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A review by eveeb
House of Roots and Ruin by Erin A. Craig
3.0
“This house has always felt full of ghosts to me—not of spirits in white sheets and chains, nothing as clichéd as all that—but of memories snatched away. Memories I’ll never be able to claim as mine.”
This is a story where the light and darkness touch. Where the shadows curl around you in a comforting, deceptive caress as it lures you beyond redemption.
Verity Thaumas chafes against the stranglehold placed on her by her older sister, and when opportunity knocks, she jumps at the chance to escape. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape she finds herself in - but all is not well in Bloem and it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darkness of her new hosts begin to seep through the cracks of their sickly-sweet façade.
As a character, Verity is sometimes hard to like. She's well spoken enough, but seems to take a little too much pleasure in her own suffering. She lacks serious communication skills, and her self-awareness leaves a lot to be desired. Not too much can be said about any other characters without thoroughly giving away the plot, so I'll resist, but I do wish Craig had given us a little more colour and a little more depth.
That being said, the last 150 pages of this book held be riveted. One thing Craig excels at is leading her reader down one path and then cold-clocking them with a twist. The final few chapters were exceptional, and the end leaves you reeling and wanting just a few more pages.
All in all, if you're looking for a gothic-flavoured spring or summer read, this would be a good one to pick up.
This is a story where the light and darkness touch. Where the shadows curl around you in a comforting, deceptive caress as it lures you beyond redemption.
Verity Thaumas chafes against the stranglehold placed on her by her older sister, and when opportunity knocks, she jumps at the chance to escape. At first, she is captivated by the lush, luxurious landscape she finds herself in - but all is not well in Bloem and it’s not long before Verity is plagued with nightmares, and the darkness of her new hosts begin to seep through the cracks of their sickly-sweet façade.
As a character, Verity is sometimes hard to like. She's well spoken enough, but seems to take a little too much pleasure in her own suffering. She lacks serious communication skills, and her self-awareness leaves a lot to be desired. Not too much can be said about any other characters without thoroughly giving away the plot, so I'll resist, but I do wish Craig had given us a little more colour and a little more depth.
That being said, the last 150 pages of this book held be riveted. One thing Craig excels at is leading her reader down one path and then cold-clocking them with a twist. The final few chapters were exceptional, and the end leaves you reeling and wanting just a few more pages.
All in all, if you're looking for a gothic-flavoured spring or summer read, this would be a good one to pick up.