A review by julittleton
Five Nights by Rachel Wolf

adventurous dark mysterious tense fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? No
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

An easy and good read, the Scarmardo family is super messy and spoilt. The flashbacks to Viola and Mattia's marriage build to a predictable outcome in terms of the adult children being completely oblivious to their parents' happy facade. They're so wrapped up in enjoying the trappings of their wealth that they've never noticed anything else unless it directly affects them. Belle is a bit of a washy character. It's hard to truly see her as a wicked, scheming stepmother. Emily is a fine main character, hardy and flawed. It would have been good to see more of her with the eldest Scarmado son, but understandably, this would give away too much too soon!