrella genre because it can be many things on top of horror. I felt melancholy as well as delight at the romance that we were greeted with.
We are introduced to Iris Villarca, a child of 11 years old. Iris tells us of her adolescence and her only friend, Tom Gilmore. Growing up Iris is told by her only living relative, her father, Alonso, that they have a horrible disease that runs through their family. With this Alonso sets “rules” for Iris to follow. Of course as any adolescent is prone to, Iris defies her father’s “rules” and learns the hard way what happens when those “rules” aren’t adhered to.
Throughout the book we are taught about Iris’s lineage and those that came before her. We start the book in 1908, but go back in time to 1840 at some points. Iris is the one character that gets multiple story times, in multiple years. We also go forward in time to 1918, so the only thing that threw me off about this book was the constant time change, constant narrative change, and the 1930’s way of writing. It made it hard to keep up with and I found myself going back to read passages again.
At the same time I loved the 1930’s way of writing because it’s so romantic with its description. The reader really gets a vivid look into each narrator’s story and that gives you the full scope of the Villarca line.
I’m really sad about finishing this book as well because I only have one Catriona Ward book left before I finish her catalog. Ward is now an automatic read for me.
4/5 stars
dark
emotional
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Rawblood is a Catriona Ward novel, so really it hardly matters if it was good or not I was going to read it. I really liked this one though, nothing like a gothic horror time loop! But seriously it was well written, thoughtful, and in the end bittersweet. I think of her five novels this is probably fourth, but still, it’s amazing and I really do recommend.
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
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:
Yes
In the British countryside stands a manor whose family are compelled to stay there by inevitably find themselves haunted by an uncanny resident. This is a ridiculously gothic puzzle-piece of a novel about a family's history and their occasional confidants; I adore the atmosphere and the more distinctive of the many narrators, but I'm not sure that the plot twists work for me--particularly, the ending reveal is belabored. I'm glad I tried Ward again, having bounced off of The Last House on Needless Street--it was content, not style, that turned me off; the psychological-thriller-horror-mystery hybrid is fun with a different focus, albeit not especially memorable.
Some of it was very hard to read, not because it was scary, but because it was cruel. The prose was amazing though. Overall an odd reading experience.
challenging
dark
mysterious
sad
tense
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
challenging
dark
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes