A review by livres_de_bloss
A Box Full of Darkness by Simone St. James

dark mysterious tense medium-paced

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

3.0

This one started out really well. With a palpable sense of unease and dread, a fair few creepy mysteries, and the whole atmosphere around the town of Fell. It showed up with horror imagery and unsettling setting. But, I struggled with the characters: the siblings felt so young, more like teenagers than adults. I wasn't particularly invested in them. I've struggled with SSJ's inclination to shoehorn romance into her books since The Haunting of Maddy Clare and while she's pared it back, what remains still feels so jarring and undercooked to this reader. I think the high school crush thing in Violet's thread was supposed to be provide comic relief, but I just found it kind of annoying? I loved the unravelling of Ben's story but

since he was a ghost, why did the parents phone the police when he disappeared? Could the parents see him? They either did and must've known he wasn't real or they couldn't see him and called the police over a missing imaginary friend?

 

While I guessed a few major plot points in advance, the pace was pretty consistent. But, I found the ending and the resolution really disappointing.

They don't ask Anne any questions about her own story; but instead one hit with a corporeal weapon takes a supernatural being down?

If you're gonna stray that far outside the realms of plausibility, I think I need more explanation for how that's even possible. Lastly, I found the denouement kinda twee, and while it wrapped up some loose ends, it wasn't a satisfying way to close the story. 

Huge points for creeping dread, artfully created setting, and a cool premise; but I needed more believable characters and less handwavian mechanics. 

My request to review this was approved by Michael Joseph on NetGalley.