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A review by aprhodes
A Dreadful Splendor by B.R. Myers
4.0
Quick Thoughts: I enjoyed this book. It reminded me of Simone St. James' early books, especially [b: The Other Side of Midnight|136167|The Other Side of Midnight (Midnight #1)|Sidney Sheldon|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1172077093l/136167._SY75_.jpg|1030360] because of the spiritualist element. Like that book, this is a period setting (although this book is in the 1850s, not the 1920s), and has mystery and suspense with a touch of romance and a dash of supernatural. All of those elements are a win for me, but in this case, the parts were a bit more than the whole.
There is a good story here, but it feels overstuffed and some clunky dialogue prevents it from being a great book. Simplification would have helped this book immensely. There are six main suspects all of whom have their own backstories and 2-3 different, changing motives and it is a lot.
The end of the book was especially messy. I didn't really like who the main person turned out to be because their motives felt pretty unclear. Also, the logistics of the whole thing didn't track for me. This felt like the classic case of an author valuing surprise over logic for the big reveal. However, the setpiece of the ending confrontation was quite dramatic.
I also feel like the subplot with her mother should have been almost completely scrapped. It feels like the book is over, all ends have been tied up and then suddenly there is a whole new mystery, a new murder, and a new suspect that feels out of place. And then there is another whole plot with the mother's family that feels like the author is trying way too hard to a perfect HEA.
Overall, it felt like what this book needed most were a few more rounds of editing. However, despite all my criticism, this was still a four-star book for me. That is because I love the mix of romance (wish there was more here), mystery, and suspense in a period setting and I haven't found many books like this outside of Simone St. James. Especially those focused in a Gothic manor. So a book like this can have a fair number of flaws and I'll still enjoy it. If that describes you, then I would definitely pick this one up.
There is a good story here, but it feels overstuffed and some clunky dialogue prevents it from being a great book. Simplification would have helped this book immensely. There are six main suspects all of whom have their own backstories and 2-3 different, changing motives and it is a lot.
The end of the book was especially messy. I didn't really like who the main person turned out to be because their motives felt pretty unclear. Also, the logistics of the whole thing didn't track for me. This felt like the classic case of an author valuing surprise over logic for the big reveal. However, the setpiece of the ending confrontation was quite dramatic.
I also feel like the subplot with her mother should have been almost completely scrapped. It feels like the book is over, all ends have been tied up and then suddenly there is a whole new mystery, a new murder, and a new suspect that feels out of place. And then there is another whole plot with the mother's family that feels like the author is trying way too hard to a perfect HEA.
Overall, it felt like what this book needed most were a few more rounds of editing. However, despite all my criticism, this was still a four-star book for me. That is because I love the mix of romance (wish there was more here), mystery, and suspense in a period setting and I haven't found many books like this outside of Simone St. James. Especially those focused in a Gothic manor. So a book like this can have a fair number of flaws and I'll still enjoy it. If that describes you, then I would definitely pick this one up.