amateuradventurer 's review for:

The Cruel Dark by Bea Northwick
3.0

This romantic fantasy is hard to believe it is the work of a debut author.
Millie, our protagonist, is prone to hallucinations which are perfectly spooky and the descriptions of the house ethereal and reminded me of Jane Eyre. I enjoyed the mystery of Willowfield and its current inhabitants, whose lives all seemed to stop at the death of the Mrs. Hughes. I will say I did not see the ending coming!
I do wish that we had gotten more into their research(because I’m a nerd and enjoy that) and the romance felt like it happened pretty quickly. However the book was still enjoyable.

5 stars for atmosphere/vibes
3 for characters
4 for plot
So around a 3.75 star book for me

Thanks NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review!