Review by yourbookishbff - The Dravenhearst Brides

yourbookishbff 's review for:

The Dravenhearst Brides by Lindsay Barrett

4.0

dark emotional mysterious tense medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Plot

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

As a slow-boil horror, this is fantastic. The dream visits to haunted souls, the gradual normalization of the supernatural, the constant feeling of not-quite-right, the secrets locked away literally and metaphorically, the shifting loyalties among our cast of side characters. The mystery is well-built and gripping until the final pages, and the various revelations are timed to advance both individual character development and our horror arc. As a romance, it didn't work quite as well for me, but solely because I wanted this man to GET HER OUT OF THE DAMN HOUSE. I had a hard time understanding in which specific ways he had ever actually sacrificed anything of value for her, despite her consistently feeling indebted to him, and I resented that she had to come in and fix all of his family's (generations old) problems for him (while also gifting him her substantial inheritance to fix his less-supernatural problems). It didn't help that he frequently pulled the "I don't believe in curses" man logic while his wife was being preyed upon by his dead family members right in front of him. I just hated to see how tormented our female main character was by another family's trauma when she had plenty of her own to be getting on with. I did, however, really appreciate the raw exploration of mental health through this story. Please go gently and check content warnings, as on-page depiction of miscarriage, murder, suicide, panic attacks, etc. drive the tension throughout. Highly recommend this for fans of gothic Americana who want some romance intrigue alongside their ghosts!

Content Warnings