princren 's review for:

The Butcher's Daughter by David Demchuk, Corinne Leigh Clark

2.75

dark slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Complicated

Loveable characters: Complicated

Diverse cast of characters: No

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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 ⁀➷ 2.75 ★ ´ˎ˗

let me start off by saying: this was my first epistolary novel, and i honestly don’t think this particular writing style is for me. as a fan of the musical sweeney todd, i was intrigued by the premise of a book that delved deeper into the backstory of mrs. lovett. i think that the authors did a fantastic job at creating a grim, dark, and atmospheric tone that fit the setting. but, the story just seemed to drag and was a bit all over the place for me.

i think the combination of letter correspondence and articles was interesting, but it also took me out of the story as a whole. it felt difficult for me to connect with both miss gibson and margaret, and i feel as if that had something to do with the writing style. but, overall, it was a fun and gory read (even though it took me quite a while to actually finish reading it).

thank you to netgalley, soho press, david demchuk, and corinne leigh clark for this arc in exchange for my honest review.